‘AEW: Rampage’ Review (Dec 16th 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 Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas and featured Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross on commentary. Now let’s get to the review…
Match #1: Jon Moxley def. Sammy Guevara
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sammy went right after Mox with a leaping knee strike, trying for the early advantage. Mox ducked a chop from Sammy and fired back with his own chops. Sammy snuck in a leaping knee strike on Moxley outside the ring. Mox dropped Sammy on the steel barricade, splitting the uprights. Moxley clocked Sammy with a cutter. Moxley superplexed Sammy, bringing him down hard onto the mat. Moxley kicked Sammy in the ribs. Sammy used a corkscrew dropkick on Moxley. Sammy and Moxley battled it out on the top turnbuckle. Guevara hit a double stomp on Moxley on the ring apron. Moxley’s ear was busted open. Sammy was like a shark smelling blood in the water and immediately went to work on Moxley’s ear. Tay Melo yanked on Moxley’s ear. Tay and Sammy kissed outside the ring until Moxley jumped through the ropes with a tope suicida onto Sammy. Moxley charged at Sammy with a lariat into the corner. He battered Sammy with right hands. Sammy jumped off the turnbuckles and got a near fall on Mox after a cutter! Sammy was looking for the GTH but Mox escaped. Sammy rallied back with the Walls of Jericho on Moxley. Jon Moxley willed his way out by kicking up at Sammy. Sammy smashed Moxley with forearms. Moxley fired back with a forearm and then a curb stomp to Sammy for a two-count. Outside the ring, Sammy connected with another leaping knee strike. Sammy climbed to the top rope and drove himself through Moxley, crashing through the time keeper’s table! Sammy used a crossbody off the top rope but Moxley rolled through. Moxley spiked Sammy with a piledriver. Moxley turned Sammy inside out with the King Kong Lariat. Sammy escaped the Paradigm Shift and dropped Mox with the Death Rider DDT! Sammy followed up with a senton atomico for a near fall on Mox! Sammy grabbed a Spanish Fly on Moxley. Moxley floated over with the bulldog choke and put Sammy to sleep! The ref stopped the match and declared Moxley the winner!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. def. Skye Blue
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Britt had head scissors on Skye. Britt suplexed Skye Blue. Skye stopped Britt’s momentum with a thrust kick. Britt Baker hit a sling blade on Skye Blue! Britt put her glove on and Skye came up from behind and rocked Britt with a thrust kick. Britt fired back with a stomp to the back of Skye Blue and then pinned her! After the match, Britt put the Lock Jaw on Skye Blue!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Wardlow def. Exodus Prime
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Prime headbutted Wardlow and Wardlow shrugged it off. Wardlow cracked Prime in the head with his own headbutt. He reached back and nearly decapitated Prime with a clothesline. Wardlow tuned up the symphony and powerbombed Exodus Prime over and over and over and over again and then scored the victory!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta & Dustin Rhodes def. Kip Sabian, The Butcher, The Blade & Trent Seven
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Trent Seven and Trent Beretta had a Battle of the Trents in the center of the ring, trading elbow strikes in the center of the ring! Seven blocked a thrust kick from Beretta. Things quickly broke down with both teams brawling in the center of the ring and then spilling to the outside. Sabian connected with a stiff right hand to Orange Cassidy. Butcher and the Blade double teamed Trent in the ring. Dustin tagged in and took down Trent Seven! He powerslammed the Butcher, the Blade, and Kip Sabian! Then Dustin jabbed at Seven and dropped an elbow on him. Butcher and the Blade hit the Drag the Lake on Orange Cassidy and then Trent blasted them with a shotgun dropkick. The Bunny jumped into the ring and Orange Cassidy pretended he got struck by her. Penelope Ford jumped into the ring and then Danhausen acted like he was hit by Penelope. Ref Bryce Remsburg had no choice but to eject them from ringside. Dustin drilled Kip with a Dallas Destroyer! Dustin followed up with the Unnatural Kick! Dustin took down Trent Seven with a bulldog and then pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Well damn, if this wasn’t a fantastic episode of Rampage! I was totally surprised by the opening match, which turned out to be the proverbial banger, whilst the women’s match was shocking in how good it was – but then it always seems that Skye Blue manages to pull matches out of the bag when she’s facing more experienced opponents. Wardlow’s match was a squash but beautiful in its execution, whilst the 8-man tag main event was the very definition of a FUN wrestling match. Dustin Rhodes looked better than ever, how he keeps going in the ring is beyond me! The only downside to this show? Had to be the Jade Cargill promo/angle, which once again referenced Bow Wow, something we DON’T need in AEW at all!
