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KELLER’S AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
JANUARY 1, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT DAILY’S PLACE
AIRED ON TNT
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Ricky Starks
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
(1) DARBY ALLIN (w/Sting) vs. ANTHONY BOWENS (w/Max Caster)
Darby came out first with Sting. Then Caster rapped with Bowens on his way to the ring. Caster called Darby “a little prick just like a booster shot.” He told Darby he has a daddy kink for hanging with Sting. He said Sting is just part time and his ring time is way lower than his sex drive. He also snuck in a reference to Ghislain Maxwell and being locked up. Starks said he loved it.
Bowens had an intense game face on as he stared down Darby at the start. Bowens rolled to ringside at 1:30 after a Darby two count with a magistral cradle. Back in the ring, Darby landed a dropkick, so Bowens rolled to ringside again. Caster stepped onto the ring apron and tried to distract Darby. Darby didn’t turn around, but gave him a middle finger. Bowens charged at Darby, but Darby shoved him toward Bowens. Darby then knocked Caster off the ring apron with a forearm. Bowens then elbowed Darby in the face when he turned around to take control. Bowens whipped Darby into the ringpost. Darby crashed to the floor. They cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Bowens controlled the action during the break, working over Darby’s arm. Darby went for a Coffin Splash in the corner, but Bowens caught him. Darby came right back with two quick leverage pin attempts. Bowens chopped and superkicked Darby to knock him down. Both were on their backs and slow to get up. Sting pounded the ring apron to get the crowd hyped up. Bowens chopped Darby in the chest, but Darby came back and climbed to the top rope. Bowens shoved him off balance, though. Then he DDT’d Darby off the ropes. He went for a pin with his feet on the top rope for added leverage. The referee caught him and stopped his count. Schiavone said his attempt to cheat cost him the match because he didn’t think he had to go to the ropes.
Darby yanked Bowens into the turnbuckle and then climbed to the top turnbuckle and stepped on Bowen’s hand. Caster again stood on the ring apron to block a Darby dive, but Sting yanked him by his leg off the apron. Sting then threw Caster into the ringside barricade. Bowens took over at ringside and threw Darby into the barricade and then face-first across the ring apron. Bowens mouthed off to Sting before retiring to the ring. Darby then caught Bowens with a sudden Code Red for a near fall. Bowens rolled to the floor. Darby dove through the ropes onto both Caster and Bowens. Darby threw Bowens back into the ring and landed the Coffin Drop for the three count.
WINNER: Darby in 11:00.
-After the match, Andrade walked out onto the stage and applauded. Bowens then hit Sting with a boom box. Bowen and Caster double-teamed Darby. As Bowens held Darby, Caster hit him with a chain.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match that incorporated Sting and Bowens at ringside in a way that fit their personnas. Apparently Bowens is no Billy Gunn, since hd didn’t kick out of the Coffin Drop. I’m not sure if the post-match angle was to set up Sting & Darby vs. The Acclaimed or just a way for Acclaimed to “get their heat back.” A feud between those two teams would be a good next move for both teams. It’d elevate Acclaimed and gives Darby & Sting fresh opponents. Not sure if they want to have Sting wrestle that much, though, in a feud against a rising but not a main event team like the Acclaimed.) [c]
-Taz narrated a segment on Hook’s finisher. He called him a “NCAA Division I athlete, the cold-hearted handsome devil named Hook.” He talked about various Taz moves including the former Tazmissions, now redubbed Red Rum.
(2) THE BUNNY & PENELOPE FORD vs. TAY CONTI & ANA JAY – Street Fight
Conti threw a trash can at Ford at the start. Bunny threw a punch at Jay, but ay had a chair to block it. Jay then punched Bunny with brass knux. Schiavone said Ford is a rising star and this match could help her break through. Ford leaped off the top rope with a moonsault onto Conti. Excalibur said while the table did’t break, the face of Conti might have. Ford pulled a glass bottle out from under the ring. She broke it over Conti’s head. Ford and Bunny pulled a table out from under the ring. Bunny was bleeding heavily from the forehead. So what Conti. They cut to a partial split-screen break at 4:00. [c/pss]
Back from the break, Jay had Bunny in a sleeper. Bunny leaped backwards and sent Jay crashing through the table leading to a two count. Ford slammed Jay face-first into a ladder flat at ringside. Bunny then pulled out a bag of thumb tacks and poured them all over the broken glass pieces in the ring. Bunny and Jay battled to see who would send whom onto the tacks. Jay superplexed Bunnyonto the tacks. Jay draped her arm over Bunny, but Ford broke up the cover. She ended up with tacks stuck in her arms and winced.
Ford stomped a chair onto Ford’s chest on the ring apron as Bunny tried to recover. Conti then delivered a leaping piledriver off the ring apron through a table at ringside. Both were down and out as Excalibur yelled, “Un-be-lievable!” Schiavone said words cannot describe what they’re seeing. Bunny put in brass knuckles, but she slipped on the tacks and fell onto them. Jay then put Bunny in her Queen SLayer sleeper with her arm wrapped in a barbed wire for the tapout win. Bunny’s bleeding was really severe, as her face was nearly drenched and covered in bright red blood.
WINNERS: Jay & Conti in 11:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Not my favorite kind of match. They pulled it off pretty well in terms of what they were going for. I think the bleeding was gratuitous, and the violence was several levels higher than this feud called for. It feels strange having a match with that level of violence and blood and weapons be in the middle of a show with four women usually in mid-card matches. I’m also not sure that doesn’t turn off more viewers than it turns on.)
-A video package aired on the “Hangman” Adam Page and Bryan Danielson draw. Danielson said he controlled most of the match. Hangman said he just needed three more seconds to win, so he was so disappointed when the time ran out.
-Excalibur plugged Dynamite including MJF in action, the Lucha Brothers vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus for the AEW Tag Team Titles, and Hangman vs. Danielson. Then Rampage next week will feature Daniel Garcia & 2point0 vs. Eddie Kingston & Santana & Ortiz. Then Battle of the Belts next Saturday features Britt Baker vs Riho for the AEW Women’s Title.
-Mark Henry interviewed Cody Rhodes with Arn Anderson and Ethan Page with Dan Lambert and Scorpio Sky. Cody rolled his eyes at Lamberts whining. He was earring his his “Babyface, Heel, Winner” t-shirt. Arn then mocked him with fake shivers and said, “Ooh, we’re so frightened.” Arn said he’s the type of person who sees things the way they are, not the way he wants them to be. He said he’s not standing out at ringside because he’s photogenic, it’s because he can put a stop to something when called for. He predicted Cody will be “strictly on the offense.” Henry said that’s enough talking, so it’s time for the main event.
(Keller’s Analysis: At first, the fact that Henry says almost nothing in these segments felt ridiculous. Now it’s part of the charm, I think. He just has his catch phrase at the end, but rarely says anything to move the interview along until then.) [c]
(3) CODY RHODES (w/Arn Anderson, Dustin Rhodes) vs. ETHAN PAGE (W/Dan Lambert, Scorpio Sky) – TNT Title match
As Ethan came out, they replayed a bit of the Brandi angle from Dynamite with Lambert. Cody’s ring entrance then took place.He was joined by Brock Anderson, Arn Anderson, and Lee Johnson. Ethan, meanwhile, was in the ring cuddling with hissing jacket. Starks said Cody is such a polarizing figure. Justin did formal ring introductions. Cody was very fired up during ring entrances. Schiavone said you can cheer him or boo him, but you can’t deny his intensity.
The bell rang 45 minutes into the show. Cody landed a quick snap powerslam. Lambert grabbed Cody’s boot, giving Ethan an opening to take control. Excalibur and Schiavone talked about Keith Mitchell, a long-time executive producer in the truck for live events. Schiavone sai he’s known him since 1990 and said he treated people right which is why he lasted in the business as long as he did. A “Let’s Go Cody! / Cody sucks!” Chant broke out.
Ethan leaped off the ring apron with a flying shoulder block. Then he threw Cody shoulders-first into the ringpost. Cody fired back with a chop, but Ethan went right back at Cody with chops. In the ring, Cody took Ethan down with a chop block, then kicked away at his leg. Cody applied a leglock as they cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Ethan broke the hold with a punch during the break. Arn offered some advice, then Cody went back to working over Ethan’s leg. He tossed his weight lifting belt to the crowd, then went back to working over Ethan’s leg. Back from the break, Ethan threw Cody off of him during a suplex attempt. They stood mid-ring and exchanged punches. Ethan landed a flying clothesline ad then a DDT for a near fall. Sky stomped away at Cody at ringside. Arn walked over and threw him aside. Dustin then punched away at Sky and threw him over the barricade. Cody came up behind a distracted Ethan and went for a full nelson, then turned it into a Crossroads for a believable near fall that popped the crowd.
They showed Dustin fighting Sky up into the rafters. Cody then took off Sky’s knee brace. Starks said that’s a sign of Cody he hasn’t seen before. Cody leaped too the top rope and set up a move, but Ethan grabbed Cody and powerslammed him off the top rope. He made the cover, but also grabbed his knee in pain. Cody kicked out at two. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” They stood and exchanged strikes again mid-ring. Cody slipped free of an Ego’s Edge and landed a Cutter for a near fall. Cody then applied a figure-four leg lock mid-ring. Ethan cried out in pain. Ethan reversed it, so Cody grabbed the ropes to force a break. Ethan caught Cody with a jackknife cover for a two count. Ethan limped on his knee as he set up another Ego’s Edge, but Cody blocked it and delivered a Crossroads. He held on and delivered another. He then delivered a Tiger Driver ’98 for the win. Boos rang out. Arn celebrated with Cody mid-ring. When the ref raised Cody’s arm, louder boos. Dustin hugged Cody. Schiavone said he has to keep this aggressive attitude going forward. Schiavone said it’s been a great year and they look forward to Dynamite on TBS this Saturday. Arn made a gun gesture and fired it at Lambert at ringside.
WINNER: Cody in 14:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: A good TV main event. It’s just good to see Cody back in the ring wrestling his style matches that are fundamentally sound and efficient, with a timeless ring psychology so that every move counts and is part of the build toward the finish. If there was more of this and less of the gender reveal segments and grandiose entrances, he’d be among the most cheered lead babyfaces in the company. I could do without Arn pretending to shoot Lambert with a gun using his hand, though. It just seems a little much. Ethan has had a really good year rising to heel who is just credible enough to be accepted in a competitive title match with Cody, but the type of heel who can get right back to doing what he’s been doing after losing to Cody without skipping a beat.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Those gory bloody weapons and apparatus matches aren’t my favorite, but when they happen, they should mean more than mid-show match with women in a mid-card feud. I know it appeals a lot to some fans, but I think the turnoff factor is substantial too. The first and third matches were really solid, though. And the star power throughout didn’t make this feel at all like a B-show, including the Taz segment on Hook.
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