It's been a year since AEW put together it's best show and appeared to be taking Pro Wrestling to heights it hadn't seen since WCW folded. Then the world shut down forcing AEW to ride it out and make the most of things. It undoutedly had an impact on the promotion and it's growth but they've soldiered on and delivered a solid product that it's core fanbase enjoys. I feel this card is the perfect reflection of the past year or so and while it doesn't feel as big there's still enough compelling match-ups to keep an eye on.

Exploding Barb Wire Death Match

Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley

Call me a simple man but when you advertise an Exploding Barb Wire Death match for a major US promotion, I'm going to be curious about it no matter the context. While I'm struggling to see the need for Omega and Moxley to settle their rivalry with this match this way considering how their feud has been presented I'm sure they'll execute some amazing bumps that will keep everyone satisfied. Do I expect it to be a divisive match? Absolutely, there is going to be a crowd that absolutely loves this and I'm sure fans of both men will trumpet the match. I also expect the Vincels and Cultits to seethe because the match didn't follow whatever script they came up with after the fact. Either way it's a match that's going to get people talking, which is more that can be said for a lot of title matches.

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match

The Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho & MJF

It still seems odd that of all the acts that have struggled to adjust to the demands of weekly television the Bucks have struggled the most. There is a real complacency about the way they're presented where they refuse to go along with whatever the script calls for. They would be horrible improv comics, but it doesn't seem to matter that much because they're still the most consistent tag team in Pro Wrestling and fans can't get enough of them. I expect this to be more of the same and would not be shocked at all if Jericho and MJF won. The Bucks are one of the few teams that can work a marquee tag match without a tag title on the line, while Jericho and MJF could drop it to a plethora of tag teams to open that division up.

Everyone is just waiting for Jericho and MJF to turn on one another. The story doesn't feel completely developed yet, so the more they invest into it the better the pay-off.

AEW Women's Championship

Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami

At least they had the sense to spare us a Nyla Rose/Hikaru Shida match. I expect this to be like every Shida match, a perfectly OK sub-12 minute match that when it's all said and done won't improve the show except for a small sub-section of the fanbase who want diversity. I'm not against that and I'd much rather watch Shida than a fair chunk of the AEW roster, but the division just feels so stale.

Big Money Match

Adam Page vs. Matt Hardy

I still preferred my idea of Matt Hardy going full circle and taking the Michael Hayes role in Private Party complete with a BTE skit where he undergoes a Werewolf-like transformation and can only say the word doot. I still think there's a chance that will happen, we just have to put up with this singles match in the meantime. My hope is that the match is just filled with outside interference and the pay-off isn't Page beating Matt, but Page joining the Dark Order. I feel like the fans would appreciate that more and it would justify it's spot on the card. Otherwise, AEW haven't done enough to make a win over Matt Hardy mean something in 2021.

Street Fight

Sting & Darby Allin vs. Ricky Starks & Brian Cage

If nothing else this will help wash the taste out of Sting's crummy WWE run. I was worried that they were going to film another cinematic match which is one of my least favourite trends of 2020, but it appears Sting is going to work a legitimate match so I'm curious to see how they'll put that together given Sting's neck injuries. I like both teams, I just wish Starks and Cage were given more credibility. For me, if Cage had have beaten Darby for the TNT Championship and had they won the majority of the run-ins it would have made the stakes that much higher. Instead it just feels like a fun exhibition and it doesn't matter who wins, just as long as Sting hits a few splashes, a Death Drop and a Death Lock all will be fine.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match

Cody Rhodes vs. Pentagon Jr vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Lance Archer vs. Max Caster vs. TBA

The existence of this match and the Casino Battle Royal makes me question Khan as a booker. One of the points of difference AEW has is their rankings system, but they completely ignore it in favour of these wild card multi-men contendership matches which is just a bit of fluff on the card. I'm sure it will be fine in the moment, but you could be getting so much value out of having two high ranking acts meet up. Of the announced wrestlers, Pentagon Jr would be shape up as the best match-up given how underutilised he is with TBA next.

Cody Rhodes doesn't need the win, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets it. He feels above this sort of match, so I could see them running a scenario where Cody wins, the fans reject it so he rejects the fans, alleviates Darby of the TNT title so Darby can face off against Omega. Cody can remind everyone they made another belt so he could hold one and fans will feel indifferent about it, which has been the reaction ever since he got that godforsaken tattoo.

I'm still rooting for TBA.

Casino Battle Royal

No I'm not listing all the teams. It seems like a strange flex by AEW to show off how many teams they have by throwing them into another battle royale instead of showcasing the best teams on the show. This just seems like a total waste and AEW's attempt at getting everyone on the show.

Miro & Kip Sabien vs. Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor

Can you blame me for nearly forgetting about this? Miro is a cautionary tale of what happens when you give your talent too much creative control. Some will just half-arse it and it won't be condusive to entertaining television. On the flipside, AEW has to take some blame. I'm sure just like with the Brodie Lee situation, they proposed the team with Kip Sabien who at this stage is only still with the company because his fiance (wife?) is hot. Orange Cassidy is only slightly better although it feels like all the momentum he had coming off of the Jericho feud has slowly but surely diminished. I predict this will be the lowlight of the show. Not especially bad or anything, just forgettable and fans will be happy this feud is finally over. I don't think anyone has benefitted from this.

It's a really gimmicky card, it makes me fearful for the match quality. It feels like a big deal though as all AEW events do. Four big shows a year works for wrestling, no doubt. Hopefully the match quality can surprise.

Looking at that card again, there's every chance that Shida/Mizunami ends up the best match of the show. With those hardcore matches you never know if there's going to be a Reigns/Owens or Guevara/Hardy style mix up, especially since neither guy has taken part in this before. I could also see Bucks/Circle disappointing if they go too heavy with the shenanigans or Jericho tries to keep up with the Bucks.

Only matches I will watch are Omega vs Moxley and Shida vs Mizunami. I don't expect to enjoy either but I am intrigued enough to check them out. I am indifferent to the rest of the card.

Team Taz vs Sting and Allin is great on paper but Cage and Starks have been built so poorly, as has the feud as a whole, that I give zero fucks.

I am interested in who the mystery person is and that is about it.

Mar 7, 2021 17:14:37 GMT Emperor said:

Only matches I will watch are Omega vs Moxley and Shida vs Mizunami. I don't expect to enjoy either but I am intrigued enough to check them out. I am indifferent to the rest of the card.

Team Taz vs Sting and Allin is great on paper but Cage and Starks have been built so poorly, as has the feud as a whole, that I give zero fucks.

I want Ricky Starks to turn face and leave Team Taz. He's the only good thing about that group. Cage and Hobbs are fine as big meat head wrestlers but I don't care about anything they do. Why the fuck did they bring in the FTW title? It means nothing. Dumb.

It'll be fun to watch Cage beat the shit out of Darby Allin for 10 minutes though. I don't like him at all and Sting can't take any bumps or he might die.

...

I have a feeling the Ladder Match might surprise a lot of people. There are two legit psychos in that match and hopefully the surprise entrant is someome that can do some fun shit.

...

The main event might be really crazy. Omega and Mox had a good hardcore match and they're going to want to top that.

I echo the Starks love. He could make Khan a lot of money if they do right by him. He's just big enough to where his size isn't a problem and he's one of the better promos on the roster to say the least.

I will try to be open minded about this main event match but my expectations are extremely low. To my mind, maybe the two most overrated wrestlers in the company, and their in a stupid, restrictive gimmick that limits the match from being any good anyway. But I'll try.

I am also on Starks bandwagon, but he kind of treated as a low carder on the main show. His stats look ok with the dark padding but he normally loses all the big matches. Not sure about a face turn yet, but I wish it was just him and Taz. They have some really good chemistry together on the mic.

I'm not joking when I say that Ricky Starks reminds me of a young Rock, when he started to break out as a singles star post-NOD. He's got that charisma and swagger that few wrestlers have at his age, his theme song slaps, he is pretty decent in the ring...will he become a mega star? Probably not. But it's all there if he and AEW don't fuck it up.

Barbwire match will not cinematic. Both Mox and Omega likely are geeking out getting to do this style of match given it is so rarely done. Mox is a smart deathmatch worker, and knows that you can fake a lot of this and not have to do it for real. I assume they are doing it safe with the landmines being spread out on corners of the boards, and away from the spot they will bump at on the wire. Then again, both are hardcore fans of the japanese style so they may do it FMW style and just take the burns. Megumi Kudo showed you can do these matches in an exciting style.  Both guys likely will be trying to top her.

I wonder if they'll move the deathmatch to the adjacent TIAA Bank Stadium, so they have room for all the explosions?

Kenny challenging Mox to a match in his wheelhouse makes no sense.

Mar 7, 2021 23:34:28 GMT Ed said:

Kenny challenging Mox to a match in his wheelhouse makes no sense.

It's like he's trying to prove Cornette wrong, and he's not the ballet dancer, Kenny Olivier. 

Mar 7, 2021 23:34:28 GMT Ed said:

Kenny challenging Mox to a match in his wheelhouse makes no sense.

It does when you consider Kenny is currently the most arrogant wrestler on the planet, literally walking into other companies acting like he's better than everyone on the roster.

I can already tell I am over-hyped for this show. Preparing to be disappointed! Woo!

Good choice, Doc. Maki's so over.

Mar 8, 2021 0:06:21 GMT RT said:

Mar 7, 2021 23:34:28 GMT Ed said:

Kenny challenging Mox to a match in his wheelhouse makes no sense.

It does when you consider Kenny is currently the most arrogant wrestler on the planet, literally walking into other companies acting like he's better than everyone on the roster.

I can already tell I am over-hyped for this show. Preparing to be disappointed! Woo!

If they didn't already have a hardcore match where Mox was victorious, then this would make sense. I would have Mox challenge Kenny to an ironman match. During the late stages of the match, Mox out wrestles Kenny to the point he somehow cheats to win. Then, they can have this kind of match after that match. Or have some sort of contact tricky be done by Mox baiting Omega into this match.

Mar 7, 2021 23:34:28 GMT Ed said:

Kenny challenging Mox to a match in his wheelhouse makes no sense.

Not really though since the match is no DQ by default so Kenny if he needs it, as the full weight of the Bullet Club behind him.  Moxley has few allies, and fewer still that will get involved in a match like this.  Meanwhile, Omega can get Kingston and others to get his back.


Maki is here!!!

The crowd looked super lost on that theme song...

Damn shame this wasn't on the main show, I would die of laughter to see Cornette's commentary on Maki Itoh wrestling.

Damn that was a good match. Maki is so much fun.

Editing team for the loss tonight. Missing everything despite the countless fast cuts.

Great opener.

We got some dissention going on in the Nightmare Family.

Am I the only one laughing at these scrubs in the ring? Pretty Peter Avalon? :lol: Cezar Bonani :lol: GUNN CLUBB. :lol:

Damn QT Marshall had enough of Dustin Rhodes lack of a killer instinct.

:lol: That Marko Stunt spot had Evil Uno 1 launch himself and eliminate himself. :rofl:

Evil Uno having a hilarious elimination will be the least surprising thing to happen tonight.

LMAO.

WTF is a Bear Country :lol: Looks like a Heavy Machinery knockoff.

Bear Country are intriguing. I like the idea of a pair of Otis'...Otii...tearing it up.

Butcher looked like a million bucks eliminating both of them at the same time. Love that.

Alex Reynolds is a big deal now :rofl:

These battle royales are fucking great, I always laugh at these.

God this match is so bad.