25th Sep2023

‘AEW Rampage: Grand Slam’ Review (Sept 22nd 2023)

by Phil Wheat

It’s Monday so you know what that means, it’s time for our weekly review of AEW: Rampage! This week’s show was broadcast from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York and featured Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni and Tony Schiavone on commentary. Now let’s get to the review…

Match #1: Darby Allin & Sting def. Luchasaurus & Christian Cage

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Both teams started the match brawling. Darby dropkicked Luchasaurus out of the ring and onto the ramp. Darby threw his body at Luchasaurus. Sting and Christian brawled outside the ring. Luchasaurus whipped Darby into the steel ring post. Luchasaurus worked Darby over, bodyslamming him and then sending him into the turnbuckles. Christian tagged in but Darby connected with a springboard press. Luchasaurus spiked Darby with a chokeslam. Christian attempted a diving headbutt, but Darby dodged it, rolling out of the way. Sting tagged in and wiped out Christian with two lariats and a spinebuster. Sting blasted Luchasaurus with right hands and then delivered a Stinger splash to Christian and Luchasaurus in the corner. Sting and Darby hit Luchasaurus with a Scorpion Death-Coffin Drop combo. Darby blasted Christian Cage with a shotgun dropkick. Nick Wayne jumped up on the apron and Christian turned toward him. Darby rolled up a distracted Christian Cage and pinned him!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: Kris Statlander, HOOK & Orange Cassidy def. Angelo Parker, Anna Jay & Matt Menard

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Angelo Parker and Matt Menard played mind games with Hook, tagging in and out at the start of the match. Anna Jay tagged in so Kris Statlander entered the ring. Anna Jay connected with a kick in the corner on Kris. Statlander nailed Anna Jay with a delayed vertical suplex. Parker snap suplexed Hook. Menard tagged in and he and Parker rocked Hook with tandem offense. Orange Cassidy came in and cleaned house on Parker and Menard with a dropkick. Cassidy hit Hager with a tope suicida. Hook, Cassidy, and Statlander triple suplexed Menard, Parker, and Jay. Hook hurled Parker and Menard with T-bone suplexes. As the ref was distracted, Hager hit Hook. Orange Cassidy rocked Hager with a punch. Hook locked in the RedRum on Daddy Magic. Cassidy pulped Parker with the Orange Punch and pinned him!

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #3: The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) def. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta), The Hardys (Jeff & Matt) and The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

The winner earns an ROH World Tag Title Match at Wrestledream. A donnybrook broke out at the start of the match. Bennett rammed Taylor into the barricade. Taven went over the top with the Flight of the Conqueror. Best Friends jumped over the top and crashed onto the pile. Jeff Hardy splashed Vincent. Dutch charged in but the Hardys sent him into Vincent in the corner. Dutch dropped Jeff Hardy with the Bossman slam. The Righteous went to work on Mike Bennett and then Matt Hardy. Trent suplexed Dutch but Taven was there with a pump kick. Taylor caught Taven with a thrust kick. The Kingdom planted Taylor with the Hail Mary after a low blow from Bennett to Taylor. Jeff Hardy splashed Taylor with a Swanton bomb, but Vincent grabbed a blind tag. Vincent landed on Taylor with the Death From Above and pinned Taylor! Taven and Bennett attacked the Best Friends with steel chairs after the match!

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #4: AEW World Trios Championship Match – The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Max Caster & Daddy Ass) def. The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno & John Silver)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Caster used a shoulder tackle to take down Reynolds. Caster followed up with a deep arm drag. John Silver tagged but Caster hoisted him up and rammed him into the Acclaimed’s corner. Daddy Ass tagged in, and he and Bowens dropped elbows on Silver. Daddy Ass scoop slammed Silver. Bowens was looking for the Scissor Me Timbers, but Reynolds knocked him to the arena floor. Evil Uno stomped a mudhole into Caster in the corner. Reynolds raked the eyes of Max Caster. Reynolds rocked Caster with a short arm clothesline for a two-count. Caster made the tag to Daddy Ass and Daddy Ass threw haymakers at the Dark Order! Reynolds side stepped the Fame Asser, but Billy Gunn tagged out to Bowens. Bowens nailed Reynolds with the Arrival. Caster hit the Mic Drop. John Silver broke up the pin. Evil Uno cracked Caster in the head with one of the Trios belts as ref Aubrey Edwards was distracted. Bowens planted Reynolds and scored the pin!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: Julia Hart def. Skye Blue

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Skye Blue nailed Julia with a knee strike. Skye followed up with a snap suplex for a near fall. Blue charged at Julia, but Julia dodged it and grounded and pounded Skye Blue. Skye Blue fired back with a flurry of offense. Julia dazed Skye on the top turnbuckle. Julia superplexed Skye Blue and followed up with a standing moonsault press. Julia countered the Skyefall and then clocked her with a shot to the back of the head. Julia forced Skye Blue to tap out after Julia applied the Heartless submission! Julia Hart wouldn’t release the hold. Willow Nightingale sprinted to the ring to come to the aid of Skye Blue. Ian and Excalibur wondered if perhaps this was Julia’s plan all along, to lure Willow out.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #6: Mike Santana def. Iron Savages’ Bronson

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Bronson hit Santana with a cheap shot. Mike Santana fired back with big chops to Bronson’s chest. Santana dazed Bronson with a cutter and followed up with a discus lariat. Santana rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida to Bronson. Mike Santana splashed Bronson with a cannonball senton. Santana drilled Bronson, spiking him headfirst into the mat, and then pinned Bronson. Ortiz walked onto the ramp and he and Santana had a stare down.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #7: ROH World Six-Man Championship Match – The Elite (“Hangman” Adam Page & The Young Bucks – Matt & Nick Jackson) def. The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Hangman unleashed a series of strikes on Brian Cage. Hangman followed up with a shooting star press off the apron onto Kaun! Nick hit a destroyer on Brian Cage. The Elite were about to hit the BTE Trigger on Brian Cage when Swerve Strickland walked out onto the ramp and had a stare down with Adam Page. Brian Cage suplexed Nick Jackson into the ring. Bishop blasted Matt Jackson with a backstabber. Matt Jackson jumped off the turnbuckles and hit a crossbody press on the Gates of Agony outside the ring. Matt tagged Hangman and Hangman hit a moonsault on Brian Cage for a near fall. The Bucks flew to the outside with topes to the Gates of Agony. Brian Cage smashed Page with a waterwheel drop for a two-count! The Bucks invited the Gates to a superkick party. The Mogul Embassy wiped out the Elite with triple firemen’s carries. Toa splashed Hangman and Cage covered Hangman, but Nick was there to make the save. The Bucks blasted the Gates with superkicks. Hangman rocked the Gates with a double Buckshot Lariat! Page spiked Cage with a Dead Eye for a near fall. Swerve distracted Page on the apron. Cage tried to finish Page with the Drill Claw, but Page countered, rolled up Brian Cage and pinned him! And new ROH World Six-Man Champions… The Elite!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

A solid episode of Rampage that didn’t outstay its welcome as a two-hour special this week. The first half of the show was clearly the better half, with a good opening match and some fun tag-team action… Though props to the Trios match at the mid-way part of this episode, god good if they didn’t convince me Dark Order could’ve won this match – which I would NOT have complained about in the slightest. We need more of THIS Dark Order rather than the more comedy-led trios action we had in the past. Julia Hart and Skye Blue did well and definitely set a new bar for Hart’s AEW career – she looked stronger and more of a badass than ever in this one. and I dug her and Brody King being an “independent” thing inside the House of Black too. As for the main event, I was surprised to see the Elite pick up the win – even if others said that would undoubtedly be the outcome. I guess I didn’t expect the Bucks and Page to now be a part of ROH… Though now they are, fingers crossed its to elevate that brand and not just defend the ROH Trios Title against members of the AEW roster and AEW television.

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