March 13, 2023 Observer Newsletter: AEW Revolution recap, WWE & legalized gambling

AEW Revolution on 3/5 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, was essentially the referendum on how the company is doing and on its champion, MJF.

MJF retained the AEW title in an Iron Man match with Bryan Danielson that went 65:14, making it the longest major promotion singles world title match in the U.S. since a July 9, 1994, Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart Iron Man match at the Nassau Coliseum that went into overtime. It was the longest singles match for a major promotion in the world since the final Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada 2/3 fall match for the IWGP title in Osaka in 2018.

As far as MJF’s ability to have a classic championship match when having to go 60:00, he passed that test with flying colors. While nobody can shortchange the performance of Danielson, who likely had the best match of his own amazing career filled with match-of-the-year contenders, MJF hung with him at a faster pace than all but a few 60:00 matches in history, and likely more legitimately brutal than any of them. The only comparable matches that long would be the two Omega-Okada matches from Osaka. You also have to throw in a level of heat and drama that blew away all but a few.

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