Cody vs. MJF
The most personal feud in AEW would see it’s first blows on Saturday night. Cody hasn’t been able to get his hands on MJF for over 100 days now. Sadly, it would be a bit overshadowed by a HORRIBLE choice of tattoo for Cody Rhodes. The band that played him out was also a subpar choice. Whatever technical problems they had with the sound made it go from Cody’s normal epic entrance to a joke. Luckily, the match made up for these poor choices leading into it.
Cody unloaded on MJF right from the get-go. It was a fantastic display of months of pent-up aggression from the leader of AEW. Wardlow looked to get involved but Brandi Rhodes distracted him long enough for Cody to take him out with a dive. This gave MJF the time to get back into the match though. MJF targeted the injured foot/toe of Cody throughout the match. Going as far as to remove Cody’s boot. This didn’t stop him from delivering a wicked Disaster Kick to MJF that busted open the brash heel.
Wardlow and Brandi got into it again with Brandi trying to take out the big man with a cross-body, he caught her, and distracted Rhodes long enough for him to make a miscue. Instead of nailing Wardlow, he hit Arn Anderson with a superkick. While the ref was distracted with Anderson, MJF hit Cody below the belt and rolled him up for a near-fall. Speaking of belts, Cody’s weight belt came into play in the match. MJF tried using it to whip Cody, but the referee stopped him from doing so. Cody unloaded with the belt on MJF in a somewhat confusing moment. Why did the ref stop MJF but not Cody? Why wasn’t this a DQ? But whatever, Cody got his retribution.
The Conclusion of the Match
MJF wallowed and crawled over to Cody’s feet. He begged for forgiveness. Then he spat in Cody’s face. This incensed Rhodes and he delivered two Cross Rhodes to MJF. In between the second and trying a third, MJF countered, got his huge ring on, and pounded Cody’s face. The ref counted to three and MJF finished off Rhodes.
AEW: Revolution Grade: B+
This match was very slow and plodding. It wasn’t a bad one, because it sort of paid off the story between the two, but we all know it’s not going to be over after one match. The crowd was also not as into this one as I would have liked. The second half of the match is where it picked up with all the big spots you would imagine. Cody got some of his retribution but there’s definitely more to come. MJF getting busted open was an interesting choice that probably should have been saved for later in the feud. I’m awaiting their next encounter after the small taste here.
