7 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Revolution 2023 (Review)

AEW overcome flat build to deliver one of the best pay-per-views EVER.

by Michael Sidgwick
Hangman Page Jon Moxley
AEW

The general consensus was that AEW Revolution 2023 was a two match show - and since AEW had ran Jon Moxley Vs. Hangman Page three times on TV prior to it, the old feeling of rapt anticipation was missing.

It was still an excellent prospect on paper; while the approximate 39 hours of television between the quarterly pay-per-view cycle should mean far more, for fours at least, high-end action was all but guaranteed last night. The roster is simply too talented for that not to happen.

But how true was that?

Running two grudge matches that required blood represented a risk of diminishing returns, and to compound things, Jack Perry Vs. Christian Cage hasn't truly been hot since last summer. Chris Jericho Vs. Ricky Starks was more cold than any featured upper midcard match in the history of AEW on pay-per-view. Surely, it was never going to beat their first meeting on January 4, and there, the atmosphere was more hot than the action. Jericho Vs. Starks 2: Quieter and Longer hardly seemed like a blockbuster sequel, especially after that phoned-in cliché of a gauntlet-driven build.

Saraya's saviour complex incited a bizarre ripple effect in which the women's division did end up revolving around her - and became really quite bad. She hadn't performed to the expected level, either. Wardlow and Samoa Joe had already worked a fairly unremarkable limb work match that hardly felt like a spectacle of a hoss fight. The carny irreverent fun of the Acclaimed Vs. Jeff Jarrett and the lads peaked on TV and didn't feel worth the premium PPV fee.

Did Revolution over-deliver...?

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!