thelesterlee
Following a disappointing ending to 2023 with World’s End finishing with an obvious Adam Cole devil reveal after an atrocious MJF title reign, AEW is using Revolution to reset the direction of their company by potentially crowning their first black world champion or a new TNT champion.
But most importantly, this will be the final match of Sting’s professional wrestling career against a Young Bucks team that wore their Darby Allin blood-stained suits for weeks.
We also have the debut of Will Ospreay as he is officially done playing in Japan and has arrived on American soil to be trapped under the thumb of Don Callis who probably should slowly start being phased off TV.
Here are my AEW Revolution 2024 predictions:
All-Star Scramble Match: Chris Jericho vs. Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Lance Archer vs. Hook vs. Brian Cage vs. Magnus vs. Dante Martin
Who should get the next AEW World Championship match?
The correct answers are Ricky Starks and Jay White. Ricky went toe-to-toe with pre-washed MJF and was set to have a career-defining feud with CM Punk but then Punk tried to commit manslaughter at the biggest show in AEW history and Ricky landed in a tag team with Big Bill to kill time while they figured out something better to do with him.
And now he’s totally off TV.
They did not find something better to do with him.
Meanwhile, Jay White and the Bullet Club were dominating Collison every Saturday night until he was sucked into the worst storyline in recent wrestling history with MJF and Adam Cole sucking all of the oxygen out of the room and now White’s stuck working with The Acclaimed and it feels like he’s being forced to toil on Rampage while they wait for Juice Robinson to recover from an injury instead of allowing him to be a single’s star because it’s not ‘his time’ yet or whatever.
Ricky Starks and Jay White can’t be in this No. 1 contender’s match.
Instead, we must watch Lance Archer and Dante Martin (lose).
So I’m going to go with Powerhouse Hobbs. Fuck it.
I know the story makes sense for Wardlow to be the last man standing—especially after he just gave the promo of his life on Dynamite a couple weeks ago.
This was arguably Wardlow’s best promo to date. My goodness where was this a year ago?!? This is exactly what he needed, remind folks who you are & who you beat specifically how you beat them. It’s going to take some work but a good start #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/8raw6mzJDp
— Juan RC 🇵🇷 (@elclass_king) February 22, 2024
But Wardlow isn’t going to be champion anytime soon. Whoever wins this match is getting a huge bump up to the main event but they are almost certainly losing to Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland/Hangman Page. And that’s okay. That Hobbs championship match is going to be FIRE regardless.
Oh, and if we get a Hobbs vs. Wardlow story after this?? We are so back.
Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs
FTR vs. BCC
What is the point of this match?
The Blackpool Combat Club is in the midst of a war with an entire Mexican wrestling promotion while simultaneously being in a death feud with FTR where they need security to break them up every time they are in the same room all stemming from their individual beliefs they are the baddest motherfuckers in the world.
Understandable. I’ve had similar beefs with co-workers.
I’ve watched enough AEW to understand everything on this show happens for a reason. AEW is attempting to heat up the tag team division in what I imagine will be in Sting’s forehead blood on Sunday. This FTR vs. BCC match will determine who starts this new tag team era at the top.
FTR and The Young Bucks are always sort of ready for a 2 out of 3 falls deathmatch whenever Tony Khan asks them and again, The BCC is busy patrolling the border and checking work visas at the door so this feels like an FTR dub to send them directly into Nick and Matt Jackson low blows.
Winner: FTR
AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage vs. Daniel Garcia
IT’S OFFICIAL! #TNT Champion Christian Cage defends against Daniel Garcia NEXT SUNDAY at #AEWRevolution!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@GarciaWrestling | @Christian4Peeps| @Luchasaurus | @TheNickWayne pic.twitter.com/vVclRObOlc
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 22, 2024
Is it Daniel Garcia’s time?
It feeeeeels like it’s time to pull the trigger on DG. That man was lost in a Chris Jericho storyline we shall never speak of here and has finally built himself into a legitimate competitor.
And real quick, shout out to the Continental Classic serving as a company reset to redirect some of their top talents towards meaningful, tangible goals instead of, well, playing with Chris Jericho or DMing Dave Meltzer about how unhappy they are.
So yes, it’s Daniel Garcia’s time.
But I reckon the actual question when looking ahead is, does this Christian and Edge story need the TNT title attached to it?
Personally, I do not think so, however, I could see AEW deciding to keep the belt over Christian’s shoulders while he’s still the head of The Patriarchy. Christian isn’t losing until Luchasaurus or Nick Wayne or Mama Wayne decide to turn on him.
It is so easy for me to picture a Nick Wayne & Luchasaurus vs. Daniel Garcia & Adam Copeland graphic for this week’s Dynamite. Yea, this isn’t over yet, unfortunately.
If it were up to me, Garcia would be champion already but I’m talking myself into a Christian retention. I mean, Christian is one of the best in the world with a microphone in his hands. I won’t be complaining if/when he wins. He’s truly opened my eyes to some strange correlation between becoming a professional wrestler and not having a father. We need research and scientific studies behind this phenomenon.
Winner: Christian Cage
Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Is this going to steal the show?
Before I praise these performers, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Don Callis.
I understand centering Don Callis in a rivalry between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay last year considering neither man has proven to be prime Stone Cold on the mic but with Omega gone for a while and the diehard fans clearly in love with Ospreay based solely on his decision to wrestle for their favorite company instead of WWE, Don Callis continuing to be his manager makes little to no sense.
But I don’t want to be a boring, lazy, crybaby Internet commenter who hates everything.
Ospreay and Takeshita are two of the best wrestlers on planet Earth. Whatever dumb story they’re telling about Callis is secondary to what is about to be a clash of the Titans. I’ve talked a lot of shit about Chris Jericho today. Takeshita is soo good, he managed to squeeze an incredible match out of Chris Jericho in Japan a couple months back.
Both Ospreay and Takeshita are super athletic strikers who are more than willing to risk their own bodies if it means they can damage their opponents. Somehow at only 6-foot-2, Takeshita looks like an absolute monster capable of being the biggest heel in the company and Will Ospreay so clearly has the juice to be the top face. This match could be the start of their own Swerve Strickland/Adam Page-style feud that lasts forever.
As far as the winner goes, Will Ospreay refused to sign with an American promotion and now suddenly he’s signed to AEW. I see Tony Khan making sure Ospreay never loses a match until like, MJF comes back and even then Ospreay may take the W. I suggest everyone appreciate Ospreay now before he becomes AEW’s John Cena and we get annoyed at his little flips and shit.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Continental Crown Championship: Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson
Will Danielson shake Kingston’s hand?
I’m really proud of Eddie Kingston becoming the Continental Crown Champion, although, I’m still not totally sure what that is.
There’s also a 0% chance he loses and I don’t see anything interesting coming from this outside of the handshake at the end.
It’s always felt like Kingston has his own universe inside of AEW and I can never predict what his next storyline is going to be but it’s cool that he gets to have a match against the GOAT to defend a title Tony Khan exclusively manufactured for him.
I’d actually love to see Kingston exclusively wrestle on Collision and become a sort of miniboss for upcoming talent to get their first interesting stories with because if there’s any one thing Kingston excels at, it’s telling compelling stories and getting the audience to care what he’s doing?
If Bryan Danielson shakes Eddie Kingston’s hand at the end of this match, Kingston officially becomes a made man capable of transferring that level of respect to an up-and-comer.
Wait, I know it. Eddie Kingston vs. Ricky Starks. Set it up now. Let these two men be passive-aggressive assholes on Collison every week until their inevitable deathmatch where Kingston losses the Continental Crown Championship and suddenly Ricky Starks’s resume has Continental Crown Champion, Owen Hart trophy and a tag team title. Noooooooooot bad.
Winner: Eddie Kingston
AEW Women’s Championship: Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Who would you rather lose to Mercedes Mone?
Much like the Eddie Kingston/Bryan Danielson match, the outcome of this women’s championship match seems clear. And this says nothing about Purrazzo’s talent. She’s one of the best of her generation and deserved this title shot right out of the gate but it wouldn’t make sense to end the Timeless Toni Storm run riiiight before Mercedes Mone debuts when Toni Storm is the most popular women’s act in the company.
And perhaps I’m assuming Mercedes will be champ but actually, yea, she’s 1000% going to be the champion. Mercedes has been circling around Giulia, the biggest name in Joshi wrestling. AEW is already planning their Mercedes Mone vs. Giulia match as I write this.
As far as this match goes specifically, expect one of the best matches of Toni Storm’s career. I’m sure she’s aware enough to know her time at the top of the card is coming to an end, thanks to powers out of her control. She’s going to put on a show. She’s really figured out how to put on a 5-star match while simultaneously leaning into her gimmick without relying to heavily on the goofy shit.
If Mercedes Mone doesn’t immediately come for the belt, I’d love to see Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa get a crack at each other. Rosa deserves it.
Thunder Rosa cut a Promo after Collision Showcasing her frustration about a spot she feels she never lost at the top the AEW Women’s Division 👀 #AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/Xym4Mcn0gI
— Brandon McMullen (@BrandonMcMull20) February 25, 2024
Winner: Toni Storm
AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Adam Page
Will Swerve Strickland make history?
How did we get here?
Samoa Joe was not supposed to be in this position. CM Punk was running around with the ‘Real’ World Championship and was 1000% supposed to be MJF’s opponent at World’s End and winning thanks to the interference of Adam Cole as the Devil.
But CM Punk has his fingerprints on this match even more than just Joe’s involvement. Punk essentially refused to work with Hangman Page and went as far as telling ESPN he was a-scared that Page might hit him for real and waaahhh waaaahhh [insert more baby noises].
This left Adam Page kind of just farting around doing nothing until Swerve Strickland noticed his compliancy and called him out for coasting on his relationships with the guys who made the company.
The rest is history. This is easily the most excited I’ve been for a title match as I’ve been in a long time. I cannot stress enough how silly and weird that MJF run was.
Anyone can win this. Samoa Joe could retain while Swerve and Hangman are too focused on hurting each other leading to Joe stealing a pin from one of them. I could also see Joe getting into a title feud with Wardlow or Powerhouse Hobbs or *eyes roll out of head* Chris Jericho if he wins the no. 1 contender’s match.
Hangman Page’s heel turn could lead to him cheating to win while he and Swerve do a double switch and Swerve becomes the biggest face of the company so when he gets his solo title match with Hangman Page, Swerve is a good guy who gets cheers so loud the cars in the parking lot shake.
It would make sense to put the belt back on Page so he and Moxley are the only guys who’ve had the AEW Championship twice and they have to murder each other for the title again one day. As is tradition.
But man, every time I open Twitter there’s a new quote from Swerve Strickland campaigning for this championship like his name is on the ballot this November.
I’m going with my gut.
Winner: Hangman Page
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Roddy Strong
Why should Roderick Strong win?
Orange Cassidy is the second-ever AEW International Champion and apparently, he’s the only one allowed to have this title. If you remove the little hiccup last year where Jon Moxley beat him, immediately suffered a concussion, then lost to Rey Fenix—Orange Cassidy is handcuffed to this title.
As of today, OC has held this belt for a combined 469 days and counting with every match telling the same story of Cassidy winning despite his body betraying him every night. How many fucking times can Orange Cassidy get his ass beat and still win before he actually allows someone else hold this belt and disappears from TV for a while to heal?
I think most of us can agree OC should drop this belt but is Roddy Strong the answer?
If the AEW International Championship has been branded as this workhorse title that gets defended in random deathmatches on Dynamite for some reason and I firmly believe Strong is more than capable of taking the baton from Cassidy. And I hate to bring up this shitty Adam Cole devil thing again but the Undisputed Kingdom, or whatever, needs some legitimacy and some gold. Last year ended with such a dud, someone in this stable needs to like, be good. I believe that’s Roddy’s role.
But who cares? I’m convinced Orange Cassidy donated a kidney to Tony Khan or caught him doing god knows what with a Jaguars cheerleader and now Khan owes OC. No one is beating Cassidy as long as he knows where Khan buried the bodies.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
AEW Tag Team Championship: Sting and Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks
How does Sting’s career end?
Am I the only one who needs like wayyyyy more information about Sting’s decision to have the final match of his Hall of Fame career against the Young Bucks of all people? Sting has had wars with Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, Christian and even Jeff Hardy. All active AEW personnel.
But for some reason, Sting believed he needed to hand some sort of baton to the Young Bucks despite Sting not at all being known as a tag team competitor and the Bucks already being considered one of the best teams ever.
But it’s cool. Sting is 72 years old. Darby Allin will be doing most of the heavy lifting here and that’s fine. The real question is what do you do with the tag team titles?
Sting needs to win this match. This is exactly why he’s going to lose with his sons and Ric Flair holding his body as the Young Bucks hit the crowd with ‘Suck It’s’ and start their run as the most hated people in professional wresting.
Winner: The Young Bucks
Is Swerve Strickland going to make history at Revolution? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know your AEW Revolution 2024 predictions
