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AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
LIVE IN CHICAGO, ILL. AT NOW ARENA
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry.
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 his fellow announcers, Taz, Mark Henry, and Chris Jericho as they ran down tonight’s card.
(1) MALAKAI BLACK vs. LEE JOHNSON
The lights in the arena went out as Black made his entrance. Johnson was out next as the announcers talked about the buildup to this match. Black and Johnson faced off across the ring, and Johnson looked noticeably intimidated. The two locked up with neither really getting the early advantage.
Johnson landed a back elbow, which rocked Black. The crowd chanted “you f****d up” in response. Just as Black was mounting an advantage, the show went to break. [c]
Back from break, Johnson landed a few elbow strikes until Black cut him off. Johnson fired right back with a dropkick, then dove to the outside with a tope suicida. Back inside, Johnson and Black traded a few reversals until Black kicked Johnson across the face which riled up the crowd. Black wailed away on Johnson on the corner with a series of rights and lefts.
Black went outside and grabbed a chair under the ring. Black took awhile to decide whether he would use the chair. He laid it on the mat and offered it to Johnson to use it against him. Black turned his back to Johnson. Johnson picked up the chair and looked like he was about to use it when Black nailed him with his spinning heel kick finish for the win.
WINNER: Malakai Black in 10:00
– After the match, Dustin Rhodes hit the ring to drive Black away and make the save for Johnson.
(Moynahan’s Take: This was stronger on story than it was on workrate. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think this match suffered from a poorly-placed commercial break which came soon after the match began.)
– Mark Henry was backstage with Dustin Rhodes. Dustin spoke directly to Malakai Black, saying this Wednesday on Dynamite he was coming straight for him. Dustin finished by saying he’s thrived in darkness for five decades.
– Miro’s music hit as he made his entrance. The announcers spoke up Miro’s match against Eddie Kingston on this Sunday’s All Out as he made his way to the ring.
Miro took the mic and spoke directly to Kingston. He said Kingston took a charity contract into AEW and said that life without struggles makes you soft. He added that he is nothing more than a bad boy for Jon Moxley.
Right on cue, Kingston’s music hit and walked out to the ramp. Kingston cut off his own music as the crowd chanted his name. Kingston said “God’s favorite champion? Bullsh*t.” Kingston called Miro’s God stupid, then referenced his own moves as being Miro’s weakness. Kingston hit the ring after Miro goaded him on. Miro bailed, which garnered boos from the crowd.
Kingston went to the outside to nail Miro but was struck first. Miro threw Kingston into the ring as the crowd chanted “Eddie.” Kingston hit Miro with a back fist and a DDT to the delight of the crowd. Kingston’s music hit as the segment ended. [c]
(Moynahan’s Take: A very good closing show segment as we head into Sunday’s PPV. This has been my dark horse favorite, so I’m glad to see we got some back-and-forth between these two tonight.)
(2) KRIS STATLANDER vs. JAMIE HAYTER & REBEL (w/Dr. Britt Baker)
Statlander and Hayter started things off. The two locked up, which ended in a standoff. Statlander landed a series of elbow strikes but Rebel caught Statlander and allowed Hayter to lay in a few shots. Rebel and Hayter made quick tags as they kept Statlander in their corner.
Rebel hit Statlander with a suplex, then kicked her across the back. Statlander got back up and hit Rebel with a powerslam. Hayter came in but Statlander picked her up as well and slammed her down onto Rebel. Statlander took it to both opponents, even using Hayter to hit a flatliner on Rebel. Statlander had Rebel on her shoulders as Hayter charged toward her. Statlander picked up Hayter, while still holding up Rebel, and slammed them both to the mat.
Statlander got a two count on Rebel, then kicked her in the head. Statlander followed up by locking in an interesting leg lock submission for the tap out win.
WINNER: Kris Statlander in 5:00
– After the match, Baker, Hayter, and Rebel surrounded Statlander until Red Velvet made the save to drive them away.
(Moynahan’s Take: The commentators made it clear that both Hayter and Baker basically left Rebel to fend for herself toward the end of this one. That said, this was fine for what it was. It made Statlander look very strong going into her title match in a few days. I still don’t think she has a chance, but this was smart booking nonetheless.)
– The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers match at All Out was previewed, with clips from the last few weeks being shown. The remainder of the All Out card was then shown, including the Moxley vs/ Kojima match and a clip from today’s press conference where the two attacked one another. PAC vs. Andrade was also officially announced for next week’s Rampage.
– Mark Henry was on split screen with 2.0 and Daniel Garcia on one side and Sting and Darby Allin on the other to discuss tonight’s match between Allin and Garcia. Allin said he’s not overlooking Garcia tonight. He said he’d win tonight, then stare down Punk who will be on commentary. Mark Henry said it was time for the main event.
– C.M. Punk’s music hit as he made his way to the ramp. Punk walked down the ramp, stopped, then jumped into the crowd as he did the night of his return. [c]
(3) DARBY ALLIN (w/Sting) vs. DANIEL GARCIA (w/2.0)
Darby made his way to the ring. Garcia had already been introduced during the break. Darby stopped on the ramp to stare down Punk, who joined the commentary team (yes, there were five of them). Darby and Garcia locked up. The two traded slaps to the face, but Darby knocked Garcia down, who then rolled to the outside.
Darby took a nasty bump on the outside as he completely missed hitting Garcia across the timekeeper’s table. Sting cleared the way by taking out 2.0. back inside the ring. Garcia gained the offensive momentum. Darby quickly made his own comeback, and locked Garcia in his arm bar submission. Garcia was able to roll to the outside, but Darby followed and smashed Garcia’s arm across the steel steps.
Darby and Garcia made their way back into the ring. Garcia had the advantage, but not for long. Darby went to the top but was cut off by Garcia. Garcia came off the top with a superplex on Darby, then covered for a two count. [c]
Garcia had Darby in a rear choke hold. He climbed backwards up the ropes with Darby still locked in. Garcia finally let go, which allowed Darby to regain his composure. Darby tried making a comeback but Garcia cut him off and locked in the rear choke again. Darby carried Garcia to the middle rope, then jumped backwards to break the hold for good.
Darby and Garcia traded shots until Darby nailed Garcia with Punk’s Pepsi Twist move. Punk was shown smiling at the announce booth. Darby hit a Code Red for a two count. Darby locked in his leg lock pin for the quick win.
2.0 and Sting hit the ring. Everyone went outside as Punk looked on. He left the announce table to ward off 2.0. As 2.0 was backed up by Punk, Darby flew through the ropes to wipe them out. Darby landed and stood face-to-face with Punk as the show closed.
WINNER: Darby Allin in 13:30
(Moynahan’s Take: From the match perspective, this was all solid work. And boy, is Daniel Garcia getting some incredible TV time in big spots as of late or what? From a storyline point of view, this also worked for me, although I will say I wasn’t a fan of the commentary for much of this match. It felt a little too casual and not very serious for being such a big match—which may still be the main event? That said, this was the most obvious go-home segment that should have been featured tonight.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a fine go-home show, but after some thought, I think we’re all going to need to start considering both the final Dynamite and Rampage shows before a PPV a cohesive “go-home” show. After a few “off” weeks of TV, AEW ended things on the right note over the last two shows, just in time for Sunday’s All Out PPV. While I still think Omega/Cage main event on Sunday, the Punk/Darby match was clearly being built as the co-main at the very least. Until next week, stay safe everyone!
AEW COUNTDOWN TO ALL OUT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
Jim Ross sat down with C.M. Punk to discuss Punk’s match. Ross said it was good to work with Punk again. He said no one would have thought of this just a few years ago. Ross said Punk’s return a few weeks ago was as memorable as when Mick Foley was thrown off the cell.
A backstage clip aired of Punk being interviewed the night of his debut. He was asked by the interviewer whether he was nervous. He said he was and that meant he cared.
Back to Ross and Punk. Punk said once he heard the first riff of his music, he couldn’t hear anything else. A clip of Punk’s debut in Chicago was shown. Ross said he’s heard loud pops before, even referencing the Road Warrior pop, but he noted that Punk’s pop was so sustained. Punk said you must be humble and there’s always someone around the corner waiting for you to fall on your face.
Punk said it was uncharted territory for both him and the fans to have him come back and be the same C.M. Punk; the guy who had that passion for pro wrestling. He said, “it’s kind of nice to get your flowers when you’re still alive.”
Ross asked Punk who the people in the front row the night of his comeback were. Punk said some were his sisters but noted that the group of fans who he jumped into were people he never met. He said they have to do a better job of catching him next time.
Punk talked about his discussions with Tony Kahn. He added that his wife, April, was someone he would talk to to make sure he was making the right decision. He referenced his previous comments of needing to get healthy before even being able to come back.
Ross asked Punk about his initial thoughts on watching AEW. Punk said he used to see punk rock shows as a kid and referenced seeing Green Day playing in small venues one year, then big stadiums the next. He said every Wednesday night looked like somewhere he wanted to be based on the crowd reactions.
The topic turned to Punk’s match against Darby Allin at All Out. Punk said 15-year-old C.M. Punk would have had Darby Allin as his favorite wrestler. He said Darby reminded him of himself. [c]
– Jim Ross and C.M. Punk were back. Ross asked Punk what he needs to do to prepare after being away for seven years. Punk said there were a lot of questions to still find out, including whether his ring gear would still fit. Punk noted Sting being in Darby’s corner and said that makes him extra dangerous.
Ross said Darby has had some big moments already in AEW, so he is coming in with a lot of experience. Ross asked Punk why people should buy All Out. Punk said you should buy the PPV to see what happens, including whether Punk himself falls flat on his face. He reiterated that there were a lot of questions to be answered, and that was another reason why people should buy the PPV.
Punk concluded by saying September 5 would be the time to find out whether he could still go when he faces Darby Allin.
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