Chair Shots With Killem Faulkner: Huge Announcement Dynamite

AEW’s flagship show had one final opportunity to build hype for this Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view as Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL once again played host. In addition to the standard go-home show developments one might expect, Tony Khan promised a major announcement that would have a seismic impact on the world of professional wrestling, so all eyes were on the product to see what AEW would deliver ahead of its highly anticipated show on Sunday. Let’s run down the best and worst moments as well as the developments worth tracking as we head into Revolution.

Best Match of the Night

Go-home shows are always tricky from an in-ring standpoint – you don’t want to give away too much before the pay-per-view or run the risk of getting someone injured, but you also can’t just put on throwaway TV matches that nobody cares about while saving your big stars for the moneymaker. AEW did a decent job of striking that balance here – there were enough good matches involving major players to help sell Revolution while keeping the focus squarely on the best yet to come in each of the feuds previewed on Dynamite. A good example of this was AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker DMD and Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez – there were really two ongoing stories highlighted here, the champ trying to duck her challenger and the question of whether Baker has enough backup to retain the title now that Martinez has switched sides. Both of those narratives figure to play into the result at Revolution but also played a role in the finish of this match, as Martinez was able to neutralize Hayter and Rebel at ringside while her partner pinned the champ despite Baker’s best efforts to stay away from her challenger throughout the match. Most of the time, the law of 50-50 booking would dictate that the winner on free TV will lose on pay-per-view, and that may be true in this case – Baker may regroup and come up with a new plan (or maybe even enlist another new insurance policy) to help her retain when the title is on the line, but it seems equally likely that Rosa will be the one to finally take the belt off the good doctor. Baker took out her frustrations on Martinez recently, seemingly scapegoating her as the weak link in her effort to fend off Thunder Rosa’s challenge, but let’s not forget that she and Jamie Hayter have had their issues in the past as well. Maybe this Sunday will see an utterly desperate Baker abandoned by her muscular backup at an inopportune moment and we’ll see a repeat of the finish here. There was just enough uncertainty left by the finish of this tag team match that viewers will just have to watch Revolution to find out which way it goes, and that’s exactly what a match like this needs to accomplish.

The surprise opening match of Christopher Daniels vs. Bryan Danielson was another highlight this week, though it had more to do with Tony Khan’s announcement (more on that in a moment) than setting anything up for Revolution, though there was a brief tie-in post match as Jon Moxley emerged to confront his upcoming opponent. Primarily, this was just a good match, a sort of tune-up for Danielson and a nice in-ring return for Daniels. There was never really any doubt about who was going over in this match, but it was still an excellent display from two men who have crossed paths a time or two over the past 20 years but had not yet worked together in AEW. The Fallen Angel, who took a moment mid-match to remind us he’s 51 years old, looked quick and spry for his age and had no problem taking risks in this match, including a nasty spill from the top rope when Danielson countered his attempt at a super hurricanrana into essentially a moonsault onto nothing. Danielson was able to pick up the victory by turning an attempted Best Moonsault Ever into a triangle choke which, combined with a series of elbow strikes to the skull, led to the referee’s stoppage in favor of the former Yes Man. This was exactly the kind of hard-hitting, heavy on submissions and counters, technically-minded but fast-paced match we’ve come to expect from Danielson, and Daniels put in a commendable performance before the inevitable result. Also, I would like to update my request from last week – I would now like Christopher Daniels to join Bryan Danielson’s proposed faction and form a trio with Daniel Garcia called Daniel/Daniels/Danielson.

Ultimately, the best match of the night was the main event pitting AEW World Champion Adam Page, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds against Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly. Again, this was a match with implications for Revolution, and Adam Cole played his role as cowardly heel looking to soften up his pay-per-view opponent while trying to stay as fresh as possible himself to absolute perfection, tagging himself in to take a cheap shot here and there while running for cover as soon as momentum swung the other way. As a result, we didn’t see Cole and Page face off that much, allowing the Dark Order members and reDRagon to carry the bulk of the match, which was a smart way of furthering the story between champ and contender while saving the physicality for their title match on Sunday. Even the post-match shenanigans, which saw Hangman Page duct taped to the ropes while the heels laid waste to his friends, were mostly confined to psychological warfare as Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly served up a reminder of Page’s inability to help his friends in the Dark Order, a source of anxiety that hounded him throughout his pursuit of the title. Cole picking up the pinfall after hitting a superkick and the Boom on Reynolds gives him further legitimacy heading into the pay-per-view title match, as he remains undefeated in 2022 and has picked up numerous wins with his lethal finisher. Although it’s unlikely we’ll see Page’s title reign end on Sunday, considering this is his first pay-per-view title defense and he remains one of the most popular performers on the roster, Cole does have a considerable amount of momentum on his side, so it isn’t impossible to believe AEW might choose to ride the hot hand and put the Anxious Millennial Cowboy back in chase mode.

Best Moment of the Night

Tony Khan‘s promised announcement was indeed massive, though the moment itself wasn’t anything particularly special, so it gets an honorable mention from me only. (No offense to the Khan man, he just isn’t the world’s best promo so it was necessarily kept pretty short and to the point to, as he put it, make sure we got to the wrestling portion of the show without too much ado.) It’s been no secret that Ring of Honor has not been in the best financial situation, so I doubt anyone was too shocked when Khan announced he has agreed to purchase the company, but it is still a big deal that AEW and RoH will be under the same ownership going forward. While the “forbidden door” working arrangements with Impact and New Japan have slowed down in recent times, an infusion of new talent would give fans plenty of fresh matchups to look forward to between now and Supercard of Honor in April. There is a lot up in the air right now – it’s not entirely clear who is still under contract with RoH at the moment much less who might be willing to re-sign under new ownership – but at the very least, I would say Jonathan Gresham, the Briscoe brothers, Josh Woods, Deonna Purrazzo, Dalton Castle, Rush, Bandido, Joe Hendry, and Shane Taylor (along with the rest of Shane Taylor Productions if possible) would be on my wish list to cross over with AEW programming. Beyond that, the prospect of a refreshed RoH as another viable American wrestling promotion should be exciting for any wrestling fans with room in their hearts and viewing schedules for another weekly show.

The House of Black‘s short but impactful promo claiming they gave PAC new sight and Penta a newfound appreciation for violence was also a highlight. Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews worked well together in this brief segment, and AEW continues to nail the intimidating vibe of this faction without the overt supernatural overtones that can sometimes lead a group like this into hokey or cheesy territory. Whether Rey Fenix is healthy enough to have a proper trios match is still unclear so we likely won’t see it at Revolution, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to keep fans anticipating their eventual showdown for a little longer. (Double or Nothing is only 2ish months away, after all.)

For the second week in a row, and this hopefully will come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention, the CM Punk–MJF segment was the best moment of the night. Punk talked about how MJF bravely baring his soul last week led him to question himself and reflect on some of the bad things he’s done in his career. He still questioned whether MJF is sincere about the effect Punk had on him and what he has become – after all, there’s a photo of a young Punk with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was famously accused of “taking his ball and going home” and that didn’t serve as his supervillain origin story. He called MJF to the ring and promised that although he couldn’t definitively say he’s the good guy in this scenario, he’s at least trying his best. Punk offered a handshake but MJF went in for a hug, which seemed like a genuinely heartwarming moment even as it lingered slightly too long before MJF inevitably took him to dick kick city and the ruse was entirely revealed as the rest of the Pinnacle came to the ring to join in a bloody beatdown. MJF revealed a white T-shirt with the picture of him and Punk printed on the front, and after busting Punk open with the Dynamite Diamond ring, he smeared his foe’s blood all over the photo and promised to show everyone at Revolution that “I am the devil himself.” Sting, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara were able to save Punk from further pain and humiliation as Shawn Spears began choking Punk with the dog collar, but overall it seemed like MJF accomplished everything he set out to with this sneak attack. Granted, it feels like allowing Punk to stew in his self-doubt and uncertainty until Revolution might have been the more effective plan, but a villain in fiction revealing their master plan before it’s complete is such a well-worn trope that it would’ve almost been more surprising if MJF had pulled it off flawlessly. As a selling point for their match at Revolution, however, this was a masterful bit of business – anyone watching who had any sympathy for MJF last week now unequivocally wants to see him get utterly decimated by Punk as revenge for this heinous display. Also, I just have to appreciate when the line “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” can actually be used in a way that is germane to the story being told. Just masterful storytelling all around here.

Worst Matches/Moments of the Night

Kris Statlander and Leyla Hirsch‘s feud continues to be super cringeworthy – Statlander doubling down on the whole “I understand why your parents abandoned you as a child” rhetoric really does not make me want to root for her – but at least hopefully they’ll put on a good match on the Revolution Buy-In pre-show and be done with it. I’m not counting the entire Casino Tag Team Royale as a “worst match” because it wasn’t terrible, but I thought the whole point of the staggered entrances every 90 seconds was to prevent the usual mass of bodies in the ring that a traditional battle royal always requires. There was a long stretch of this match in which far too many people were in the ring at once, and it took a lot of rapid fire eliminations to finally get back to a manageable number. I completely missed Brian Pillman Jr. being eliminated from the match – maybe it happened during a commercial break and I’m too lazy to go back and find it, but that seems like a problem with the match format if someone’s elimination can be so inconsequential. Given that the Young Bucks were definitely winning, it also seemed like there were too many teams in this match – the Wingmen and Bear Country were disposed of so easily that it hardly seemed worth having them in there to begin with. Credit to AEW for making Darius Martin’s return feel impactful and for giving us two teams from the Dark Order in the same match, but otherwise this was a very skippable match considering its implications for Revolution.

Parting Shots

• It’s interesting to me that we’re getting a TNT Championship match between Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Andrade El Idolo on Friday’s Rampage and a trios match between the AHFO and Sting/Darby/Sammy with no real stakes on the pay-per-view. I get that Rampage is on TNT and that title is largely meant to be defended on regular TV, and I suppose it will be the main featured match on Friday when it would just be another midcard match on Sunday. Still, it’s always going to feel a little odd that the less important match is being saved for the show that matters more.
• Keith Lee will have his first Rampage match on Friday also, which could go one of two ways in my mind: either he gets an easy win to further familiarize AEW’s audience with his skillset ahead of winning the Face of the Revolution ladder match on Sunday, or he gets attacked by Team Taz to further their feud and set up a reason why he won’t win the ladder match. I would clearly prefer the former, but the latter wouldn’t be terrible if they have a plan for someone else to challenge for the TNT title.
• Speaking of the Face of the Revolution match, the best non-Keith Lee choice would obviously be Wardlow, especially given that MJF promised to let him keep the title if he wins rather than forcing the big man to turn it over to him as he previously indicated he could do per his bodyguard’s contract. I can’t think of a much better way to further this budding feud between boss and employee than to have Wardlow succeed despite MJF’s doubts and provoke his jealousy over being the first singles star of the Pinnacle to win an official title. (MJF does have the Dynamite Diamond, which is a sort of honor if not an official title with a belt and everything, but there is also the fact that he didn’t win it on his own. Presumably Wardlow would have to win the title by himself, and it’s even possible that Shawn Spears would actively try to prevent him from winning the title out of spite.) Wardlow and MJF certainly don’t need a title on the line to feel important, but it would benefit the title to have a significant personal feud behind it.
• Since this is the last article before Revolution, I’ll go ahead and make my predictions so that you can all laugh at how wrong I am later.
  • Bryan Danielson defeats Jon Moxley in what will probably be the best match of the night
  • Eddie Kingston defeats Chris Jericho
  • Jade Cargill retains the TBS Championship against Tay Conti
  • Jurassic Express retains the AEW Tag Team Championships (though I could absolutely see reDRagon winning to further their feud with the Young Bucks – I think it’s more likely they neutralize each other to allow the champs to retain)
  • CM Punk defeats MJF in a brutal dog collar match that hopefully will not but probably will lead to a third match between them to break the 1-1 tie
  • Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Sting over Matt Hardy, Isiah Kassidy, and Andrade El Idolo in a bathroom break match
  • Thunder Rosa dethrones Dr. Britt Baker DMD to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion
  • Keith Lee wins the Face of the Revolution match
  • Adam Page retains the AEW World Championship against Adam Cole

I fully expect Revolution to be a great pay-per-view after a pretty good go-home show, and it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out on Rampage as AEW puts the finishing touches on the card. Thanks again for joining me and I hope you’ll all come back next week for more Chair Shots!