AEW RAMPAGE HITS & MISSES 8/19: Miro hits with attack, women’s match misses, more

Claudio Castagnoli and Dustin Rhodes Promo: MINOR HIT

Good performance from two wrestlers who are getting some overdue dignity on a national wrestling promotion. My only criticism of this is on a structural level: having two world titles in a promotion without two different brands just waters everything down a notch.

Ruby Soho and Ortiz Backstage Interview: 50-50

Ortiz has entered Dolph Ziggler territory of shouting way more than is necessary to convey a point. Ruby was okay.

Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland defeated Private Party to retain the AEW Tag-Team Titles: MINOR HIT

This almost felt like a squash. With the commercial break, there wasn’t much back-and-forth between the teams. It seemed to serve more as a means toward an end as Lee shook Private Party’s hands while Swerve did not (although he did nod approvingly, so maybe it didn’t matter much).

In any case, nothing special here.

The Factory/Powerhouse Hobbs Backstage Segment: HIT

Hobbs came across like a badass with an edge. I also rate this a bit higher because they were at least in a unique setting (gambling table) instead of the dull interview area.

Zack Clayton Entrance Promo: MINOR HIT

Nothing special about what he had to say, but if AEW plays into the “reality” gimmick with corny video packages about his reality show success and love for New Jersey, he could be an undercard heat magnet.

Hook defeated Zack Clayton to retain the FTW Title: IT HAPPENED

Quick, unremarkable squash.

Angelo Parker and Matt Menard Backstage Promo: MINOR HIT

Amusing delivery. Seems like one of them is going to challenge Hook next.

Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed Backstage Interview: MISS

Billy just kills a lot of the credibility that the Acclaimed has as a badass babyface tag team. He should have just been kept out of the picture after the Gunn Sons turned on him.

Buddy Matthews defeated Serpentico: IT HAPPENED

Quick squash. Nothing special.

Post-Match Attack by Miro: HIT

I have come to accept that Tony Khan was more infatuated with Miro when he was hanging with Kip and Penelope than the Redeemer. I think his work has been very top shelf for several months now, but I’m happy he’s being featured in an actual storyline now. Good performance tonight as well.

Britt Baker Backstage Interview: MINOR HIT

Having Britt be a background player commenting on the Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm storyline isn’t the best use of her. Put her in an actual storyline with someone else until you’re ready to put the world title on her again.

Athena defeated Penelope Ford: MISS

This match was a very literal “MISS” through no fault of the talent. A bulk of it was lost to commercial, and when we came back, we only got a few seconds of action before the finish.

By the way, Kip Sabian was at ringside. what happened to the Kip Sabian-Pac feud that was teased a few weeks ago? And why does he have a box over his face? What corner of YouTube must I go to in order to get that explanation?

Post-Match Angle: NARROW MISS

After the match, the Baddies came down to beat down Athena. They then made her watch as Jade Cargill took a sledgehammer to Athena’s wings. All three then beat up Athena.

This would have come across better if we had weeks of Athena explaining what the wings meant to her, and more broadly, what her “Fallen Angel” gimmick is all about. At least when the angle with Shotzi Blackheart’s tank on NXT last year had some heat. As it is, the beatdown was weak, and the bit with the wings wasn’t as memorable as it should have been.

Main Event Promo: MINOR HIT

Very paint-by-numbers. I gave my analysis of the Trustbusters and Best Friends last week, and nothing much has changed. Ari Daivari is good, but the rest of the faction really needs to establish roles and identities.

Last week, Cassidy tried to steal Mark Henry’s “enough talk” line by just saying it. This week, he tried to do the same by interrupting Henry. I chuckled at both instances.

Best Friends defeated the Trustbusters to advance in the Trios Title Tournament: Orange Cassidy defeated Ari Daivari: HIT

A fun main event which really helped define Slim J and Parker Boudreaux in their roles. Now I just need to know how Sonny Kiss factors into the team. I hope she isn’t only a manager.

Considering how last week was the Trustbuster’s show, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see them go over here. However, Best Friends are probably the more credibly Trio at this point. Now I worry they will be phased off television for several weeks after the company just spent two weeks trying to get us to care about them.

Commentary: MINOR HIT

Ross, Schiavone, Excalibur, and Chris Jericho tonight. Jericho was tolerable, so the commentary was decent overall.

Overall Show: MISS

You know who the true star of this show was? Lexi Nair. She really had a busy night with those backstage interviews. I hope over time they let her develop a bit of a Mean Gene-like personality where she can actually push back against some of the wrestlers.

Anyway, most of this show was skippable. Watch the Miro beatdown of Matthews and the main event if you want some action.

The tag title match and the women’s match were victims of poor show structure. The shows do not need to packed with this much content. Just put a few things on and give them a chance to breathe. Tell some compelling week-to-week stories that a busy fan can actually remember and reflect on between episodes.

CATCH-UP: Ruby Soho talks retirement plans and future in wrestling