SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 4, 2021
RECORDED AT THE WINTRUST ARENA IN CHICAGO, IL
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Excalibur, Taz, and Chris Jericho
Ring announcer: Justin Roberts
– The opening of Rampage aired. Excalibur welcomed us with, “It’s Friday night, and you know what that means!” Excalibur was joined by Taz, and Chris Jericho.
(1) ADAM COLE vs. EVIL UNO
Cole attacked Uno from the bell, and hit him with a back cracker. Uno caught a superkick attempt, then landed a hanging neckbreaker. Uno followed up with a back elbow, then a clothesline which took Cole to the mat. Uno went to the top rope and came off with a senton, but Cole raised his knees in time.
Cole hit a high knee, then struck Uno across the face with a kick. Cole hit a superkick and Uno looked like he was out of it. Cole lowered the Boom and covered for the win.
WINNER: Adam Cole in 3:00
After the match, Cole took the mic and called out Frankie Kazarian, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy, Wheeler Yuta, Evil Uno, and more. He said the common thread of all of these men was Adam Cole’s undefeated streak, adding that his recent loss to Cassidy didn’t exist. Cole said that he was a new Adam Cole, a “ruthless Adam Cole.” He said he takes what he wants and what he wants is some respect. He said he was one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and has been for years. Cole said he always ends up being “the guy,” no matter the company or brand. He then added that he wants to become the AEW world Champion.
(Moynahan’s Take: Solid win for Cole, who was noticeably fired up after his recent loss to Orange Cassidy. The post-match promo is a must-watch, and is something I needed to see from Cole to set up his inevitable AEW Championship match that I believe we will see at the next PPV.)
Jade Cargill was backstage with Mark Sterling. They discussed Cargill’s recent TBS title win and winning streak of 26-0. Cargill said she was green like money and asked who was next on her show, That Bitch Show.
(2) SAMMY GUEVARA vs. ISIAH KASSIDY (w/Marq Quen & Matt Hardy) – TNT Championship
Sammy’s ribs were taped up from his recent ladder match with Cody Rhodes. Jericho hyped up Kassidy but said it was Sammy’s night tonight. The two traded reversals early on, with Kassidy gaining the upper hand. Sammy slapped Kassidy across the face and the two went back-and-forth. Sammy hit a corkscrew dropkick to take Kassidy down, then flew over the top rope onto Kassidy. Back inside the ring, Sammy maintained control. Sammy was on the apron and was hit with the Side Effect by Hardy. [c]
Kassidy now had control on Sammy in the middle of the ring until Sammy was able to hit him with a clothesline, then a knee strike. Sammy went for the GTH but was unable to due to his injured ribs. Kassidy hit Sammy with an elbow to the back. Sammy fired back, then climbed to the top. Andrade’s music hit as he walked out on the ramp. Kassidy climbed to the top but Sammy knocked him down. Sammy came off the rope but Kassidy moved, and hit Sammy with a backstabber for a close two count.
Sammy went for a springboard move but Kassidy hit him with a stunner across the top rope. Kassidy went to the top rope and hit a senton to Sammy’s spine, then covered for a close two count. Andrade was now at ringside questioning why Kassidy hadn’t won by now. Kassidy and Sammy went back-and-forth again inside the ring.
Sammy took out Quen on the outside, then hit the springboard cutter on Kassidy for a two count. Sammy hgit the GTH for the win.
WINNER: Sammy Guevara in 9:00 to retain the TNT Title.
After the match, Andrade entered the ring and was about to attack Sammy until Darby Allin’s music hit, and he ran to the ring to side with Sammy. Darby then stood face-to-face with Sammy and was clearly looking at the TNT Championship.
(Moynahan’s Take: Awesome match, and I enjoyed the Andrade appearance here, even though I haven’t been all that interested in this storyline thus far. The post-match appearance of Allin was also well done and hopefully sets up both an Allin/Andrade and Allin/Sammy match somewhere down the line.)
QT Marshall spoke about Hook, and mentioned he was sending a new trainee to face off against him next week. [c]
– Tony Schiavone was backstage with Kris Statalander, who started talking about Leyla Hirsch. Hirsch then attacked Statlander from behind with a steel chair.
(3) THUNDER ROSA vs. MERCEDES MARTINEZ
Rosa hit Martinez from the bell with a shotgun dropkick, then went on the attack. The two went outside, and Rosa threw Martinez into the metal barrier, then hit a snap suplex on the floor. Back inside, Rosa continued the offensive onslaught until Martinez hit her with a spinebuster for a close two count. [c]
Martinez and Rosa were both perched on the middle rope. Martinez hit an avalanche DVD for a two count. Martinez set Rosa up for a Razor’s Edge but Rosa got out of it and hit Martinez with an Emerald Flowsion. Martinez rolled to the outside but Rosa followed and threw Martinez right into the steel steps. Martinez pulled a metal pipe from under the ring and nailed Rosa across the face. The ref called for the DQ.
WINNER: Thunder Rosa in 8:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Wow, a very rare DQ ending, and a first on Rampage. A solid match which should set up more from these two moving forward.)
– A Serena Deeb package aired.
– Martinez was backstage with Schiavone until Britt Baker and her crew walked in. Baker made it sound like Martinez was working for her. Martinez said she was told to take Rosa out, which is exactly what she did. Baker said that Martinez needed to finish the job or else her time here in AEW would last as long as her last job (a clear jab at her time in WWE.)
– Mark Henry was backstage with members of tonight’s main event on split screen. Henry asked Lethal if he was worried about Powerhouse Hobbs interfering. Starks told Lethal he needed to acknowledge that he has never been in the ring with someone like him. Lethal questioned what Taz would think of Starks after he takes the loss tonight. Henry said it was “time for the main event.” [c]
(4) RICKY STARKS (w/Powerhouse Hobbs) vs. JAY LETHAL – FTW Championship
Lethal took Starks down early with a shoulder tackle. Jericho mentioned that Lethal was a former ROH champion. The two went to the mat and exchanged blows. Starks landed a few chops to the chest, but Lethal reciprocated with some of his own. Starks dropped an elbow across the back of Lethal’s neck. Starks went to the outside, and Lethal followed with a tope through the ropes. Lethal followed it up with a second. Hobbs walked right up to Lethal for some intimidation. [c]
Starks had Lethal in a headlock on the mat. Lethal got to his feet and landed a few right hands to get out of the maneuver. Lethal hit Starks with a stiff clothesline and both men were down on the mat. Starks hit a charge in the corner. Lethal went for a cradle pin but Starks kicked out. Lethal went for another cover but Starks kicked out again. Starks kicked Lethal in the face, then hit a powerbomb for a two count. The two were on their knees and traded punches back and forth. They got to their feet and continued their back-and-forth. Lethal took Starks down, and Hobbs climbed to the apron. Lethal dropkicked Hobbs off, then went through the ropes but ws spike onto the floor by Hobbs.
Dante Martin hit the ring, then flew to the outside and took out Hobbs. Lethal went back into the ring and hit Starks with a cutter. Lethal went for the Lethal Injection but Starks evaded it. Lethal went for it again but Starks hit his finish for the win.
WINNER: Ricky Starks in 12:00
(Moynahan’s Take: A great main event, even if the FTW is a completely unnecessary championship. That said, it was nice to see Lethal back in action after a few weeks off of TV.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: After a few subpar weeks in my opinion, this was a very solid episode of Rampage. If you’re into solid in-ring action, this is the episode for you. With that in mind, we also saw a good amount of storyline progression in the form of Rosa/Mercedes, Allin/Andrade, Allin/Guevara, and Cole vs. most likely Adam Page. We even got a preview of next week’s episode with Hook taking on QT Marshall’s new protege. Until next week, stay safe everyone!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.