12 Match Star Ratings For AEW Revolution 2022
10. BUY-IN: Death Triangle Vs. The House Of Black
You're not likely to see a pre-show match as fantastic as this.
PAC and Malakai Black's frantic stalemate gave way to the first in-ring glimpse of Buddy Matthews in AEW, which was immensely auspicious. He looked like he was carrying too much muscle against Kazuchika Okada in November; here, he sprinted across the ring and looked like a video game monster in a perfectly timed early sequence with Penta that ended in another slithering stalemate and a just ridiculously impossible-looking kip-up.
The huge and hugely endearing Eric Redbeard and Brody King's hoss battle was fantastic, and spirited - they weren't out of place amongst their dynamo partners and complemented the style without detracting from the blistering pace - but PAC and Matthews, holy sh*t. Their lightning fast sequences and the pelting blows within it were just exceptional state-of-the-art pro wrestling. Proper face-melting stuff, and that's before the match even approached the stretch.
After Brody King chopped PAC so hard that Excalibur let out a giddy squeal, Penta summoned "This is awesome" chants with a fabulous Canadian Destroyer - following which this trios banger broke down in the best possible way: apron Fear Factors, killer jumping knees, hoss colossus piledrivers...
For a silly programme plagued by its own lore, every man involved did such an exquisite job of registering their own presence and selling the danger of their opponents. There was as much cool body language as movez dopamine in this outrageous clash.
Star Rating: ★★★★