AEW Rampage

Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 2.17.23

What’s good y’all! On this start of NBA All-Star weekend and WWE Elimination Chamber weekend, I’m Lee Sanders! If I’m here you know what that means, it’s AEW RAMPAGE time! This is AEW’s Slam Dunk edition of RAMPAGE and the card seems to be solid. Let’s hope so as DYNAMITE from this week was overall…meh! On a side note, we lost a wrestling pioneer, and an icon of the industry in Mr. Jerry Jarrett who passed away this week. Many of the stars you see today and the promotions just wouldn’t have been possible without the significant contributions of Mr. Jarrett. For myself and all of us here at 411MANIA, we offer our deepest condolences to the Jarrett family. On that note, lets get right into the action…

Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone, and Jim Ross

MATCH 1: AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP-AR FOX & TOP FLIGHT VS THE ELITE(C)

Dante Martin and Nick Jackson kick this off by passing a basketball back and fourth. Are we playing dodge ball here or what? The referee takes the ball finally and throws it in the air to officially tip things off, you get it? Huh, huh? Anyway, Dante catches the ball in the air as Nick plants his knee in-between the legs of Dante as he’s coming down. Dante’s Crown Jewels are destroyed as he’s sent into the ropes. Dante rolls through to connect with a dropkick. Matt tries throwing the ball at Dante and misses as now Top Flight triple tag on The Elite briefly to send them outside the ring! Fox delivers a tope over the ropes to crash into the Bucks! Omega gets a tope as well as Fox takes the ball and delivers a dive over the ropes to crash into the Bucks as well! Champions are reeling as they go off to the side to regroup. Omega and Fox are the legal men now. Omega sent into the ropes as he comes back with a shoulder tackle. Tag to Nick as the Elite are passing the ball to each other to distract Fox as he’s setup for a stereo superkick as we head into a set of ad breaks.
We are back to the action as Nick is setup for a rolling cutter by Fox. Tag to Dante as he’s swinging with elbow strikes. Dante with a tope that connects on Omega as he follows up with a crossbody from the top rope. It’s a near fall as the action continues, Kenny and Nick are setup in the corner, staked on one another. Darius and and Dante connect on a series of turnbuckle clotheslines as Darius sets up Matt for the Spanish fly. Dante takes to the top rope with basketball in hand as he delivers a leg drop while throwing the ball at one of the Bucks’ head. Meanwhile, Fox connects with a 450 splash on Nick as it’s a near fall. Matt connects with a turnbuckle powerbomb on Darius as Dante tries to get involved. The brothers are setup tangled between the middle ropes as Nick connects with a massive senton! Nice spot but it only got them a near fall as Omega is tagged now. Dante clotheslines him from the top as Nick connects with a standing slice bread maneuver on Darius while AR Fox comes in with a pump handle kick to Matt. Fox connects with a double ddt on the Bucks as Nick comes back with a cutter! Triple superkick on Darius as he’s setup for the V-Trigger and One-Winged Angel to end this one.

Winners: The Elite (14:00)
Rating: ***
For consecutive weeks now Bucks have been able to entertain me. I’m one of the harshest critics when it comes to Bucks but they have won me over in recent weeks with their almost vintage RING OF HONOR tag match style of wrestling. If they can do more matches like this I think even the most critical will eventually come around. Was there too much emphasis on the basketball playing-around in this match? For sure but some of the spots were fun. Really an entertaining, fun opener.

Post-match the lights go out for ten seconds but when they come back on it’s the red light district as Malakai Black and Brodie King are standing at the top of the stage ramp looking at The Elite. The lights go off and come back on with normal lights as Brodie and Black have already made their exit. So this is what’s next for The Elite huh? I’m totally down!

Lexi chats with the Gunns as they aren’t tripping over The Acclaimed and other potential tag teams they have to face on their way to REVOLUTION on March 5th as they are pretty confident they’ll continue being the Gunn Show. Commercial breaks soon follow.

Mark Henry is chatting with Orange Cassidy when Wheeler Yuta crashes the party. Yuta tells Cassidy he’s done better since leaving him and Best Friends as he wants a piece of Cassidy and his title. Cassidy accepts as he wants him to come and take it.

MATCH 2: DANIEL GARCIA VS RICKY STARKS

Starks comes off swinging with hard rights to ground Garcia briefly. Starks comes from the ropes as he plants Garcia with an elbow strike. Starks isn’t letting up as he’s raining down on Garcia with right hands to the face before breaking. Ricky walks the tight ropes as he comes down with a big sledgehammer on Garcia! Garcia with a dragon screw to setup Starks having a nasty fall and spilling to the outside as we head into another set of ad breaks. We’re back as Garcia calls for Starks to get up as he charges at him and is grounded with a clothesline! Starks comes back with another clothesline and a belly-to-belly followed by a spinning back-body drop for a two count. Garcia tries going for another dragon screw but it’s reversed as Garcia rebounds with a rock bottom! Cover attempt gets Garcia a near fall as he applies the dragon tamer in the middle of the ring. Starks barely gets to the ropes as Sammy Guverra is there and pulls the ropes away from Ricky. Referee sees this as Action Andretti jumps Sammy from behind. Back inside the ring, Starks connnects with a spear and the Roshambo for the victory!

Winners: Ricky Starks (8:00)
Rating: **

I feel slighted cheated because this match only got but so much time. Considering the next match that came after this, I would’ve preferred seeing Garcia vs Starks get an additional minute or two. It was really starting to heat up. Starks will be getting his match against Jericho, make no mistake about it. Even if it comes at Sammy Guverra being a whipping boy for it to happen, it’s going down. Look for Starks to threaten serious injury to Sammy post match next week to force Jericho ‘s hand.

Post-match Sammy grabs a microphone and demands to have a match against Action Andretti. Sammy demands for Jericho and Tony Khan to make it happen.

MATCH 3: TBS CHAMPIONSHIP-JADE CARGILL(C) VS VERTVIXEN AKA GLITCH THE GAMER

Nice hip toss out of the corner by Jade as she starts showboating by doing push-ups.
Nice pump kick follows as Vert is setup for Jaded…annnnnnd it’s over. Jadeberg now 53-0. Time for her to hug her daughter…

Winners: Jade Cargill (1:07)
Rating: NR
It was what it was…NEXT!!!

MATCH 4: DUSTIN RHODES VS SWERVE STRICKLAND

Mr. Parker Can’t Lose Boudreaux tries charging at Dustin as he catches a pipe to the midsection! Turns out it was a piece of the turnbuckle Dustin had concealed, as Dustin charges into the ring to go swinging strikes with Swerve. Action spills outside the ring as Dustin rams Swerve into the barricades, head first! Back inside the ring now as Dustin continues taking the fight right to the man. Ten strong right hands to the temple of Swerve to the fans delights as Dustin channels his father, looking for the bionic elbow. Swerve interrupts it briefly as Dustin comes back with a release German suplex! Looks as if Dustin was maybe going for another one as Swerve maintains his vertical base. Swerve is now biting on the fingers of Dustin’s so that the hold is released. It works as Swerve connects with a midair sidekick! This is followed by a pump kick that rocks Dustin to the floor. A running dropkick rocks Dustin’s head into the steel barricades as there’s a little bit of blood dripping from his head as we head into our last set of breaks. And we are back as the other half of Dustin’s face not wearing makeup, matches the red side with makeup as he’s crimson! Swerve delivers a shining wizard kick that immediately has Dustin Hulk-up! Swerve tries biting the head of Dustin’s as he bounces off the ropes. Dustin catches him with his trademark powerslam and series of lariats. Dustin connects with code red for a near fall! Both mean come at each other with the same idea as they catch each other midair to be grounded. Dustin connects with a big pile driver as he goes for the cover yet again while holing the leg, and Swerve kicks out! Amazing after a piledriver and an avalanche suplex spot from the top rope. Dustin tries looking for the CrossRhodes but Swerve counters with a Jacknife pin attempt. Dustin breaks out as Swerve pushes him into the ropes, as Dustin goes around him and connects with the CrossRhodes! Dustin isn’t done as he connects with a spinning corkscrew ddt as he looks for the cover. Parker Bordeaux breaks it up and slams Dustin into the steel steps as the referee has no choice but to call for a disqualification. Parker holds Dustin as Swerve takes a metal foreign object and takes it to the forehead of Dustin. Staff tries to step in but Parker takes them out as he brings a cinder block into the ring. Dustin‘s head is placed on this cinder block…face first! It looks very grim as Keith Lee’s music hits! Turns out Keith is behind them as he takes the fight right to them! Keith is totally clean shaven now as he has no facial hair but his hair is all grey, low faded as this episode ends with Lee helping Dustin as the heels retreat.

Winners: Dustin Rhodes via DQ (14:00)
Rating: ***

Great chemistry between Dustin and Swerve as the old man showing he can still hang with the best of them! I’m really loving this phase in Dustin’s career as this has been some of his absolute best work to date. I don’t say this lightly folks as I’ve followed his career for quite a long time. This has been the week for O.G’s hasn’t it folks? Between Christopher Daniels, and Dustin Rhodes, I’d imagine veteran fans are grinning from ear to ear. I know I am!

End of Show

For more great talk of all things wrestling and beyond, be sure to follow me on Twitter @THERCWRSHOW and check me out on YouTube.com/thercwrshow Enjoy the weekend y’all!

THE FINAL SCORE:  REVIEW

VERY GOOD

This was honestly a far better show than what I saw from this weeks DYNAMITE as the overall consensus wasn’t feeling that episode. Granted, this RAMPAGE did have a few issues here and there that needs some work. For starters, Jade Cargill and these title matches is becoming quite the bore now. She’s doing a second, third, and soon a fourth tour on beating the same opponents over, and over again. It’s really time for Tony Khan and crew to out Jade in a position where maybe an opportunity is presented to her to turn in the TBS title for a shot at the AEW Women’s title. Another option would be for Jade to defend the title in other promotions, let her be a traveling champion while defending it. Great seeing Keith Lee back but it’s gonna take me a while to get used to the Grey haired look as at first I thought he was clean shaven bald. That was until I out my glasses on and saw he was pushing his trademark grey hair. I don’t mind the look but it makes him come off a lot older than anticipated. He seems to be in better shape since last we saw him too! To have him back into the swing of things with his former partner in Swerve, is going to make for great tv. Kudos to The Elite for once again having another solid tag match as their locked to be going head to head with the House of Black. I’m all for it if it means we get new tag champions. And Dustin Rhodes! That man continues to get better and better with age and I dare say he needs to have a Rocky Balboa (2006) bookended to his career by challenging MJF for the title. Title versus Career, Tony Khan! Let’s do it already! What you 411MANIACS think? Sound off! For more great talk of all things wrestling and beyond, be sure to follow me on Twitter @THERCWRSHOW and check me out on YouTube.com/thercwrshow Enjoy the weekend y’all!

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