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Hello AEW peeps! It’s Friday afternoon and AEW is doubling down on early viewing with tonight’s afternoon/evening episode of AEW Rampage! I’m Jeremy Thomas and thanks to the NHL, Rampage is taking place at the super-early time of 5:30 ET/2:30 PT so instead of our usual Lee Sanders excellence, you have to have me. We have a four-match show tonight as Riho takes on Yuka Sakazaki in an Owen Hart Tournament qualifier, Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter battling Ruby Soho & Toni Storm, HOOK being sent against JD Drake, and Jay Lethal vs. Konosuke Takeshita. That’s a very solid card and we’ll have a lot to get into so let’s jump to it.

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.

THIS IS RAMPAGE, BABY! (aka Theme Song)

* We’re in Baltimore and starting off with the women’s tag team match.

Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm

Storm and Hayter start off and lock up, Hayter with a headlock and shot into the ropes where she runs Storm over. They go nose to nose, Hayter kicks Storm and they go into the ropes. Storm ducks a clothesline and runs Hayter over. Whip into the corner and a charging uppercut, Soho tags in and whips Storm into Jamie before splashing in. Hayter grabs Ruby and puts her in the hostile corner, tagging in Britt who chokes her and lays in fists. They go into the ropes and Baker with a Sling Blade, cover for two.

Britt goes for an Air Raid Crash but Ruby sunset flips it for two, then gets another two on roll-up. Storm tags in and Soho and Storm do a double legsweep. Storm kicks down Britt in the corner, rolles through but gets caught and slammed into the middle turnbuckle. Baker stomps Toni down and covers for two as we go to PIP break.

Back from break with Hayter in as she sends Storm into the corner hard, then hits a couple forearms to the back. Whip into the corner but Ruby with the sacrifice save and Storm grabs Hayter to drop her to the mat. Both women slow to get up, the tags are made and Ruby’s in hot! She stomps Britt’s foot and knees her in the head, a second knee to the head and she knocks Hayer off the apron before kicking her in the jaw. Storm with the blind tag, she comes in with the hard hip attack but Hayter runs in with the big boot. Pittsburgh Sunrise attempt but Soho with the big kick. It gets chaotic, Storm grabs Baker for a drop onto Hayter. Baker with the Air Raid Crash though!

Baker stomps at Toni’s head as they both get to their feet, and they’re trading shots. Storm takes over and comes off into an awkward transition into the mandible attempt, but Storm escapes and hits a release German suplex. She sets Britt on the top and Rebel comes up for the distraction. Baker with an eye gough, butterfly suplex and sliding lariat. Stomp, Baker covers but Ruby knocks Jamie into them to break up the count.

Hayter sent outside, Baker superkicks Soho but Storm with the rollup for the pin!

Winner: Ruby Soho and Toni Storm (8:38)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Very solid match to kick us off. It stayed in a certain gear (which is fine for a TV match) and had a disjointed transition at one point but all in all, very decent bout.

* Eddie Kingston is on the phone for Chris Jericho and says he’s been with his wife for over 20 years, she’s seen him in bad shape but when he walked in this time, his wife was crying. Eddie says that will be burned into his soul forever and this isn’t about wrestling anymore; it’s about making Jericho feel the fear and pain his wife felt. He’s gonna hurt Jericho bad, and it’ll be for her.

* Tony Nese is backstage and wonders why he has to force himself on the show. Mark Sterling says they request a match with the kid with all the right friends, the undefeated phenomenon, the idiot everyone loves that they don’t know why. Next week in Nese’s hometown, he wants Danhausen.

* We’re back with HOOK!

HOOK vs. JD Drake

The two circle and HOOK with a waistlock takedown, but Drake gets to the ropes quickly for the break. Drake with the pieface and a chop, HOOK asks for another and he HEADBUTTS the chop! Thesz Press, Drake gets free but gets suplexed right to the mat!

HOOK goes for another suplex, Drake reverses into a inverted DDT attempt but HOOK floats over into the Tazmission!

Winner: HOOK (1:25)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP JD Drake.

Afterward, Danhausen comes out and congratulates HOOK. He says that Tony Nese challenged him and will have Menacing Mark Sterling in his corner, so he proposes that HOOK be in his corner! The crowd is chanting “HOOKhausen” and Danhausen says that sounds good. HOOK stars at Danhausen as the crowd chants for him. Danhausen says “Come on!” and chucks HOOK’s shoulder but gets shoved down for it. Danhausen offers HOOK some chips and exits the ring. HOOK takes the chips but looks conflicted — he drops the chips and exits the ring.

* FTR are backstage and are asked about Dax advancing to the Owen Hart Tournament. Wheeler says he won last week, will win next week and then the whole thing. Dax says as an athelete Cole is a great wrestler and a horrible human. He said at Dynamite he’s bringing the nasty bastard because he has to win it for him, for his partner and for his family.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho

Lockup to start, Yuka with the headlock that goes into some counterwrestling transitions. Yuka with the headlock takedown, Riho escapes and they stare off. Circle and lockup, Yuka with the headlock, they go into the ropes and a rapid transition, but Riho with a dropkick to take the momentum. She charges in with a knee to the head in the corner and goes up top, crossbody and cover for two.

Sakazaki sent into the corner, Riho charges into a boot and Yuka up top for a cartwheel dodge, dropkick sends Riho out of the ring. Sakazaki with a cannonball dive as we go to PIP break.

Back as Riho jumps off the top but Yuka dodges and hits a Northern Lights Bomb variation for two. Sakazaki goes up for a Magical Girl Splash — but Riho gets the knees up! Riho back up now and hits a dragon suplex on Sakazaki. She takes aim and charges in — but Yuka dodges the kick and they trade pin attempts until Riho lays Yuka out for a nearfall that didn’t quite go as expected.

Riho up top but Yuka jumps up, they trade some spots and Yuka PLANTS Riho from the top rope with a Downward Spiral! Cover for two and a half. Yuka goes for the Merry Go Round, Riho slips out and rolls Yuka up for two. Riho with an elbow strike, they trade forearms back and forth. Sakazaki with repeated elbows but Riho grabs Yuka with an inside roll for three.

Winner: Riho (9:18)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Great match between these two, as should be expected. They kept things fast-paced and worked off each other incredibly well, with the obvious but right result carrying through.

* Shawn Spears claps backstage and says the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He says that he seems to have given Wardlow a sense of invincibility but even Superman has kryptonite. He says he aligns himself with the guy with darkest intentions, not deepest pockets. Wardlow has put down all the giants, but here comes Kryptonite.

* Lambert is in the ring with Men of XXX and points out he’s from Baltimore, and says that coming here makes him sick to his stomach because just like AEW ruined professional wrestling, Baltimorians have ruined the city and their crabs are awful; he can get better craps from a street walker. Ethan Page says they they had a meeting regarding their mixed tag match and as much as Page would love to scar Sammy Guevara for life, Dan proposed a question: how would his daughter feel being subjected to watching those two nitwits sucking face. He says Sammy doesn’t seem like a guy who keeps his word, so neither is he. The mixed tag match is off.

Kazarian comes out and says that Page has a lot in common with Guevara, all he needs is an annoying blonde by his side but you know what, he has Dan Lambert. Kazarian doesn’t care about any of them; he looks at Sky and says he’s always believed in him. He’s always been his biggest fan and supporter but right now he’s his biggest threat. He wants the TNT Title shot he was promised.

Page says he’s glad Kazarian is dressed for a funeral, because SCU is dead! Sky steps in and says he said things would be different; he’d do it by being a fighting champion. Everyone gets his shot and the days of the title getting passed around like Tay Conti backstage is done. Sky says with respect, it means Lambert’s title needs to go into the glass case where it was supposed to be. He says Kazarian gets his shot next week.

* Ricky Starks is talking about his match with Jungle Boy on next week’s Dynamite when Jungle Boy comes out and attacks! He batters Starks around the ring and the shirt comes off, Starks stumbles backstage and Jungle Boy grabs the title off the desk to pose with it before dumping it back down.

* Mark Henry asks Takeshita about his match with Jay Lethal and he respects Lethal but isn’t afraid. Sonjay Dutt scoffs at that and Jay Lethal says tonight after that disrespectful comment, he’ll give Takeshita a reason to be afraid.

* Breakdown of next week’s Dynamite and Rampage but Excalibur is too fast for me to type it all.

Jay Lethal vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Waistlock by Takeshita to start into a takedown, Takeshita backs off and they break. Counterwrestling ends with a snapmare into Takeshita being knocked into a single leg, chop by both men and a armdrag cartwheeled into a dropkick by Lethal. Lethal struts but pays for it with a chop and another. Armdrags by Takeshita and HE struts!

Lethal and Takeshita throw elbows, Lethal with a kneelift but gets set into the corner for a splash, Takeshita with a flipping shoulder tackle off the ropes sends Lethal to the outside and Takeshita leaps over the ropes onto him! Lethal rolled in, and Singh distracts Takeshita enough for Lethal to kick him in the knee on the apron and dragon legwhip followed by a dive. We’re on PIP break.

We’re back as both men come off the top thanks to a lariat by Takeshita, and a cover for two. Waistlock slipped out by Lethal, who counters into a figure four but Takeshita gets to the ropes right away. Lethal pulls him center but Takeshita counters and hits a big brainbuster for two!

Lethal fights his way to his feet but eats a hard shot, he’s sent into the ropes but hits a comb backbreaker and Downward Spiral. Lethal Injection ducked by Takeshita, BIG lariat! High knee by Takeshita, cover but the referee is distracted by Dutt! Kickout at two. Takeshita is frustrated, Lethal with a kick to the knee. BIG elbow by Takeshita, but Lethal with a kick to the knee from the ground. Rollup by Lethal for two, right into LETHAL INJECTION! That gets it.

Winner: Jay Lethal (9:38)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Obvious result is obvious, but man was that a strong TV match to get there.

Afterward the trio attackes Takeshita — but here come the Best Friends! Trent and Chuck run in but get obliterated by Singh, who just manhandles Chuck. Cassidy is on the apron and takes the shades off. Singh stars down with him, but he slides off the apron before things can get physical.

AND HERE COMES JOE! Samoa Joe comes down to the ring but is held back by Security. And with that, we’re done for the night!