AEW Rampage

Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 10.14.22

Good Friday everybody! Lee Sanders here and the weekend is upon us as we get a new episode of AEW RAMPAGE! Hope you all been okay since last I was with you all. Nothing to promote this week except if you’re a fan of WOW WOMEN OF WRESTLING, check out my WOW post show this late Saturday night going into Sunday morning. I’ll be interviewing Jessie Jones aka Jessie Belle. You can catch it after WOW finishes airing on The CW Philly Channel 57 beginning 12am ET this Sunday, October 16th 2022 by clicking here. For now, let’s talk RAMPAGE baby!

Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, and Jim Ross

MATCH 1: CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI, JON MOXLEY VS THE BUTCHER & THE BLADE

We begin with all four men brawling already after the show intro as the carnage is spilling outside the ring. Blade tosses Moxley in the ring as both men begin a series of chopping one another. Moxley gets the best of it as he follows up with a quick-release back suplex as we see footage of the cowboy, Hangman Adam Page looking on. Claudio is tagged in as he and Moxley perform a combo on Blade. Claudio goes for the cover and it’s a near fall. Blade manages to rake the eyes of Claudio as he tags in Butcher now. Claudio reverses a stalling back suplex attempt as Blade gets tagged back in. Claudio is destroying him with a series of uppercuts when Bunny gets in to stop the onslaught as we head into a commercial break. And we are back as Blade is in control, denying Claudio the opportunity to tag Moxley. Butcher delivers a clothesline, followed by a back suplex as Blade comes from the top rope connecting with a flying lariat to Claudio’s chest for a near fall. Claudio catches Butcher with an uppercut to the chin! It’s enough to finally tag in Moxley as he comes in with a cutter on Blade. Dive in-between the ropes to lay out Butcher! Moxley digs his fingernails into the back of Blade, followed by a piledriver for a kick out. Moxley now stomping on the face of Blade with his boot. Butcher breaks it up as Claudio gets in now. All four men are sizing each other up as Moxley and Claudio knock off Butcher and Blade with a pair of lariats! Double stomps to the faces and a death rider, followed by a ricola bomb, ends this one as Claudio scores the win for the team.

Winner:Jon Moxley & Claudio C. (12:00)
Rating: ***
Decent opener, no complaints. I love the fact that the past two RAMPAGES now, Moxley has opened up the shows. This has been a smart move on Tony Khan and crews part for luring folks in with a big name to help keep viewers engaged throughout the whole episode perhaps. No question in my mind Moxley and Claudio would win this as Moxley needed that last little buildup going into his title defense against the Hangman this coming week. Butcher and Blade continuing killing it and to the point I’m hoping 2023 is a big year for them.

Post-match, Moxley asks the question what’s going to happen to Adam Page if the Hangman doesn’t bring his “A” game. Claudio shouts Page will be squashed on!

Rene Paquette is with Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee now. Lee tells Swerve he has an issue with the fact Swerve cheated to win in his match against Billy Gunn on DYNAMITE this week. Lee thinks Swerve is swerving in the wrong lane before walking off. Well now it’s obvious we’re seeing the seeds planted of an eventual breakup here and I’m all fine for it honestly. Been wanting to see Swerve as a solo act since before he left NXT.

Back from commercial breaks as Rene is with Dark Order now as Jose the Assistant appears now. 10 wants to face RUSH as he puts a stipulation out there. 10 tells Jose that when he beats RUSH, no more trying to recruit him or anyone else from Dark Order. Jose accepts it as he’s told to buzz off. What the flying Hell is with these stipulations?

Chris Jericho and the rest of the JAS come out to a nice sing-along pop from the crowd. I be-COME, be-COME, be-COMMING too but you don’t see me singing about it! Any way, Daddy Magic asks the crowd if they wonder what makes his nipples hard? It’s the fact that the JAS will be together FOREVER, FOREVER, FOREVER!!! Daniel Garcia is introduced by Anna J-A-S now as he explains why he attacked Bryan Danielson on DYNAMITE this week. It’s simple…sports entertainers are superior as he didn’t want to believe it at first. Garcia wanted to be a pro wrestler at first just like his hero, Bryan Danielson. He proclaims he will never be a pro wrestler. Yes, Danielson taught him heart, guts, and a fighting spirit. Jericho taught him how to win however, and that trumps all! Sports entertainers beat pro wrestlers every single time far as he’s concerned. Garcia claims himself as a sports entertainer as Jericho proclaims himself the greatest RING OF JERICHO champion ever! Jericho promises to beat every single former ROH World champion as Dalton Castle interrupts! I can’t believe this folks! I’m getting my dream match come true as many of you recall I’ve been wanting to see this for months now! Dalton talks about how he broke his back for that ROH championship, and that he’s willing to break Jericho’s to get the title back! Dalton is powered by the PEACOCK (hope it’s not by NBC UNIVERSAL). Dalton challenges Jericho to a match next week for the title. Jericho obliges as he promises to pluck Dalton’s feathers one by one as he promises to humble Dalton Castle to the power of the OCHO!

Video package of Shida vs Toni Storm upcoming match next week is shown. Shida is getting her English down. She’s come a long, long way. Good for her!

MATCH 1: NYLA ROSE VS ANNA JAY A.S.

We begin with a lockup as Nyla ducks underneath and has a waist-lock on Anna / turned face-lock. Anna gets scooped and slammed by Nyla, followed by another slam and a leg drop. It’s a near-fall as Anna is Irish-whipped into the corner! Nyla misses a cannonball as we head into another set of ad breaks. We’re back as Anna is dangled on the top rope. Nyla leaps from the top rope and misses as Anna baited her into a head-slingshot, followed by a neckbreaker and it’s a kickout by Nyla! Anna trying to look for the queenslayer but Nyla shakes it off. Anna tries jumping from the middle rope but is caught, hoisted up and put in the beast bomb to end this encounter.

Winner:Nyla Rose (6:00)
Rating: NR
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a terrible match but it wasn’t a good one either. Nothing personal but this match did nothing for me. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did as there was never a doubt in my mind Nyla was winning this. Which is why there should’ve been a swerve and maybe Anna wins, takes the title and goes running off. Lazy booking right here for me considering we just saw a good segment there with the JAS. Someone else should’ve been in Anna Jay’s spot personally.

Post-match Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan, and Leila Grey come out as Jade delivers a pump-handle kick to one security staff member, followed by knocking out a few others as Vicki Guerrero, Nyla Rose, and Marina Shafir just stand at the top of the stage ramp looking on smiling. Meanwhile, Jade and her Baddies are standing by the ring pointing and trash-talking. I don’t about you all but shouldn’t they be chasing Vicki and them to the backstage area and then we end this scene? Kinda silly if you ask me.

Ariya and HOOK video package is shown now.

MATCH 3: ETHAN PAGE VS ISIAH KASSIDY

Ethan Page pump kicks Isiah Kassidy to open this match! It’s followed up with a big shoulder tackle! Kassidy comes back with a big tornado DDT to send Page out the ring. Kassidy comes over the rope with a spinning tornado body-splash that connects. Kassidy to the top as he looks for a senton that misses as Page connects with the twist of fate, followed by the ego’s edge to win this! The contracts of Private Party and Matt Hardy now belong to The Firm!

Winner:Ethan Page (3:00)
Rating: NR
SQUASH….SQUASH…SQUASH!!! All about the storyline here folks.

Video package of Best Friends and Orange Cassidy facing Death Triangle this coming week is shown as we head into another set of ad breaks.

MATCH 4: SHAWN SPEARS & FTR VS BRIAN CAGE & GATES OF AGONY

Brian Cage and Shawn Spears kick things off as Bishop Kaun soon tags in for some action. Spears delivers a series of left closed fists to the face of Bishop in the corner. Spears tries to leap over the top rope. Spears lands right in the hands of Gates of Agony as Cash Wheeler delivers a dropkick to the back of Spears to send GOA crashing on their backs as we head into our final set of ad breaks. We’re back as Spears has been worked on the entire break as Cage delivers a superplex for a near-fall. Spears gets an opening by countering perhaps a death valley driver as Kaun stops him from getting in a tag. Spears manages to get in an up-kick on Kaun as Spears tags in Dax Harwood. Beautiful spinebuster on Kaun as Cage takes Dax out with a clothesline. Kaun goes for the cover and it’s a kickout. Cage now the legal man as he delivers a HBK elbow drop as Spears makes the save. Cage drops Spears as he tags Kaun now as they try to go for a double suplex. FTR counters as Spears joins in on the action to setup a triple sharpshooter as Liona breaks it up! Nice chokeslam to Dax by Liona! Liona’s hot streak doesn’t last long as he knocks himself out by accidently crashing into the steel steps while charging for FTR and Spears. Kaun gets double teamed by FTR as Spears connects with the C4 for the victory!

Winner:FTR & Shawn Spears(14:00)
Rating: ***
Solid main event match and I don’t know about you all but I’m happy seeing FTR on my TV again. These guys have been greatly missed and they are the glue right now that’s making not just the tag team division in AEW fun to check out but also teaming up with Wardlow, Joe, and Spears. Great tag team action on display here to close out RAMPAGE as my eyes continue to be on Gates of Agony. I didn’t get a chance to really check them out prior to ROH closing but they seem like total bad asses.

Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Maria Kanellis aka The Kingdom interrupt the celebration! Maria takes issue with FTR calling themselves the TOP GUYS when they didn’t even beat The Kingdom. The Embassy attacks the tag champs and Spears from behind as it would appear that The Kingdom and Embassy have joined forces as we soon hear the music of Samoa Joe! Joe is not alone as Wardlow is with him. Embassy and Kingdom back off as we end this episode on a nice cliffhanger.

End of Show

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THE FINAL SCORE:  REVIEW

AVERAGE

This episode for me was more story-driven than in-ring action this week. Bringing in The Kingdom I gotta say I may know who they are but not every single fan out there. This moment was definitely for the hardcore fan which is fine but from what I’ve seen of Kingdom in the past was just average for my personal taste. Saw them in IMPACT and they did nothing for me. Seen them in ROH pre-Khan and they did nothing for me. They do nothing for me in AEW in 2022 and beyond. Still, I can put that to the side and get lost in this arc as I’m curious to see this alliance going on with the Embassy. This episode also continued laying down ROH foundation from Dalton Castle challenging Chris Jericho next week for the ROH title. Some people may find aspects of the show buzzkill because you’re watching a AEW show for AEW content, not ROH content. I hear you but this is the route they are going. For the hardcore ROH fan, they’ll find this matchup between the two interesting. Where does Matt Hardy go from here and will his brother Nero be a factor? Seems Matt has got himself into a bad jam. That to the side, this episode was just average this week. A throwaway episode? Not quite but honestly if it wasn’t for Moxley and crew in that opener tonight my rating would go down a whole number. What you all think? Sound off!

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