Here’s what matters today in wrestling 👇
Image Credit: AEW
AEW Revolution was an eventful show. Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay all returned after lengthy absences. There were bangers up & down the card. MJF & Hangman Adam Page did all the ultraviolent spots that have become staples of AEW PPVs. Nothing that happened generated more discussion, for better or worse, than Ronda Rousey appearing alongside her longtime friend Marina Shafir and calling out Toni Storm after Storm defeated Shafir in their match. We don’t know if this will lead to anything in the future. What we do know is that Rousey is scheduled to fight Gina Carano on May 16, and making appearances in places like AEW is a good way to get attention for that endeavor. Maybe Ronda wrestles Toni Storm in London, maybe we will never see her on AEW television again.
Some weeks back, we talked here about AEW crowds chanting “F ICE” during Brody King’s matches and how tricky it would be for AEW to walk the line of letting their fans express themselves without driving away the percentage of fans that just want to watch some wrestling. This is the flip side of “F ICE”, as many of the same fans that were vocal in a positive manner about that are now outraged that AEW would feature a woman that’s aired some controversial views that they disagree with. Even if she apologized years later, that’s not enough for them. I know about the fickleness of people in general, and the amount of people talking about not watching AEW because Ronda Rousey appeared at Revolution won’t equal the number of regular viewers that don’t tune in on Wednesday night. It’s still something worth keeping an eye on. What is the level of Ronda Rousey’s stardom in 2026, and is it worth alienating some of the AEW “sickos” to appeal to her audience? I don’t know the answer to either of these questions, but it looks like we’ll find out real soon.
WRESTLING HEADLINES 👊🏽
•Tony Khan Weighs In On Mistico's New Dual Contract With AEW & CMLL
Image Credit: AEW
Mexico’s biggest star will be splitting time between AEW & CMLL going forward. Given AEW’s current schedule you wouldn’t think this would affect too much, but CMLL still runs the type of schedule you used to see WWE do back in the day. Mistico worked somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 matches last year and was a big part of CMLL’s box office success. We all know about Mistico’s lackluster stint in WWE, but that was over a decade ago. AEW & CMLL vs. WWE & AAA for lucha libre supremacy has been an interesting story so far and this adds another little wrinkle.
Image Credit: WWE
I assume it was much easier for Cody to say he was going to retire at 40 before he became one of the biggest stars in the wrestling business. Once those WrestleMania main events start stacking up, going away probably seems silly. Cody now says that the audience will know when it’s time for him to go. From what I see, fans are ready to either love or hate him for years to come.
MORE MUST-READ LINKS FROM 411MANIA
→Hall's WWE Raw Review 3.16.26
→Demolishing the Hall of Fame: A Look at Demolition's Career Part 2
→Leighty's Retro Rankings: 1993 WCW and WWF PPV Matches
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– Steve Cook