
Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 3.3.23
Happy AEW REVOLUTION weekend everybody! Lee Sanders back with you all as tonight is the final pit stop before this weekends REVOLUTION pay-per-view event. AEW didn’t really advertise through DYNAMITE this week what the full lineup is for tonight’s show. This should be an interesting show to check out as result. Enough of all this talking! Let’s get on with the action!
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Chris Jericho
MATCH 1: CLAUDIO CASTANOGLI & WHEELER YUTA VS ALEX REYNOLDS & JOHN SILVER VS AUSSIE OPEN VS DARIUS & DANTE MARTIN
Looks like Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven of The Kingdom are at ringside in the audience looking on. Claudio is staggering as Silver jumps from the top rope to land in Claudio’s arms. Claudio turns the catch into a backbreaker / pin combo for only a near fall. Yuta gets tagged in and tries to help Claudio setup a combo on Silver but Silver escapes to tag in Reynolds. Yuta and Claudio deliver a double pump kick to Reynolds as we head into a set of commercial breaks. The battle rages on as Claudio was working on Reynolds during the commercial break. Claudio tags in Yuta as Yuta takes out Silver, denying Reynolds the hot tag! Reynolds ends up tagging Top Flight instead for a breather as Dante delivers some viciousness with a flurry of strikes to the face of Kyle Fletcher. Dante delivers a sweet acrobatic dive over the ropes, and crashes into Yuta, Claudio, and Davis! Fletcher gets ping-ponged big time by Top Flight as Aussie Open come back with a pendulum powerbomb for only a near fall on Darius. Aussie Open inadvertently bump into each other after trying to setup Darius for a double clothesline. Dark Order get involved as they deliver an enziguri/stunner/back suplex pin combo as Yuta pushes Silver out of the way to pick up the pin-fall victory.
Post-match Dark Order explodes on Claudio and Silver as they’re taking the brawl to the back area to wrap this up…for now…
Winners: Claudio & Yuta (14:00)
Rating: ***
An all-around fun opener and tag match. One of the more entertaining ones on tv I’ve enjoyed as of late. So much was done right in this match without going into overkill. Love the continuation of Dark Order and the Combat Club. Major points for having Aussie Open make another appearance In the same week. If I’m not mistaken this made a third consecutive one for AEW Programming. Keep it up Tony Khan as that team is sure to catch on with more fans who’s still sleeping on them.
Recap of Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page feud is shown
We are back from commercial break as we get a rundown of Chris Jericho vs Ricky Starks at REVOLUTION. Meanwhile, Jungle Perry is shown promising there will be consequences for everything Christian Cage has done to him. JB knows Cage is a fan of his fathers (being Luke Perry) as he promises to bury Christian so they can get better acquainted.
MATCH 2: EMI SAKURA VS RIHO
And we begin with a lockup as Emi gets Riho on the ropes to deliver a hard chop. Emi follows it up with a hair toss and a fall away slam. Riho grounds Emi with a suplex for a pin attempt that gets a near fall. Riho now with a nice leg scissors takedown as the crowd is enjoying it. The action spills to the outside where Emi rams Riho into the steel barricades as we enjoy another set of ad breaks. We are back folks! We are back inside the ring as Riho delivers a drop-toe-hold on Emi to set her up tangled on the ropes. Riho follows up with a tiger-fake kick and a diving body for a two count. Sakura comes back with some form of a swinging neckbreaker as Riho crawls into the corner. Sakura charges at her with a running splash. A lateral press follows as Riho kicks out! The girls counter pinfall attempts as it gets closer and closer to a near fall each time. Sakura to the top rope and misses a back moonsault as Riho tries to deliver her trademark double stomp from the top and misses! Riho finally gets Sakura with leg scissors / rolling pin combo for the victory. Jim Ross with the dig to Riho’s weight though! All 98 pounds of a dangerous woman. I hear you J.R!
Winners: Riho (10:00)
Rating: ***
Not sure about you all but I’d love to see Riho and Sakura function as a tag team. It seemed before Saraya arrived that maybe we were starting to build up a women’s tag division. Lord knows they have enough depth in the roster to pull it off. Seems Tony Khan and crew have taken the foot off the pedal as of late. I’d love to see some re-establishment for a couple of months before ultimately introducing some AEW Women’s Tag Titles. Feel free to disagree with me on this one as it makes good conversation and debate. No complaints about this match despite my limited knowledge on these girls. Not too long of a match with some good spots and was solid in the technical department.
Recap of Saraya, Ruby Soho, and Jamie Hayter’s feud is shown as each woman promises to deliver victory at REVOLUTION.
MATCH 3: P-P-P-P-POWERHOUSE HOUSE VS SERPENTICO
I blinked and it was over! Really I did! Was this even 15 seconds? In the words of Ron Simmons…DAMN!
Winners: Hobbs (20 seconds)
Rating: NR
SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH! Hey! Hobbs was on my tv and that’s all that matters…
Post-match Hobbs says it doesn’t matter if it’s Samoa Joe or Wardlow after REVOLUTION. That’s because the next chapter in the Book of Hobbs is the TNT CHAMPIONSHIP!
Rene Paquette is backstage as she’s chatting it up with my man, Takeshita. He admits he’s not happy because he hasn’t been securing big wins and maybe, just maybe, he needs to go back to Japan. Don Callis interrupts him and tells Takeshita to give him a chance to turn things around. Callis promises if he’s not able to change Takeshita’s luck then he’ll drive him to the airport himself! Callis tells Takeshita to think it over and get back to him.
Back now as Mark Briscoe talks about how people always ask him how he’s feeling. He hears the roar of the crowd sometimes in his mind when he’s getting ready to wrestle. He’s sad to remember that his brother Jay is now with the LORD. HE hasn’t been appreciating Smart Mark Sterling coming at him at of late with his insults as he’s reminded of his family in the Lucha Brothers! They promise to settle this in the ring this weekend without the need for lawsuits.
Excalibur gives us a full rundown of AEW REVOLUTION as our main event draws near…
MATCH 4: SWERVE STRICKLAND AND PARKER BOUDREAUX VS DUSTIN RHODES AND KEITH LEE
Keith Lee is wearing a cape and a cowl and it looks too funny. Parker and Swerve wait for them to get in the ring before deciding to jump them from behind. Parker and Lee are trading blows as the legal men in the ring. Lee is battering away at the midsection of Parker as Dustin gets the tag. Dustin delivers hard right fists to the face of Parker. Parker comes back with a short arm lariat as we head into our final set of ad breaks. We’re back as Swerve gets powerslamed by Dustin as it buys him the chance to tag Lee. Parker gets tagged in as both big guys are going at it now. Parker gets pounced out the ring by Lee! Lee tosses Swerve inside the ring as Swerve looks on petrified. Series of kicks to the face of Lee but Lee is unphased as he delivers a one-handle slam! Parker tries to hold Lee’s chest open as Swerve delivers a moonsault off the chest of Lee to crash into Dustin! Insane spot folks! Parker drags Lee over to the corner as Swerve connects with the double stomp for a near fall. Swerve with a kick to the back of the head of Dustin as Lee caves Swerve’s chest, followed by a low cross body on Parker! Swerve connects with a leaping flatliner on Lee as Dustin delivers a Canadian destroyer on Swerve!! Lee throws Dustin into Parker as Swerve dived out of the way! Lee finishes Dustin off with one mean powerslam to finish the night for the win!
Winners: Dustin & Lee (9:00)
Rating: ***
A fun tag match opener, and a fun tag match closer! Parker still comes off feeling and looking like an odd man out but he’s coming along. He’s made great strides since last I checked in on him via the YouTube shows. Dustin and Lee just may be on to something with this tag team of theirs. I can see this going places as ultimately I’d love to see them challenge for some tag titles before Dustin goes back to a singles run to end his career properly with MJF. Yep, I’m still pushing for that one. This feud doesn’t feel over yet between all parties. I’m getting the impression it’ll continue to play out on television for several weeks which is okay. As long as I don’t have to see Keith Lee in a cape and cowl, I’m good!
Ricky Starks jumps Chris Jericho from behind as both men brawl while officials try to break them apart to end this episode.
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
Much stronger than this weeks DYNAMITE I personally feel. If you listened to my podcast from this week or checked out the overall consensus online, we all felt DYNAMITE didn’t really have that big PPV go-home feel. Add into the mix the battle royal matches and gimmick matches sprinkled throughout the night, it came off uneventful. Not an issue with this live RAMPAGE as this episode had a little bit of something for everybody. I really can’t nitpick on this one as it was an enjoyable episode I’d recommend folks go out of their way to check out. Curious to see where things are heading with Takeshita and if he might soon find himself hanging out with The Elite. Don Callis been needing something to do for a while now so I’m happy to see the man get out to work cause he is pretty damn good as a mouthpiece. I am stunned to see that Jade Cargill of all people hasn’t made an appearance this week on AEW Programming as it seems she’s going to be out of REVOLUTION weekend. I’m hoping that’s not gonna be the case as I’d love to see her defend the title against anyone. Maybe even a certain Mone who dethrones her? 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!