AEW Revolution 2025: Review and Reactions

AEW delivered another solid PPV, with entertaining matches, but it lacked surprises. The show also highlighted many of the company’s current issues. AEW’s PPVs are simply too long. There are too many matches, especially when you factor in the pre-show.

The issue with AEW's championships

Let's start with the World Champion: This might be one of the worst title reigns in AEW history. It started with a bang when the Death Riders betrayed Bryan Danielson, but the momentum quickly faded. What seemed like an nWo-style takeover turned into… Well, I’m not even sure. The storyline has lost direction. Moxley rambles nonsense every week; the faction keeps losing, and there’s an unnecessary brawl on nearly every show.

And why was Cope the opponent? He only returned a few weeks ago after his injury. Giving him the title never made sense. If AEW is going to be “saved” from the Death Riders, that should be a homegrown talent or a younger star, not a veteran like Cope. The same goes for Christian Cage. The Patriarchy was over for a while, but now they’ve lost momentum. Cage’s repeated, failed attempts to cash in his contract became tedious. His involvement in this PPV made sense just to wrap up that storyline, but the outcome was predictable. Why give him the title now?

I wonder whether Tony Khan has an endgame in mind. Right now, it seems like Moxley is just keeping the belt warm until Darby Allin returns for his underdog moment. If that’s the case, I doubt Swerve wins the title. Though, Khan could give Swerve the title and then restart his feud with Allin. Or maybe do so with Hangman? It would fit the current storytelling of having the same matches over and over again.

Too many championships

Another problem is the sheer number of championships. Yet despite the many titles, apart from the World Titles, none feel important. Like many fans, I don’t care about them because they aren’t given enough spotlight. Even Tony Khan seems to agree because he barely built up most of them.

Look at Okada and King. Their feud had a few humorous moments, but by the third time Okada called King a “bitch,” it got stale. The match felt like it was just a filler for both wrestlers; to give them something to do. Okada, in particular, seems lost without The Elite. His run has been completely forgettable. A wrestler of his caliber should be in the World Title picture, not stuck in midcard feuds.

Fortunately, that could change at the next PPV, Dynasty, in April. Rumors suggest Khan plans to unify the International and Continental Championships. But honestly, why are Okada and Omega—two of AEW’s biggest stars—fighting over a midcard title in the first place? It highlights a bigger issue with AEW right now.

The issue with AEW's storytelling

What made AEW stand out in its early years was its long-term storytelling. Wrestlers and feuds developed naturally. Now, Tony Khan is making the same mistake WWE has been criticized for: running the same matches over and over. This was the third consecutive PPV with Ospreay vs. Fletcher.

It feels like Khan is just filling slots instead of building meaningful rivalries. Look at MJF. First, he feuded with Jeff Jarrett, only for Jarrett to vanish (after weeks of ranting about wanting the AEW title). Then, out of nowhere, MJF started a feud with "Hangman" Adam Page. It felt like Khan suddenly realized a big PPV was coming up and scrambled to find MJF a credible opponent.

That said, I have to give credit where it’s due. MJF and Hangman made the most of their time. They delivered the best storytelling AEW has offered in weeks. The intensity was there, especially with MJF involved. This should have been a No. 1 contender’s match.

The issue with AEW's character development

Another major issue is the lack of character development, or giving them the role they deserve. Again, look at "Hangman" Adam Page: One of the few homegrown stars who’s still genuinely over. For someone who has been a key player in AEW since day one (for better or worse), it’s crazy that he’s only a onetime world champion. At the same time, guys like Moxley and even CM Punk have had multiple reigns.

Hopefully, Khan remembers what made AEW special in the first place: long-term storytelling, and character development. He needs to focus on booking major talents like MJF, Jay White, and Adam Cole properly. And what about Orange Cassidy? Once a cornerstone of the division, he’s now stuck on the pre-show. It’s clear Khan has no idea what to do with Cassidy and The Conglomeration. The same goes for Daniel Garcia and The Undisputed Kingdom (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong).

AEW has talent, but the direction is missing. If Khan doesn’t fix that soon, AEW risks losing what made it unique in the first place.

The issue with AEW's women's division

On that topic: It feels like Khan doesn’t trust his women’s division. Why else would Moné still be champion? Her reign is dragging. Moreover, it’s great to see wrestlers from other promotions regularly, but should that really happen at such a major PPV? And with almost no build-up? The crowd was quiet for most of it.

We’ve also seen Storm vs. May too many times. Storm could have spent more time honing her ‘rookie’ run before being thrown back into a program with May. I get they wanted to give Toni a big moment in Australia, but it came at May’s expense.

No question, Storm deserved it. Her character work is entertaining, but taking the title off May so soon felt premature. She didn’t get enough time as champion or strong challengers to cement her reign. The women’s division as a whole needs more opportunities.

That said, their feud seems to have reached its conclusion. After the show, a backstage segment showed Toni Storm, drenched in blood, delivering one final message to Mariah May after their 18-month story: “I miss her already. Farewell, my love.”

AEW Revolution's results

"Hangman" Adam Page def. MJF
The match was extremely intense. As Taz remarked, “They kicked each other’s asses.” Hangman's win was surprising, especially since neither could afford to lose, but MJF even less so. His run since his return has been disappointing. At least Hangman is completely “over” with the fans. He has also proven that he can come back from a major loss.

AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné def. Momo Watanabe
The match was OK, but nobody was really interested. The match only happened because Moné needed a title match.

AEW World Title #1 Contendership: Swerve Strickland def. Ricochet

The stipulation guaranteed Swerve's victory. Ricochet’s current gimmick is more interesting than anything we have seen from him in a while, but he’s not ready for Moxley or a title run.

AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada def. Brody King
The match was really good with lots of hard chops, but that’s the only positive thing you can say here. Neither the storyline nor the build-up to the match were interesting.

AEW Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate def. The Outrunners
After the failed attempt at “Private Party”, the AEW now needs strong champions, so the winner was predictable. Though, there was no real build-up to the match, so I didn’t care either way.

AEW Women’s World Championship: No DQ Falls Count Anywhere: Toni Storm def. Mariah May
As expected, their third title match was a brutal and bloody affair. “Thank God it’s over”, one commentator said. And he was right: the feud should stop for a while.

AEW International Championship: Kenny Omega def. Konosuke Takeshita (c)
An intense fight with some brilliant spots. Omega’s win was no shocker. The roll-up victory ‘protected’ Takeshita’s position.

Steel Cage Match: Will Ospreay def. Kyle Fletcher
A steel cage match is usually the (temporary) end of a feud. Hopefully, it will be this time too, because it's slowly becoming monotonous.

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley def. Cope (and Christian Cage after he cashes in his contract)
Uninteresting feud for a World Title match. Neither Jay White getting involved and hitting Cope with the suitcase nor the swerve with Christian Gage was surprising. The audience didn't seem to care either. Some even booed.