Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 3.29.24
Hello, my friends! I am Lee Sanders, and it’s nice to meet you. If it’s Friday and I’m here, it’s AEW RAMPAGE time! We have a solid card tonight, as the Bang Bang Gang has a family dinner. Deonna Purrazzo in action! Elsewhere, Mariah May faces Nikita. Meanwhile, Dustin Rhodes faces The Butcher. Roderick Strong faces Daddy Magic in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Match. Finally, we’ll hear from “Timeless” Toni Storm.
Before I go any further, I’d like to take this time to offer thoughts, prayers, and condolences to those who lost their lives in the horrific Francis Scott Key Bridge incident. The event hits pretty close to home as we all have been rocked by it here in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region. The bridge will eventually be restored, but the lives lost are forever. We’re thinking of you, Baltimore, in this challenging time.
Location: Quebec City, Canada
Venue: CENTRE VIDEOTRON
Commentators: Excalibur and Tony Schiavone
MATCH 1: DUSTIN RHODES VS THE BUTCHER
A lockup to begin this battle between two big, beefy men! We hit a stalemate as Rhodes avoided a hip toss. Snap arm drag follows after a sliding pin attempt from Dustin doesn’t go to three. Butcher is sent over the bridge to the outside as Dustin follows up with a lariat. A dragon screw follows up on Butcher as the back of his head hits the ring apron to rock him a bit. Butcher rebounds by luring Dustin to the top rope as he tries pulling the left arm out of the socket. Butcher follows up by driving his knee into Dustin’s back while putting some torque on that damaged arm. Butcher with a shoulder tackle that sends Rhodes to the outside. Butcher smashes Dustin’s hand on top of the steep steps. The referee is allowing a lot of leeway here, as she’s not counting. Butcher does a good job focusing on the arm for most of the match. Butcher is surgically taking it apart. Butcher can keep up the punishment as he hits a backbreaker as we head into our first set of commercials. We are back as Dustin gets a two-count after hitting a code red. Butcher is now butting Rhodes’ shoulder. There is a swing and a miss as Dustin hits a couple of clotheslines. Dustin drops to his knees and hits an uppercut after being sent into the ropes. Dustin sets up Butcher in the corner for a series of right hands to the forehead of Butcher. Rhodes follows up with a power slam for a kickout. Rhodes put into a cross-face after countering a crossroads attempt. Dustin uses his foot to hit the bottom rope for a rope break. Butcher misses a clothesline as Rhodes hits not one but two crossroads for the victory!
Winner:Dustin Rhodes (11 minutes)
Rating:***
Nice opener! Rhodes just continues to defy Father Time as he’s a few years away from age 60. Meanwhile Butcher continues to impress me every time he’s in a singles match. Sure, Butcher and Blade are excellent as a tag team and need to become AEW Tag Champions already. There is something about Butcher in his singles matches that makes you appreciate the big man more. I feel the guy is very underrated and underutilized, personally. Sound off 411Maniacs!
The Bang Bang Gang is inside Billy Gunn’s home, where they are doing some vandalizing. It’s nothing to root home about, as Jay White is spending more talking than rioting. To my point, Billy and his wife arrive to send them running for their dear life. Recap of the AEW Tag Team Tournament shown this Saturday on Collision, Ricky Starks & Big Bill vs. Top Flight in the quarter-finals. In addition, FTR takes on Infantry in the second half of the quarter-finals.
MATCH 2: DEONNA PURRAZZO VS ROSE (MAKING AEW DEBUT)
A lockup sends Rose into the corner, followed by a headlock. Deonna manages to snap Rose’s left atom back next Wednesday! Deonna returns to work on that arm, pulling off a couple of arm wrenches. Rose pulls off very little offense here as Deonna is chopping away at her. Rose tries coming in with a few spinning kicks as Deonna hits her with a big pump kick! Deonna, with a forearm strike, followed by a backbreaker, hits an arm-wrench submission hold. Dominating performance!
Winner:Deonna Purrazzo (7 minutes)
Rating:SQUASH…SQUASH…SQUASH!
Nothing to see here folks except dead meat.
Toni Storm reveals she won’t be able to wrestle tonight as Mariah May will be wrestling in her place instead.
MATCH 3: MARIAH MAY VS NIKKITA (MAKING AEW DEBUT)
Mariah hits a clothesline and a head toss, followed by a John Woo dropkick off the ropes. A spinning backslam follows as we head into another set of commercial breaks. We are back as Mariah hits a dropkick on Nikkita’s back. Nikkita hits a couple of forearm shots and chops. A running bulldog follows. Mariah hits a headbutt to Nikkita for a near fall. Mariah hits the hip attack, followed by a falcon arrow for the victory.
Winner:Mariah May (6 minutes)
Rating:SQUASH…SQUASH…SQUASH!
Feels like Groundhog Day…
Zak, Saraya’s brother, and Harley Cameron take verbal shots at Angelo Parker backstage. Rene Paquette is interviewing the gang. Angelo comes from out of nowhere with a baseball bat and pulls off a couple of hits, and the couple runs for their lives. Ruby SoHo appears from thin air and tells Angelo she warned him about pursuing them. Ruby tells Angelo she can’t be part of this and walks away, leaving Angelo baffled.
It’s another Righteous promo in anticipation of their match on Collision this week. Righteous teams with Lance Archer as they’ll face Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Shibata!
MATCH 4: RODERICK STRONG VS MATT MENARD ( AEW INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE)
Roderick with a hip toss early on to kick this main event off. Menard with a couple of hip tosses followed by a shoulder tackle from the corner as we head into the next set of commercials. We are back, as Strong has a submission hold on Menard. Menard returns to a vertical base before Strong grounds him again. Strong hits Menard with a camel clutch, and it looks like Menard is about to pass out. Menard returns to a vertical base as Strong knees him in the abdomen. A couple of clubs to the back of Menard follow as he tries to Hulk up! Menard has a couple of right hands and a clothesline. Menard hits a few punches to the head from the corner. Menard hits rock bottom for a near fall! Menard with a rollup for a near fall as Strong hits a rib breaker! Menard somehow kicks out as the match continues! Menard hits a Boston crab as Strong barely hits the ropes for the break. Menard hits a cutter and goes for the pin as Strong gets his leg on the ropes in time. Menard gets hit with a knee to the face for the victory after Matt Taven and Mike Bennett’s constant interference at ringside. Post-match, Menard continues to be attacked when Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta come out for the save. Best Friends clear the ring as somehow Menard disappeared as Best Friends hug it out! Young Buckss come from out of nowhere to low-blow them! They follow it up with the EVP trigger to end this episode.
Winner:Roderick Strong ( 9 minutes)
Rating:**
Decent main event but could’ve been better without the constant interference by Taven and Bennett. Personally I feel they weren’t needed at ringside. In addition, mad overkill there by having Best Friends come out only to be overshadowed by Young Bucks. Does it tie together? Yes, but it’s so much and can easily go over the head of the casual AEW watcher, in my opinion. Sometimes less is better.
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 you all!
THE FINAL SCORE: REVIEW
NOT SO GOOD
It was just last Wednesday that I gave AEW RAMPAGE a 9/10. The majority of the community thought it was a great episode. A week later and here we are with this edition that felt flat for my personal taste. Dustin Rhodes vs Butcher was the match of the match of the night. And to think that match opened up the show! Theres really no reason to stick around after that as we essentially got two back-to-back squash matches. Just when you thought things would be redeeming with the main event possibly, it wasn’t. I love Matt Menard but he’s better suited for commentary as he really thrives at that and excels. Menard in the main event of a tv show and the difficulty Strong had in taking him out? That’s just the constant booking problem in AEW where everyone has to come off equal. Doesn’t always have to be the case. The overbooking at the end of the main event reminded me so much of how The Benny Hill Show would end. It all just came off comical for me. Not the best execution of a show this week. Hopefully we’ll get a nice rebound next week. For now I’m going to say skip this episode as you’ll be alright. What say you 411Manics? 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 you all!