7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Revolution 2024 (Results & Review)

Ups...

7. Opener Is Beautifully Crafted

Daniel Garcia Christian Cage
AEW

Christian Cage Vs. Daniel Garcia was a lovely match.

It wasn't great, but it was very, very well-crafted for the most part. Wrestled in the classic Christian vein, it was accomplished and understated and very different from every other offering on the show. There were no chop battles. No head drops. No apron spots. It was an elegant story of Garcia weakening Cage's leg en route to a surefire victory thwarted by the interference of the Patriarchy.

(Incidentally, as brilliant as the sick soap opera stable is, AEW is fast approaching a point at which they'll need to be barred from ringside if the promotion is on the level. It's getting a bit Bloodline with its plot holes.)

As ever, the simple story was elevated by Cage's masterful sense of pacing and his expert selling; without being remotely histrionic about it, it looked like he was in deep trouble when dissected by Garcia's grappling prowess and strategic ability to take advantage. Cage's layouts are just sublime. By the time Garcia fought off Cage to get back in the ring, a booming boo/yay rendition soundtracked the most simple of strike exchanges. The little things matter when plotted with Cage's slow-burn approach.

The finish wasn't ideal. Daddy Magic ran off Luchasaurus, allowing Nick Wayne to hit Garcia with a cutter and Cage to win with the Killswitch. Even if the cutter looked good, it would've felt like an anticlimactic second match on Dynamite finish - but the spot was blown, compounding how flat it was.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!