Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 10.8.21
Good Friday and Happy October! Lee here and if I’m here then it means one thing…A new AEW RAMPAGE! This weeks’ AEW RAMPAGE looks to be jam packed good as CM Punk vs. Daniel Garcia. Skye Blue vs. Jade Cargill. FTW Championship Match – “Philly Street Fight” as Ricky Starks faces Brian Cage. AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Lucha Brothers (c) (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. The Acclaimed.
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Match 1: CM Punk vs. Daniel Garcia
Nice opener as Mark Henry gets opening comments from both opponents. Great change of pace as normally we hear from Mark Henry towards the end of the show. Both men lock up as it’s a test of holds. Punk gets the best of the holding technique game before Garcia managed to counter with holds of his own. Punk manages to counter out and sets up Garcia with a shoulder tackle that plants Garcia on the canvas. Punk goes for a single leg, turning it into a heel hook-hold as Garcia quickly gets out.
Punk connects with two body slams, he looked for a third one but Garcia counters and follows up with repeated stomps on CM Punk in the corner. Garcia tried charging at Punk but misses as Punk gets his elbow up in time. He’s looking for the GTS as 2point0 jump on the side apron to distract the referee. Garcia capitalizes by yanking at Punk’s leg while the ref continues being distracted. Garcia capitalizes during the commercial break on that leg as he’s putting Punk in a clinic. Both men now tried shots to the face as Garcia goes right back to Punk’s right leg again with a series of grapples. Punk tried to lift up Garcia but Garcia counters back with a sweeping underhook to Punk’s ankle. Garcia tried going for a double dropkick and misses as Punk moves out the way. Punk follows it up with a rising knee strike to the face of Garcia. Both men are now trading strikes, blow for blow. Punk wins with a roundhouse kick and goes for the cover…and it’s a near fall. Garcia falls to Punk by a neckbreaker as he also connects with a rising knee strike. Garcia managed to drop Punk on the back of his head to only get a near fall. Garcia tried looking for a double leg grapple hold and isn’t able to fully apply it as Punk counters with a series of strikes. Punk is starting to feel it as he tried looking for GTS again and misses as he gets Punk in a roll up followed by a sharpshooter. Garcia has serious torque on Punk’s legs but Punk gets out as he sends Garcia crashing into one of the 2point0 guys followed by another. Punk takes to the sky and crashes on all three men from the top rope. Punk connects with a springboard clothesline followed by a piledriver to Garcia. He follows it up with the anaconda vice to make Garcia tap out. Great match!
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts: CM Punk vs Darby Allin, Hobbs was okay but not my personal favorite. Now against Daniel Garcia. Punk didn’t looked as out of it to me against Allin when I look at this match with Garcia. These two clicked extremely well which is awesome for a first encounter. This was a classic grapple/technical matchup at its finest as both men shinned. I really need for Tony Khan and crew to get more behind Garcia after this outing. Kid is crushing it every time he’s been getting this opportunities.
Backstage Tony Schiavone is with Lio Rush, Matt Sydal, and Dante Martin. Lio proposes a match for Sydal next RAMPAGE against CM Punk to help improve Sydal’s value after Sydal took a few digs at Rush. That should be a good match up.
Match 2: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Lucha Brothers (c) (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. The Acclaimed
Tag champs are not able to get into the ring fully as Acclaimed jumps them from behind. The action rolls back into the ring where Acclaimed are delivering stereo super kicks to Acclaimed left and right. Fenix tried jumping over the ropes and is denied as he’s hit in the forehead by a boom box. Back inside the ring Caster and Penta are going at it when Bowens and Caster double team on Penta for a bit. Fenix manages to get in the tag as he lays out Bowens with a cork screw kick. Caster tries to help his tag partner as Fenix sends him crashing into Caster in the corner and does a step up kick to Caster’s face. Fenix then delivers a cutter on Bowens to get a near fall. It’s a superkick party as everyone is superkicking each other. Fenix manages to do a double cutter on the Acclaimed as all four men are down on their backs. Bowens tried setting up Fenix for the mic drop but Caster is pushed off the turnbuckle by Penta. Lucha Bros double team on Bowens with a modified pedigree to retain their tag titles.
Winners: Lucha Bros
Rating: 7/10
Thoughts: Did anyone actually believe Acclaimed we’re going to become AEW tag champs? Now that’s out the way, look it was a solid matchup, no question. Happy to see Acclaimed back in rotation as they were quickly becoming my favorites before that setback a couple months back. The real estate of the tag division right now has so many possibilities and I’m more interested in knowing who is going to be a legit threat to Lucha Bros for their tag titles. Could it maybe be a certain tag team in NWA that keeps saying they taking all the titles with them to Mexico…
Video recap from DYNAMITE is shown of the Casino Ladder match featuring the return of Hangman Adam Page. Another video package is shown of the TBS championship being introduced from DYNAMITE as friendly reminder DYNAMITE moves to TBS January 5th.
Match 3: Skye Blue vs. Jade Cargill
Jade Cargill does a pump kick to Sky that lays her out bad. There’s only but so little offense from Sky Blue as Jade connects the Jaded to remain undefeated.
Winner: Jade Cargill
Rating: 5/10
Thoughts: I cover NWA each week where Sky Blue wrestles a lot. The girl is coming along and actually entertaining. You wouldn’t know that watching this match tonight. Missed opportunity to really help build Sky up and making it seem as though she could’ve been the one to dethrone Jade. A little more offense don’t hurt nobody. Love Jade but yeah this left me sour faced. Real story here is her and Thunder Rosa for the crowning of the new TBS champion.
Post-match Jade continues to beat up Sky Blue when Thunder Rosa comes running out with a steel chair. Jade quickly makes her exit as the question is asked by Taz, Excalibur, and Chris Jericho if we could be looking at finals preview for the TBS CHAMPIONSHIP.Mark Henry is back as he gets main event comments from Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Starks is hoping to prove once for all why he’s the absolute truth. Cage is hoping to finally stick it to Starks and Team Taz. Once and for all Starks is gonna find out he’s not better than him. Who better than Brian Cage? Nobody!
Match 4: FTW Championship Match – “Philly Street Fight” as Ricky Starks faces Brian Cage
Cage stops Starks from entering the ring as he throws Starks around the ring. Cage takes a steel chair and goes to the back of Starks a couple of times. Cage tosses Starks over a barricade, and irish whips him into another barricade. It’s a one man ass-kicking beatdown by Brian Cage. Cage introduces a steel trash can and lid into the ring. Starks tries to go for a spear but there’s not enough strength behind it as Cage picks him up. Starks wiggles out and races to the pool cube and goes to the body and head of Brian Cage. Starks follows it up with a DDT off the ropes to only get a near fall. Starks is dishing out series punishment as he gets rocked to the head by Cage. Cage takes the trash can to the head of Starks, followed by crashing his body into it. Hook tries to help Starks but is clotheslines by Cage. Hobbs races in gets super kicked. Starks hits Cage over the forehead with the FTW championship followed by a spear to get a two count. Stakes tries looking for another spear but Cage sends him crashing into a steel chair Starks setup earlier. Cage connects with a clothesline as he tries looking for the cover but Hobbs and Hook gain up on him. Starks capitalizes with the Rochambo to retain the FTW championship.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Rating: 8/10
Thoughts: Great seeing Cage back, especially after his appearance on Dark Side of the Ring on Kanyon. This was an excellent title defense for the FTW championship but the nasty chair shot Starks took at the end…Man legit looked like nobody was home. Once again the numbers game got to Cage and I feel these men are far from over.
THE FINAL SCORE: REVIEW
VERY GOOD
Really love the fact that AEW is starting to use CM Punk as the dangling carrot for watching RAMPAGE these past few weeks and the trend continues going into next week. This episode went more in-depth on the TBS Championship scene and potential finalist we could see face odd doe the title. It also showcased the tag division which is coming along. With the exception of the women’s match tonight, this was a very enjoyable program this week.