AEW RAMPAGE HITS & MISSES 2/19: Jay White misses with promo, but hits in the ring, smart video recaps of Dynamite, more

Adam Cole defeated Dark Order’s “Ten”: MINOR HIT

Solid opening contest. It’s always interesting to see a large babyface against a smaller heel, but Cole was smart to work over Ten’s leg to keep him from building any real momentum.

I also appreciate Ten’s recent record being brought up, which justifies his TV time with Cole. However, as always, most of this happened on shoulder programming, and his aggressive streak against the security guards on Dynamite just felt sudden. It’s difficult to buy into this when he’s been a background player to a comedy faction, and we haven’t seen any long-term process of character growth.

The “Ten” chants he leaned into might be a good way to temporarily bond with the crowd, but it reminds me of Tye Dillinger in WWE. Even if you weren’t a WWE fan back then, it still defines him as a member of Dark Order without much character beyond his number.

I want to see AEW run with one or two members of Dark Order as serious contenders instead of start-and-stop pushes resembling Dolph Ziggler in the early-mid 2010s.

MJF-CM Punk Video Promo Highlights: HIT

Punk’s promo last week was great. A good homage to wrestling history, and it strayed away from eye-rolling meta stuff. While Piper and Valentine are before my time, the still shots of their iconic dog-collar match in this video segment helped me appreciate the gravity of it (if the Rhodes-Lee match didn’t already). I appreciate being reminded of this promo, and it was a way to foreshadow what will see on the Pay Per View. MJF has built up enough heat to make me want to see him get beaten up.

Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Dante Martin to earn a spot in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match: HIT

Surprising finish for sure, but I like seeing Hobbs notch a major singles win on television. The match was a nice clash of styles. There were enough slow, heat-building moments to whet my appetite for Martin’s athletic comebacks. Speaking of Martin, he definitely looked better here than his main event match with MJF several weeks ago on Dynamite.

With Keith Lee, Wardlow, and Hobbs now in the ladder match, it is shaping up to be a contest unlike we’ve ever seen before. I’m sure they’ll sneak in a couple of high-flyers in the coming weeks, but it’ll be nice to see a ladder match that isn’t a high-spot fest for once.

Jade Cargill Backstage Interview: MISS

Matt Hardy came with Bunny to propose a challenge for Cargill’s TBS championship. I thought Cargill’s non-verbals were strong, but she’s leaning a little too heavily into the “money” line, to the point of comedy. I think branding and character definition is good, but Cargill needs to find the boundary between presenting herself as a prize fighter and having fun with the gimmick.

In addition, Mark Sterling is a complete charisma vacuum, and Matt Hardy was also just silly here. This isn’t how you promote a title match.

Serena Deeb defeated Angelica Risk in “The Professor’s 5-Minute Challenge”: MINOR HIT

Quick two-minute victory for Deeb. I’m loving her new character dimension. If this continues, Deeb will be more over than Britt Baker in my eyes.

Bryan Danielson-Jon Moxley Promo Highlights: HIT

This was another legendary promo from Dynamite last week, and it’s good to be reminded of it.

Main Event Promo: MISS

I thought White did as good a job as he could in 30 seconds to convey his purpose in AEW. By no means was this as good as a Roman Reigns promo, or the one promo I’ve seen him cut in New Japan, but it was decent. My issue is with his character’s goal. It doesn’t make any sense in AEW canon. I know Trent has been featured a little stronger since his return, but should a main-event talent be imported just to take out Trent? Is the AEW version of Trent really worth Jay White’s time? Shouldn’t be fighting Orange Cassidy, the man who pinned Adam Cole? Or is Jay White simply not as big a star as I hear he is? Alternatively, maybe the Elite are so incompetent that they have given up on trying to beat Cassidy and turned their focus to Trent instead.

Trent’s part of the promo was short but alright. If AEW wants to continue to build him as a serious competitor, he may have to lose the question mark on his name (it wasn’t in his ring introduction, but it was on his shirt). Trent was part of a great street fight with Santana and Ortiz, and I’ve enjoyed most of his character since his return from injury, but he still needs to sort out some lingering inconsistencies in his character presentation.

Jay White defeated Trent Beretta: HIT

Very good match. Physical and gritty without any weapons, blood, or ringside spots. I was fortunate that there were no commercials in my feed, so I got to see more of White’s non-verbals than the average American audience.

Most of the crowd didn’t seem to know who White is, as confirmed by the live correspondent on the post-show last week.

After the match, White has a little stare down with Cassidy. It would have made sense for him to go after Cassidy as soon as last week, but I’ll take this.

If you aren’t an NJPW fan, it’s easier to enjoy White if you just think of him as a visiting mid-card heel instead of a Roman Reigns-esque supervillain. He strikes me as the kind of wrestler who needs multiple weeks to establish his character and spread his charisma, and that’s fine.

Commentary: MINOR MISS

In trying to explain White and Trent’s history, Excalibur relied on increasingly confusing jargon. For example, what’s a “Grand Slam” champion? I appreciated Jericho following up with an AEW-relevant example by saying White has a victory over Kenny Omega. That’s a better way to convey his pedigree.

However, Jericho didn’t have a good night otherwise. Not his worst performance, but there were signs of him slipping back into self-indulgence. Enough to slightly drag down my rating.

Overall Show: HIT

Very good in-ring action across the board, without a single spot fest or “self-mutilation.” Unfortunately, the verbal storytelling wasn’t quite as strong, but that didn’t last longer than a couple of minutes. I hear Smackdown featured some excellent action as well, so this was probably a good night for wrestling fans.

CATCH-UP: 2/18 AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT: Jay White’s in-ring AEW debut vs. Beretta, Adam Cole vs. Dark Order’s “10,” Hobbs vs. Dante, Deeb vs. Risk