‘AEW: Rampage’ Review (Dec 2nd 2022)
It’s Monday, so you know what that means, it’s time for this week’s review of AEW: Rampage! This week’s show was broadcast from the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana and featured Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross on commentary. Now let’s get to the review…
Match #1: Darby Allin def. Cole Karter
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sting left Darby before the match, confident that Darby could do this alone. Darby had a baseball bat and bludgeoned Comoroto with it. Darby rocketed from the ring to Cole Karter, who was outside the ring. Darby blasted Cole with a shotgun dropkick. Darby climbed to the top turnbuckle but Cole shoved him off, knocking Darby to the arena floor. Cole powerbombed Darby on the edge of the ring. Cole whipped Darby into the turnbuckles. Cole buckle bombed Darby. He followed up with a dropkick to Darby. Cole sent Darby crashing into the steel ring steps outside the ring. Karter began driving his knees into Darby’s ribs. Cole Karter suplexed Darby and then whipped him into the turnbuckles again. Darby fired back with a Code Red for a near fall! Karter hit a Falcon Arrow off the top rope on Darby for a near fall. Karter went for a 450 splash but Darby moved out of the way. Darby nailed Karter with a Scorpion Death Drop. He followed up with a Coffin Drop and pinned Cole Karter!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett def. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lethal stomped on Kassidy and then tagged Jarrett. Kassidy used a hip toss on Jarrett. Marq Quen tagged in and he and Kassidy used their tandem offense on Jeff Jarrett. Quen hit a big cross body on Lethal and followed up with a dropkick. Quen flew to the outside and wiped-out Jeff Jarrett. Private Party landed the Silly String on Jay Lethal! Quen attempted the 450 on Lethal but Lethal moved. Ref Aubrey Edwards was distracted and Lethal and Jarrett hit the Lethal Injection-Stroke combination on Quen for the pin.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Athena def. Dani Mo
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Athena decked Dani Mo. Athena planted Dani Mo with several consecutive suplexes. Dani blasted Athena with a big roundhouse kick but Athena shrugged it off and slugged Dani. Athena cut to the chase and forcefully finished off Dani Mo. After the match, Athena sent Dani Mo crashing to the arena floor! She rammed Dani Mo into the steel barricade and then the ring steps! Athena charged at Dani Mo and smashed her knee into Dani Mo’s head!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: All-Atlantic Championship Lumberjack Match – Orange Cassidy def. QT Marshall
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The ring was surrounded by lumberjacks. Orange dropkicked QT. Orange jumped off the top turnbuckle but QT caught him and bent Orange with a backbreaker. Ethan Page demanded Matt Hardy and Private Party to put the boots to Orange outside the ring. Hardy refused and rolled Orange back into the ring. Ethan Page ordered Matt Hardy to leave. The Factory jumped into the ring but the Best Friends sent them packin’! QT clocked Orange with a kick. Orange rallied back with the Stun Dog Millionaire. Orange was looking for the Beach Break but QT countered with a big right hand. Orange spiked QT with a DDT! Orange was setting up for the Orange Punch but the Factory pulled QT Marshall out of the way! QT spotted Orange on the top rope and hit him with a kick. Orange nailed QT with the Beach Break on the apron of the ring. Penelope Ford walked out and stood on the ring apron, distracting Orange. Kip Sabian popped up and shoved Orange off the top turnbuckle. Luckily Orange got to his feet and rocked QT with the Orange Punch and then finished him off with the Beach Break! Orange jumped out of the ring and began to brawl with Kip Sabian on the ramp! Things broke down in the ring with the lumberjacks until the House of Black showed up. Malakai and Buddy Matthews decimated Marq Quen. Malakai called Buddy and Brody King off Ortiz.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This was a rough episode of Rampage… The show opened strong with a great match between Darby and Cole Karter – though once again Darby Allin did his usual “get beatdown” schtick before getting the win. The Athena match was another squash match and another in her journey to full heel; whilst I couldn’t care less about a match featuring Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Private Party, so that was a bust (why, oh why are Leth and Jarrett getting so much TV time? Seriously). As for the main event. A lot of shenanigans AND then QT Marshall being booked FAR too strong against Cassidy marred what was, at its core, a good match. Better luck next week!
