8 Match Star Ratings For AEW Revolution
1. Chris Jericho Vs. Jon Moxley - World Championship Match
Jon Moxley captured the AEW World Championship from a fiendishly difficult position in both storyline and in reality.
That crowd had witnessed an all-timer of a match, stage one in the hottest feud of the year, and received a new hero into their exhausted hearts. Moxley and Chris Jericho could not compete with the athleticism and emotion elsewhere. They had to work their asses off to get this grand occasion over with a masterfully-crafted story, and they did, with both shortcuts and substance.
They brawled early to set a violent, proper main event-level tone and to engage the crowd. Moxley's bump through the timekeeper's table was gnarly, and because these men are professional, seasoned masters, they subverted a legitimate complaint to get their sh*t in when that sh*t was required to get the match over. Jericho tried to kill Moxley in a blatant attempt to get disqualified. Aubrey Edwards recognised this and refused to fall for it, in a story beat that deftly allowed for smoke, mirrors and brutality.
In a match worked around Moxley's injured eye, he fought through wave upon wave of Inner Circle attacks, one of which was caught and dealt with by Aubrey to restore her legitimacy.
This story got Moxley over as the true World Champion of AEW. He could not be denied. He was too gutsy, too tough, too good of a pro wrestler - his Liontamer reversals were done excellently - and ultimately, too clever. He revealed the ruse by ducking the Judas Effect, removing the eyepatch, and nailing Le Champion (sniff RIP) with the Paradigm Shift. This was a lesson in how to strap a babyface.
In Jon Moxley, AEW have built a total hoot of a badass who looks totally unbeatable and as hard as bastard nails without it feeling forced, inevitable or boring.
Star Rating: ★★★★