Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 4.8.22
Happy TGIF everybody! Hope you all been good! Lee Sanders here and it’s time, it’s time, it’s AEW RAMPAGE time!
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, and Ricky Starks
MATCH 1: BRYAN DANIELSON VS TRENT BARRETTA
And we are going into this match without the entrances. Both men exchange a series of holds to come at a stalemate. Danielson engages Barretta in a Roman knuckle lock and soon follows with a kick to Trent’s legs. Strong chops to Trent’s chest as soon after Trent counters and does a chest chop of his own. Danielson gets Trent in a front-lock neck hanging submission hold. Trent counters by putting Danielson over his shoulders with a northern suplex. Both men end up spilling to the outside over the ropes. Trent skins the cat as he goes over the top rope. Danielson kicks him in the midsection as Danielson quickly gets back in the ring and dives into Trent from between the ropes. Trent catches him and gives him a side suplex! Trent tries charging at Danielson but meets steel steps as Danielson moves out the way in time. Back from commercial break and both men are trading strikes briefly. Danielson connects with a front headlock suplex. Very explosive move as Danielson climbs to the top rope. Trent slows him down and connects with a huge superplex! Both men now trading strikes to the chests. Danielson misses a spinning kick as Trent gets him with a release german suplex. Big back elbow follows as Danielson applies his own elbow strike. Danielson with a super tight cradle for a near fall. Danielson now applies a fujinami submission hold as Trent gets to the ropes in time for a rope break. Both men now trade roll ups for near falls. Trent connects with a swinging ddt for a near fall. Trent now fighting Bryan in the corner, Danielson fights back and gets him on the top rope. Danielson looking for something but Trent comes crashing down on him. The back of Danielson’s head hits the canvas as well as his left shoulder. Trent only gets a near fall on that attempt. Danielson now with his trademark kicks as Trent comes back with a half and half suplex, followed by a lariat for another near fall. Danielson finally gets Trent with the psycho knee followed by the gun style piledriver! Danielson not done yet as he stomps on Trent’s head repeatedly. Great setup for the LaBelle lock as this one is over.
Winner:Bryan Danielson (15:00)
Rating: ***
Not sure about you all but this match felt kind of NJPW and that isn’t a knock. It really did feel like I was watching a match not under the AEW umbrella. This was a straight up mat classic and Trent rose to the occasion here.
HOOK is being interviewed but he’s not saying anything. He gets up and is on his way out when he runs into Danhausen. Danhausen appears from out of a trash can and tries to put a curse on him yet again. It’s still not working as HOOK throws his bag of chips at him and walks on by. Too fricking funny!
Scorpio Sky with Ethan Page and Dan Lambert now in the ring. Scorpio Sky still talking about nothing finding a worthy challenger. He’s interrupted by Sammy Guverra and Tay Conti. They call him a piece of shhh. Lambert comes right back and tells them how he might be a sexist but he’s also a father. He feels that Tay has already been through enough humiliation as it is and that the father in him wants them to run their mouth a lot less. He wants them to focus more on the ring and stop talking about with Sammy and Tay does in the bedroom. Ethan Page calls Sammy and Tay a disaster that’s going to happen any moment now. Ethan prays that his daughter doesn’t become Tay. Sammmy promises he’s going to continue interrupting them until he gets what he wants. This is straight up MEH. Crowd was pretty salty on Tay and Sammy here too as it was red hot on Dynamite this week.
Video package shown of Chris Jericho presenting his Entertainer of the Week award and it goes to QT Marshall…Oooooookay!
MATCH 2: QT MARSHALL VS SWERVE STRICKLAND
Action wasn’t even underway for two minutes before we go into a commercial break. Both men were coming off at a few stalemates before going into the break. Back now on the action, Swerve gets a big punch to the face as QT calls for his diamond cutter. Swerve pushes him off and follows up with a high knee to the jaw, followed by dropkick to the knees and a flatliner. Swerve connects with a back heel kick to the back of QT’s head and comes away with the victory.
Winner:Swerve Strickland (4:00)
Rating: NR
If it was intended to make QT Marshall look like a chump and a joke after getting the segment about him getting that Jericho award, well mission accomplished! QT got in too much offense for my personal taste as I wish he actually would’ve won with help from Ricky Starks perhaps. This felt like an enhancement match. Nothing more and nothing less.
Ricky interrupts Swerve’s celebration as he challenges him and Keith Lee to a tag match with him and Powerhouse Hobbs. This will be for this coming AEW DYNAMITE.
MATCH 3: OWEN HART QUALIFYER- WILLOW NIGHTINGALE VS RED VELVET
Early cover attempt by Willow but Velvet gets out. Girls are trading wrist backhold locks. Velvet applies a flying mare, followed by a nice dropkick and arm takedown. Velvet now off the ropes and falls down from Willow’s shoulder block. Velvet trying to get in some speed and agility but she meets another shoulder tackle for her efforts. Velvet gets Willow in the corner and is giving her serious hang time with her boot applied to Willow’s face. Willow rebounds and ultimately gets a moonsault press on Velvet but Velvet rolls out the way in time. Velvet with a kick to the back legs of Willow, followed by double knees to the back of the head. A spinning kick now as Velvet connects with her just desert finisher! Willow kicks out as she comes back with a spinebuster for a two count. Both girls on their knees trading strikes. Both now standing, and a criss cross misdirection from the ropes as Willow hits her with DA POUNCE! Cannonball in the corner now on Velvet. Again Velvet kicks out as Willow looks on frustrated. Velvet with a backstabber followed by a cork screw kick to end this one.
Winner: Red Velvet (6:00)
Rating: **
First off, I love me some Willow Nightingale. I’m still bummed out she didn’t win the interim ROH Women’s title. This was somewhat odd that they went with Velvet here as Willow has more momentum. I also got the impression that Velvet is now a heel apparently. Since when as last we saw her she was trying to stick it to Leyla Hirsch for all her shenanigans. Kind of sloppy of a match here but not at all the fault of Willow. Book Willow a little better AEW, you got a good one on your hands there.
Tony Nese is approached by Smart Mark Sterling who proposes they do business with one another after he notices the disrespect he dells Nese continues to get.
MATCH 4: PURE RULES-JON MOXLEY VS WHEELER YUTA
Wheeler attacks Moxley from behind as Moxley was making his entrance. Action finally finds its way into the ring as the match officially begins. Vertical suplex by Moxley as he plants Yuta. Nice strong chops by Moxley. Yuta counters with chops of his own but is planted down by Moxley. Moxley now clawing the face and covering the nose of Yuta. Moxley begs Yuta to give him everything he’s got as Moxley keeps chopping at him. Action finds its way outside the ring now as Moxley takes the head of Yuta and curb stomps on it to bust him wide open. Yummy! Back from commercial as Yuta, who is super bloodied goes to to the top rope and splashes onto Moxley who’s resting on a table as during the Picture in Picture break we saw the men continue too fight outside the ring and introduce the table that came into play later. Both men get inside the ring eventually and Yuta tries to get a backslide victory on Moxley. It’s a near fall as Yuta follows up with a deadlift German. Yuta maintains as he tries to look for another German but Moxleycounters with a rolling elbow strike. Yuta comes back and plants Moxley as he kicks his head in. Fans are loving this as Yuta connects with a flying splash and it’s a near fall! Yuta now with a cross face as Moxley manages to reverse it with a pin attempt and it’s a near fall. Another near fall follows for Moxley but no dice. Fans are loving this but many are concerned for Yuta as some faces look grim. Both men trading strikes now as Moxley bites on the forehead of Yuta. Paradigm shift soon follows and somehow, somehow Yuta kicks out as the fans are chanting Yuta! Moxley now with a bulldog choke as Yuta is trying hard not to give up. Moxley breaks his hold and delivers knee strikes to the head of Yuta. Moxley is about to kick his head in when Yuta counters with a quick rollup for a near fall. Yuta with a neck hold but Moxley gets to the ropes. Yuta tries for a sleeper but Moxley counters and applies elbow after elbow to the head, followed by a Regal knee and a high paradigm shift. Yuta kicks out again! Moxley apples one ugly rear naked choke and Yuta is passed out! What a battle! What a war!
Winner: Jon Moxley (12:00)
Rating: *****
Jesus what a match, what a match! I know Moxley hasn’t been back that long but of the matches since his return this was one of his absolute best so far. And Wheeler Yuta? That kid has been growing up in front of our eyes since coming to AEW. If there was any question, any doubt, snide remarks about why he won the ROH Pure Championship, this match erased it all. This is exactly the type of coming out party Wheeler needed especially with his story arc in teasing his ultimate departure from Best Friends. What a match! Highest rated ever I’ve given a AEW match which is five stars.
Post-match Danielson and Regal come out and all three men surround Yuta as the fans are chanting Yuta and want for them all to shake Yuma’s hand. Regal extends his hand to Regal and Yuta accepts. Congratulations Yuta…You popped your cherry!!
End of Show
THE FINAL SCORE: REVIEW
VERY GOOD
Let’s be honest. Great opener with Danielson and Barreta but that was an appetizer. The main meal was the main event featuring Yuta and Moxley. Those two matches alone on this weeks RAMPAGE was worth sticking around for the whole show. Everything else is a blur at this point. I love that we are seeing more comedic segments with HOOK and Danhausen as I’ve mentioned for a few weeks now I’ve wanted more Danhausen on my tv. Nice to see Willow Nightingale get more tv time and hopefully it’s ongoing. I personally would love to see her mix it up with Jade Cargill and ultimately dethrone her for the TBS Championship but that’s me. Well rounded rebound episode of RAMPAGE compared to last week I feel. I’m concerned about the Sammy and Tay pairing as Lambert and crew are rarely getting booed these days. Seriously that’s a big problem and AEW needs to turn the ship around fast while it’s still early. 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 ya’ll!