5 Possibilities for AEW Revolution 2022

With Tony Khan announcing that he has bought Ring of Honor and rumours of an AEW streaming service there surely is a lot to talk about and be excited by in the land of AEW. But, Revolution is right around the corner now, the card looks great and there is plenty of room for speculation.

If you want predictions, go elsewhere because this is a place for speculation and fantasy booking. Read on at your own peril. I have selected these five possibilities using some amount of logic, but these are unlikely. So, please, don't get your hopes up.

5: The Debut of The Danielson Dojo.

The moment Bryan Danielson debuted in AEW fans were immediately fantasy booking a stable where he takes the likes of Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta and Lee Moriarty under his wing. Similar things were suggested in WWE with the likes of Chad Gable and Drew Gulak, but Vince never went for it.

In Bryan's first promo where he addressed Jon Moxley, he spoke about taking those same talents under his wing and thus the Danielson Dojo fantasy booking scenario suddenly became a realistic prospect.

Bryan has teased this possible stable as one with Moxley by his side, but I’m not sure that will be the case. The main reason for this is the tease of Daniel Garcia going to attack Mox with the chair and Bryan Danielson stopping him. It just felt like Danielson had a level of influence over Garcia, or at least respect from him.

In Moxley’s promo on the go-home episode of Dynamite, Moxley said, “The story of Jon Moxley is just starting. And I write the first chapter on Sunday. A chapter that’s gonna be written in blood.”

And that is what made me think, potentially this a story that ends in Blood & Guts between the Danielson Dojo and Jon Moxley and his friends.

At Revolution the next chapter will be written, and my theory is that the first member of the Danielson Dojo arrives.

After Jon Moxley defeats Bryan Danielson, the American Dragon refuses to shake Moxley’s hand. Then, Daniel Garcia jumps Mox from behind and Bryan helps him beat down the former AEW Champion. Danielson then stands tall with Garcia by his side.

4: Jeff Hardy Debuts.

Jeff Hardy’s 90-day non-compete clause after his release from WWE isn’t supposed to end until March 9th. With Revolution taking place on March 6th this seems like an unlikely possibility. But again, this isn’t predictions.

WWE have made a few blunders recently regarding non-compete clauses, so there is some small possibility that Jeff Hardy could make a surprise debut in place of Isaiah Kassidy, alongside brother Matt and Andrade, to take on Darby Allin, Sting and Sammy Guevara.

Isiah Kassidy seems somewhat out of place in this star-studded match. And yes, maybe he is just there to take the pin. Maybe Matt Hardy walks out on the team, frustrated with Private Party and that leads to Jeff Hardy’s debut on Dynamite. That could then build into a Hardy Boyz vs Private Party feud. I know that is the obvious route.

But what if the man that Jim Ross dubbed “the Charismatic Enigma” debuts in a match that features the man that JR dubbed “the Strange Enigma”, Jeff’s spiritual successor, Darby Allin?

To me, that is a much more exciting debut and if there is any way that it’s possible, then it's what I want to happen.

3: Chris Jericho Turns Heel.

I think most people want, and expect, Eddie Kingston to defeat Chris Jericho on Sunday. It will be his first big win on an AEW pay-per-view and Jericho’s best role these days is using his name value to get other people over. The best way for Jericho to do this is for him to be a heel, because heels are much better for putting talent over than babyfaces. Also, Jericho is a terrible babyface. Most people have accepted that now.

Jericho has been showing some heel tendencies as of late and the gimmick he’s teasing, ‘The Influencer’, sounds a lot like a heel character.

My pitch for this is simple. Jericho claimed in a promo on the go-home Dynamite that if Eddie Kingston beat him, he would look Eddie in the eye, shake his hand and tell Eddie that he had his "undying respect.”

So, when Eddie beats Jericho he offers ‘The Influencer’ his hand to shake, out of courtesy to Santana & Ortiz, but Jericho laughs at Eddie, shakes his head, tells him to “GFY" before walking off.

Is this a heel turn? I don’t know. Jericho has been acting heelish for a while now. Perhaps his character has already shifted that way. Perhaps this is more a confirmation of him being a heel, than a turn as such. But a definitive line in the sand that outlines what Jericho will be in AEW moving forward.

2: Jamie Hayter Turns on Britt Baker.

Most people expect Thunder Rosa to leave Revolution as the new AEW Women’s World Champion and this is something I agree with. The intrigue for me comes more in the *how* rather than the *what*, though.

How does Rosa win? How will Baker react? What will that mean moving forward?

I think people are anticipating a clean finish between Rosa and Baker. The match feels too big and important to end with a towel being thrown in or any shenanigans directly impacting the result. But inevitably I feel like Baker will utilise those at ringside to try and get the win. However, Rosa should overcome Rebel, Hayter and finally Baker to win the title.

Rosa celebrates as Baker sits in the corner, heartbroken. Britt shows grace in defeat by initiating a handshake in the middle of the ring. Maybe even an embrace before Rosa leaves the ring to Baker.

This is where Baker turns to Jamie Hayter and Rebel for support, but as she does Hayter delivers a boot to her face. Jamie then throws Rebel out of the ring and continues her assault on Baker, leaving her laying in the middle of the ring.

Don’t get me wrong. There are slight plot holes to this. Why would Hayter not have done this earlier when Baker had the title? Why wouldn’t she try and take that title from Baker? I just think this is an occasion where we have to do what wrestling promotions often do. We ignore the logical questions and plot holes because they aren’t convenient for the company’s plans.

From there I’d have Baker and Hayter feud, building to a match at St. Patrick’s Day Slam, a year on from Baker’s iconic match with Rosa. Or perhaps at Double or Nothing. I’d have Hayter win that match to solidify Baker’s face turn and then Hayter would be in a position to challenge either Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World Championship, or Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship.

1: Cody Rhodes Returns.

Ooh yes, we’re going there. I just want to make it clear; what I’m going to suggest is a small possibility, even with rumour that Cody’s apparent talks with WWE have stalled. This is speculation based on very little except my hopes and dreams (and a tiny slither of logic).

Ever since Cody was announced to be leaving AEW I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, despite all logic and evidence saying otherwise. And it’s not because I was desperate for it. I was sad to see Cody leave, but also intrigued to see what he might do in WWE.

But this is Cody Rhodes. He doesn’t do what normal wrestlers do. When everyone is leaving ROH and New Japan for WWE, he went the other way. He thinks differently and clearly thinks as much about his legacy and career as much as he does about his bank account.

During his last promo in AEW, standing in front of a ladder, Cody ranted about how he was the "face of the revolution". To me, Cody was hinting at a new chapter in the revolution. But, when he was announced to be leaving, I wondered that perhaps he saw going to WWE as the most revolutionary, or at least the most difficult, thing to do in 2022.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, and now Tony Khan has bought Ring of Honor and rumour has it that he’ll turn ROH into somewhat of a developmental territory.

The question you might be asking yourself here is, how does this work into Revolution? Well, I’ll tell you:

Wardlow wins the Face of the Revolution ladder match and celebrates. Just as he’s about to leave the ring Cody’s music hits. ADRENALINE! IN MY SOUL!

Cody walks down to the ring. He hugs Wardlow and raises his hand before Wardlow leaves and Cody who grabs a mic. He credits Wardlow and uses him as an example for what the revolution he envisaged could produce.

Cody then gets the elephant in the room out of the way... his contract. He confirms that he has not re-signed with AEW, and he explains his reasons. That he needs a new challenge, he needs to evolve the revolution he started and he needs to look at what he wants to do beyond his work in the ring.

And then he gets to the news that Tony Khan announced that he’s purchased Ring of Honor. Cody says that this angered him because when he left WWE, Ring of Honor was the place that gave him a home and the place where the revolution was born. And now a billionaire would be taking it over and turning it into developmental.

In Cody's final AEW promo he buried NXT continuously, so the idea that ROH would be a feeder company for AEW does not sit well with Cody, and that he feels the need to do something about it. He directly names and challenges Tony Khan saying; “You cannot buy the Revolution, but you can win it. Give me whoever you want at Supercard of Honor. But if I win... give me Ring of Honor," before telling AEW fans to enjoy the show and going backstage.

There are various guys you could have Tony Khan choose to face Cody. A litany of former ROH legends are available. Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson are obviously there.

However, to bring this back to reality somewhat, Cody Rhodes referred to someone in that final AEW promo. He didn’t name them, but he heavily alluded to someone who walked away when Cody went out to Ring of Honor, New Japan and started the revolution.

CM Punk. Maybe Cody Rhodes didn’t throw away that CM Punk promo like we thought. Maybe, and this is a stretch, I know… maybe this is Cody being Cody. Maybe, it’s a WORK BROTHER!

This is what I want. This is wishful thinking. I know this is highly unlikely. But that’s what this article is. It’s five possibilities, even if that possibility is highly improbable.