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AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
APRIL 14, 2023
RECORDED AT THE UW–MILWAUKEE PANTHER ARENA IN MILWAUKEE, WISC.
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone
Ring announcer: Dasha Gonzalez
– The opening of Rampage aired, and JR welcomed us to the show. He was joined by Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
(1) AUSSIE OPEN vs. BEST FRIENDS – IWGP Tag Team Championship
Kyle Fletcher and Trent Beretta kicked things off for their teams. The two locked up in the early going before Fletcher tagged in Mark Davis. Trent took down both Fletcher and Davis before getting help from Chuck Taylor. Taylor threw Fletcher into Davis as Trent flew off the top with a huge crossbody onto Fletcher for a two count. Fletcher swept the legs of Trent who was on the second rope. Aussie Open and Best Friends battled on the outside as Aussie Open took the advantage. Trent was thrown back into the ring as Aussie Open double teamed him. Davis hit a senton on Trent, then covered for a short count. Davis and Fletcher hit a dual delayed vertical suplex on Trent. [c]
Trent came off the top but was caught by Davis. Davis and Fletcher double teamed Trent into a pin attempt for two. Taylor and Davis went to the outside as Taylor threw Davis into the steel steps. Inside. Trent went for a top rope superplex on Fletcher. Taylor came in to assist Trent, and Best Friends successfully hit a superplex on Fletcher. Best Friends hit a Doomsday knee strike on Fletcher for a close count. Fletcher caught Taylor in a tombstone with some help from Davis. Davis picked up Taylor into a piledriver, then hit Taylor with dual clotheslines. Aussie Open hit Coriolis for the win.
WINNERS: Aussie Open in 9:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Solid opener, which showcased Aussie Open very well. As a NJPW fan, I hope to see more crossover with Aussie Open in AEW more often.)
– Mark Bricsoe, Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh were backstage. Dutt tried explaining to Briscoe why he should be happy to be a part of their team, then presented him with a t-shirt with all of their faces on it.
– FTR came to the ring to be interviewed by Tony Schiavone. Cash Wheeler talked about their efforts to regain the tag titles, then announced that they had signed a four-year contract with the company. They said that after this contract, they would retire. Dax questioned why the fans liked them so much, then talked about how much they will fight for the fans moving forward.
– Lexy Nair was backstage with the Hardy Boys, Hook, and Isiah Kassidy. Jeff said it was good to be back after his struggles and time off. Matt said he can’t wait to be free of the Firm’s contract, then said the match would take place at the Hardy compound. [c]
(2) JAY LETHAL & JEFF JARRETT & MARK BRISCOE & SATNAM SINGH vs. MANSCOUT JAKE MANNING & THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE PROJECT
Briscoe kicked things off for his team after the rest of his team attacked the opposing team. Jarrett swept the legs out from underneath Manning. Luther hit the ring, followed by Angelico. Each was taken out before Serpentico hit the ring and was quickly taken out by Singh. Manning was chokeslammed by Singh. Briscoe then came off the top with an elbow drop for the win.
WINNERS: Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett & Mark Briscoe & Satnam Singh in 1:30
(Moynahan’s Take: Your Rampage Squash of the Week.)
– A video aired showing the recent battle between BCC and The Elite.
(3) TAYA VALKYRIE vs. EMI SAKURA
Sakura hit Taya with a stiff chop in the corner, but Taya quickly turned things around and hit one of her own. Taya took Sakura down with a stiff shoulder block, then nailed with an elbow and clothesline in the corner. Taya followed up with a double knee strike, then covered for two. Taya powered out of a full nelson attempt by Sakura. Taya attempted the Road to Valhalla as Leyla Grey and Jade Cargill appeared on the rampway. Sakura came from behind and took Taya down to the mat. [c]
Taya hit Sakura with a German suplex as Sakura was caught in the ropes. Both women went to the outside as Taya jawjacked Cargill and Grey. Sakura hit Taya from behind, then nailed her against the steel steps. Sakura and Taya were back inside the ring as Sakura was caught with a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Both women traded blows in the center of the ring until Taya hit a spear, then Road to Valhalla for the win.
WINNER: Taya Valkyrie in 8:00
– After the match, Grey hit the ring but was taken out by Taya. Cargill came in next as she and Taya went at it. Grey hit Taya from behind which allowed Cargill to hit Jaded on Taya.
(Moynahan’s Take: Very good match, which was hurt by the commercial break. That said, this was easily Taya’s best match in AEW to date. The post-match angle was well done to further this storyline.)
– Jose the Assistant was shown backstage speaking for Dralistico, who challenged Vikingo for the AAA championship.
– Jake Hager, Angelo Parker, and Matt Menard were in the ring and cut a rap. The Acclaimed interrupted, then hit the ring and attacked the J.A.S. members. Billy Gunn took out a pair of scissors and was about to use them on Menard before his teammates pulled him out of the ring. The Acclaimed challenged the three of them to a 6-man tag match on Dynamite. [c]
(Moynahan’s Take: Eh, this feud is doing nothing for me.)
– Mark Henry was shown backstage with Jungle Boy and Shawn Spears. Jungle Boy said he was there to get one step closer to challenging MJF for the world title. Spears said he knew MJF better than anyone but no longer spoke to him. He told Jungle Boy they were chasing the same thing, and he has been chasing it much longer. Henry announced that it was “time for the main event.”
– Vikingo vs. Dralistico was announced for next week’s Rampage, and Jay White will debut on this week’s Dynamite against Komander.
(4) JUNGLE BOY vs. SHAWN SPEARS
Both men shook hands as the match kicked off. They both worked the mat before Spears went for a quick pin attempt. Jungle Boy took Spears down with an arm drag off the ropes. Jungle Boy and Spears went outside. Spears was kicked in the midsection before being thrown into the barricade. Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo were shown in the back looking on. [c]
Spears had Jungle Boy perched on the top rope and nailed him with a stiff chop to the chest. Jungle Boy fought off Spears, then hit a crossbody for two. Spears reversed things into his own quick pin attempt. Spears hit a big boot to the face of Jungle Boy. Jungle Boy fired right back with a huge clothesline as both men laid on the mat. Jungle Boy was sent to the apron, but was quickly taken back inside the ring and hit with a DDT for two.
Spears went for the DVD but Jungle Boy reversed into a pin attempt for two. Jungle Boy tried for another pin attempt but could not keep Spears down. Spears hit a backbreaker, but Jungle Boy reversed things into a pin for the win.
WINNER: Jungle Boy in 7:30
(Moynahan’s Take: A strong back and forth match that gave a lot to the returning Spears while making Jungle Boy look strong in the win.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A good, not great, night of action. Nothing was inherently bad about this show, but it was definitely just a show. The most exciting part of the show, which isn’t a great sign, was the announcement of Jay White’s first AEW match against Komander on Dynamite as well as Dralistico vs. Vikingo on next week’s Rampage. That pretty much sums things up for this week. Until next week, stay safe everyone!
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