SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 3, 2023
RECORDED AT THE NUTTER CENTER IN DAYTON, OH
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Chris Jericho
Ring announcer: Dasha Gonzalez
– The opening of Rampage aired, and JR welcomed us to the show. He was joined by Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
(1) THE ELITE (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) vs. ETHAN PAGE & MATT HARDY & ISAIAH KASSIDY – AEW Trios Championship
The match kicked off right at the start of the show. Don Callis joined commentary for this one. Kassidy and Nick kicked things off as the two exchanged holds. Nick gained the upper hand, then tagged in Matt. The Bucks double teamed Kassidy, then played to the crowd. Kenny tagged in to a huge reaction. Hardy tagged in as well. The two locked up as Hardy knocked Omega down and went for a Twist of Fate that didn’t hit. Omega was sent to the outside, and was rammed right into the barricade. Page flew off the apron and took out Omega on the outside.
Page hit a scoop slam on Omega, then mocked the Bucks on the apron. Omega took down Page as the Bucks ran in and double teamed him, then took out Kassidy and Hardy. Matt took it to both Hardy and Page. Page tried grabbing Matt’s leg, which allowed Hardy to hit Side Effect for a close two. Page demanded the tag so he could take advantage of Matt. [c]
Page took out Matt with a huge pump kick before tagging in Hardy. Hardy rammed Matt’s face into the turnbuckle, then went for a pin for two. Hardy went to the second rope but Page tagged himself to take the glory. He mocked Hardy and came off the ropes but was hit with a kick from Matt. Matt tagged in Omega who came off the top to take out Page. Page tried to come back but Omega caught him and hit a moonsault off the ropes for two.
Kassidy tagged in as he, Hardy, and Page took it to Omega. Kassidy was caught by a superkick from the Bucks. Omega hit a snap dragon suplex and he and Hardy hit a double clothesline. The Bucks hit a stereo senton as the match broke down from here. Omega nailed Page with a V Trigger as the crowd chanted “this is awesome.”
Nick and Kassidy traded blows. Nick hit a running bulldog as he, Matt, and Omega tried to triple team Kassidy. Kassidy was able to take out Nick, and then got help from Hardy and Page. Hardy hit a Twist of Fate, and Kassidy nearly got the three count. The match broke down again from here.
Kassidy got a close call count on Nick, who kicked out and was able to tag in Omega. Omega hit another V Trigger on Kassidy, then hit One Winged Angel. Omega and the Bucks hit BTE Trigger on Kassidy for the win.
WINNERS: The Elite in 15:30
(Moynahan’s Take: Solid opener and strong trios tag title match. There was never a doubt who would come out victorious but these six put on a good show.)
– Lexy Nair was backstage with Ricky Starks. Starks talked about him facing the JAS gauntlet in order to get to Chris Jericho. He said he would get through JAS in order to get to Jericho. He said it didn’t matter who he had to go through, and he would get to Jericho and beat him again. [c]
– Lethal, Jarrett, Sonjay, and Singh were backstage talking about the Golden Globe they stole and the recent win over Best Friends. Danhausen and Best Friends were then shown talking about how they were unnecessarily attacked.
(2) SWERVE STRICKLAND (w/Mogul Affiliates ) vs. BRIAN PILLMAN JR.
Swerve went for an early pin attempt that Pillman kicked out of. They traded ground moves early on. Pillman kicked Swerve in the face, then walked across Swerve’s back in a mocking fashion. Pillman followed up with a dropkick, then hit another one through the ropes. [c]
The two went back and forth until Swerve hit a big right hand to take down Pillman. Swerve followed up with a back breaker but Pillman came right back with a thrust kick for two. Swerve hit a low blow to take down Pillamn, then kicked Pillman across the back of the head. Swerve went for a cover for two. Mogul Affiliates attacked Pillman which allowed Swerve to take out Pillman on the apron, then hit a move off the top rope for the win.
WINNER: Swerve in 8:00
– After the match, Dustin Rhodes hit the ring to even the odds against Swerve and his crew.
(Moynahan’s Take: Pillman looked really good here, and seemed to have broken away from Griff Garrison, although nothing was officially mentioned. Solid match.)
– Malakai Black was shown talking about the Eddie Kingston and Ortiz feud. He said House of Black never really wanted Kingston, but just wanted to corrupt him.
(3) TONI STORM & SARAYA vs. THE RENEGADE TWINS
Storm started things off with one of the Renegade Twins. Storm diverted the ref’s attention, which allowed Saraya to take it to her opponent behind his back. Saraya sent the Renegade Twin to the steps on the outside. Saraya tagged in and hit a clothesline, then two more. Saraya hit a knee strike in the corner, then a running knee for a two count. Storm tagged back in and hit a snap suplex.
Storm and the Renegade Twin went back and forth in the center of the ring until the other twin made the tag and took out Storm and Saraya. Storm fired right back and hit Storm Zero for the win.
WINNERS: Toni Storm and Saraya in 5:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Your Rampage Squash of the Week. A fine match for what it was.)
– After the match, Storm and Saraya spray painted “L” on their opponents.
– A vignette on Adam Cole aired. [c]
– Mark Henry introduced a video package previewing tonight’s main event. Henry announced that it was “time for the main event.”
(4) RUSH (w/Jose & Perro Peligroso) vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS
Both men traded holds in the early going until Daniels gained the upper hand. Daniels hit a tope to the outside. [c]
Daniels was attacked on the outside by Jose and Perro Peligoroso. Daniels fought back and went for a pin attempt on Rush for two. Daniels followed up with a clothesline, then hit a sitdown powerbomb for another pin attempt. Daniels hit a DVD for another close count. Daniels followed up by locking in a submission but Perro Peligoroso put Rush’s foot on the ropes for the break. Daniels tried for BME but Rush got his knees up in time.
Rush hit Bull’s Horns on Daniels, then covered for the win.
WINNER: Rush in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Good match to set up Rush for his Dynamite match this week.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This week was yet another solid hour of pro wrestling but nothing worth going out of your way to tune into. Much of the night was a setup for this week’s Dynamite, with a showcase win for both The Elite and Rush as they each head into big matches on this week’s Dynamite.
CATCH-UP: 1/27 AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT: Adam Page vs. Wheeler Yuta, Hayter vs. Sakura, more
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.