AEW Revolution 2026

AEW Revolution 2026

Los Angeles, CA - March 2026

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Heavyweight Champion was MJF, the TNT Champion was Kyle Fletcher, the TBS Champion was Willow Nightingale, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were FTR, Kazuchika Okada was the AEW International Champion, the World Trios Championships were held by Okada, Fletcher, and Mark Davis of the Don Callis Family, Jon Moxley was the Continental Champion, the AEW Women's World Champion was Thekla, the Women's World Tag Team Champions were Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron (The Babes of Wrath), and the AEW National Champion was Ricochet. 

The show kicked off with the finale of the 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal for Ricochet's National Championship. I hate it when a title - held by an entrant - is put up in a battle royal as it really telegraphs that the champion is likely to be one of the last two men standing (which is what happened here). Jungle Boy won the match and the title but I have no idea why. Ricochet has been excellent in AEW when he's been featured prominently while Jack Perry arguably peaked as a tag worker years ago and hasn't been able to put it all together since his backstage run-in with CM Punk and subsequent Scapegoat run.

Next up - FTR vs. Young Bucks for FTR's AEW World Tag Team Championships. It really seemed like Nick Jackson wrestled the majority of this match. 3-out-of-4 competitors ended up bloodied. The Bucks' introduction involved a pre-match video featuring their kids and then the rest of the family was involved in the match too. With all these bells-and-whistles and with the match basically diving head-first into the deep end of violence without any sort of "build," the match felt like FTR and the Bucks opted to try to "wow" the crowd so they'd forget just how many times we've seen these two teams go at it and kick out of and steal eachother's finishers. Unable to tell a truly different story, we got the usual Greatest Hits in slightly different order and with the Bucks playing the sympathetic, hometown babyfaces. A good match, sure, but nothing...uh...revolutionary. Highlights included a really good suplex to the floor spot and I liked the definitive Super Shatter Machine finish, plus Stokely was great. The post-match saw the return of Adam "Cope" Copeland and Christian Cage, setting up what will likely end up being some sort of TLC in the near future. I'm guessing the plan all along was to re-ignite the FTR/Bucks feud to set to the table for Cope and Cage and a 3-way feud. (3/5)

Next up - Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir. Shafir reminded me of Yumiko Hotta, only not as reckless with her kicks (which were still stiff as all hell, but not to the point that you wondered if she knew wrestling was a work). Storm has done an excellent job of helping make Shafir look like not just a legitimate threat in the ring, but a star worth paying attention to. Storm managed to eke out the W after a series of awesome hip attacks and then a shocking "tit biting" into a roll-up and, after celebrating on the ramp, we got the AEW debut of Ronda Rousey. I'll give some credit to TK here as he went with Rousey showing up out of the crowd and not by blasting "Bad Reputation," which made much more sense in kayfabe and also would've been pretty repetitive after the Cope and Cage return (though I'm a sucker for that song/entrance theme). A solid match and maybe even the best singles match of Shafir's career. (2.5/5)

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita for Moxley's AEW International Championship was next. I was not a fan of their time limit draw on Dynamite so I did not have high hopes for this one. This was a Superhero Fight with Moxley and Takeshita hitting each other with every big move they knew, springing up, hitting another one (or getting hit by another one), over and over for 20+ minutes. It was an incredible feat of stamina, endurance, and toughness, but I'm not a fan of "spamming" and no-selling and multiple finisher kickouts, which was basically all this match had to offer after the limbwork in the beginning (which would be ignored/re-emphasized depending on the sequence). Takeshita getting his black eye busted open was nasty and I almost wish Mox had managed to control more of the match for longer stretches to really allow Takeshita to get the crowd's sympathy a bit more. The post-match was a bit awkward too as Takeshita shook Mox's hand (a clear babyface move), the Death Riders celebrated, and then we got a kinda-bizarre Will Ospreay return video leading to him coming in and taking out all the Death Riders (which positions them as heels despite Moxley being presented as much more of a fan favorite over the past few months against the Callis Family and just in general). (3/5)

Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron defended their AEW Women's Tag Team Championships against Megan Bayne and Lena Kross in the next match. I thought this delivered what it needed to as a bit of a "break" in the show after a very strong first 90 minutes (I watched this show in chunks, as usual) and also established Bayne and Kross - the Divine Dominion - as worthy champions. Certainly not "PPV worthy," but it was Willow and Kross's second match of the evening and played off of what happened earlier in the show between them with Willow selling an injury before the bell even rang. (2/5)

Swerve Strickland took on Brody King in a grudge match next. I really liked most of this match, though there were some elements I was less of a fan of - specifically Strickland lifting King up in a powerslam position at one point, which hurts his status as one of the few "monsters" in the company and, later on, King kicking out of House Call at one (though they kept the move strong by having him lose by a second one definitively). I was also a touch disappointed with the post-match as we saw the return of Kenny Omega when I think there is still plenty of gas in the Swerve/King tank and that their feud deserves another round (preferably with some sort of chain stipulation). (3/5)

Thekla defended her AEW Women's World Championship against Kris Statlander in a 2-out-of-3 falls match. I really liked the intensity throughout and, once again, how far Statlander was willing to push things to try to get this match over with a crowd that was maybe a bit spent after having already seen most every major star on the roster (including unadvertised appearances from Omega, Ospreay, Copeland, Christian, and Rousey). I liked the layout of this match too with Thekla having to cheat to win the first fall, Statlander resorting to increasingly violent throws and power moves to try to take her out, eventually landing the "Sunday" Night Special to tie things up, and then Thekla having to resort to even more trickery and interference to retain. My biggest gripe might actually be just how much punishment Thekla took as both the first fall and third fall really played up her role as a conniving heel who can't beat Statlander without some sort of advantage (including the use of a strap). Going toe-to-toe with her for so much of the 2nd fall showed Thekla's toughness, but emphasizing it can be a tricky move as it also hurts Statlander's credibility a bit (especially with the obvious size and strength advantage she has). A "good enough" match and I'm curious where both characters go next as this was one of the few matches that didn't feature a big "post-match" moment. (3/5)

Kevin Knight, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, and Mistico challenged The Don Callis Family's Mark Davis, Kazuchika Okada, and Kyle Fletcher for the AEW Trios Championship in the next match. I've been mostly underwhelmed with how the AEW has treated the Trios Championship over the past couple years, so I didn't come into this match with much investment. Thankfully for the competitors involved, the LA crowd was very much into it and very much behind Mistico (and the other luchadores on this card, as we'd see in the next match). Mark Davis was super impressive in this match while Okada felt like he was mostly just doing this match as a "cameo" (which is crazy considering how he could be being used for actual "dream match" scenarios). This also felt like something of a night off for Fletcher as he wasn't the focal point of the match or even attempting to steal the show the way he has the past few PPVs (and even increasingly on TV). At one point, Fletcher rolled into a Speedball top rope move and Schiavone had to basically cover why he would be positioning himself for it (Schiavone explained that he was trying to "roll away" from the move, but it was clear the opposite was true). There was also a sloppy Mistico pin break-up at one point. Aside from that, though, this was a ton of fun and the post-match celebration was clearly a big moment for the crowd and for Mistico as well. I was expecting Knight to turn on Speedball here - not to join the Callis Family necessarily but just to build to the rivalry they sorta hinted at some weeks back - but maybe they're saving that moment for when/if The Hurt Business returns? Another solid match, but not "must see." (3/5)

Bandido vs. Andrade El Idolo was next and, up till this point, would probably be my Match of the Night. While it went a minute or three too long (it went close to 21), with lots of kickouts to moves that could've/should've been the finish, it had an excellent opening, Andrade's striptease moment was mega over with the crowd, and some of the moves Bandido busted out towards the end were absolutely incredible and, in some cases, the first time I'd ever seen them (in the case of Bandido somehow hitting a Pele/heel kick while having Andrade in a fireman's carry, it didn't seem like the commentators had ever seen that before either). I'm still not 100% sure why they paired Andrade with Don Callis when the recipe for his success lies in being treated as a much more singular figure with - preferably - a female manager like Zelina Vega, but I'm a fan of him changing his look a bit (the lighter hair color, the braids, the decision to no longer rock baseball pants) and the much more narcissistic, self-absorbed gimmick he is leaning into. Maybe just a hair short of "must see." (3.5/5)

A Tornado Six-Man Tag followed with Darby Allin teaming with Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong to take on "The Dogs" (Clark Connors, Dave Finlay, and Gabe Kidd). This was - somewhat surprisingly - my favorite tag team match of the night, though it was admittedly the least-structured and had the lowest stakes. What worked for me most about this match was that, with Darby and OC, you have two very clearly-defined and very engaging characters with enough "shtick" and signature moves to keep things really entertaining and exciting from beginning to end. I really loved Orange Cassidy doing his kick routine on the Dogs and getting brutalized for it, I loved the way the heels neutralized Darby for some of the match by tying him to the post, I loved Roderick Strong's offense (as usual). My only real complaint is that I'm not sure why they'd book a finish that makes your brand-new trio of supposed badasses look like immediate midcard fodder. I can understand any of the three losing in a singles match or even in a tag match, but as a cohesive unit, they should not be losing to a team of three singles wrestlers. (3.5/5)

Main event time (finally) - MJF defending the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against "Hangman" Adam Page in a Texas Death Match (with the added stipulation that if Page loses, he will never challenge for the AEW World Championship again - a not-so-subtle nod to the same stipulation Cody Rhodes once set for himself in the first year of AEW and that MJF ended up costing him). MJF had a fun pre-match video in which he pissed on Page's grave and then came out sporting Terry Funk ring attire. It did not take long for the match to spill into the stands. We got some glass involved fairly early as well, with MJF taking a bodyslam into the stuff and then getting dragged through it. Page then grabbed hold of some barbwire and "busted" MJF open with it (it was a blatant bladejob) before pulling it tight around MJF's mouth in a brutal-looking spot. Page pulled a table out on the outside but before he could use it, MJF hit him with a drop toe hold into a chair near the barricade. Back in the ring, MJF took a shard of glass and sliced Page's forehead open (again, another bladejob) and then bodyslammed Page into the rest of the glass in the center of the ring. MJF grabbed a broom to move the glass off the ring, giving Page a moment to rest. The broom got broken into peices and MJF jabbed Page in the head before leveling him with a chair to the back. MJF then pulled a SYRINGE out from the under the ring and jabbed it through Page's mouth! Ughggh! That is one spot I could certainly live without AEW ever having used in the first place and ever using it again. MJF left the syringe in his mouth and walked about the ring, grabbing the chair. He looked to hit Page in the head with the chair, but Page blocked it and hit him with a right hand (as he spit the syringe out). Page hit MJF with a chairshot to the back and then went to the floor to pull a barbwire-covered chair out from under the ring. When Page looked to use it, MJF hit an Alabama Slam that sent Page into it instead! Damn. MJF set up another table on the outside but this time he was cut-off and Page hit him with a Deadeye into the barbwire chair in the middle of the ring. Page sold some knee damage but was able to grab the chair and bash it into MJF's back repeatedly as the crowd cheered. Page followed it up with a fallaway slam into the chair (which was propped up in the corner) and MJF delivered some loud, vocal obscenity-laced selling. Page went for a moonsault with the chair - which was a dumb, unfitting spot from a logic standpoint - missed it and MJF threw the chair into his face to switch the tide. MJF didn't get much offense in, though, as Page hit him with an absolutely nasty Deadeye through the table near the ring (with the table not breaking immediately, they practically bounced off the thing, which looked extra painful). Both men broke the 10 count and ended up on the opposite apron (where another table had been placed many minutes earlier by Hangman). Page looked to hit another Deadeye but MJF countered with a bite to the skull - something that we'd seen multiple, multiple, multiple times on the show already, preventing it from feeling like a real moment - and hit a Tombstone Piledriver through the table! There was a time when that move would've been cause for a guy to spend the next 9 months at home. Hangman managed to beat the count and MJF rolled him into the ring. From here, things continued to ramp up in violence with dog collars, light tubes, MJF getting his head skewered, a barbwire table (which the fans were hoping Page would set aflame), and even a big spot where both men crashed through the table that controls the pyro off to the side of the entrance stage. The finish to this match - which went over 40 minutes - saw Page attempt a Buckshot Lariat only for MJF to counter it into a literal "hangman" choke with the chain, causing Page to pass out and MJF to be declared the winner. This was about as violent and hardcore as a main event match can get, which feels like something I end up typing every other AEW PPV. (4/5)

With a very respectable Kwang Score of 3.05, Revolution 2026 was a solid show that didn't deliver the same number of great matches as December's World's End show but never dipped too far below average. Some of the highlights of the show were the unadvertised appearances of Rousey, Omega, and Ospreay, none of which are reflected in the show's score but helped break-up the show's layout. AEW PPVs are never thin on good action, but some matches - the Women's Tag Team Championship bout and even the strong Trios contest - felt a bit like marquee television matches rather than PPV matches, but that also reflects the consistent quality of Dynamite and Collision as shows where you'll often see 15+ minute spirited, workrate-heavy matches. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand