Rampage
Date: October 21, 2022
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re live this week and not taped after Dynamite for a change. We’re also back in the old stomping grounds of Jacksonville and the card happens to be stacked with three title matches in an hour. That should be enough to carry the show, though Rampage has a bad tendency to underwhelm. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed vs. Varsity Athletes

The Acclaimed is defending and it’s titles vs. the SCISSOR ME trademark. As you might expect, the rap mocks AEW’s heavily hyped World Title match beating NXT. The Athletes tease an early scissoring and get jumped from behind, only to send the champs outside. Back in and the Acclaimed break up some more scissoring and a powerslam plants Woods. Caster gets knocked outside, where Billy Gunn chases Tony Nese around. That’s enough for a Gunn ejection, much to Sterling’s delight.

We take a break and come back with Bowens getting the tag to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Woods hits something like a spinning GTS to drop Caster. Woods drops Bowens and the Angle Slam/neckbreaker gets two with Caster having to make the save. Nese kicks Caster in the face and dives onto Bowens on the floor. Back in and Bowens slugs away, setting up the Arrival into the Mic Drop to retain the titles at 8:03.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a great match but they kept things moving quickly enough that it didn’t get boring. The good thing is that the fans love the Acclaimed so much that it is going to work no matter they do so they’re playing with the house’s money. Thankfully the Sterling scissoring deal didn’t last long, as it was a pretty dead end idea in the first place.

Post match Sterling says that trademarks don’t end like that so the Acclaimed beat him up, stomp him low, hit Scissor Me Timbers and scissor with Billy Gunn. A feel good family moment!

Jade Cargill isn’t happy that Penelope Ford is injured but she is willing to let Leila Grey take her place. Then she gets the TBS Title back from Nyla Rose.

Ortiz/Eddie Kingston and the Lucha Bros are in the back in an attempt to make peace. The Bros want Eddie to keep his temper and avoid losing another job. Pac comes in and seems to mock Kingston, who has to be held back.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Ari Daivari

Hook is defending and turns down Daivari’s offer of cash for the title. That’s not cool with Hook, who suplexes Daivari at the bell and they start fast, with Daivari being sent outside for a ram into the table. Daivari’s butler Jeeves K is here and slaps Hook in the face with some money (must have asked about it). Hook fights out of the corner with rights and lefts to the ribs and an STO. A release fisherman’s suplex drops Daivari, who uses a Jeeves distraction to set up his own suplex for two. The hammerlock lariat is countered though and Redrum retains the title at 2:50. More proper Hook usage.

Matt Hardy is annoyed at the Firm, who have sent Private Party off for a match. For now though, Matt can have a match on Dark: Elevation. I still can’t get my head around Isaiah Kassidy vs. Ethan Page being for Matt’s contract. Why not, I don’t know, Page vs. Matt?

Leila Grey vs. Willow Nightingale

Kiera Hogan is here with Grey. Nightingale wrestles her down without much effort to start before running Grey over with a shoulder. Back up and Nightingale easily slams her but Hogan gets in a cheap shot superkick to take over. We take a break and come back with Nightingale spinebustering Grey for two but getting caught in a Russian legsweep. Grey hits a running knee in the corner but gets belly to back suplexed. A kick to the head rocks Grey and a doctor bomb gives Nightingale the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. There are some wrestlers who can best be described as fun, which would be the case with Nightingale. She has such a bubbly personality and there is something about her that makes you want to see her do well. Beating Grey on TV is nice, but it would be better to see her win a bigger match down the line.

Post match Nightingale is announced as officially All Elite but here is Jade Cargill to interrupt. Nightingale leaves so Cargill has a seat in a chair and gives Nyla Rose ten seconds to come get the title. Rose and the rest of the Vicious Vixens pop up on screen in a car. Rose drives off with the title….and apparently that’s Cargill’s car. Cargill sits down, saying she isn’t leaving without her belt. Security comes in and gets dropped, which is enough for Cargill to leave. Well that was easy.

Last night, Rush threatened 10 with a beating. Orange Cassidy popped up from behind a bar to offer them beers. Oh and he’ll join their match to make it an All-Atlantic Title triple threat.

Orange Cassidy tries to steal Mark Henry’s job but Henry asks why Cassidy is getting into Rush and 10’s business. Cassidy: “Um, I don’t know.” 10 and Rush want to win the title while dealing with their personal issues too.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. 10 vs. Rush

Cassidy is defending and Rush has Jose the Assistant with him, while Cassidy has Danhausen. 10 and Rush slug it out but Cassidy gets involved with the lazy kicks. Rush sends 10 outside, leaving Cassidy to dropkick Rush. That’s fine with Rush, who sends him into the corner for the running slap into the Tranquilo pose. Rush goes outside to send 10 into the barricade but 10 is back with his own shots. Cassidy dives at both of them but gets caught and chokeslammed onto a table (which doesn’t break).

We take a break and come back with Cassidy having to block 10’s full nelson before hitting a Stundog Millionaire. The spinning DDT plants Rush and there’s the Beach Break for two on 10, as Jose breaks it up (JR: “It’s a mockery of the rules!”). Danhausen comes in and hits Jose low but Rush knocks him down as well.

A suplex sends Cassidy into the corner but 10 is back up with his spinebuster. 10 discus lariats Cassidy for two, with Rush having to dive in for the save. Rush messes with 10’s mask but walks into the Orange Punch. Another Beach Break is countered but Cassidy sits down on 10 to retain at 11:48.

Rating: B-. This is another perfect use of Cassidy, who has to work to retain his title so it doesn’t feel like a joke, even if there is virtually no value to it whatsoever. At the same time, this felt like AEW realizing that Rush vs. 10 isn’t an interesting story and needing to do something to change it. Cassidy can often make that work, so this was as good as it could have been.

Post match 10 and Rush have a staredown but -1 comes out and gets carried to the back by 10.

We get an In Memoriam graphic to Brian Muster, a video engineer who died unexpectedly this week. That’s a very classy thing to do.

Overall Rating: C+. That was about as Rampagey of a Rampage as you could get, as there was little that felt important but it was still in front of a hot crowd. The stuff they did involved either titles or stories with a bit of value, so it didn’t feel like a waste of time. At the same time though, Rampage feels completely like a secondary show, which does make it seem a lot less important. With three hours of TV a week, AEW might want to change that.

Results
Acclaimed b. Varsity Athletes – Mic Drop to Nese
Hook b. Ari Daivari – Redrum
Willow Nightingale b. Leila Grey – Doctor bomb
Orange Cassidy b. 10 and Rush – Rollup to 10

 

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: October 12, 2022
Location: Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re up north this week and out of the United States (at least on land) for the first time. The main events feature a grand total of one American as we have Bryan Danielson challenging Chris Jericho for the Ring Of Honor World Title and Pac defending the All-Atlantic Title against Orange Cassidy. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We start hings off with the debut of the newest member of the broadcast team: Renee Paquette (Young). That’s a good addition to the team, as long as she stays out of the broadcast booth. She brings out Christian Cage, who insults Toronto and then brings in Luchasaurus.

Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus

Christian Cage is on commentary. Jungle Boy goes after him to start but gets powered into the corner. The uppercut off the top sends Luchasaurus to the floor and it’s already time for a table. Jungle Boy is in big trouble as the table is set up outside and we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus missing a charge and going into the post, meaning he staggers up to the apron. The running sunset bomb sends Luchasaurus through the table, which is enough for Christian to come down to the ring.

Jungle Boy works on the arm some more, including wrapping it around the ropes. That’s fine with Luchasaurus, who hits a left handed chokeslam for two. Some shots to the head get Jungle Boy out of trouble and a crucifix bomb gets two more. A Killswitch gives Jungle Boy another near fall but the Snare Trap is broken up. Jungle Boy goes to the top but a Christian distraction lets Luchasaurus get slammed off the top. The Cutthroat Driver finishes Jungle Boy at 14:04.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting fight and Jungle Boy losing is questionable, but there is one thing that caught my attention here. What was the point of the table spot? It was in the middle of the match, Luchasaurus barely sold it and it changed almost nothing. If that’s all you’re going to do with it, why even include it? If you need a table spot to pop the crowd, work out a better match.

The Firm and Matt hardy/Private Party get into it in the back. The Hardy vs. Ethan Page match is set for Rampage, with Private Party’s freedom on the line. If Matt wins they’re gone, but if Matt loses, Private Party and Matt are in the Firm. Why would you want Matt Hardy on your team?

Samoa Joe/Wardlow vs. The Factory

It’s a brawl to start until we settle down to Joe walking away from Solo’s dive. Wardlow slams Comoroto down and it’s a Swanton to make it worse. Joe chokes Comoroto out at 2:24.

Post match QT Marshall gets a Powerbomb Symphony but here is the Embassy to surround the ring. Brian Cage mocks FTR for not being here but here is FTR to interrupt. They would like a six man tag on Rampage and bring out Toronto’s own Shawn Spears as their partner.

The Jericho Appreciation Society is ready for Bryan Danielson for what he made them do to Daniel Garcia.

Billy Gunn vs. Swerve Strickland

The Acclaimed is here with Gunn and Castor’s rap makes a variety of Canadian references. Billy takes him down to start and teases the old lowering of the trunks, only to get kicked down to the floor. We take a break and come back with Billy making a comeback but Swerve takes him down and goes up top, where he mocks the scissoring. The Swerve Stomp gets two before Swerve grabs a rollup (with ropes) for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C. It was a decent match with Swerve getting the win like he should have. Gunn is part of a popular act but even AEW is smart enough to not have him get a win over someone like Swerve at this point. The match was short enough due to the break, but they got the ending right (save for maybe Swerve getting two off them Stomp, which probably should have been the pin).

Post match Mark Sterling comes out to announce that he has trademarked the SCISSOR ME catchphrase so anytime they use it, he gets the money. Oh and he’ll sue if they do the gesture too.

MJF is asked about almost shaking hands with Wheeler Yuta last week but gets interrupted by Stokely Hathaway. That’s not cool with MJF, who calls it strike two. With Stokely gone, MJF says he isn’t sure if he was going to shake Yuta’s hand or not because he learned a long time ago that the nice guys finish last.

No one knows what it is like to be him because he is expected to be the bad guy. He has broken his hand several times punching his reflection but make no mistake about it: he will be World Champion because he is a generational talent, a man with the chip and the man with a plan. This was a money promo, almost as always from MJF.

Here is Jon Moxley for a chat. He has been World Champion for a big chunk of AEW’s history and that means a lot is expect of him. Some people become World Champion and crumble under the pressure, some faster than others (that sounded like a shot at Punk). That brings him to Hangman Page, so here he is for a chat. They get in each other’s face and Moxley doesn’t think Page has it anymore. It’s not the same Page that shoved him off a 20 foot ladder last year.

Page says he’s right because a lot of things has changed, including his old friends disappearing (cut to MJF in the sky box saying “serves them right”. He has been beaten down and he has been choked blue and beaten while he is unconscious. He is also a former World Champion and doesn’t care who is there next week, but Page is going to come for the title. Next week, he’s proving that he’s a man. The fact that Page punched himself to the point of bleeding made that a bit better. Heck of a promo here from Page, even if there is little chance that he’s winning next week.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

Jericho is defending and it’s Lionheart again this week, so Judas is cut off. They strike it off to start and the fans sing Judas anyway. Danielson chops away but Jericho is right back with a hurricanrana, meaning the posing can take us to a break. Back with Jericho dropkicking him to the floor and hitting a slingshot dive to drop Danielson again.

Jericho shrugs that off and comes back with the LeBell Lock. That’s broken up so Jericho tries the Walls, only to get broken up without much trouble. Danielson gets his own Walls but Jericho reverses into a small package for two. With that broken up, Danielson fires off hammer and anvil elbows but Jericho is back up with an AA of all things for two.

Back up and they miss shots to the head but the referee gets bumped. A double clothesline puts them both down and it’s Daniel Garcia coming down. Danielson hits the running knee but Garcia belts him down (to a rather strong positive reaction) to give Jericho the retain pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. The ending was rather WWE and of course it’s more As The Garcia Turns drama but Danielson vs. Jericho in a nearly fifteen minute match is going to be rather good no matter what. Danielson losing another big match is a bit much to take, but he has shown time and time again that he can bounce back like no others. Good match, which shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise.

Jericho and Garcia leave in peace.

The Vicious Vixens are happy with Nyla Rose having stolen the TNT Title. Anna Jay comes in and gets a match with Rose on Rampage.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm

Rebel is here with the villains. Toni kicks Hayter down to start but gets taken into the wrong corner. The arm is sent into the post and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a top rope Meteora for two on Baker as everything breaks down. Storm hits a tornado DDT and Storm Zero drops Baker. Hayter drives Storm into the cover for the save so Shida suplexes Baker and rolls her up for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was another fast paced women’s tag match and Shida seems to be getting at least something of a renewed push. I don’t know how far that is going to take her but at least she is getting to do something. I’m not sure what that means for Storm who is still just kind of there, but at least the match was pretty good.

Butcher and the Blade are ready for Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley on Rampage.

All-Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

Pac is defending and kicks Cassidy down to start. Then Pac mocks the lazy kick, earning him a hard dropkick from Cassidy. That’s enough to send Pac outside, where he counters the suicide dive into a brainbuster on the floor. We take a break and come back with Cassidy diving back under the ropes after a Tombstone on the ramp during the break. Back in the Brutalizer goes on, sending Cassidy’s feet into the ropes.

Cassidy hits a running DDT and the Orange Punch gets two. Pac grabs a quick suplex though and the Brutalizer goes on again. This time Cassidy rolls over and makes the rope again so Pac goes outside to grab the title belt. Cue Danhausen to stop him though, meaning IT’S TIME FOR A CURSE! Pac drops him with a right hand and grabs the ring hammer bell. Cassidy knocks it out of his hand and hits the Orange Punch, followed by a second for the pin and the title at 11:08.

Rating: B. This was a good fight, but above all else, it was a well built moment. The All-Atlantic Title doesn’t mean much of anything and is mainly there to represent AEW outside of the United States. That doesn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, but it means a lot for Cassidy to win it. This was his big moment and in that sense, it was a heck of a success.

Overall Rating: B+. Good action, they hyped up next week’s title match, gave us a big moment in the end and had nothing bad all night. This was a rather strong Dynamite and it absolutely flew by, with Renee being a great bonus to kick things off. I’m looking forward to where a lot of this is is going and it felt like a return to the formula that made AEW work in the first place. Nice job and I’d like to see more of this.

Results
Luchasaurus b. Jungle Boy – Cutthroat Driver
Samoa Joe/Wardlow b. The Factory – Koquina Clutch to Comorato
Swerve Strickland b. Billy Gunn – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Chris Jericho b. Bryan Danielson – Belt shot from Daniel Garcia
Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm b. Britt Baker/Jamie Hatyer – Rollup to Baker
Orange Cassidy b. Pac – Orange Punch

 

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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AND

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