The mood in the locker room was once again up in Atlanta. The company was excited to finally announce their new toy line and they are thrilled with how things are going into Revolution. People have expressed to me their concern over Austin Aries being in the locker room given his history. I've been told that Aries was a professional, shaking hands with everyone and chatting about his newfound love of DDP Yoga.
I'll have more information about Aries' status of with AEW on my Twitter account (@jeremylambert88).
AEW Power Rankings - Week 20
1. Cody
Cody is red hot going into Revolution and I've never seen him as fired up as he was at the end of Dynamite and the cage match. People are legitimately worried about MJF's safety next Saturday. Brandi has been doing her best to keep Cody calm since the lashings, but Cody is amped up 24/7.
2. The Young Bucks
Matt & Nick Jackson practice patience during their early kind-of-sort-of losing streak when the promotion first started. They believed in their system and thought the early losses were more a lack of focus due to outside circumstances than anything they were doing wrong in the ring. It's no coincidence that they started to turn things around when they got off social media. They blocked out the noise and got back to wrestling. By winning the tag team battle royal, they've shown that they are all the way back and ready to gain the AEW Tag Team Titles.
3. Jon Moxley
This is was a trap game for Moxley. He's already punched his ticket to AEW Revolution and I'm told that a loss to Cobb could have gotten the match against Jericho canceled. Moxley had very little to gain and plenty to lose. But Moxley was able to push through despite the injuries and pick up the victory. There are still concerns about Moxley's health moving forward. There are the injuries we know about and Moxley is also hiding some injuries from the company. He's worried AEW won't sanction his match against Jericho, so he is keeping the injuries close to the vest in order to pass any medical tests over the next week.
4. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page
Much like Moxley, this was a trap match for Omega & Page. But having lost previously to the Lucha Bros, they had their full focus in this match. Omega & Page are rolling into AEW Revolution, and even though The Elite have been concerned about Page over the past few weeks, Page is now concerned about Omega. Omega will be taking on Pac in a 30-minute Iron Man match next week. Not exactly an easy bout just days before a title defense. I'm told Page is none too happy with Omega's decision and he will be heavily drinking during the bout.
5. Kris Statlander
A good win for Kris Statlander, who is still upset over how her first AEW Women's Title match went. Statlander believed she was owed a rematch due to the outside interference, but AEW officials wanted her to prove herself a bit more. A win over Shanna will go a long way and AEW officials were impressed that Statlander didn't back down from Rose. Statlander was a little upset at Big Swole seemingly jumping the line, noting that she's proven nothing.
6. Nyla Rose
Rose was fired up for her promo and officials were impressed with the way she carried herself. It's no secret that AEW officials were expecting big things from Rose right out of the gate, but she lost to Riho in the first title match and then attitude issues delayed her from going further. The attitude issues remain a question mark, but when you're the champion, the attitude is a little easier to deal with.
7. Darby Allin
Allin was specifically told "no flamethrower" when he came out to attack The Inner Circle. The delay you saw in Allin's entrance was him biding his time, in hopes that an official would change their mind and bring him his flamethrower. It did not happen. Allin believes that using the flamethrower on television will remind fans of "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood." He wants to strike while the iron is hot with the movie. Flame throwing hot.
8. The Inner Circle
Chris Jericho is not happy. He feels as if he's wasting a lot of money in AEW. Money he shouldn't have to spend. Jericho has constantly had to pay for his own tickets, which has made him irate. Jericho told me, "Do you think Tony Khan makes Nick Foles pay for tickets to the Jaguars game?" When I asked Khan if Foles has to pay for his own tickets, Khan said to ask his dad. Shad Khan has yet to return my calls. When I asked Nick Foles if he had to pay for his own tickets, he flashed his Super Bowl ring, reminding me that he beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
9. Jeff Cobb
Cobb came in looking to spoil Moxley's upcoming title match, but did not succeed. I looked into Cobb's future with AEW and the Inner Circle and was told that if the money is right, Cobb will be there any night. Cobb is in the business of getting paid and that's a good business to be in. I will say that Cobb does need to re-establish his value in some way as he lost to Moxley and didn't fare well against Darby Allin in the post-match brouhaha. People know how good Cobb can be, but he's never proven it at this level. "This aint PWG," one competitor told me.
10. Shanna
Shanna remains a developmental project. She had her chance to make a statement but came up short. She will head back to the drawing board.
11. Wardlow
An impressive first showing by Wardlow, but proof that he was brought up a little too soon. MJF has been hunting for someone, anyone, who could make Cody's life miserable leading into Revolution. The Butcher & The Blade couldn't do it, a belt couldn't do it, and Wardlow couldn't do it. Keep in mind, these are MJF's main training partners heading into the bout against Cody. He's very worried that he surrounded himself with the wrong people, though he won't admit that to the public.
12. The Lucha Bros
It's gut check time for the Lucha Bros as they lost once again. I'm told Fenix is looking to make a big singles run, feeling he has proven himself as the star of the group. Meanwhile, Pentagon Jr has been a disappointment and there are very real concerns he can keep up with the top guys in AEW. Look for a big shake up amongst the Lucha Bros camp in the coming weeks and months.
*These rankings are a satirical take on pro sports power rankings and treat AEW as such. Any reference to sources or reports should not be taken seriously.
