Rampage – August 20, 2021: Surprise?
Rampage
Date: August 20, 2021
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mark Henry, Excalibur, Taz
So this is a weird show as there is a big surprise, but everyone knows exactly what it is going to be. AEW has all but said what is going to happen here and that just leaves the question of how it goes down. There are a few ways to do that and I’m rather excited about what is going to happen. Let’s get to it.
Here are Dynamite’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
The crowd is already changing for CM PUNK…..and here he is to open the show. Punk takes his time getting to the ring and is clearly shaken up by this. Punk even dives over the barricade into the crowd and hugs a lot of people at ringside. After a break, Punk says you know how to make a guy feel like Britt Baker in Pittsburgh. Punk says he’s winging this and while he can’t get to everything tonight, he has a lot of time on Wednesdays, Fridays and four Saturdays/Sundays a year.
One important thing: if any of his decisions have ever made anyone feel disappointed or let down, he had to leave because he needed to get out of there so he can feel healthy. After taking off his jacket to reveal the CM PUNK: I WAS THERE shirt, Punk sits down Pipebomb style to talk about how he left Ring of Honor with tears in his eyes. He knew that he was leaving a place where wrestlers could learn their craft and love professional wrestling. While he was leaving Ring of Honor, he also left professional wrestling.
On August 20, 2021, he is back in professional wrestling because he wants to work with that same talent that he wishes he could have faced before. He is here to settle some scores and for some young guys, so he calls out Darby Allin…..who is in the rafters with Sting. Punk knows Allin is good and he’s seen him do some crazy things in and out of the ring. Punk knows Allin is crazy and there is nothing crazier than facing Punk in Chicago on pay per view on September 5 at All Out. Oh and one more thing: seven years is a long time, and on your way out, enjoy a free ice cream bar on him. And commentary actually has ice cream!
Christian Cage is fired up for Kenny Omega and tells Jurassic Express to go get the Tag Team Titles.
#1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament First Round: Private Party vs. Jurassic Express
Matt Hardy and Marko Stunt are both here too and the Young Bucks come out to watch. Kassidy takes Jungle down to start and it’s quickly off to Quen, who is armdragged in a hurry. Jungle takes Kassidy down as well but a distraction lets Private Party get in a quick double team to take over.
Back with Jungle hitting a clothesline and bringing in Luchasaurus (But…..he wasn’t even fighting out of a chinlock!), who puts Boy on his shoulders for some reason. That lets Quen hit a super Canadian Destroyer (with Jungle landing on his face because THAT’S A REALLY SCARY MOVE), followed by a springboard shooting star….well it’s a shove because only his hands graze Luchasaurus but at least he made contact. Back in and the Silly String is countered into the Extinction Level Event for two, followed by the Throwassic Express for the pin on Quen at 10:21.
Rating: C+. Private Party is like the Hardys if the Hardys weren’t very good. They can do the flips and dives and such and every now and then, one of them will actually work. This had the right ending and it would not surprise me a bit to see Jurassic Express get to the title match at All Out. That seems to be the story they are telling and that is more than a good enough idea.
Jade Cargill vs. Kiera Hogan
Hogan goes right at her but walks into Jaded (with some walking around) for the pin at 1:07.
Daniel Garcia, with 2.0, and Jon Moxley get this week’s split screen interview. 2.0 talks about how ready they are for this, with Moxley speaking really fast about how he isn’t going down tonight.
Daniel Garcia vs. Jon Moxley
2.0 is here with Garcia. Moxley doesn’t waste time in starting but Garcia takes him down by the leg. The leglock is countered into a cross armbreaker, followed by some rolling German suplexes. Garcia picks the ankle for an ankle lock but Moxley is in the ropes in a hurry. A heck of a clothesline blasts Garcia but the Paradigm Shift is countered into something like a nasty Sharpshooter. Moxley is fine enough to reverse into a bulldog choke for the tap at 4:06.
Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but I continue to like Garcia. Moxley wasn’t really in danger but it was nice to see him have to figure Garcia out and then make him tap. That’s about all you could get out of this one but Garcia could be good with a little more polish and a few wins.
Post match 2.0 comes in but Eddie Kingston comes in for the failed save attempt. Sting and Darby Allin come in for the real save. The beatdown is on and it’s a double Coffin Drop onto 2.0. Posing ends the show.
Overall Rating: B+. The best description I’ve heard of this show was “it’s a one thing show, but it’s a BIG thing”. This was all about Punk’s debut and that worked as well as you could have expected. I don’t know what else you could ask for here and the wrestling being pretty good was just a bonus. This was a pretty special event and that’s what it was supposed to be. Total success.
Results
Jurassic Express b. Private Party – Throwassic Express to Quen
Jade Cargill b. Kiera Hogan – Jaded
Jon Moxley b. Daniel Garcia – Bulldog choke
KB,
I might be in the minority here but I could never get the hype regarding the pipebomb promo and other shoot promos. If someone needs to shoot promos to get people excited, then creatively, there is a problem with both the company and the performer because the other performers don’t have the option to shoot promos.
It’s the same reason I don’t enjoy Cena vs Reigns promos against each other. After you shoot your promo, then everything else will be a downgrade.
You have a very valid point, but let give you some insight after hearing Punk tonight
1. That was a worked shoot to promote his upcoming match with cena in 2011. If it was really a shoot promo it would give off the impression to say things that the audience does not know.
2. Wwe (as great as they have been, and for the record I love all professional Wrestling) but WWE for their history does not want to even acknowledge other wrestling companies UNLESS it benefits their top dollar and makes them money. Punk if though a great talker just was not himself after Money in the Bank because yes he could have gone back to ROH but wwe was starting to be in the process of forming NXT with other talent and WwEigiying them
3. Punk in his speech said he came back to wrestling after 16 years Well wait a minute He was in WWE yes he was but he was constantly wrestling with trying to make the product better. And in a sense he did create change(but look what’s happening to NXT now.
4, I don’t think it’s blasphemy to say that CM Punk is this generations Bret Hart. I know Bret Hart had a very storied career with WWE, but the one chip is he never really beat Hogan or was allowed to beat him If you really think about it by the time Hart retired, Hogan knew his time was up too(He tapped to Kurt Angle). Punk made everyone better. He made Cena better. Allowed undertaker to have his last great match(yes boneyard technically was, but that was not In ring. Why do you think WWE’s audience cheered for him for 7 years. Keep up the great work KB. God bless
Very valid points Mike and I agree with all of them. My thing is a worked shoot also shouldn’t be our main source of your promo to sell your match. The main reason being when you bring backstage points into the TV you are popping the audience who follow reports and stuff who are already sold for the match then will only expect more. Today’s Punk’s promo was beautiful.
The WWE crowd I still firmly believe is still a minority of the IWC because all the NXT wrestlers when they come up half or more than half of the crowd don’t care about them just like AEW has its core audience who are more crated towards the hardcore fans which is why their reviews are almost always good and people are invested because they know their audience.
Punk’s 2011 promo I think hurt WWE more because they started catering to the IWC in the long run like NXT and who they were hiring instead of giving the characters, the last few years they are just hiring and moving them up which I adore but that part of wrestling is not the main roster’s audience. Also, people would are viewing as a critic instead of as a viewer.
I wish WWE would acknowledge NXT history via multiple vignettes when they bring these people up at least people would have some idea about them.
Punk’s comparison with Bret Hart is absolutely right where they both had storied careers with WWE but they always had a chip on them.
I don’t remember where I had read it but someone pointed out that Vince’s acceptance is what they all desired in WWE but there was always someone who Vince liked more.
In my understanding, WWE’s audience cheered for him as a star when he became a character like the SES group or after the pipebomb.
Exactly. It’s sad brother. It should be the other way around with Vince. Vince should really be appreciating the talent he has, but he has always said he’s in the entertainment business. I get it that every match should have a purpose or a story. Heck that’s what all sports are
They are competitive but they tell a story. I know in the past (quote marks) they sold dvds for an extra 20 bucks to quote tell the wrestlers story. You have to give us more money to get their story. We won’t tell you for free. I get that. But it also enables their creative staff to not adapt and grow
Cena can say all he wants about his 17th reign or 50th reign. Heck rtruth has made a point to have 55 reigns(no pun intended). So cena has to start winning to catch up.
I don’t know brother, the titles now mean nothing and that goes with every company. Harley race and flair and Dusty fought hard for World title in 80s and it meant something. It was considered a sport and heck it is still to me.
It’s amazing how Sting for years never joined Wwe because in his mind he thought his legacy was going to be destroyed. In some ways according to what Vince wanted it did. Triple H that day did not need to teach sting how to wrestle the E style.
I agree with you about the wwe/nxt relationship. Both are within the same company, but yet wwe only says hey that’s the revival. I mean they did a good job promoting Owens but oh wait he got Goldberged. He’s a loser(kidding but you get my point. How can anyone younger rise up unless the old guard lets them. But hey that’s the world brother. That happens in most jobs where the old guard want to hold on instead of letting the young grow and mature
Aew has a very young roster where hopefully punk and Danielson can allow them to become stars. Remember we made pro wrestling. Not Vince not the writers. Not even the wrestlers. Without fans like you and I and others. Wrestling would not exist
And to answer your first point again. I agree. In the lyrics of come original by 311 come original. Don’t shoot or else Estelle Getty may be with Stallone again. Thank you man. God bless you as well
True Mike. Some points I would digress here from my perspective:
Spoken like a man who wasnt there
Jeff, am not talking about his return promo. As I mentioned, that promo was awesome. I am talking about his pipebomb and other such shoot promos by others as well.