Sanders’ AEW Rampage Review 7.28.23
Good Friday 411MANIACS! Lee Sanders here! Hope you’re doing the best to stay hydrated and cool as the heatwave is strong this week in North America, especially on the east coast. Be sure to check up on your fellow neighbor, elderly, and pets during these hot days of summer. Hey we got ourselves another edition of RAMPAGE upon us. The episode will set the tone for Saturday’s Collision as FTR will defend their AEW tag titles against MJF and Adam Cole. How do you all see that playing out as far as the backstabbing goes? Sound off!
Before I go any further I want to extend condolences to friends, family, and colleagues of singer Sinéad O’Connor who passed away this week unexpectedly at the age of fifty-six. A very underrated singer that left a great body of work and didn’t care about her career when it came to speaking on things she felt passionate about. She was known for a little tune you probably heard of titled Nothing Compares 2 U which was written by the late Rock & Roll hall of famer, Prince. Somewhere I’d like to believe she’s getting the grand tour of Heaven from him and Chris Cornell. Rest well Sinéad O’Connor, rest well!
Commentators: Excalibur and Tony Schiavone
Venue: MVP Arena
City: Albany, NY
MATCH 1: TAG TEAM ELIMINATOR BATTLE ROYAL (YES ANOTHER BATTLE ROYAL)
Participants: Big Bill and Brian Cage vs Matt and Jeff Hardy vs Butcher and Blade vs Ethan Page and Isiah Kassidy vs Angelo Parker and Matt Menard vs Satnam Sighn and Jay Lethal vs Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels vs Luther and Serpentico
Eliminations in Order: Luther, Serpentico, Kassidy, Sydal, Parker, Page, Lethal, Menard, Daniels, Matt Hardy, Sighn, Jeff Hardy. Final two tag teams remaining is Big Bill and Brian Cage vs Butcher and Blade as all four men slug it out with one another. Blade and Bill have a meeting of the minds as Bill tried to go for a chokeslam. Blade escapes it as he connects with a cutter! Butcher immediately follows up with a clothesline to level Bill. They try to toss him over the ropes when Cage comes in for the save. Cage with a ripcord-elbow strike on Blade, followed by the flatliner on Butcher. Cage misses a lariat as Butcher and Blade capitalizes before Bill takes them both out with double clotheslines. High boot to the face of Butcher as Blade is eliminated after getting a clothesline/powerbomb combo. Man I love that move from those guys! Butcher with a backbreaker on Cage after taking advantage of a few miscues from Cage and Bill. An assisted chokeslam from Cage helps Bill as Butcher gets clotheslined out of the ring for the victory.
Winner:Butcher and Blade (13:00)
Rating: **
Was really expecting for Hardy Boys to win as now I can’t help but wonder what exactly the future holds for Jeff now that he’s back with AEW in the United States. I don’t mind Bill and Cage winning as they’ve become somewhat of an overnight sensation honestly. Remember the winners of this match get a shot against the AEW tag champions. Assuming FTR retains as that’s my personal pick, I’m not sure how to feel about them going up against Bill and Cage. It’s obvious the fans in attendance and online these past few weeks have been warming up to the newly formed team. It just feels too early. Regardless, those boys are going to get a classic match as FTR makes everyone they work with look good.
Video package shown of Mike Bennett and Matt Taven going over their history of ROH as they are now back in it thanks to Tony Khan. Pretty decent video package.
MATCH 2: KOMANDER VS KIP SABIAN
Where the heck has Kip been? Most importantly, hello Penelope Ford! Anyway, nice lockup to begin this one as Kip quickly takes him down. Kip has the left arm of Komander in a weird lock as he begins showboating. Komander reverses it and gives him the same treatment of showboating. Komander with a couple of nice armdrags, flips over the back of Kip, and a dropkick as Kip races to the outside. Komander goes over the top rope to come crashing down on Kip as we head into a set of ad breaks. We are back as Komander connects with a back-heel kick! Cover attempt made as Kip kicks out. Nice leg/roll-through as Komander turns it into a submission hold. Komander transitions into a pinning predicament as Kip kicks out. Komander with a big elbow strike, followed by an open palm strike. Komander to the top as he walks the ropes and misses a shooting star press as Kip moves out the way! Kip with a boot to the face, and a toss to the outside. Kip connects with his own air assault on Komander before tossing him back in the ring. Kip connects with a cannonball and a shooting star press for a kickout. Series of reversals as Corb jumps on the apron to rake Komander eyes while the ref is distracted by Kip. Sabian with a pin attempt as Komander kicks out yet again! Komander with an insane Canadian destroyer of some type from the top rope as he connects with a shooting star press from walking the ropes for the victory!
Winner:Komander (9:00)
Rating: ***
Love that Komander. A really good showing for the young man and for Kip. Hopefully this go-round Kip and Penelope are back on tv regularly as part of me actually missed them. They didn’t really seem to go anywhere when Kip was wearing the paper bag on his face. Penelope wasn’t even used for in-ring matches consistently during this period. They can easily take the place of heels Sammy and Tay for now or link up with Don Callis. Hopefully this wasn’t a one time tv appearance as they both are pretty solid.
MATCH 3: MATT TAVEN AND MIKE BENNETT VS HAYDEN BACKLUND AND MYUNG-JAE LEE
Hayden and Matt begins this as he quickly tackles Lee off the apron. Taven kicks the living hell out of Hayden as Bennett is tagged in now. A clothesline, Death Valley driver, and proton pack later, this match is over. Was this even 90 seconds???
Winner:The Kingdom (75 seconds)
Rating: NR
SQUASH…SQUASH…SQUASH!
Dark Order is with us now in a video package as they talk about rediscovering their older roots as vintage Dark Order, the evil Dark Order is back. Cool beans!
We are back as we get a rundown of AEW COLLISION as my girl Mercedes Martinez will be in action against Kiera Hogan! That is going to be fire!
MATCH 4: NYLA ROSE VS HIKARU SHIDA
Nyla doesn’t even wait for the bell as she goes right to grounding and pounding on Shida. Shida comes back with a few strikes to the body as the two begin going back and fourth into a corner. Shida with a boot to the jaw and a missile dropkick. Shida now with punches to the head of Nyla from the corner. Shida with another dropkick but Nyla knew what was coming as she dodged it successfully. Nyla sends Shida flying to the outside. Shida tries for a leg scissor takedown as Nyla catches her and uses Shida’s body to ram into the barricades as we head into our last set of ad breaks. We are back as Shida connects with an axe kick after a successful series of strikes, followed by a running clothesline. Shida manages to suplex Rose as she goes for a pin attempt as Nyla quickly kicks out. The Outcasts are watching backstage on a monitor apparently as back to Shida who delivers a dropkick from off the apron to Rose before tossing her back in the ring. Cover attempt made as Nyla kicks out. Shida slow climbing the ropes as Nyla chokeslams her! Nyla with the cover as Shida kicks out. Nyla thinking beast Bomb as Shida reverses it and connects with an elbow drop, followed by the falcon arrow for a kickout. Nyla plants Shida with the lariat and a senton as she tries climbing to the top. Shida trips Nyla up on the ropes and takes advantage with a series of headbutts. Shida with a falcon arrow from the top rope as Marina Shafir puts Nyla’s boot on the ropes at the very last moment to interrupt the pin-count. Shida cracks Marina over the head with a kendo stick after Marina tried for a swing and miss with the weapon. This is all going down while the referee has his back turned away, and is checking on Nyla. Nyla comes from behind with a rollup as Shida connects with the katana for the victory!
Winner:Shida (10:00)
Rating:***
That was better than a certain women’s match I can recall seeing from DYNAMITE this week. Talk about redemption! Seriously though I enjoyed this women’s match greatly as the mean, aggressive streak of Shida continues. Nyla has sparingly been used as of late but when she’s appeared she’s made it count. Personally I’d love to see Nyla join Outcasts as it writes itself perfectly. Look back to the original press releases, interviews, and photo spreads when AEW first launched. Nyla Rose was part of them all. Somehow and very quickly, she got forgotten and she’s been an afterthought. Sure she had the moment there with Vicki Guerrero but that never popped off the way we thought it would. Outcasts coming in to recruit her writes itself so perfectly as Nyla can speak upon being pushed to the side for prettier, small framed girls. You can add so much more to this but you get it folks.
Post-match the Outcasts come out to stare Shida down as we get breaking news that Shida will face Toni Storm for the AEW Womens Championship on the 200th episode of AEW DYNAMITE to close out the show.
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
GOOD
Slightly better episode than last week. I’m happy to see a break from Orange Cassidy but bringing back Komander, Kip, Penelope, and The Kingdom doesn’t mean anything unless we are going to be seeing them more on the regular. Fingers crossed that is the case as the in-ring action was better this go-round. I still feel even as I write this that the mark was missed not having Hardy Boys win the tag eliminator. Jeff Hardy in AEW (when he’s been there) has felt like a bust so far. I don’t like saying that as I’m a Jeff fan but it’s the truth. It just feels like Tony Khan and crew aren’t sure what to do with him. Hoping this assessment is wrong and something is brewing. FTR vs Hardy Boys would’ve been great for a future episode of Collision. That’s just me though as this week was another fast hour of decent action. What did you think 411MANIACS? 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!