{"id":148999,"date":"2022-11-08T10:41:02","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T16:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=148999"},"modified":"2022-11-08T10:41:02","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T16:41:02","slug":"aew-rampage-hits-and-misses-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/11\/08\/aew-rampage-hits-and-misses-26\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW RAMPAGE HITS &#038; MISSES 11\/4: Toni Storm hits with promo, women&#8217;s tag misses, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-868844933\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><strong>Video Package on Katsuyori Shibata: MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I commend AEW for trying with a video package, but the only thing I learned is that Shibata is a Japanese wrestler coming back from injury. Nothing about who he is, what he stands for, what\u2019s his style, or why a match against Cassidy with Mike Tyson on commentary should feel special. I\u2019m sure some of those questions will be answered in the match itself, but at least give me enough of a teaser in a video package to keep me from changing the channel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Orange Cassidy defeated Katsuyori Shibata to retain the All-Atlantic Title: QUALIFIED HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a match, this succeeded. As an introduction to who Shibata is, it underdelivered. I couldn\u2019t tell if he\u2019s a tough guy who is trolling Cassidy with his own comedy or if he actually employs similar comedic \u201cmind games\u201d in his own matches. You could have replaced Shibata with a lot of other people on the AEW roster and it wouldn\u2019t have compromised the match quality, and may even have been a better story.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Tyson was okay on commentary. He definitely didn\u2019t phone it in, although he seemed to over-praise the match. I highly disagree that what we saw tonight was anything close to \u201clegendary,\u201d for example. While we can\u2019t blame him for trying to put over talent, it shouldn\u2019t be at the expense of his credibility if AEW brings him back for this. There was also one awkward moment where Tyson seemed to be miffed with JR from bringing up a tangential point while Tyson was trying to call the mat work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toni Storm Backstage Interview: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was fine. I remember they aired a brief video package explaining Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter\u2019s history on Dynamite, but it ended quite abruptly. This felt like a \u201cgood enough second half\u201d of that video package where you go from talking about history to hyping up the match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and William Regal) Backstage Interview: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2491262844\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Claudio was a little awkward, but Danielson and Regal were good. The point of this segment was to present themselves as challengers to Chris Jericho, considering their history with ROH. While I had no issues with this in a vacuum, I think it would have been better if they threw their support behind Claudio to take down Jericho while Danielson deals with Garcia (see below).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter defeated Skye Blue and Madison Rayne: NARROW MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mellow crowd (despite being live), and a long commercial break. I don\u2019t think the match was bad, but it never really clicked.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Post-Match Segment: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After the match, Britt Baker cut a promo responding to Toni Storm\u2019s words from earlier tonight. Then Toni Storm came out, took out Rebel and Baker, and brawled with Hayter. Baker then laid out Storm with the title belt.<\/p>\n<p>Effective segment to build heat for the Full Gear match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lamar Jackson\u2019s Reaction to being Called Out by Jericho on Dynamite: MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I would not have aired that reaction on television. Jackson made it come across like just some fun, silly wrestling thing (which it probably was). However, that completely undermines any seriousness of Jericho\u2019s threats. I understand part of Jericho\u2019s character is his exaggeration, but we\u2019ve actually seen him take out non-wrestlers recently. The optics of an empty threat to a football player just reinforces people\u2019s stereotype of pro wrestling as a goofy hobby where men who can\u2019t hack it in \u201creal sports\u201d pretend to fight.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1071630914\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara Backstage Interview: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Interesting development here. Jericho challenged Danielson, Castagnoli, AND Guevara to a four-way match. He\u2019s expecting Guevara to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d for him and lay down once they have dealt with the BCC.<\/p>\n<p>Ordinarily, this would be a great way to split the young, rising talent from under the wing of the veteran heel and give him a big babyface push. However, we\u2019ve seen the failure that was Guevara\u2019s recent babyface run, and I don\u2019t buy he will turn again so quickly.<\/p>\n<p>This segment also didn\u2019t do Guevara any justice. He didn\u2019t say a single word. I know he\u2019s meant to be a cowardly heel these days, but given that he wants to challenge Danielson to a serious match (see below), he shouldn\u2019t have been emasculated like this.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ricky Starks Promo: QUALIFIED HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After a Dynamite that featured Jeff Jarrett, but seemingly couldn\u2019t find time for Ricky Starks or Miro, I\u2019m happy we at least got Starks tonight.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, this was a strong promo hyping himself up for the upcoming tournament to crowd a number-one contender for the World title. However, I have some minor quibbles with some of his quotes:<\/p>\n<p>Quibble 1: \u201cPeople online wanting to see Ricky Starks on TV.\u201d Given time, I can find an online fan club for anyone, including Kip Sabian. Let the heels tout their online following. Don\u2019t turn into a discount Logan Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Quibble 2: \u201cI\u2019ve never had to beg or plead any of you to have my back, did I?\u201d I\u2019m not sure why he felt the need to say this, but technically it\u2019s not true. If we\u2019re going to assume that most fans are on the internet looking up Starks-related content, then I\u2019m sure they came across the on-site reports from the night Hobbs turned on him. Apparently, right before that happened, while they were still in commercial, Starks took the microphone and made a plea to the crowd, stating that he\u2019s \u201ctrying\u201d for them and giving them his best. That sounds like pleading for cheers to me.<\/p>\n<p>Quibble 3: \u201cYou like me because I do the pose!\u201d Not sure about that one, buddy. Perhaps he said this as a self-deprecating joke, but it didn\u2019t help. There\u2019s a way you can get away with it, such as when the Rock would mention his People\u2019s Eyebrow, but he spent several consecutive weeks on television getting that over as a heel before people came to think it\u2019s cool. Starks\u2019s push, meanwhile, has been very start-and-stop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sammy Guevara Backstage Interview: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Guevara wants Danielson in a two out of three falls match. This was okay. One of his better solo promos.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Main Event Promo: NARROW MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s very clear from this promo that the main event is just a time filler to get to some kind of post-match angle. Wardlow didn\u2019t even address Gates of Agony and focussed on Powerhouse Hobbs. To be fair though, what exactly is he going to say about Gates of Agony? Their identities and backstories haven\u2019t been elaborated on, other than the fact that one of them comes from a royal family in Cameroon.<\/p>\n<p>They did also plant a bit of intrigue here with Wardlow cutting off Samoa Joe. Curious if that plays into things at some point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WarJoe (Wardlow and Samoa Joe) defeated Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona): MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A fine made event and another tag match where Wardlow was made to look strong. However, it\u2019s going to take a lot more than two Gates of Agony main events in a row to keep me awake at this hour.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Post-Match: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Very basic stare down between Wardlow and Powerhouse Hobbs to close the show. It was distracting to listen to Excalibur hyping up other things while this was going on, but it was okay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Commentary: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone tonight. Tyson joined for the opening contest, and I gave my thoughts there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overall Show: MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a Shibata fan, watch the opener. Otherwise, it\u2019s just a generic good match with Mike Tyson over-praising it. The one thing for everyone to go out of your way to check out is the Ricky Starks promo. By no means was it anywhere close to perfect, but it\u2019s the kind of stuff we need to see more of. I also dug the Toni Storm promo, but we\u2019re probably going to get a version of that in the weeks ahead too.<\/p>\n<p>As for the rest of the show, they moved some stories along, but reading recaps is sufficient to fill you in.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>CATCH-UP:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/11\/05\/11-4-aew-rampage-report-mike-tyson-on-commentary-for-orange-cassidy-vs-shibada-for-all-atlantic-title\/\">11\/4 AEW RAMPAGE REPORT: Mike Tyson on commentary for Orange Cassidy vs. Shibada for All-Atlantic Title, Baker &amp; Hayter vs. Rayne &amp; Skye Blue, Wardlow &amp; Joe vs. Gates of Agony, Ricky Starks<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-437093311\"><div id=\"pwtor-515179757\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Video Package on Katsuyori Shibata: MISS I commend AEW for trying with a video package, but the only thing I learned is that Shibata is a Japanese wrestler coming back from injury. Nothing about who <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/11\/08\/aew-rampage-hits-and-misses-26\/\" title=\"AEW RAMPAGE HITS &#038; MISSES 11\/4: Toni Storm hits with promo, women&#8217;s tag misses, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":140970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[6121,6558,6120,6562],"class_list":["post-148999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists","tag-aew","tag-aew-rampage","tag-all-elite-wrestling","tag-rampage"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2022\/06\/Toni-Storm-AEW.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149000,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148999\/revisions\/149000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}