Well, AEW sold their 2026 Revolution PPV with a Texas Death Match and a Texas Death Match they did deliver.
MJF vs. Adam Page for the AEW Men’s World Championship was the main event of the show and it was violent. Insanely violent. Like, syringe through a cheek violent. Typically, I’m not a Death Match guy because rarely is the violence in those matches earned with proper narrative. This main event was.
After all that was said and done, those two guys needed to damn near kill each other out there. Sometimes stories need this type of dark chapter in them.
As for the rest of the show, it was certainly too long, but supremely entertaining. The crowd didn’t tire as much as they have for other marathon AEW PPV events.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
Blackjack Battle Royal - AEW National Championship
Most of this match took place on the Zero Hour pre-show, but it continued into the main broadcast. Not a big fan of the Blackjack Battle Royal concept. With that said, the entire match was built around the inevitable finish between Ricochet and Jack Perry. They had nice exchange on the ring apron, which led to Perry winning and becoming AEW National Champion.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
FTR vs. The Young Bucks - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship
Excellent match. Not sure it touched their others, but I liked it as much because it was different. The blood added to the drama of the match, but Matt Jackson selling his shoulder is what drove the entire thing. That narrative stuck the entire way and was used for FTR heat all throughout the match. Innovative action like usual from both teams and some incredible timing on near falls and near finishers. One particular bad moment where the camera caught Dax Harwood waiting for The Bucks to try a tandem move, but not something that derailed momentum. Lived up to the hype of the rivalry.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir
Pretty straight forward, but also pretty darn good. Not a lot of bells and whistles in this one, but stiff action that very much came across as a fight. Shafir has really come along nicely as a character. She doesn’t do much, but she doesn’t have to. The simplicity of the act is what what makes it so effective. Storm had to get the win to wrap the story. As for Ronda Rousey showing up? Goodness, that’s big news. Storm vs. Rousey is a big-time money match for Tony Khan.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita - AEW Continental Championship
An absolute masterclass in violence that wasn't hardcore and didn’t need to be. Moxley and Takeshita had a classic. Not sure how either guy has a neck after it, but wow. Vicious action and a little blood to convey the drama. The near falls were perfectly timed and made sense inside the flow of the match. Tremendous. The only thing really holding it back was the AEW Continental Championship as the stakes. As for Will Ospreay returning, that’s obviously huge for the company. Glad to see Ospreay didn't forget about Moxley, though the return angle makes the recent Moxley booking even more curious.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 3/4
Babes of Wrath vs. Megan Bayne and Lena Kross - AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships
Not a great match, but good enough and logical given what happened on Zero Hour. Bayne and Kross essentially squashed Babes of Wrath. It worked to put over Bayne and Kross as dominant, but Babes had enough protection because of the physical state of Willow Nightingale going into the title defense. Effective more than it was good.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO
Swerve Strickland vs. Brody King
Strong action, but a bit of a tired crowd. Strickland and King eventually hooked everyone in and it took some wild offense on the outside of the ring to do it. The Vertebreaker on the exposed floor was the climax of the match and an impressive spot. King stayed over by eating the House Calls and not going down. Bottom line? Strickland had to win to maintain his heat ahead of a showdown with Kenny Omega.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4
Thekla vs. Kris Statlander - 2 Out Of Three Falls Match for the AEW Women’s World Championship
I can’t say that this match didn’t have some of the usual 2 out of 3 fall match tropes. It did. It’s just that those tropes didn’t seem as emphasized like they are sometimes. The falls were quick, but not obnoxious. The ref bump happened, but the spots that followed with the belt were fresh. More than anything, Thekla and Statlander worked hard. If the crowd was tired, you couldn’t tell and that’s because both women had an extra sizzle of intensity to what they did. Thekla is a star. She needs the bright booking light on her moving forward. She’s different than anything else AEW has right now.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4
Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher, and Mark Davis vs. Jet Speed and Mistico - AEW World Trios Championship
A totally fine trios match, but one that really didn’t need to be on the show. It was good, but ultimately could have been a Dynamite match. Mistico and Kevin Knight were the standout performers. Fitting since Mistico had a nice moment of celebration when he not only won the trios titles, but found out he had been signed to AEW.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
Andrade El Idolo vs. Bandido
A well-wrestled match all the way through. Both guys took their time and delivered. Given it’s spot on the show, it went longer than it needed to. The finish was memorable and a reason to go back and watch. The Andrade back-elbow was a thing of beauty and Bandido’s sell job was arguably more beautiful.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4
The Dogs vs. Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong - Tornado Trios Match
Another trios match that didn’t need to be on the show. The action was fine and included a helluva spot between Darby Allin and Clark Connors. Connors caught Allin with a spear through the ropes that was timed perfectly as Allin jumped off the top rope. Brilliant timing, but overall, inconsequential and a lesser version of the other trios match on the show.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
MJF vs. Adam Page - AEW Men’s World Championship
A wild and violent fight and it had to be. Look, this match and the promised violence is what sold the PPV. MJF and Page had to lose their minds in this one to not only deliver on what they sold, but maintain the Texas Death Match credibility in the AEW ecosystem. The syringe spot might rub people the wrong way. It was gross, but it added to the story and lore of the match. MJF was fantastic out there. Even as he was getting beat up and smashed in the head with light tubes, he found the cameras at the right times and used facial expressions to convey everything his character was going through in the match. As for Page, he played his part extremely well too. Now, it’s all in the follow-up with Page. What do they have in mind to make this “I won’t challenge for the world title ever again” stipulation reasonable, logical, and worth it.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2
What did you think of AEW Revolution 2026? Let us know in the comments!
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