AEW Revolution Preview & Predictions

AEW Revolution takes place Saturday February 29th at 8pm ET with the Buy In Preshow starting at 7pm ET at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The Wintrust Arena opened in 2017 and mostly hosts DePaul University basketball games. It has a capacity of 10,387. There are eight matches scheduled and all AEW titles are on the line at this event. Cody Rhodes has gone on record saying that he hopes that Revolution becomes AEW's WrestleMania, but Tony Khan & the other EVP's of AEW have not confirmed that this is the company's official goal. Below is a preview of each match on the card and predictions based upon recent booking. In the comments, please share your expectations, what you'd like to see, and predictions for the event.

The Buy In Preshow

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky

The Dark Order has been toying with SCU for weeks with their recruitment effort targeting Christopher Daniels. When Daniels confronted The Dark Order after they attacked SCU, The Best Friends, & Orange Cassidy, The Dark Order retreated without hesitation. SCU confronted The Dark Order again when they attacked Jurassic Express on AEW Dark and succeeded in fighting them off. The Dark Order's vignettes and marketing effort outside of the normal AEW Dynamite episodes has been a breath of fresh air, separating them from being associated with previous factions similar to The Dark Order such as The Dungeon of Doom, The Brood, and The Ministry of Darkness. SCU's run as the first tag team champions in AEW may have been the last bit of joy they have for a while as it doesn't look like The Dark Order will stop gaining strength anytime soon. Scorpio Sky has potential as a singles star, but that will likely be put on hold as SCU will struggle against The Dark Order. Expect Christopher Daniels to play a major role in the match even though he's not advertised. We likely will not find out the identity of the leader of the Dark Order tonight, but with the group gaining strength, his appearance is coming. AEW has been coy, showing Raven (who has been rumored as the possible leader of The Dark Order) in the crowd for Dynamite and having Evil Uno use references to Broken Matt Hardy in taped vignettes to tease audiences in the know. Although we may not get any more clues on Saturday about who their mysterious leader is, The Dark Order will leave Revolution stronger than before.

WINNERS
The Dark Order via pinfall

AEW Revolution Main Card

PAC vs. Orange Cassidy

PAC's time in AEW has been marked with some frustrating losses to Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega. A loss to Orange Cassidy here will likely drive PAC insane. PAC wrestled an absolutely amazing match this past Wednesday on Dynamite, coming to a time limit draw against Kenny Omega in a 30 minute Iron Man Match. The match was given a sudden death overtime to determine a decisive winner, where Omega got the best of PAC in less than 60 seconds into overtime. PAC's frustration led him to get in Orange Cassidy's face and challenge him to a match. The crowd loves "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy, who has yet to compete in a singles match in AEW. Cassidy's "too cool to try" attitude has captured the imaginations of AEW fans everywhere and his abilities will be on full display against one of the best in-ring performers in wrestling today. A loss for PAC here won't ruin him, but he must take this loss and make it change something in him if he's to become a serious contender for the AEW Championship. We got a sample of how great PAC can be in that Iron Man Match against Kenny Omega and we're going to see a lot more from him in 2020 if he can stay healthy. Orange Cassidy's future is less certain because his act is a special attraction that should be used sparingly. Thankfully, AEW has been quite careful to not overexpose the wildly popular Cassidy. Hopefully they can keep him "Freshly Squeezed" without spoiling the juice.

WINNER
Orange Cassidy via disqualification

Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara

Darby Allin exploded onto the radar of fans around the globe when he wrestled Cody to a time limit draw at Fyter Fest followed by an admirable performance in a loss in the Cracker Barrel Clash. Allin has had losses to Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and PAC while picking up victories over Cima, Brandon Cutler, & Jimmy Havoc firmly establishing Darby Allin as the top babyface of AEW's midcard. Sammy Guevara is still establishing himself as the top midcard heel after picking up wins on Dustin Rhodes, Christopher Daniels, & Brandon Cutler so far. Guevara has taken losses in his last three televised matches and fed Matt Jackson for one of the sickest superkicks in history two weeks ago on Dynamite. Allin is the favorite to win this match and his persona is catching on with kids like Jeff Hardy's did almost 20 years ago. The recent losing streak suggest that Sammy should lose this match, but it feels like AEW is committed to building Guevara as the top midcard heel and he's been doing incredible work to help shine up other babyfaces for their feuds. If Sammy is to be taken seriously as a threat, he'll pick up the win over Allin in a close match likely via nefarious shenanigans. These two will hopefully face each other for years to come and if they continue their development, it's very possible they could pull off a main event program together down the line.

WINNER
Sammy Guevara via pinfall

Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes showed the world that he can still pull off amazing matches with his loss to Cody at Double Or Nothing in what many agree was the match of the year in 2019. Since then, he's bounced around on the card in multi-man matches teaming with different members of The Elite and a brief feud with Sammy Guevara. Jake Hager has yet to wrestle in AEW but has continued his undefeated streak in Bellator with 2 submissions and 1 no contest due to repeated shots to his opponent's groin throughout Hager's physical domination of his opponent. It should be noted that the Inner Circle accompanied Hager to the cage for that fight, blurring the lines of reality for the audience with their commitment to their gimmick. Hager will run through Rhodes as he is built as a legitimate main eventer in AEW. Hager has filled the role of silent muscle well for The Inner Circle, but tonight will be his first step into the spotlight in AEW as he works his way towards winning the top prize in the company. With the support of Chris Jericho as his mouthpiece, Hager can be a big attraction in AEW. Dustin submitting to Hager will be humbling for the wrestling legend, but it will help build a dangerous mystique around Hager and his shoot-fighting background.

WINNER
Jake Hager via submission

Cody vs. MJF

MJF's betrayal of Cody was a knife through the heart of AEW. Cody is the top babyface in AEW and when he put his future opportunities for the AEW Championship on the line against Chris Jericho at Full Gear, MJF betrayed Cody by throwing in the towel much like Owen Hart did to his brother Bret just over 25 years ago. MJF then brought in Wardlow as his muscle to attack Cody and watch MJF's back. Cody turned to Arn Anderson to coach him and counsel him through this feud. Cody accepted MJF's conditions for a match at Revolution: 1. Cody can't touch MJF until their match at Revolution. 2. MJF gets to whip Cody 10 times in the middle of the ring on Dynamite. 3. Cody had to face Wardlow in a steel cage match. Cody has met all these demands leading us to tonight's match. Cody is going to kick the ever loving hell out of MJF. Cody got one joyous moment with his cage match victory over Wardlow in Cody's hometown of Atlanta two weeks ago, and he'll finally get his hands on MJF in Chicago, but Cody will not get this victory. This match will be a fight and it will be personal. Chicago loves to hate MJF and Cody will always be a darling in Chicago. Cody's story is longer and there's more for him to do here than just win and move on. MJF is going to find some way to win this match but he's going to go through the greatest amount of pain that he's ever encountered to come out on top.

WINNER
MJF via pinfall

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Kenny Omega (c) and Hangman Page (c) vs. The Young Bucks

Since The Young Bucks helped found AEW, they've been destined to be tag team champions. They had a great start with a series of eye-popping matches against the Lucha Bros. The Bucks suffered a massive setback in the AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament when they were upset by Private Party. Hangman Page is one of the guys that AEW has marked as a future top guy. Page wrestled his way to the AEW Championship Finals against Chris Jericho but came up short. Since then, Page hasn't been happy. He has turned to alcohol and the fans instead of his friends in The Elite to feed his need for approval. When Page and Kenny Omega won the AEW Tag Team Championships, it was clear that Page wasn't feeling connected to Kenny or The Young Bucks in his celebration. Page feels like his friends aren't happy for his success and so he's turned to alcohol and the fans more than ever to feel the love that he so desperately craves from his friends. Page feels like he has something to prove to his friends and also himself since his loss to Jericho. This mental block for Page is not something anyone would want when defending their title against one of the best tag teams of the past decade. The Young Bucks will take advantage of Page being distracted and win their first AEW Tag Team Championship. The Elite is fractured right now and it feels that no matter the outcome of this match, that fracture will expand to a break that leaves Adam Page on the outside.

WINNERS
The Young Bucks via pinfall

AEW WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Nyla Rose (c) vs. Kris Statlander

Nyla Rose made history two weeks ago when she defeated Riho to become the second AEW Women's Champion and the first transgender woman to be a champion on television. Nyla's chemistry with Riho was a thing to behold. Rose's persona is that of an unstoppable beast reminiscent of Bull Nakano and Awesome Kong (recently signed to AEW). Rose was a perfect contrast to the diminutive, kawaii, Riho. Kris Statlander has significantly more size to her than the petite Riho, but Statlander doesn't feel like she could beat Rose just yet. Everyone is predicting Rose will win this match, but the most interesting thing to watch for in this match will be to see if Rose can help get Statlander over with the Chicago crowd. If Rose can help make a star out of Statlander, then we may see a much longer reign for Rose before a babyface comes in to take her down.

WINNER
Nyla Rose via pinfall

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Jon Moxley

Chris Jericho's reign as the first AEW Champion has been a tremendous success. He has helped make stars out of everyone that comes into his orbit, friend or foe. Jericho had great singles matches with Adam Page, Darby Allin, Scorpio Sky, Jungle Boy, and Cody. Jericho is in a position right now where he could win this match and no one would question the outcome. Jon Moxley's debut at Double Or Nothing last year shook the wrestling world to its core. His ascent in AEW was hampered by an injury to his elbow. Once Moxley was finally healthy, he came out hot picking up wins against Shawn Spears, PAC, Darby Allin, Michael Nakazawa, Joey Janella, Alex Reynolds, Trent, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz. Moxley tormented Jericho and The Inner Circle for over a month before they trapped him and held him as Jericho took one of the spikes off his leather jacket and spiked Moxley in the eye. Moxley has been wearing an eye patch since wherever he goes and will be sporting one tonight in Chicago. Moxley has never been hotter with the crowd and it feels like the time is now for him to become AEW Champion. Chicago loves anti-heroes and Moxley is exactly that. This night will be a chance for Moxley and Jericho to have the match they always wanted to have during their memorable feud in WWE but never could due to a clash of styles/opinions between WWE management and the wrestlers. In spite of that conflict, Moxley's program with Jericho led the WWE to believe that he could be the guy that would carry SmackDown after the brand split in 2016 as champion. His program with Jericho in 2020 has the AEW Championship on the line and the result should be similar: Moxley will be champion. Jericho's future is less certain after losing the championship, but hopefully the two have a rematch because their on-screen chemistry is absolutely electric.

WINNER
Jon Moxley