Hall’s AEW Rampage Review 5.11.24

Rampage
Date: May 11, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Matt Menard

We’re still doing the back to back Collision/Rampage Saturday nights and again, Rampage has a hard act to follow. This show has a tendency to not be the most important offering from AEW but the matches themselves can more than make up for it. Hopefully they do that again here, though you never can tell what to expect with this show, regardless of time slot. Let’s get to it.

We open with Adam Copeland and Kyle O’Reilly hugging after their Collision match. Copeland won’t let go of O’Reilly’s wrist though and O’Reilly has to force his way out before Copeland walks off. Please tell me this is just him getting burned out with all of the title matches and not Malakai Black controlling him or whatever.

Claudio Castagnoli is asked about leaving the ring while Bryan Danielson talked after their tag win earlier tonight. Castagnoli is scared of Danielson being in Anarchy In The Arena again and wants nothing to do with it at all.

Trent Beretta vs. Dalton Castle

The Boys are here with Castle, who backs him into the ropes for an early break. Castle wrestles him to the mat before hitting an elbow to the face to send Beretta outside. A running knee to the face sends Beretta to the floor, only to have him come back with a headbutt. Beretta hits a hanging DDT onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Castle rolling through a super hurricanrana into a sunset flip for two, followed by a double clothesline. The Bang A Rang is loaded up but Beretta reverses into a piledriver for two more. Castle blocks a tornado DDT and powers him up into a release German suplex. Beretta is right back up with a running knee into the gogoplata to finish Castle at 9:38.

Rating: C+. This was Beretta getting some momentum back after losing to Orange Cassidy on Dynamite before their likely violent rematch at Double Or Nothing. As for Castle…I have no idea why he isn’t getting a better spot than he’s in here, but this is about all he’s going to be doing. At least put him in a prominent position on Ring Of Honor instead of the nothing he’s been doing in recent weeks.

Deonna Purrazzo thinks Thunder Rosa is dodging her but she has been told to keep her front towards her enemy.

Video on Rush, who wants to kick people in the face.

Bryan Keith vs. JD Drake

Keith can’t slam him to start but a shot to the face puts Drake on the floor instead. Back in and Drake hits a running boot to the face for two and Keith is a bit rocked. A running shoulder connects for Keith though and he manages the slam. Diamond Dust gives Keith the win at 2:45.

Adam Copeland is standing behind a piece of a cage with barbed wire around. He wants the full version with Malakai Black at Double Or Nothing. Well that escalated quickly.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Lady Frost

Purrazzo grabs a headlock takeover to start before shouldering Frost down. Frost nips up and is almost immediately dropped again. An anklescissors out of the corner sends Purrazzo outside, where she knocks Frost down again as we take a break. Back with an exchange of kicks to the head leaving both of them down.

Frost sends her into the corner for a flipping Cannonball but Purrazzo Russian legsweeps her into the Fujiwara armbar. The rope is grabbed so Frost goes up for a corkscrew crossbody and a near fall. Frost heads to the top again but gets tied in the Tree of Woe for spear (as used by her husband Steve Maclin) for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to boost Purrazzo back up before what seems to be a heated feud with Thunder Rosa. That being said, Purrazzo needs to win a match that matters as she has been portrayed as someone who tends to choke under pressure. Maybe she beats Rosa in their big showdown, but that’s far from a guarantee.

Post match Thunder Rosa runs in with a chair but Purrazzo skedaddles.

We get a new music video from the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, mainly proclaiming their awesomeness.

Scorpio Sky talks about recovering from an injury and with him, the sky is the limit.

Pac vs. Johnny TV

Johnny has Taya Valkyrie with him. Hold on though as Johnny has to disgrace a Vancouver Canucks jersey to start, earning a beating from Pac in the corner. Pac’s missile dropkick sends Johnny to the floor and there’s a springboard moonsault. Taya offers a distraction though and Johnny fires off some strikes in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Johnny going outside to kiss Taya, allowing Pac to strike away as well. Johnny’s flipping neckbreaker gets two more, only to miss Starship Pain. Commentary ignores the match to run down the Dynamite card but stop to notice Taya’s distraction breaking up the Black Arrow. Pac sends Johnny into her and grabs the Brutalizer for the win at 9:43.

Rating: B-. Much like Dalton Castle, TV is someone who could be doing at least a bit more but he is mainly going to be used to make others look good. That was the case here, as Pac needed a win to help rebuild himself after the Dynasty loss. Pac looked like a killer again here and that is likely to be the case with whatever he does next.

Post match the Bullet Club Gold pops up on screen to tell Pac to mind his own business to end the show.

 

Results
Trent Beretta b. Dalton Castle – Gogoplata
Bryan Keith b. JD Drake – Diamond Dust
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Spear in the Tree of Woe
Pac b. Johnny TV – Brutalizer

 

 

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7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

And that is Rampage in a nutshell: the wrestling is decent at worst, but the biggest story is Adam Copeland challenging Malakai Black and demanding an answer on Dynamite. The rest of the show ranged from mid to lower midcard stories and while it wasn’t bad, the show could not feel much less important. It’s the definition of a supplement, and when Dynamite is so crammed full, it makes me wonder why they can’t put at least a little more of importance on this show. The usual fine but not required viewing this week.