‘AEW: Rampage’ Review (Aug 30th 2024)
It’s Monday so you know what that means, it’s time for our weekly review of AEW: Rampage! This week’s show emanated from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, and featured Tony Schiavone, Excalibur and Matt Menard on commentary. Now let’s get to the review…
Match #1: Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal def. The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) and Private Party (Marq Quen & Zay)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Taven grappled Brother Zay to the mat. Taven scored with a beautiful dropkick. Brother Zay fired back with ferocious forearms. Private Party hit tandem offense on Taven. They followed up with more double team tactics on Bennett. Quen took flight and wiped out Undisputed Kingdom on the floor. Lethal came in but Bennett blasted Lethal with a big elbow strike. Jeff Jarrett entered the fray and back body dropped Quen. Jarrett did the Fargo strut, showing the youngsters just how it’s done. Lethal smashed Bennett with the Lethal Combination. Private Party planted Taven with the Silly String. Quen connected with the 450 splash but Bennett was there to break up the pin. Lethal dropped Zay with the Lethal Injection. Lethal and Jarrett put Undisputed Kingdom in stereo figure fours and Undisputed Kingdom tapped out!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Mina Shirakawa def. Missa Kate
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mina used a leg sweep and then kicked Missa Kate in the spine. Mina followed up with a leg sweep. Mina attacked Missa Kate’s knees, trying to neutralize Missa’s kickboxing background. Mina hit a frog splash for a near fall on Missa. Missa Kate cracked Mina with a trust kick, but Mina escaped at the two-count. Mina rocked Missa with a back fist and then planted Missa with a Driver for the pinfall victory!
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) def. The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Gibson put Magnum in a hammer lock. Drake tagged in and worked over Magnum’s arm and wrist. Magnum body slammed Drake and tagged out to Turbo. Gibson grabbed a blind tag and the Grizzled Young Veterans double teamed Turbo Floyd. The Outrunners hit a tandem elbow drop on Gibson. Drake tagged in and clobbered Truth with an elbow strike. Gibson jumped over the top rope and landed on Truth, smashing him onto Gibson’s knee, turning it into a stuffed back breaker. Turbo tagged in and cleaned house on the Grizzled Young Veterans, picking up the intensity! Gibson anchored Turbo while Drake connected with a kick to Turbo’s neck. Truth managed to tag in, climbed to the top, but Drake knocked Truth off the turnbuckles. Drake decapitated Truth with the Doomsday Device! The Vets finished off Truth with the high-low and won via pinfall.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Nyla Rose def. Aminah Belmont
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Nyla nailed Belmont with a lariat. Nyla rag dolled Amina by the hair. Nyla choke slammed Belmont! Nyla stunned Belmont with a spinning beast bomb, pinning Aminah and making short work of her!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Konosuke Takeshita def. The Beast Mortos and Komander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mortos paint brushed Komander and Takeshita headbutted Lio Rush. The Beast Mortos and Takeshita traded lariats outside the ring. Komander jumped over the top and wiped out Takeshita while Lio Rush flipped over the ropes and rocked the Beast Mortos. Komander rolled up Lio for a near fall. Lio connected with a kick to the midsection of Komander. Komander popped up and dropkicked Takeshita. Komander wiped out Takeshita and Rush with a tornillo to the floor. Beast Mortos scored with a tornillo of his own. The Beast Mortos headbutted Takeshita in the chest. Lio Rush went for a hurracanrana, but Takeshita picked up Lio for a power bomb. Lio escaped and staggered Takeshita with a stunner off the bottom rope. The Beast Mortos blasted Komander with a lung blower! Mortos spiked Komander with an inverted sling blade. Komander took down Mortos with the déjà vu! Lio Rush frog splashed Takeshita, who had Komander and Mortos stacked on one another for a pin attempt! Komander drilled Mortos with a swan diving poison rana for a near fall! Rush rocketed out through the ropes with a tope suicida on Mortos, followed by a second tope! The Beast Mortos jumped into the ring and speared Lio Rush! Mortos nailed Komander with a back breaker and a power bomb. Takeshita cracked Mortos with a running knee strike. Takeshita punished Komander with a Blue Thunder Bomb and then a Falcon Arrow for the pin!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Another slightly above-average week for Rampage. Unfortunately, we fell into squash match territory this week, and even worse they were both women’s matches! OK, Mina Shirakawa got SOME offence out of her opponent, which is why it didn’t get the usual 0 points for a squash but Nyla Rose demolished her “jobber’ opponent. I’ll be real, I don’t know what AEW can do with Nyla – she’s demolishing jobbers (or “enhancement talent”) left and right but if she’s inserted into the title scene she’ll become the jobber – there’s no real opposition for her strength. Okay, maybe Jamie Hayter or Mercedes Martinez but both of those aren’t in the title picture either! Thankfully this week’s show was redeemed somewhat by the main event, which saw Takeshita return to AEW television of his stint in Japan. And it’s a VERY welcome return IMHO. Here’s hoping that Soup can make his way into the upper echelon of the men’s roster and into a title race of some kind very soon.
