The show kicked off with a very good, arguably excellent "Hangman" Adam Page/MJF match. I really dug MJF's heel work throughout the contest, including thrusting his crotch into Page's face, consistently using the ropes or "taking a powder" to stop Page's momentum and save himself from defeat, spitting in Page's face, talking trash - it was all there and it all worked. Page's performance was "smaller," but I liked that he hasn't reverted back to his Man Of The People babyface gimmick so quickly (though, it was noticeable here that Page didn't introduce any weapons in the match or rely on any real underhanded tactics. At one point, MJF hit Page with a jumping piledriver on a chair that was gnarly and inventive. This was just a real solid battle that felt like the right kind of reset for MJF after a 2024 that ended up being quite uneven for him. (3.5/5)
Next up - the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defended her title against Momo Watanabe. This went a touch long for me, but the action was quite good and some of the spots were incredible, most notably Mone powerbombing Watanabe to the floor and Momo hitting double knees on the apron. This is the kind of match that AEW has built its reputation on and while it may never drive huge ratings or attendance numbers, it will always "draw" with the "freaks." This was a war between two incredible competitors who were given the time and the freedom to go out and try their best to steal the show - which is nigh impossible on a card like this. I wouldn't say they had the best match of the night, but move-for-move, moment-for-moment, it was undeniably above-average and Watanabe had the kind of break-out performance that is hopefully just the start of her being treated like a big deal in AEW. The crowd was as into this as could be expected considering Watanabe is not a household name or a legend, but Mone did more than enough to keep the fans engaged. Another very, very good match. (3/5)
Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet followed. This was a solid match, though the Nana "swerve" was a bit predictable. I was certainly expecting a much more "hardcore-flavored" match due to the build up to this as Ricochet and Swerve both bled gushers over the course of the past few months and the scissor attack by Ricochet was particularly violent. This was loaded with inventive spots and these guys have great chemistry. I particularly liked Ricochet hitting a Drive By off the barrier, the Swerve stomp (not usually a move I love, but they executed it remarkably quickly and somewhat believably here), and, of course, the ridiculous reverse piledriver-like move on the table. The crowd was hot for all of it, especially Leslie Jones of SNL fame. A very good match and, on basically any other show, it probably would've been even better...but on such a stacked card and without that extra element of violence, it didn't feel as "big" as the feud deserved. (3/5)
Brody King vs. Okada for Okada's Continental Championship. This was definitely the first "dip" of the show - not because it wasn't hard-hitting, not because Okada is a shadow of his former self (though, as someone unfamiliar with his "peak," I would consider his AEW run to be less than special), but because the crowd was coming down from a very strong first hour and this match needed to be something very different than any of the matches that came before it. Instead, it underwhelmed by not telling a more specific, arguably "simple" story. Brody King works best as a monster, not as someone who goes 50/50 with their opponent for 10+ minutes, but Okada didn't really show any fear to make King's size and power seem like as big a threat as they should be treated. This felt a touch "heatless" and, as much as I like King, he's still got things to work on as far as drawing sympathy and support from the live crowd. (2.5/5)
The Outrunners challenged Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin of The Hurt Business for the AEW World Tag Team Championships next. This match was definitely in a "death slot," but it was fine for what it was. The Hurt Business "gave" a bit more than one might've expected, but its not like they were ever really in trouble. The AEW crowd wasn't negative on this, but they weren't super interested in anything other than their entrance it seemed. Its too early to call Lashley a "bust" in AEW, especially after a hot opening storyline against Swerve that should've - but for whatever reason - didn't really go anywhere. I like Hurt Business as dominant tag team champions, but I may be in the minority. The Outrunners were...alright. Their gimmick is more "TV" than "PPV" and I haven't seen them anything beyond the "one-note" aspect of it. (2/5)
"The Hollywood Ending" match was next - Toni Storm defending the AEW Women's World Championship against Mariah May. This was about as wild and bloody as any match - male or female - in several years, just an absolute bloodbath of a spotfest loaded with crazy high spots. I'm not sure if this was good or bad, really, but it was extreme and legitimately shocking to see the level of violence on display. This is not a match for everyone and I can see valid criticisms of Storm and May pushing things too far to the point that this almost became the equivalent of a live-action Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, but I found it to be oddly fitting. This has been a bloody, violent feud between two over-the-top characters so why not go over-the-top with the amount of gore? Also, at a little under 15 minutes, this match didn't overstay its welcome, get repetitive, or have time to drag. With a molten hot crowd and lots of cool throwbacks - and a brilliant visual to end things - this was an unforgettable match on a show where multiple matches could be argued as Match of the Night contenders. (4/5)
Kenny Omega vs. Takeshita for Takeshita's AEW International Championship was next. I expected something akin to the New Japan epics that Omega built his GOAT reputation on and this was exactly that...though, I'm not sure this sort of thing would be everyone's cup of tea and its definitely not my favorite type of match either. At a certain point, the amount of finishers and kick-outs becomes almost absurd, with multiple "match-enders" being used and then showing little to no effect on either competitor minutes later. At close to 30 minutes in length, this match may have been loaded with action, but the first 10 minutes almost felt perfunctory because there was never any real chance of this ending early. I like Takeshita's work on Omega's stomach. I disliked Don Callis on commentary. For TV shows, I think he adds to things by building up heat for his clients and irritating the live audience, but on PPV, just having him in the corner of his client makes more sense as this is a "high stakes" match where Callis should be 100% focused on managing, not commentary. I liked the finish, though, it felt disconnected from the rest of the match, which was heavy on "bomb-throwing" and lighter on reversals and counters to pinning combinations. An epic match, for sure, but not necessarily one that I would be dying to revisit. (3.5/5)
Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher in a cage was next. This was everything one might've expected - another ridiculous "maximalist" match where Ospreay and Fletcher threw every move in the book against each other, including a Styles Clash onto thumbtacks, a Spanish Fly off the top of the cage, and then the finish - a Tiger Driver 91'. There was also lots of blood and Fletcher jabbing Ospreay in the head with a screwdriver. Like the previous match, I didn't love Don Callis on commentary and the amount of nearfalls (and Fletcher screaming "I fucking hate you!") pushed this to a level of absurd melodrama that I'm not a huge fan of. That being said, its hard to consider this match anything less than above-average when you think about the sacrifices and level of athleticism on display. This is not a match built around logic or deliberate pacing or the "old school" version of what a cage match is/should be. This was a cage match in the context of a rivalry between two guys that both want to show they are the best athletes in the world and, to prove that, are going to do outrageous high-risk offense when a more simple, grind-your-face-into-the-cage approach would make more sense and be way less taxing. (3.5/5)
Main event time - Jon Moxley vs. Adam "Cope" Copeland for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. This one started off rough with a strike exchange that felt like a big, neon flashing sign drawing attention to the valid criticisms that have been leveled against both the performers and the booking of this feud. Moxley's puro resu fetish, Copeland's in-ring limitations, the fact that neither guy is particularly over with the AEW crowd in their current roles - it was all there to witness in the first 30 seconds. I believe the hope was that the more punishment Mox dished out to Cope, the more the crowd was going to respond to his occasional flurries of offense...but the crowd just never really got behind Copeland and I don't think there was ever a moment when the finish was in question, even after a very length and poorly executed ref bump sequence (Remsburg being knocked out of the ring and seemingly unconscious for minutes was awful). As others have noted, Christian's cash-in made him look incredibly stupid as he, in this situation, should've had the Patriarchy at his side. There was absolutely no "swerve" with Wheeler Yuta as him possibly turning on Mox was a 13th hour add-on to the storyline that needed to have been built up over several months to work. Jay White's involvement didn't help him at all, though, to his credit, I predict that if they do have him feud with Edge, it will only make him a more over babyface because the anti-Cope crowd is only growing. Here's hoping Swerve wins the title sooner than later and they give Mox some time off-screen to, hopefully, re-evaluate how he can reconnect with fans, who have always wanted to cheer the guy as an ass-kicker and have never seemed to really enjoy or "buy in" to his heel personas. (1.5/5)
Revolution 2025 earned a Kwang Score of just 2.95-out-of-5, which, for most other promotions, in any given year, would be a very, very good score...but AEW's raison d'etre, arguably since its inception, has been to put on PPVs that are so loaded with unbelievable, high quality matches, that this show stands as a low point. Most of the blame goes to the overlong, poorly conceived main event, a match that stuck out like a sore thumb and will likely go down as the worst AEW main event in company history. Put elsewhere on the card and trimmed down by 4-5 minutes, it may have worked...but coming after 3+ hours of incredible, high-impact, workrate-heavy matches like the Ospreay/Fletcher cage match, the Takeshita/Omega war, and a show-stealing bloodbath between Toni Storm and Mariah May, Moxley and Edge were somewhat stuck with what they would and could accomplish and no amount of overbooking could save them.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand
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