Jeremy’s AEW Rampage Review 9.6.24

Hello AEW fans! It’s Friday night and we know what that means (part two)! That’s right, we have a third out of AEW programming tonight as the company follows its special Friday night episode of Collision with a far less special episode of Rampage. I’m Jeremy Thomas, taking over from Lee Sanders tonight as Lee had commitments elsewhere. Tonight’s show will — well, we know it’ll be an hour long but we know literally nothing else because AEW didn’t bother to announce any matches for the show. Trust me, I looked everywhere for an announcement and there was nothing. Maybe some of the announced Collision matches will air in the final hour, I have no clue, but we’ll see how it goes. Anyway, let’s jump right into it (once Steve’s Collision coverage finishes).

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.

Eleven minutes into the show, the Collision main event is finally over so that’s fun.

* Lexy is with the Outrunners and ask them about celebrating their first win. They’re loading up the jet skis and popping the rampage. They’re topping the merch charts and get their win — and Moxley and Marina Shafir come in and take them out! Moxley says this is what he’s talking about and they should check their ego.

Queen Aminata vs. Missa Kate

Bell rings and the ladies circle, Aminata with a waistlock takedown. She hits a suplex as some weird camera thing happens backstage. Release German suplex by Aminata, she goes after Kate who goes into the ropes and then hits a cheap kick. Strikes by Kate, she goes into the ropes and gets slapped down! Headbutt, cover for three.

Winner: Queen Aminata (1:10)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP Missa Kate.

* A trios match is apparently next because Tony finally figured out what matches he wanted to have on this show. (I’m making jokes, it’s actually more or less fine.)

* We get a vignette recapping Daniel Garcia’s feud with MJF, including MJF’s turn on Garcia and Garcia’s return at All In with a quest for revenge.

Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara & Hologram vs. The Dark Order

Hologram and Uno start and Uno fakes out the handshake with a kick to the gut. Hologram flips around dodging Uno in the corner, ends up on the apron and Uno charges into a kick to the head. Hologram with a superhero stands landing and Reynolds kicks him in the head.

Sammy tags in and Hologram charges into a lift into a DDT, Sammy with an enzuigiri. Dustin tags in, they tease a double dive but say “Not today” and Hologram flips for a superhero pose as we go to PIP break.

We’re back as Sammy flips out of two back suplexes and tags in Dustin, who comes in hot and takes down Uno. Into the ropes, he hits the uppercut to Alex Reynolds and comes off the ropes with a bulldog. Powerslams to all three Dark Order members! Sammy tags in and Hologram does too, they batter the DO and come off the ropes but the Order ducks and nails all three guys. Triple team wipes out Hologram and John Silver is into the ropes but Hologram escapes, then lifts a charging Sammy into a double kick to Reynolds and Uno.

Kicks to the apron to the DO, then Dustin hits a Canadian Destroyer on Reynolds, Sammy with the top rope cutter and a 450 from Hologram for three.

Winner: Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara & Hologram (7:31)
Rating: ***
Thoughts: A good, fun trios match that saw the obvious team win. There was no suspense as to the result but I was entertained.

* The Bang Bang Gang are backstage and Juice says you need momentum in the trios division. Austin says they need to address something serious: he doesn’t have a nickname. Colten goes to suggest something and Cage of Agony walk in and Kaun suggests “Ass Boy” and “Runner Up in the Top Prospect Tournament.” Finally he says “Nepo Baby” and “Former AEW Trios Champion.” Cage says the only reason Bang Bang Gang beat them is their trios team had six members in it. Gunns try to do their two words catch phrase but the CoA block it and say “Gates Open.”

* Lexy Nair is with Top Flight and Andretti, and STP with Beast Mortos. The Undisputed Kingdom come in and ask what Beast is doing as he’s supposed to hang with them. Taylor says Beast follows the money. The Kingdom say they’re the third team. Andretti says it doesn’t matter what side Beast is on because they’re the winning side. They leave and Beast makes Beast sounds.

Buddy Matthews & Brody King vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor starts off with Buddy and ducks a lockup, then poses and calls for the judges. It’s a 10! Buddy with a waistlock, they counter each other and Mansoor posers again for another 10. Waistlock but Mansoor with a back elbow, he goes for a sunset flip and Buddy grabs him, puts him in the corner and catches a kick. He goes for a punch, Mansoor into the ropes, Buddy’s pose gets 2s and 3s.

Buddy runs over Mansoor, catches a kick and flips him backward to land on the mat. Mason tags in and stares down Buddy, who tags in Brody. Mason is excited! But Mansoor wants it and he tags in. They go face to face, Mansoor with a big chop that does nothing (but gets 10s) and Brody chops him all the way out of the ring. Mansoor isn’t happy Brody got a 7 and tears up the number — AND BRODY DIVES INTO MANSOOR AND THE JUDGES! He gives himself a 10, Mason charges but gets nailed with a superkick as we go to PIP break.

We’re back as Mansoor gets knocked down by a shot from Buddy. He goes for the tag but Mason pulls him off the apron and Mansoor gets a rollup for two. Enzuigiri from Mansoor, springboard RIGHT INTO A KNEE by Buddy!

Brody gets the hot tag, so does Mason and they collide several times before trading blows. Big kick by King answered by a big knee, Mason picks up King but he slides down and picks up Mason. Mansoor saves Mason but King kicks Mansoor’s head off. Goozle by Mason and a headbutt, Mason charges but gets belly to belly thrown into the corner. Brody backs up — cannonball! Cover gets two.

Mansoor throws Buddy into the ringsteps on the outside, Brody grabs him but Mansoon hangs him on the ropes. Chair shot behind the ref’s back! Mason with a chokeslam, cover gets a nearfall. Mansoor tags in, but Brody shoves Mason into Mansoor, Buddy tags in and hits a top rope Meteora! Knee lift to Mansoor and a rising knee strike, he gets Mansoor up top but Mason nails him from behind. Buddy on Mason’s shoulders but he slides off and shoves him into Mason, crotching him. My feed went out a bit, Buddy with a superplex into a piledriver by King for three.

Winner: House of Black (11:42)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Very fun match. I do love MxM Collection but they don’t lose anything by losing to House of Black so this was the right call. Made for a very good main event.

* Will Ospreay is backstage and is asked all day if he’s right. He says he’s feeling great to cut the ties that bind himself to PAC. It’s history, right. He remembers PAC as a UK backyard wrestler and can say names that mean something to PAC because they walked the same road. He says he walked the road PAC walked to Japan and thanks PAC for paving that road. He was told “You’re good but you’re not PAC.” He recalls them competing in Dragon Gate to a tie and he isn’t satisfied with that. He’s been chasing him and without realizing it he’s lapped him. When PAC said “Don’t forget about me,” he can’t forget about him or all the history they have. No one’s forgotten PAC, he’s just been in the position he’s been in so many times people have lost faith. He has 24 hours to change that.

* The announcers run down the All Out card.

And with that, we’re done for the night!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

You know what? For a truly throwaway episode of Rampage where we didn't even get any matches announced before the show, this was quite solid. We had two very decent matches, one squash which didn't suck as a squash, a few perfectly acceptable promos and one very good one from Ospreay. No one needs to watch this episode of Rampage as nothing important happened on it, but as an extra hour of wrestling it was a fairly fun time.