Rampage
Date: February 16, 2024
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The long road to Revolution continues as things are really starting to come together. At the same time, there are several matches that still need to be set up. While there isn’t much likely to be added to the card on this show, we are in for a twelve man tag, which should be quite the visual. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

No DQ and Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They trade slaps to start and then slug it out with Jeff dropping him. It’s already time for a ladder but Guevara knocks it into Jeff, sending him into the announcers’ table. Jeff sends him into the barricade and hits a clothesline off the apron, only to have Guevara fight back up onto the apron. A middle rope knee to the face drops Jeff and they fight onto the floor again, with Jeff hitting Poetry In Motion against the barricade.

Back in and the ladder is set up and they both climb for no logical reason. They slug it out until Jeff grabs a super Twist of Fate for two and we take a break. Back with Jeff putting Guevara on a table at ringside and climbing a big ladder on the floor. They get back inside with Guevara wrapping a chair around Jeff’s head and hitting a middle rope cutter for two of his own.

Guevara puts him on the table at ringside and there’s the huge Swanton off the bigger ladder through Jeff through the table. Back in and a shooting star press hits raised knees, though Guevara’s knee slams into Jeff’s face for a scary landing. The GTH finishes for Guevara at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Other than the names involved, was there any reason for this to be a No DQ match? They used a bunch of weapons and Guevara’s big spot with the Swanton looked good but there is only so much to be gotten from a match with this much violence and so many weapons without a reason. It had its moments, but I could go for more than a match for the sake of someone saying “wouldn’t it be cool if we did this”.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes in to wreck Guevara.

Brian Cage is ready for next week’s six man tag because he gets his hands on Hook.

Private Party wants the Tag Team Titles and have an enforcer/bouncer named Cheesecake.

The Blackpool Combat Club thinks FTR is stupid and Jon Moxley is ready to choke them. Claudio Castagnoli says when you’re great, people tell you, so they’ll see FTR next week.

The Outcasts interrupt Ruby Soho and say they forgive her. Soho knows Saraya was behind everything the whole time and walks off. Harley Cameron is ready to get Soho with her knife, but pulls out a spoon and hits Saraya in the chest with said spoon.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi

Rhodes uppercuts Hitt into the corner to start and it’s off to Ross for an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Cross Rhodes hits Crews with the other two making the save. The Von Erich’s grab stereo Claws as Dustin hits the Final Reckoning for the pin on Crews at 1:49. Well that was to the point.

Toni Storm snaps over Deonna Purrazzo’s threats and ankle locks Mariah May to blow off some steam.

Video on Sting/Darby Allin vs. the Young Bucks.

Queen Aminata vs. Anna Jay

They shake hands to start and Aminata grabs a wristlock to work on the arm. A headlock takeover has Jay down but she sends Aminata into the corner for a Backstabber. We take a break and come back with Aminata fighting out of a chinlock so they can chop it out. Aminata snapmares her down into a running kick to the chest. Aminata’s running hip attack and running kick to the face in the corner get two but Jay grabs a quick Downward Spiral. The Queenslayer goes on but Aminata flips out and hits a headbutt for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Say it with me: there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight minutes in the ring and a commercial eating up about half. The important thing here is that Aminata got a win over someone who matters. AEW has been trying to push her as someone who matters but that is only going to work if she wins some matches. This might not be a huge win but it’s certainly a place to start.

Respect is shown post match.

Willow Nightingale isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway cheating to help her win but Kris Statlander plays peacemaker.

Angelo Parker gives Ruby Soho a Valentine’s Day present and talks about everything they’ve been through lately. They’ll have a date next Wednesday.

Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order

Lethal and White start things off by fighting over a lockup. An exchange of headlocked doesn’t go anywhere so Uno comes in and gets chopped. Colten comes in for a Stinger Splash into a dropkick, setting up Scissor Me Timbers. Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out as we take a break.

Back with Austin in trouble in the corner and Jarrett hitting a running crotch attack against the ropes. Singh throws Austin into the corner but a missed clothesline allows the tag off to Billy to clean house. Everything breaks down and Singh is knocked outside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until the 3:10 To Yuma finishes Reynolds at 10:47.

Rating: C. This was a spectacle rather than an important match and there is nothing wrong with something like that. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is certainly an idea but they are going to have to do something at some point. I still think/hope it winds up with the two sets of titles being merged, though we might be waiting a bit before we get to that point. Like Double Or Nothing say.

Overall Rating: C. And now we’re back to Rampage being little more than an extra hour of AEW content with little going on. The big story here was Soho and Parker agreeing to go on a date next week. The matches were good enough and there was nothing bad, making this a show that was more about having an easy week. If you’re not looking for much of anything that matters but is completely watchable, have fun with this one.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Jeff Hardy – GTH
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi – Final Reckoning to Crews
Queen Aminata b. Anna Jay – Headbutt
Bang Bang Scissor Gang b. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order – 3:10 To Yuma to Reynolds

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Rampage
Date: February 9, 2024
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re still in Arizona and there is a heck of a crowd for the show this week. That alone should make the energy that much better and everything else should be fine. Rampage has quite the success rate, if nothing else for the sake of the show having so little pressure involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom/Roderick Strong

The fight starts in the aisle and Cassidy even throws the sunglasses at Strong to show how serious he is. Then he puts his hands in his pockets to take care of that. Cue Adam Cole and Wardlow to watch as Trent takes out Bennett’s legs to start. Taven comes in and gets draped over the top, setting up a top rope knee to the back.

It’s off to Strong, who gets German suplexed for his efforts. Trent finally gets pulled into the corner so the beating can be on, including a suplex from Bennett. Taven’s top rope splash misses though and it’s Cassidy coming in with a high crossbody. The tornado DDT plants Taven but Bennett is back with a spinebuster to put Cassidy down. Everything breaks down until Taven kicks Cassidy down to block the Orange Punch.

We take a break and come back with a low blow cutting Cassidy down and the Hail Mary getting two. The powerbomb/Zig Zag combination hits Trent but he rolls outside before a cover. Instead the Kingdom goes after Romero, who is right back in for a big dive. Back in and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines but Strong cuts him off with the End of Heartache for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was the match to help set up Cassidy vs. Strong for the International Title at Revolution, which brings up the bigger problem: the match is almost a month away. The match was set up really far in advance and that doesn’t make for the best setup. I’m not sure how the match is going to go, but I’m also worried about how the story is going to go on the way there.

Post match Romero is sent through a bunch of chairs to make it even worse.

We look at Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland going to a time limit draw on Dynamite, meaning they both get a shot at Samoa Joe for the World Title at Revolution.

Young Bucks vs. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit

The Bucks are still in their bloodstained white suits from Dynamite. Matt runs over Lit to start and stomps away in the corner. Nick comes in with a Blockbuster into a backbreaker and doesn’t even lose his hat on the way down (that’s talent). A Matt distraction lets Nick get in a low blow and the EVP Trigger finishes at 2:11.

Post match the Bucks say they want more respect and congratulate Sting and Darby Allin for winning the Tag Team Titles. Sting and Allin are apparently banged up though and the Bucks are thinking of them. That being said, they still want the titles back and they are going to play by the rules to get there.

Video on Tomohiro Ishii.

Mistico vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal offers respect while Menard goes on a rant about how AEW has to fight to feed their families when other companies are invading. Mistico snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and naturally follows with a dive. Another dive is cut off though and Sydal grabs a bow and arrow. A standing corkscrew backsplash gets two on Mistico and we take a break.

Back with Sydal hitting a jumping knee to the face and an Air Raid Crash gets two. They strike it out with Mistico getting the better of things but Sydal gets his boots up to block a moonsault. Mistico snaps off a powerslam though and they’re both down. They go up top and Mistico grabs a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C+. They had to give the CMLL guys a few more wins after they’ve lost their big matches to the Blackpool Combat Club. It’s not exactly a huge win but Mistico got to showcase himself a little bit and that’s a good thing to see. I’m still not sure how long this feud can go on, but you can almost guarantee that some AEW stars will wind up in Arena Mexico at some point out of all this.

Brian Cage issues a challenge for a handicap match on Collision to show he’s better than Hook.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary and Harley Cameron is at ringside. Soho looks at a note in her pocket on the way to the ring but doesn’t want the others to see it. Statlander headlocks Saraya over to start and nails her with a basement dropkick. Soho comes in and gets armdragged down as Excalibur rapid fires off things coming on Collision.

Nightingale’s fisherman’s suplex gets two on Soho and Statlander runs her over with a shoulder. Some running backsplashes in the corner connect but Saraya pulls Nightingale off the ropes as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a big boot and the double tag bringing in Statlander and Soho.

Statlander’s powerslam gets two as everything breaks down. Saraya knees Statlander down for two but accidentally hits Soho. Statlander is back up to drop Saraya for two and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Saraya tries to get over to Soho….who drops to the floor and walks out (including decking Cameron on the way). The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Saraya at 10:38 as Soho watches.

Rating: C. This was a match for the sake of an angle and there’s nothing wrong with that. Soho has been having issues with the team for weeks now and the whole note in her pocket should make things more interesting. It’s not like the Outcasts have been doing much in recent weeks anyway so having Soho walk away is the best choice.

Post match Skye Blue comes out to stare down Nightingale and Statlander. Then the lights go out and Julia Hart is next to Blue. The lights go out again and they vanish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah this was ok. That’s just slightly below average for Rampage as it’s a show that takes an hour, has about one or two things that feel like they might matter and then we move on to the important shows. While it might not be the most important show, it’s the kind of show that you can watch without needing some deep backstory and have a good time. It worked well and goes by quickly, which is a nice change after how intense Dynamite and Collision tend to be.

Results
Kingdom/Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta – End of Heartache to Romero
Young Bucks b. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit – EVP Trigger to Lit
Mistico b. Matt Sydal – Super Spanish Fly
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Babe With The Powerbomb to Saraya

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Rampage
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re about a month away from Revolution and the card started to get bigger over the last few days. This week has its own issues though, as we have a mini invasion from CMLL. The four visitors will be facing a group of AEW stars tonight on their way to a showdown with the Blackpool Combat Club next week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Top Flight vs. Private Party

Rematch from last month where Private Party cheated to win and Action Andretti is here with Top Flight. Dante and Quen start things off with Dante taking over and handing it off to Darius. A double leg trip and stereo kicks to the chest set up an assisted DDT for two on Quen. The front facelock keeps Quen in trouble but he dropkicks his way to freedom and brings Zay in.

Zay cleans house and steals a crown from a fan as he takes over on Darius. Andretti tries to come in but gets held back as we take a break. Back with Darius hitting an enziguri and diving over for the tag to Dante so the pace can pick up. Zay fights his way back in though and it’s the Silly String into a shooting star press for two on Dante. Darius cuts Zay off though and Dante’s spinning half nelson slam finishes Quen at 9:53.

Rating: B-. You pretty much know what you’re getting with these teams and that was on display here. They flew around, did their dives and double teaming and then Top Flight won to even the series. Odds are we’ll see a third match here and the winners will move up in the title rankings, but it won’t matter unless one of them is a pretty clear winner.

Sammy Guevara is back and ready to take care of his family, which means he’s coming for Powerhouse Hobbs.

Jeff Jarrett and company are annoyed at Jay Lethal for being late for a workout. Lethal comes in and says he’s ready to go but no one else wants to get in the ring, so Jeff Jarrett says he’s running the meeting next week.

Ricky Starks/Big Bill vs. Dark Order

Non-title and Darby Allin is on commentary. The Dark Order go right after the champs to start and the fans do not like bad things happening to Starks, the hometown boy. A poewrbomb onto raised knees gets two on Starks but Silver gets taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s Reynolds coming in to clean house. Bill gets sent outside for some dives but is fine enough to hit a Boss Man Slam back inside. Starks comes back in and gets to clean some house, including the dancing Old School. Roshambo finishes Silver at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was nothing more than a way to get Starks in the ring in front of his hometown crowd for a nice win. It did exactly that and they didn’t waste time in getting there. I’m glad the champs didn’t have much trouble against a team like the Dark Order, who have been presented fairly strongly in the past despite not winning much of anything.

Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs don’t think much of Sammy Guevara and promise to take him out like they did to Chris Jericho.

Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata

Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, the latter reluctantly holding a pro-Willow sign, are here with Nightingale. They fight over a wristlock to start until Nightingale runs her over with a shoulder. Some clotheslines put Aminata down again and a middle rope dropkick sends her outside. The backsplash off the apron misses though and Aminata points at her own head as we take a break. Back with Aminata hitting a running hip attack in the corner for two. Nightingale shrugs it off and hits the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C. The more I think about Aminata, the less interested I am. She’s been around for several matches in recent weeks, with commentary pointing out how active she has been. The problem with that is we still don’t know much about her. She’s some kind of royalty and she’s from Africa. I’m going to need more than that to go on and she hasn’t shown it yet.

Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends know that the Undisputed Kingdom are about to interrupt them so here is the Undisputed Kingdom to interrupt. A six man is set for next week on Rampage.

The Outcasts interrupt Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway and a match is made for next week.

Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. Volador Jr./Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Hechicero

Dorada and Sydal start things off with Sydal snapping off a running hurricanrana. That doesn’t get him very far so it’s off to Volador to take over on Menard. Mistico and Daniels come in with the former hitting a handspring elbow into a crossbody for two. Daniels bails to the floor for a breather before being taken into the wrong corner back inside.

Dorada’s running shooting star press gets two with Sydal making the save. Back up and Dorada chops away at Daniels in the corner but Menard and Parker come in to clean house. Sydal’s standing moonsault gets two on Dorada and we hit the bow and arrow as we take a break. We come back with Dorada hurricanranaing/kicking his way out of freedom to bring in Hechicero.

The sleeper doesn’t work so well so Hechicero settles for a top rope clothesline. Everything breaks down and Daniels’ Koji Clutch is broken up. Mistico sends Menard and Parker to the floor so Volador can hit a dive. Dorada does the same, leaving Hechicero to roll Daniels up for the pin at 11:28.

Rating: B-. If you call this what it was, which was just a showcase for the luchadors, it went well. It’s certainly not a must see match but the four guys got in there and did their thing well enough. It’s not like they beat anyone of value so this was a perfectly serviceable match. I’m not really expecting the CMLL guys to be the next big thing here, but it was a fine choice to headline the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a “what do you want me to say” show as they had some good enough matches, the main event felt like something more than the rest of the card and some things were set up for next week. As is the case with Rampage, it’s nothing you need to go out of your way to see but it’s a good background noise show. Not a classic, but as usual, it’s hard to get that annoyed at an hour of decent wrestling.

Results
Top Flight b. Private Party – Spinning half nelson slam to Quen
Big Bill/Ricky Starks b. Dark Order – Roshambo to Silver
Willow Nightingale b. Queen Aminata – Babe With The Powerbomb
Volador Jr./Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Hechicero b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Rollup to Daniels

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Rampage
Date: January 26, 2024
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s the Friday show and that could mean more than a few things. Rampage is the one AEW show that doesn’t exactly have a regular format and that opens up a few options. You never know what kind of a show you’re going to get and most of them wind up working well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty, who is quickly chopped out to the floor. Back in and Moriarty pulls him into a headlock, only to get elbowed outside. Moxley and Taylor almost get into it, leaving Moriarty and Moxley to slug it out back inside. Moriarty manages to take him into the corner for some right hands and we take a break.

Back with the two of them striking it out on the apron until Moriarty takes him down by the arm. They get back inside with Moriarty cranking on the arm and getting two off a German suplex. Moxley comes out of the corner with a hard clothesline into the hammer and anvil elbows. Moriarty snaps the fingers and hits some running corner dropkicks but Moxley grabs a piledriver. More elbows and a running kick to the face gets two, followed by a rear naked choke for the win at 12:52.

Rating: B. Yep that was a Moxley match, as he did his wrestling/grappling stuff with insert opponent here. It’s not that they’re bad or anything close to it, but it feels like something that we’ve covered so many times that it stops meaning as much. Moxley is probably going to be back in a title hunt sooner or later and odds are he’ll be doing the exact same stuff, as tends to be the case.

Post match Taylor jumps Moxley for the double beatdown.

Angelo Parker asks Anna Jay if she had anything to do with Harley Cameron kissing her…so Jay slaps him. She’s tired of no one having her back so she’s having her match tonight on her own.

CMLL is coming to AEW.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Christopher Daniels

The Don Callis Family is here with Takeshita with Callis himself on commentary. Takeshita hits him in the face and hits a running crossbody. A middle rope backsplash connects but Daniels headbutts him off the top. The middle rope swinging Downward Spiral drops Takeshita but he’s right back with a kneeling Tombstone. The running knee finishes for Takeshita at 3:07.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point and that’s all it needed to be. Takeshita continues to feel like he should be a killer but for some reason he only pops up every now and then. At least he beat up Daniels in short order, but can we get something a little more substantial for Takeshita already? He’s too good for the role he’s in at the moment.

Post match Callis gets on the mic and talks about how his family has taken away everything from Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. Now it’s time for Takeshita to face Chris Jericho in two weeks, but Kyle Fletcher says he wants to face Jericho instead. Works for Callis, who says Jericho can face Fletcher next week.

Top Flight with Action Andretti and Private Party talk trash before their match next week. Andretti’s water bottle is knocked out of his hands.

Ruby Soho vs. Anna Jay

The Outcasts are here with Soho, who jumps Jay before the bell and sends her outside. Jay is sent into various things on the floor and they head back inside for the opening bell. A whip into the corner has Soho in trouble but she runs Jay over as we take a break. Back with Jay getting two off a DDT but Harley Cameron breaks up the Queenslayer. That’s enough for the double ejections, leaving Soho to hit Destination Unknown for two. Jay is fine enough to grab the Queenslayer for the win at 6:53.

Rating: C. As usual, there is only so much you can get out of a match that doesn’t even last seven minutes and almost half of it is spent in a commercial break. It’s nice to see Jay get a win, but forgive me if I don’t think this is going to be her big break. She has some of the worst start and stop momentum in wrestling and there is no reason to believe this will be the first big step.

Eddie Kingston, in a Cincinnati Reds shirt, for some reason is willing to give Willie Mack a non-title shot on Collision.

Video on Serena Deeb.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kip Sabian vs. Komander vs. Butcher

The winner gets an International Title shot on Collision. The brawl is on to start with Sabian and Butcher seemingly working together. Sabian turns on him just as quickly though, allowing Vikingo and Komander to send them outside. Stereo dives connect but Vikingo and Komander come back inside for a standoff. Butcher comes back in for a weird cloverleaf on Komander. Sabian takes out Vikingo and we take a break.

Back with Butcher and Sabian working on Komander until Sabian tries to turn on him AGAIN. This time it’s a backbreaker to Sabian but Vikingo is back in with a springboard kick to put Butcher down. Komander is back up to clean house, with a Spanish Fly getting two on Sabian.

Butcher manages to hold both of them up until Sabian trips them down for two of his own. Komander goes outside and uses Alex Abrahantes as a launch pad for a Canadian Destroyer to Sabian. Back in and Vikingo hits running knees to Butcher but Sabian runs him over. A bridging German suplex gives Sabian two on Komander, who is right back with a hurricanrana to pin Sabian at 12:59.

Rating: B-. It was a good enough match but this is a fine example of a match where it’s hard to care. You have four people who are rarely above the midcard and now they’re in a thrown together four way for a shot at a title the next night against a champion who is set for a pay per view showdown the month after next. It’s a case where a bigger name would do a lot of good, but instead we get this which was…there.

Post match Orange Cassidy comes out for a staredown with Komander to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was indeed Rampage and it was indeed a show whose purpose was to set things up for later rather than doing anything of importance here. It’s a show where if you watch it, you’ll probably have a good time but if you don’t, you’re really not going to miss anything. That doesn’t exactly come off as a positive, as the show could use some more star power and stakes, as they’re both mostly lacking here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Lee Moriarty – Rear naked choke
Konosuke Takeshita b. Christopher Daniels – Running knee
Anna Jay b. Ruby Soho – Queenslayer
Komander b. Kip Sabian, El Hijo del Vikingo and The Butcher – Hurricanrana to Sabian

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Rampage
Date: January 19, 2024
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Don Callis

There is some star power around this week as we have both Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal and Jeff Hardy vs. Darby Allin. The latter could be quite the showcase if both of them are capable of moving, while Jericho can face a talented opponent. I’m sure there will be some other stuff as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal

The fans seem to be behind Jericho as he grabs a headlock to start. A hurricanrana takes Jericho down and a running clothesline puts him on the floor. Back in and Jericho runs Sydal over and chops away in the corner, setting up the Walls. The rope is grabbed so Jericho hits the triangle dropkick to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Sydal kicking away, including kicking Jericho out of the air. A standing moonsault gives Sydal two as Callis is screaming for Sydal to finish Jericho. Sydal dives into a Codebreaker (albeit not a great one) and Jericho hits an FU. The Lionsault lands on raised knees though and Sydal hits an Air Raid Crash for two of his own. Sydal hammers away in the corner but Jericho does the same, setting up the Judas Effect for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable match here and it worked out well. At the very least, Jericho didn’t get booed out of the building so AEW might be able to call it a win right off the bat. Sydal is someone who isn’t going to be a breakout star but he is able to be put in the ring with just about anyone. That made him a good choice to face Jericho here and it worked pretty well.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to go after Jericho. Christopher Daniels tries to help break it up and gets decked by Takeshita.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Anthony Henry

Penta hits him in the face to start and grabs a spinning Death Valley Driver for an early two. Made In Japan is broken up and Henry kicks him down for two of his own. They trade kicks to the legs with Henry getting the better of things. Penta suplexes him into the corner though and the Fear Factor finishes for Penta at 3:52.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but it was still a nice win for Penta. That being said, I’m not sure why Penta needed a singles win as he’s mainly been in tag matches in recent months. At least they didn’t stay on it too long though, as this wasn’t exactly an interesting match in the first place.

Saraya and Ruby Soho are arguing when Harley Cameron comes in. Soho chokes her up against the wall and asks WHY HIM, with Cameron blaming Anna Jay for the idea. Soho is off to find Jay as Renee Paquette glares at Saraya.

Kris Statlander vs. Queen Aminata

Stokely Hathaway is here with Statlander (she doesn’t seem thrilled), who grabs a headlock to start. They trade legsweeps and rollups for two each until Statlander hits a running shoulder. Aminata grabs a snapmare into a kick to the back before a missed charge puts Statlander on the floor. Aminata hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Aminata’s hip attack and a kick to the head getting two. Aminata grabs a crossface but Statlander powers out. A discus lariat gives Statlander two of her own but a running knee misses in the corner. Aminata blasts her with a running knee against the ropes, only to have Statlander snap off a powerslam. A spinning fisherman’s driver finishes Aminata at 8:48.

Rating: C+. Aminata is getting into the Skye Blue territory of “ok, who else do you have”, as she’s popping up on multiple shows recently. She seems pretty good in the ring, but AEW has a tendency to run people into the ground at times. I’d hope they don’t do that here as she’s still new and over exposing her isn’t a good idea.

Post match Statlander does not seem pleased with Hathaway celebrating with him.

Jay Lethal is annoyed that Jeff Jarrett isn’t here for their talk. Lethal is glad in a way because he can get back to strong wrestling. Sonjay Dutt agrees: it’s time to get rid of Karen Jarrett. Lethal storms off, saying he might want singles gold.

Stokely Hathaway interrupts a Kris Statlander interview when Willow Nightingale comes in. Her travel arrangements were canceled and she seems to blame Hathaway. Statlander says they’ll figure this out and leaves, with Nightingale not being pleased with Statlander not shutting Hathaway down.

Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy

This is under relaxed rules. Allin starts fast and sends him outside for the big flip dive and a near fall inside. Hardy takes him to the floor this time and sends Allin over the announcers’ table before a double knockdown gives us a breather. Hardy misses Poetry In Motion from the steps to the barricade but Allin misses a dive and crashes onto the ramp.

We take a break and come back with Hardy hitting a sitout gordbuster. He puts Allin on the top, where a rake to the back and a super Code Red plants Hardy for two. They go up top again but this time Hardy hits a hanging neckbreaker onto the apron. It’s time for a table on the floor but Hardy misses the Swanton through said table. Back in and the Coffin Drop hits Hardy’s raised knees, only to have Allin grab a rollup for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: C+. Well, they certainly didn’t waste time here, but my goodness it’s hard to watch these two beating the fire out of each other like this knowing how banged up they both are. Then again, the two of them seem to be perfectly fine with breaking every bone they can so it’s not like they’re going to be stopped. Hardy on his own still feels like something of a star so having him put over someone like Allin over is a good move. But could they maybe, not try to kill themselves in the process?

Overall Rating: C+. This a slightly different version of Rampage as it had some bigger names, but it still felt like a show that was little more than some AEW stars having matches. You had some minor advancements from some stories but it’s definitely not a show that needs to be there. If you watch it you won’t be bored, though it’s completely skippable. Rampage could use its own identity and that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Matt Sydal – Judas Effect
Penta El Zero Miedo b. Anthony Henry – Fear Factor
Kris Statlander b. Queen Aminata – Spinning fisherman’s driver
Darby Allin b. Jeff Hardy – Rollup

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Rampage
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

We’re still in Daily’s Place and that means it’s the second half of the Homecoming special. At the same time though, it’s Rampage, which means you could be seeing almost anything. Odd are we’ll get at least one good match here, which tends to be the case with Rampage. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Continental Crown: Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler Yuta

Only Kingston is defending and commentary does clarify that all three of his titles are on the line. They go with the grappling to start until Yuta takes him to the mat to work on the arm. Back up and Yuta sends him outside, setting up the suicide dive to knock Kingston into the barricade. They get back in so Kingston’s arm can be wrapped around the rope again.

More cranking on the arm gets two and a dropkick is good for the same. We take a break and come back with Yuta stomping on the arm. Yuta mockingly kicks him in the back, earning a heck of a chop from Kingston. A suplex drops Yuta and a DDT gives Kingston two. Kingston puts him on top or some chops but Yuta is back with a middle rope diving DDT for two of his own.

The hammer and anvil elbows set up a Disarm-Her but Kingston is right next to the rope. The spinning backfist misses for Kingston though and Yuta snaps off a German suplex for two more. An Angle Slam sets up the top rope splash for another near fall on Kingston and we hit the keylock. With that broken up, Kingston grabs the Saito suplex and a northern lights bomb retains the titles at 17:15.

Rating: B. I was surprised at how long this match got and it made things a bit better. Yuta was picking Kingston’s arm apart but Kingston fought through it and won with something other than the spinning backfist. It was a nice story and Kingston is one of the best going today at fighting from underneath. Solid stuff here, and amazingly enough the lack of Pure Rules made Yuta more interesting.

Mark Briscoe and the Hardys liked teaming together and want to do it again, with the ratings going up as a result. Maybe some Trios gold are in the cards? Jeff even gives Mark a Hardys necklace.

Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Sydal

The Mogul Embassy is here with Strickland, who starts fast with a rollup for two. The middle rope elbow to the back hits Sydal and Strickland grabs some Nikki Bella Rack Attacks to keep him in trouble. Sydal manages a quick hurricanrana and an Air Raid Crash gets two. Strickland isn’t having that though as it’s the rolling Downward Spiral but the Swerve Stomp misses. A rollup doesn’t work for Sydal as Strickland reverses into the JML Driver for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C. That’s what this should have been. Strickland is on a roll right now and there is no need to have him take too long to beat someone on Sydal’s level. Sydal got in a bit of offense before falling to one of Strickland’s big moves. That’s exactly how this match should have played out and they didn’t do anything nuts. Nice work.

Private Party interrupt Top Flight and Action Andretti, the latter of whom aren’t happy. The challenge is made an accepted, with Andretti doing his water bottle trick.

Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida starts fast and hammers away in the corner but Aminata takes her down for a running hip attack. We take a break and come back with an exchange of kicks to the back, with Shida sitting down so Aminata can kick her. Back up and Amiata knees her in the face for two, only for Shida to come back with the Falcon Arrow. The Katana finishes for Shida at 8:20.

Rating: C. Aminata has been around quite a few times in the last week or so as she seems to be the latest work in progress. So far she’s ok, though she’s roughly #179 or so on the list of women using a running hip attack at the moment. Shida feels like she has been stuck in limbo for awhile now and this isn’t going to make things much better.

We look at Daniel Garcia of all people saving FTR from a House Of Black attack on Collision.

Saraya shows Ruby Soho a soundless clip of Harley Cameron kissing Angelo Parker. Parker comes in with a birthday cake for Soho, who slams it into his face and storms off. Parker says that’s not what it looks like, even with Saraya saying she always wins. With everyone else gone, Parker unpauses the video, which shows him shoving Cameron away and looking confused.

Dark Order vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager

-1 is here with the Order and Parker still has cake on his face as he locks up with Silver to start. Silver runs Parker, now with a gold chain around his neck, over and stops to dance. It’s off to Hager (now with chain) to take over as JR talks about Hager’s football background, with Silver getting beaten down in the corner. Uno comes in and the Order clears the ring as we take a break.

Back with Reynolds fighting out of a chinlock and diving over to Uno for the tag. Everything breaks down and the Pendulum Bomb gets two on Parker. A double DDT plants Reynolds and the Hager Bomb connects for two. The ankle lock goes on but -1 grabs Hager’s hat. That’s enough of a distraction for the Stunner/German suplex/rollup combination to pin Hager at 10:22.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? It was the latest edition of bringing up Brodie Lee, which AEW has a certain fondness of doing. The match was nothing worth seeing as it was a run of the mill six man tag with the crowd favorites winning. They were playing to the live audience here, which is usually a bad idea but it’s airing at almost 11pm on a Friday so it’s a bit more acceptable.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was rather good but the rest was the usual supplemental stuff that you don’t need to watch. Parker and Soho’s segment was a pretty big step forward for them but other than that, it’s a pretty nothing show. Then again with this much AEW content on a single weekend, there is only so much you can get out of an hour long show on a Friday night.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Wheeler Yuta – Northern lights bomb
Swerve Strickland b. Matt Sydal – JML Driver
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata – Katana
Dark Order b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Hager

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Rampage
Date: January 5, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni

We’re done with Worlds End and that might mean a little something around here. The question becomes what we might be getting with this show, as Rampage has a tendency to be all over the place with fairly random matches. Hopefully we get another of the entertaining matches that tend to take place on this show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hardys/Mark Briscoe vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

Sabian works on Briscoe’s arm to start and then runs him over for a bonus. Briscoe is back up to take over on Sabian and the Hardys come in for a double suplex. Blade comes in but gets caught by the leg, meaning he’s already handing it off to Butcher. Matt’s middle rope elbow gets two but Butcher counters the Twist of Fate and hits a hard clothesline. It’s back to Sabian, who is quickly neckbreakered so Mark and Butcher can come back in. Everything breaks down and Sabian hits an Arabian moonsault onto Briscoe. Back in and the villains take turns beating on Briscoe as we take a break.

We come back with Briscoe and Blade trading forearms until Briscoe snaps off a neckbreaker. The double tag brings in Jeff to beat on Sabian, including the basement dropkick for two. A middle rope splash gives Jeff two more and Matt comes in for Poetry In Motion. Everything breaks down again and Sabian’s springboard dropkick accidentally takes out his partners. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton into the Froggy Bow finishes Sabian at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t a match that broke any new ground but they did what they needed to do and did it rather well. That’s what you need to do sometimes and it worked for an opener. If nothing else, I can go for the Hardys filling in a six man tag over having them get some kind of focus, as it tends to hide their limitations these days. Nice opener here as a good six man can go a long way.

Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara have a Tag Team Titles hot coming but Guevara is ready for Ricky Starks next week. Guevara knows that Starks is good but he’s not that good. Jericho will be ready to take care of Big Bill too.

The former Jericho Appreciation Society is ready for Anna Jay’s match, but she thinks it’s time for a change because things are feeling stale. She’ll go out there by herself tonight, but here is Harley Cameron to interrupt. She wants to help all of them and whispers something to Parker, who seems intrigued.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Notorious Mimi/Kennedi Hardcastle

Hold on though as Stokely Hathaway steals the microphone to handle the introductions. Statlander gets a bit more praise than Nightingale (“Thicker than a Snickers and quicker than a cat with whiskers.”), possibly due to Hathaway thinking she’s rather fetching. Statlander takes Mimi into the corner to start but Hardcastle gets in a cheap shot from behind. That’s fine with Nightingale, who suplexes both of them down at once. Statlander comes back in with clotheslines to run them over, followed by Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for the pin on Mimi at 2:36.

The Hardys want a match on Dynamite so here is Private Party to share some respect. No match is set though, oddly enough.

Anna Jay vs. Hikaru Shida

Jay slugs away against the ropes to start but Shida ducks some shots to the face and grabs a neckbreaker. Shida’s running knee connects and we go outside for the chair, which takes too long to set up. Instead Jay runs her over and then wraps Shida’s ribs around the post for a rather nasty visual. We take a break and come back with Jay yelling a lot and Shida unloading with forearms. A brainbuster gives Shida two but Jay hits a pendulum kick out of the corner. The Queenslayer goes on but Shida lips out and scores with a running knee for two more. The top rope Meteora into the Katana finishes Jay at 9:10.

Rating: C+. Shida winning makes sense as she’s one of the biggest stars the division has ever seen, but it’s weird to see Jay going back and forth with the wins and losses. She has potential and it seems that AEW wants to push her, but that’s not going to work when she keeps losing her momentum. Nice enough match, though Jay losing again is almost disappointing these days.

Sonjay Dutt yells at the Jarretts and Jay Lethal, demanding that they get back on the same page. Karen Jarrett wants the team to have a name but Jeff Jarrett says it needs to have LOSER in it because of Lethal. Jeff and Lethal have to be held apart.

Video on the Christian Cage/Adam Copeland ordeal at Worlds End, plus Cage intentionally not thanking Killswitch on Dynamite.

Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Komander

Yuta is defending and they fight over arm control to start. A double wristlock has Komander using his first rope break barely a minute in. La majistral into a half crab sends Yuta to his first rope break as they’re certainly starting fast. Komander’s hurricanrana sends Yuta outside but it’s too early for a dive. Instead Yuta takes him down by the arm as we take a break.

Back with Yuta holding him in a Gory Stretch but Komander rolls him into the corner for the break. A springboard kick to the face drops Yuta again and a springboard tornado DDT gets two. Komander misses a twisting moonsault though and it’s an Angle Slam to put him down. Yuta grabs a Kimura so Komander has to use his last rope break. They trade kicks to the face until Yuta gets two off a bridging German suplex. The hammer and anvil elbows set up another Kimura to retain the title at 10:54.

Rating: C+. Yuta has something of a formula to his title defenses and it was on display here. He takes away the rope breaks and then usually wins by submission, which might make sense but doesn’t make for the most thrilling stuff. I get that the idea is to have a title match, but Yuta’s style is only so interesting and doesn’t exactly scream big time featured showcase. It also didn’t help that even commentary was pointing out how strange it was for Komander of all people to get a shot at this title, but AEW’s title shot logic has always been a bit all over the place.

Overall Rating: C+. As is usually the case these days, Rampage is just kind of there for the most part. You know what you’re going to get most weeks and that was the case again here. It’s not a bad show, but it’s a show that you could skip a good chunk of the time. Even the best match on here was just pretty good, with the big attraction being things announced for Dynamite. The show is easy enough to watch, but it’s also something that could be dropped without much being lost, which puts it in a very weird place.

Results
Hardys/Mark Briscoe b. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian – Froggy Bow to Sabian
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Notorious Mimi/Kennedi Hardcastle – Spinebuster to Mimi
Hikaru Shida b. Anna Jay – Katana
Wheeler Yuta b. Komander – Kimura

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Rampage
Date: December 29, 2023
Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the final show before Worlds End and the card should be mostly set. While AEW likes to add in a good bit more at the last minute, the Continental Classic and likely most of the title matches are ready to go. This show could include some hard pushes towards some of those matches, which AEW tends to do well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going. Jericho welcomes us to the show and talks about Sammy Guevara quitting the Don Callis Family on Dynamite. He made the save and now we have an eight man tag at Worlds End. After their no holds barred tag match a few months ago, Sting called Jericho and now they’re cool. For now though, Jericho wants Guevara out here right now. Cue Guevara to a strong reaction and Jericho praises him for his abilities.

But why did Guevara turn on him for Don Callis? Guevara talks about how it’s hard to be in Jericho’s shadow and maybe he thought he needed more. It’s time to stop blaming everyone else though and now he knows he’s the man that he should have been the whole time. Guevara offers an apology, which Jericho accepts and offers one of his own. They have the eight man tag tomorrow, but after that, Jericho still needs a partner for the Tag Team Title shot. The big hug seems to seal the deal. This was a nice way to make it clear that everything was ok and explain the rushed turn for Guevara.

We recap the House of Black attacking Daniel Garcia after he beat Brody King on Collision.

Garcia, with Matt Menard, says he’s sick of people like the House of Black and promises vengeance.

Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir

Soho has Saraya and Harley Cameron with her while Shafir has Nyla Rose. They both miss clotheslines in the corner to start until Shafir kicks her down to take over. Cameron offers a distraction though and Soho knocks Shafir outside as we take an early break. Back with Shafir not quite being able to hit a backbreaker and grabbing a chinlock instead. With that keeping Soho down, Rose beats up Cameron and chases Saraya off, leaving Shafir to slam Soho for two. Cameron is back up for a distraction though and Soho’s rollup with tights gets the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. A match that is only running a little over five minutes probably shouldn’t have a break in the middle, but Shafir’s stuff can be a bit rough to watch. She doesn’t feel natural or smooth in the ring and that was the case again here. Rose chasing off Soho’s friends felt more important, as the match barely got enough time to do anything.

The Don Callis Family and Big Bill/Ricky Starks promise to take out Sting, Darby Allin, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. Powerhouse Hobbs promises to show why he’s big, Black and jacked.

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale make sure that they’re ok but they should fight at Worlds End anyway. Cue Stokely Hathaway to ask if Willow was busy watching Rugrats when she took so long to make the save on Dynamite. Statlander shrugs it off and the match is on.

Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Sydal

Yuta is defending. They fight over wrist control to start until Sydal rolls him up for a close two. Another exchange of rollups get two each until Sydal hits a flipping backsplash for two more. Yuta kicks him down and forearms away in the corner as we take an early break. Back with Yuta getting two off a dropkick but getting kicked in the face.

Sydal hits some running knees and an Air Raid Crash gets two. Some more strikes to the face don’t do much to Yuta, who grabs a bridging German suplex for another near fall. Something like a crossface sends Sydal to the rope for the first time so Yuta elbows him in the face. The seat belt retains the title at 9:34.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much to be gotten out of the Pure Rules matches. Yuta isn’t overly interested in these things and that was the case again here, as he’s just a villain who does his thing and wins. It doesn’t help that this was a cold match with nothing to make it more intriguing, but that’s the case with a lot of the Pure Title stuff. It really is a title that doesn’t need to be around but that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Post match Danhausen comes out to say he’s the fourth judge and since Yuta cheated with a clenched fist, Yuta is disqualified. Yuta beats him up but Hook makes the save.

We recap Samoa Joe taking an injury and taking out MJF on Dynamite.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Action Andretti/Top Flight

Cassidy and Andretti start things off with Cassidy taking him down to start and getting in a quick thumbs up. Andretti gets to his feet and flips into a standoff, only to have Cassidy take him into the corner. Trent comes in and drops Andretti with a shot to the face so it’s off to Darius.

That’s enough for commentary to ignore the match and talk about Worlds End as Trent is dropkicked into the wrong corner. Top Flight comes in to clean house and the triple dive takes down Cassidy and company as we take a break. Back with Andretti enziguring Romero into the corner and the tag brings Dante back in. A springboard high crossbody gets two on Romero as everything breaks down.

Dante hits a half nelson Skull Crushing Finale on Romero, followed by a big save to leave everyone down. We get the double tag to Dante vs. Cassidy but they’re both sent to the floor, leaving Dante to hit an Arabian moonsault onto Romero. Back in and Romero’s release German superplex drops Darius on his face, followed by a rollup for two on Cassidy. The Orange Punch is countered with a superkick and the swinging half nelson slam finishes Romero at 12:55.

Rating: B-. Top Flight and Andretti are turning into a thing and they should probably be winning some of the Six Man Tag Team Titles sooner than later. It’s not like the Mogul Embassy needs the titles so give them to a team that might get something out of them. Good main event here, as the six man matches continue to be fun.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve been saying this for a few weeks now but this was another very typical Rampage episode, with one segment that felt like it mattered with the bigger stories, an entertaining main event and not much more. That being said, this show at least felt more important with the lack of a Collision this week and now we get to see where everything heads on Saturday. Not a must see show, but there are worse things to watch.

Results
Ruby Soho b. Marina Shafir – Rollup with tights
Wheeler Yuta b. Matt Sydal – Seat belt
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta/Rocky Romero – Spinning half nelson slam to Romero

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Rampage
Date: December 22, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Worlds End and that means things are starting to come together. This week’s show is a bit different though as we are in between the Continental Classic shows, meaning some other things should be getting some focus. That could make for an interesting show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

International Title: Rocky Romero vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending. They start fast to start with Cassidy taking him down and doing Romero’s dance. Cassidy teases a big wind up punch but puts his hands in his pockets instead, only to get taken down by a hurricanrana. Back in and Cassidy rolls away, only to get taken down by another hurricanrana on the floor. The Forever Clotheslines have Cassidy in more trouble and a backbreaker gives Romero two.

Cassidy manages the tornado DDT but Romero drapes him over the top. The jumping knee misses but Romero settles for a suplex on the apron. We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until Cassidy hits the Orange Punch. Cassidy stomps away but has to counter Strong Zero into a sunset flip. Romero knees him out of the air and Strong Zero gets two. Cassidy is right back with the Orange Punch into the Beach Break to retain at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what you would have expected from Cassidy against a perennial midcarder in a Rampage title defense. Cassidy has done this match more times than I can count during his reigns as champion and it only has so much impact here. Decent match, but it was only going to be so good.

Hugging ensues post match.

Kris Statlander is happy about the win in a tag team street fight on Collision. Cue Stokely Hathaway, who comes in to recruit her, though he incorrectly calls her Kristen.

Brian Cage is ready to beat Keith Lee up on Collision.

Hardys vs. Kingdom

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and calls some fans stupid on the way to the ring. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Matt Hardy as Matt and Matt Taven as Taven. Matt takes Taven into the corner to start and hammers away before Jeff comes in for the flip splash/fist drop combination for two. Bennett comes in to punch Matt down but it’s right back to Jeff for Poetry In Motion.

A cheap shot sends Jeff outside though and we take a break. Back with Matt Side Effecting Bennett onto the apron, allowing Jeff to bring Matt back in. House is cleaned and the Side Effect gets two on Taven. The Twist Of Fate is broken up though and the fight heads outside. Jeff takes off his boot to beat on Bennett but Taven gets a rollup to pin Matt at 9:24.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have the Hardys back in the ring here as they haven’t gotten to do much in recent months. They’re only doing so much here and the Kingdom needs some wins to go anywhere in the future. I’m not sure how far either team is going to be going anytime soon, but at least the Kingdom has Strong around to keep them active.

Angelo Parker interrupts Ruby Soho and invites her out for a drink tonight. Saraya comes in to say she supports this before sending Soho and Renee Paquette away. With the two of them gone, Saraya says she hates Parker and Soho is all hers. Soho pops back in and Saraya says she loves Parker.

Skye Blue vs. Prince Aminata

The much larger Aminata sends her outside to start but Blue gets in a knockdown on the apron to take over. Back in and Aminata hits a suplex into a running hip attack in the corner for two. Blue superkicks her way out of trouble though and it’s a TKO into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. Aminata wasn’t bad here, especially for someone coming back after a bad knee injury. Blue wasn’t about to lose after her big official turn last week though and it’s not like it took her long to pick up the win. These women’s matches going short aren’t really helping anyone, but at least Blue got a quick win to boost her up a bit.

AAA Mega Title: Black Taurus vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending and slips out of a powerbomb attempt to start. Taurus shoulders him down so Vikingo snaps off some armdrags. Back up and we get a standoff, as the fans are declaring this awesome about two weeks in. The pop up Samoan drop gives Taurus two and we take a break.

Back with Taurus blocking a poisonrana but missing a charge to crash out to the floor. Taurus is right back up for a dive, only to get posted by Vikingo. Somehow Vikingo manages a powerslam and the rope walk twisting flip dive drops Taurus again. Back in and a rope walk running poisonrana plants Taurus, who is back up to run Vikingo over. Taurus sends him crashing down with the super gorilla press and a discus lariat gets two. Vikingo flips over him into a sunset bomb, followed by the running knees. More running knees set up a 630 to retain the title at 14:10.

Rating: B-. It was a good back and forth match but I just saw these two have a better, longer match on a bigger stage just a week ago. Now that being said, these two could seemingly have a solid match in their sleep as it’s a pretty easy dynamic to make work no matter what. Vikingo feels like a mega star despite his smaller stature and having Taurus there to bounce off of makes it even easier.

Overall Rating: B-. That’s as Rampagey of a Rampage as Rampage could be. Very little happened in the way of advancing any stories and it was more “here are some AEW wrestlers doing things” for forty five minutes before a good main event helped it out a lot. Rampage is an entertaining hour most of the time but it’s a show that could disappear without much being lost. Good enough show this week, but don’t expect much of anything that matters in the bigger pictures.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Roocky Romero – Beach Break
The Kingdom b. The Hardys – Rollup to Matt
Skye Blue b. Prince Aminata – Dragon sleeper
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Rampage
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Rampage has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks and that could make things all the more interesting this week. While we probably won’t be having a Continental Classic match this week, we do have the Von Erichs near Dallas and that should be enough for a change of pace. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs vs. Matt Menard/Jake Hager/Angelo Parker

Danhausen is here with Cassidy and company. Parker takes Ross up to the ropes to start but Ross cranks on the wrist. A dropkick and running boot to the face stagger Parker and it’s quickly off to Hager vs. Cassidy. Hager sends him hard into the corner but Cassidy rolls away and puts his hands in his pockets, setting up the tornado DDT.

Menard gets in a running knee to the head though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy rolling away and diving over to bring in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Von Erichs dropkick Hager to the floor. Parker rolls Marshall up for two but Marshall rolls him up for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. Much like they did at Final Battle, the Von Erichs being in a match near Dallas is as much of a layup as you can get. They didn’t try anything screwy here and had a quick match to let the fans have a fun moment. I’m not sure if the Von Erichs are ready to be around here full time, but at least they did the basics well here.

Post match the villains jump the Von Erichs but Danhausen (with purple hat) comes in but Kevin Von Erich comes in to Claw Hager. Again: give the fans something to cheer about.

Mark Briscoe is out of the Continental Classic but this is like his rookie season as a singles wrestler. Jay Lethal and company come up, with Briscoe saying he and Lethal face off next week. They agree to fight for honor and everything is cool.

Don Callis Family vs. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan

Grey and Titan look like crosses between the Barbarian and the Missing Link. Hobbs hits the World’s Most Dangerous Slam to pin Grey at 47 seconds.

Post match Don Callis rants about the Golden Jets, who came together out of fear of the Don Callis Family. Callis introduces the Don Callis Family Rules, which mean…any members of his Family can come after the Golden Jets. That needed a rule?

Ruby Soho is upset by her loss when Saraya comes in to yell at her. Saraya says Soho needs her, but Soho tells her to go beat Riho by herself.

Anna Jay vs. Red Velvet

Jay offers her a left handshake to start before they trade rollups for two each. Jay bows in front of her and gets kicked in the face for her efforts, only to send Velvet to the apron. A running hip attack puts Velvet on the floor as we take a break. Back with Jay cranking on both arms and snapping of a suplex. Velvet blocks another suplex though and strikes away before checking her watch. The running knees to the back rock Jay again but she’s right back with a Gory Bomb for two. Cue Matt Menard to distract Jay though and a discus lariat gives Velvet two. Not that it matters as the Queenslayer finishes Velvet at 8:34.

Rating: C. Jay continues to feel like someone that AEW wants to push and if she can take it to just one level higher, that could very easily take place. For now, she is doing well enough and getting in more and more reps should only help her. Velvet is doing well enough too, but she is only going to be able to go so far with the whole cooking deal.

We recap all of the Devil stuff from Dynamite, capped of by Hangman Page being laid out.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo

Dante and Komader fight over arm control to start until Komander pulls him into something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up so Dante is sent to the apron, where he avoids a running dive from Komander, who of course sticks the landing on the floor. Back in and it’s off to Vikingo and Andretti to flip around each other, with Andretti flipping out of a headscissors.

Vikingo misses a kick to the face and we have a standoff, with even Jericho applauding. Penta and Darius come in to chop it out until Penta scores with some Sling Blades. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and the triple dives drop Andretti and Top Flight as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo caught in the wrong corner but he gets in a springboard armdrag to both Martins. Penta comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down again. Komander hits a springboard Swanton but Dante knees him in the face. Vikingo is back in with a very springboardy legdrop to Dante in the ropes. Penta hits a Big Bang Catastrophe of all things on Darius but Dante is back in to run Komander over.

Penta Codebreakers Dante, only to get hit with an AA onto the apron. Back up and Komander hits a running dive, followed by a monkey flip to send Vikingo onto the apron. Everyone needs a breather until Penta and Andretti chop it out back inside. The other four join them in the chop off until Andretti and Top Flight hit stereo superkicks.

The other three hit superkicks of their own and a triple clothesline puts everyone down. All six nip up and hit kicks to the face to put them all down again. Back up and Darius and Andretti cut off Penta and Vikingo with Spanish Flys, followed by a spinning half nelson slam to pin Komander at 16:06. Justin Roberts refers to it as a “spectacular match” because he has to be different.

Rating: A-. Yeah that was awesome, with all six of them going nuts for a long time and never really slowing down for more than a bit at a time. I had a great time with this and they didn’t bother trying to do anything but tear the house down. It’s a bunch of flips and dives and everything is all over the place, but dang it was a fun ride. It isn’t some technical masterpiece full of psychology and logic and it’s not supposed to be. Incredibly entertaining match that will probably make your eyes pop more than once.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event alone carries the show, even with the rest of it just being ok. This was a show built around one match and little else, which works rather well for an hour long show. Obviously check out the main event, but there isn’t much else to see on here. Nothing is bad, but one match blew away the rest without looking back.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Parker
Don Callis Family b. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Grey
Anna Jay b. Red Velvet – Queenslayer
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Hal nelson slam to Komander

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