Jeremy’s AEW Rampage Review 11.25.22

Hello AEW fans! It’s Friday night and you know what that means — it’s time for our live coverage of AEW Rampage! I’m Jeremy Thomas, filling in for Lee Sanders for tonight because of the early time frame. Tonight will see FTR make a defense of the ROH Tag Team Championships against Top Flight, plus the Dark Order taking on Rush, The Butcher & The Blade. Darby Allin will face Anthony Henry, we’ll hear from Chris Jericho and more. We’ve got a lot to get into, so let’s jump right in.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

ROH Tag Team Championship Match
FTR vs. Top Flight

Kicking right off with this. Dax and Darius start off by locking up, Darius with an armdrag. Dax with a headlock, shot into the ropes but runs Darius over. Darius with a takedown, legscissors by Dax but Darius kicks out of it. Headlock by Darius, shot into the ropes and he runs Dax over for a cover for less than one. Darius off the ropes and gets knocked down, legdrop by Dax and a cover for one.

Cash tags in, double headbutt to Darius and a Euro uppercut and chop from Cash. Whip into the ropes, Darius goes over, armdrag and Dante tags. Cash chopes him and headbutts him, side headlock. Cash into the ropes and runs Darius over, he sends Dante into the ropes, Darius with the tag, Dante shoves Cash into a head kick. Irish whip, Top Flight with a bunch of strikes and a DDT for two.

Cash comes back with a short-arm spear, and Dax tags in. BIG chop to Darius knocks him down, Dax picks him up for a Euro uppercut. They start trading chops, Dax knocks Darius down and knocks Dante off the apron. Cash tags in, whip off the ropes, sunset flip and Dante off the ropes for a takedown! Stereo rans by Top Flight. Kick to Cash, tornado DDT and Dante tags in, going up top but Dax saves Cash who rolls out of the ring. We’re on PVP break.

We’re back as Dante leaps onto both FTR guys. All four men in the ring, but not for long as Top Flight send FTR over the top. Darius dives through the ropes onto both men, Dante springboard awkwardly onto Cash. Dante with a crossbody off the top for two.

Dax back up and he’s chopping away at both men but gets hit with an enzuigiri.Dante charges Dax in the corner but is put on the apron, Cash tags in and gets hit with a flying headbutt. Dante on the top rope with Dash but he shoves Dante onto Dax for a power bomb! Cover for two but Darius breaks it up.

Dax grabs Darius and ducks a kick, nailing him in the jaw. Darius with a kick but gets turned inside out with a short-arm lariat.Cash is up now and tags in Dax officially, they send Dante into the ropes and go for the Big Rig but Darius takes out Cash. Sunset flip for Dante for two.

Forearms to Dax, Tornado DDT off Dante and a big splash for Dante, Cash breaks up the cover! Darius and Cash are trading shots, big uppercut by Cash, off the ropes into a Spanish fly but Dax with a brainbuster. Dante rolls Dax up for two, small package for two, another sunset flip by Dante for two! Dante up on Dax’s shoulders but slides off, Cash makes the tag and gets put on the corner, he flips over but a BIG RIG!

Winner: FTR (11:05)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Really hot match to start the show as expected. Both teams delivered big time..

The Gunns come out to the ramp to taunt FTR after the match.

* We get a vignette next about Powerhouse Hobbs talking about his life that we know nothing about and want nothing a part of. Whatever higher being we believe in, he wants us to look up high and down low. He’s taking everything that means something to you.

* Here comes Chris Jericho and the Jericho Appreciation Society! Cool Hand introduces the Ocho Himself. Jericho asks if there’s any doubt that he’s the greatest ROH Champion of all time. He says he’s beaten everyone thrown in his way including Tomohiro Ishii on Dynamite, he’s bled for the title, he’s sweat for the title and he’s earned the title; he is The Ocho. And not even Claudio Castagnoli giving him a cheap shot is going to slow him down. He asks who it’ll be that uncrowns him.

Here comes Claudio! He says there’s no doubt in his mind that Jericho is not the greatest ROH World Champion and he knows he can beat him, he did so twice. But he started doubting himself. He knows he’s the best professional wrestler when he doesn’t doubt. So he has to beat Jericho.

Jericho says Claudio should be more worried about the BCC as it’s falling apart. Claudio says he can’t focus on anything else and hasn’t slept since Saturday. He can’t sleep, can’t focus, can barely talk. He needs a shot at the title.

Jericho asks the crowd if he should give him another shot? They cheer. But Jericho says forget it. There’s nothing Claudio has that he wants. Matt Menard says he has an idea: he thinks Claudio would be a great member of the JAS. Jericho says that’s a great idea and says if Claudio wins, he gets the title. If he loses, he joins the JAS.

Claudio thinks about it and then says they’re right; he was a great sports entertainer and still is. He’d be a tremendous asset to the JAS. But he knows deep in his heart — and he thinks they know as well — he’s an even better pro wrestler. Claudio says come Final Battle, he’ll throw Jericho around like a litle kid and beat him for the title, bringing Honor back to it.

* Renee Paquette is backstage with Toni Storm and asks her about her loss. Storm looks distraught. She says deep down she’s proud of Jamie and they tore the house down. She says they saw how tough Hayter is, but they didn’t see Hayter beat Toni because she needed Britt and Rebel. She could never do that. Renee says Toni’s title reign as a non-interim title reign retroactively, and Toni says she never saw herself as interim. Toni says she broke her face losing the title and will break her face getting it back.

Anthony Henry vs. Darby Allin

Darby and Henry circle and lockup to start, Henry with a takedown but Allin reverses it. They get back to their feet, waistlock by Allin, Henry turns it around and snapmares Darby, then kicks him in the back. Darby with a small package for two, Henry with an immediate kick to the gut. Allin shot into the ropes, sunset flip but Henry holds on and picks Allin up for a suplex.

Allin comes off onto the apron, he slides through but Allin leaps into the ring, comes off the ropes and dives onto JD Drake. Back in the ring, Henry with a fireman’s carry and guillotine onto the ropes. Henry lariats Darby on the apron as we go to PIP break.

Henry has been in control most of the break and we come back to him kicking Darby in the Tree of Woe. Dropkick to Allin and he picks Darby up for a neckbreaker for two. Henry goes up top and leaps off but Allin moves — CODE RED for two!

Henry slips to the outside and Allin follows to roll him in — and JD Drake nails Allin before rolling him in. Cover for two as Sting takes out Drake on the outside! Henry yells at Sting, then sets Allin on the top rope to go up top — superplex! Henry holds on for another but Darby floats over into a Scorpion Deathdrop! Allin is up now and goes up top — COFFIN DROP!

Winner: Darby Allin (8:09)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Not too splashy here, but it was technically sound and Allin always gives a good bout. He works really well against Henry and it showed her.

* Lexi is with Athena, who is ranting about why she hasn’t been on TV. She says she got docked a week’s pay and was suspended for attacking Aubrey, and Lexi says they need a public apology. Athena apologizes and Lexi says she’ll be reinstated on Monday.

Athena makes Lexi leave and says she’s been waiting for Mercedes to show up. She wants a shot at Mercedes’ ROH Women’s World Championship.

Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata

Penelope Ford and the Bunny are out to watch this.

Aminata takes control of Shida to start, kicking her on the apron. She sets Shida up for an Air Raid Crash but Shida reverses into a rollup for two. Aminata kicks Shida in the gut and they go into the ropes — Shida with an elbow and a Falcon Arrow! Katana finishes it.

Winner: Hikaru Shida (1:15)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP Queen Aminata.

* Mark Henry is there to interview the main eventers, but 10 isn’t there with the Dark Order. Silver says Uno is out looking for him, and Reynolds says it ends tonight. Blade says that it doesn’t matter who shows up, they’re kicking their ass tonight. RUSH says he’s sick of talking and wants to fight, is ready to fight, and needs to fight.

* Lexi talks with FTR about their win tonight and Dax says that they need this for themselves. Dax says it’s been a great 2022 and Cash is his best friend. He says 2022 has allowed him to etch his name with the greatest wrestlers. And he’s challenging Bryan Danielson for Wednesday night.

* Excalibur runs down the card like an auction barker so of course my fingers aren’t that fast.

Rush, The Butcher and The Blade vs. Dark Order

Silver & Reynolds are out here alone, no 10.

The match starts with a big brawl, RUSH and Butcher beat on Silver on the outside as Blade & Reynolds battle on the inside. Reynolds runs over Blade and gives him a big boot, but Butcher grabs his foot from the outside and Blade knocks him down. Butcher tags in and they nail him with a double headbutt. Butcher with a big chop, and Blade tags back in. Suplex but Reynolds knees out of it and tags in Silver, who takes out RUSH and nails Butcher, Snake-Eyeses Blade and runs over Butcher before hitting a back suplex on Blade.

Off the ropes and he dives into Butcher on the outside but gets caught. RUSH nails him with an elbow strike as we go to PIP break.

We’re back with Blade tagging in and Butcher putting Silver on his shoulders — he throws Silver off but he lands on his feet and fights back against both men! Silver crawls to make the tag but RUSH nails Reynolds with a knee strike to knock him off the table. He stomps on Silver and picks him up — Evil Uno and -1 are on the stage! Here comes 10! 10 goes face to face with RUSH and HE NAILS SILVER! 10 TURNS ON SILVER!

Evil Uno gets held by Butcher and Blade as RUSH hits Bull’s Horns for the win.

Winner: Rush, The Butcher and The Blade (7:20)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Solid match for what it was, which was really all about the angle.

Uno is taken out on the outside and RUSH throws Reynolds into a discus lariat by 10. -1 is distraught on the stage as RUSH grabs Evil Uno, feeding him to 10 for another discus lariat. They yank Uno’s mask apart and go outside to set up a table — Reynolds double chokeslammed by RUSH and 10 off the apron into the table!

The heels walk up onto the stage with 10 leading the way. He takes off his mask, throws it at -1’s feet and walks past him, smiling as -1 looks sag. LFI pose behind -1 and with that, we’re done for the night!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Very solid episode of Rampage this week. We had a very good ROH Tag Team Title match, a couple more good bouts in Allin vs. Henry and the main event, and an angle setting up the main event of ROH Final Battle. Only the Shida vs. Aminata match was forgettable and it was there just to for Bunny and Ford to come out. This was what Rampage tends to be at its best... a good hour of wrestling with a bit of angle set-up, and that's all I ask.