‘AEW: Rampage’ Review (Feb 23rd 2024)
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 BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma and featured Excalibur, Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone on commentary. Now let’s get to the review…
Match #1: “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith, Komander & Penta El Zero Miedo def. Action Andretti & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin), and Matt Sydal & Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sydal used a side headlock takedown on Action Andretti. Action fired back with a dropkick, taking Sydal off his feet. Bryan Keith tagged in and booted Darius Martin in the face. Private Party utilized tandem offense on Keith. Penta El Zero Miedo entered the fray. Dante Martin grabbed a blind tag from Kassidy and then the match broke down with all three teams brawling. Komander paired off with Dante in the ring and took him down with head scissors. Komander hit Dante with an arm drag off the ropes. Penta jumped in and connected with a Sling Blade on Dante. Bryan Keith nailed Action with a neck breaker. Action used a handspring elbow and rocked both members of Private Party! Keith blasted Darius with a running boot, sending Darius spilling out to the arena floor. Komander locked up Sydal in a flying surfboard on the apron. Sydal escaped and crushed Komander with a meteora! Penta El Zero Miedo was right there to grab Sydal and impale him on the apron with the Fear Factor. Private Party attempted the Gin & Juice on Penta, but Penta countered with a Destroyer on Kassidy! Keith headbutted Quen, knocking him off the top turnbuckle to the arena floor. Komander flew out of the ring with a tornillo and landed on the pile of wrestlers outside the ring! Penta El Zero Miedo spiked Sydal with the Fear Factor and pinned him!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. Jonny Lyons & Cappuccino Jones
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Nick pummeled Lyons with strikes to the back. Matt tagged in and hit Lyons with a running forearm. Cappuccino grabbed a tag and ate a kick from Matt. Matt battered Cappuccino to the mat, shutting him down. Matt planted Jones with a DDT. Nick knocked Jones’ block off with a lariat. The Bucks spiked Jones with the Tony Khan Driver, then Matt pinned Jones!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: Mariah May def. Anna Jay
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mariah May went for a dropkick but Anna side stepped it and followed up with a neck breaker. Mariah fired back with overhand chops. Mariah rocked Anna with a knee strike! Anna countered the May Day with the Queen Slayer, but Mariah backed up into the corner, escaping the hold. Mariah sent Anna soaring with a handstand hurracanrana out of the corner! Anna dodged a hip attack from Mariah. Anna nailed Mariah with a back breaker for a near fall. Anna applied the Queen Slayer, but Mariah hit Anna’s arm! Mariah annihilated Anna with the May Day in the center of the ring and pinned Anna!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Roderick Strong def. Jake Hager
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Strong booted Hager in the jaw. Hager hurled Strong halfway across the ring! Roddy dodged a charging Hager. Roddy battered Hager to the mat. Hager retaliated with a running lariat for a near fall. Strong planted Hager with a suplex. Taven and Bennett were about to chase Hornsby, the Drillers’ mascot, when International Champion Orange Cassidy came out to even up the odds! Orange pulled out Hager’s purple bucket hat and tossed it to him! Hager put the hat on and walloped Strong with running clotheslines. Hager followed up with a belly-to-belly suplex. Hager splashed Roddy with the Hager Bomb for a near fall. The numbers advantage was too much for Orange as Taven and Bennett got the upper hand on him. Back in the ring, Roddy connected with a jawbreaker on Hager. Jake Hager planted Roddy with the Doctor Bomb for a two-count. Hager applied the ankle lock, but Taven was distracted by Bennett and Taven, who jumped on the ring apron! Roderick Strong drilled Hager with a jumping knee strike right on the jaw. Hager crumbled and Strong won via pinfall!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Not going to lie, this week’s Rampage was pretty bad. None of the matches felt like they had any importance, and none of them were really exciting either. I don’t know what Anna Jay has done to Tony Khan to suddenly be switched to a losing streak – maybe she’s now the wrestler who can take losses and still get over? It happens but it feels weird seeing her lose back-to-back these days. Forget the Bucks’ match – another ridiculously stupid squash match to sell their heel personas. As for the main event… Ooof!
