SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
OCTOBER 13, 2023
RECORDED AT THE CABLE DAHMER ARENA IN INDEPENDENCE, MO
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Excalibur, Paul Wight, Tony Schiavone
Ring announcer: Justin Roberts
– The opening of Rampage aired as Excalibur welcomed us to the show. He was joined by Paul Wight and Tony Schiavone.
(1) DANIEL GARCIA & MATT MENARD & ANGELO PARKER (w/Jake Hager) vs. THE HARDYS & BROTHER ZAY
Garcia and Zay kicked things off as we got started with both teams already in the ring. Garcia dropped Zay to the mat and played around with him in a mocking way. Zay fired back with a leg lariat before Matt tagged in. Zay hit a neck breaker on Garcia as Jeff tagged in and came off the ropes for the cover and a two count. Zay made the quick tag back in as Garcia dropped him face-first on the turnbuckle before tagging in Menard. Menard and Parker made quick tags and cut Zay off from his side of the ring.
Zay made the jumping tag to Matt who cleared the ring and dropped Parker with a powerbomb out of the corner. Garcia attempted to dance before Menard cut him off which angered the crowd. Things broke down from here as everyone fought inside and around the ring. [c]
Matt was isolated in his opponent’s corner but was able to drop Menard with enough force to tag in Jeff. Jeff hit Parker with a flurry of offense before he attempted a pin that was broken up by Menard. Matt came in with a Side Effect on Parker, then hit Twist of Fate for Jeff to come off the top. Hager shook the ropes which caused Jeff to fall, however. Zay launched off Matt to take off Parker and Menard on the outside.
Inside the ring, Garcia took out Zay with a huge clothesline then danced for the crowd before hitting a spike DDT for the win.
WINNERS: Matt Menard & Angelo Parker & Daniel Garcia in 10:30
(Moynahan’s Take: A fine opener with lots of action. The friction between Garcia and Menard continues.)
– Renee was backstage with Penta and Alex Abrahantes on last week’s Dynamite before they were interrupted by Bullet Club Gold. Jay White mocked Penta and Fenix and said The Gunn Club were the best brother team. Penta said the difference between Fenix and Jay is that Fenix actually won a championship. White said he earned the title he was carrying, then challenged Penta to a match.Penta accepted before walking away. [c]
– Renee was backstage with Menard, Parker, Garcia, and Hager. She brought up their tension and Menard said he couldn’t stand the dancing. Parker tried to cool things down and settle the friction. Hager chimed in and told Garcia and Menard to squash things, which ticked Menard off as he walked off.
(2) JAY LETHAL (w/Sonjay Dutt, Jeff & Karen Jarrett, & Satnam Singh) vs. TRENT BERETTA (w/Chuck Taylor)
Lethal got an early advantage before focusing on the camera and calling out Eddie Kingston and his ROH title. Trent missed a spinning DDT but hit a standing hurricanrana for a two count. Jarrett distracted the ref as Trent missed a huge crossbody attempt and landed right into the ropes. Trent fell to the outside as Chuck fended off Lethal’s crew with a chair. Lethal went to the outside and was met with a spear by Trent. Trent nailed Dutt with a right hand but Lethal came up from behind and drove Trent into the post. [c]
Trent was favoring his knee as he and Lethal made it back into the ring. Trent went for two quick pins but Lethal powered out. Trent followed up with a series of German suplexes. Lethal missed his finish, which allowed Trent to hit yet another suplex, then a pin for two. Lethal locked in the Figure Four on Trent’s injured knee. Lethal came off the ropes and fell right into a rollup for two by Trent. Lethal kicked out the back of Trent’s knee, then hit Lethal Injection for the win.
WINNER: Jay Lethal in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Solid match, with surprisingly little outside interference, which is a welcome change from Lethal and his crew..)
– A video package aired showing the ongoing saga between Mike Santana and Ortiz. As Ortiz was talking backstage, Santana appeared and asked him where Ortiz was while he was injured. Ortiz told Santana he wouldn’t talk to him. Santana challenged Ortiz before telling him he didn’t need him. Santana said he would end Ortiz.
(3) SKYE BLUE vs. EMI SAKURA
Both women started things off by trading chops. Sakura dumped Blue to the outside then nailed her with a running crossbody against the steel steps. Sakura threw Blue back into the ring and went for a pin for two. Sakura locked in a surfboard but found herself in a pin attempt and quickly released the hold. Blue fought her way out of the corner with a back elbow and boot to the face before hitting a high knee and DDT for two.
Sakura nailed a stalling backbreaker for two. Blue fired back with a thrust kick, then Code Blue for the win.
WINNER: Skye Blue in 5:30
(Moynahan’s Take: This seemed to just get going and it was already over. Seeing more of Sakura wouldn’t be a bad idea.)
– A replay video of this week’s Dynamite highlights aired. [c]
– Excalibur ran down the card for tomorrow’s Collision, which now includes Skye Blue v. Kris Statlander for the TBS title and Brian Cage v. Komander. Next week’s Dynamite also includes Jay White v. Penta. Rocky Romero v. Mistico will also take place on next week’s Rampage.
(4) BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB (Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. GATES OF AGONY (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona w/Prince Nana)
Yuta and Kaun kicked things off and traded holds in the early going. Yuta hit a scoop slam, then a senton for a pin for only a one count. Claudio tagged in and worked Kaun a bit before tagging Yuta back in. Yuta hit Liona on the outside, but was quickly nailed by Liona when getting too close to the apron. Liona took out Yuta behind the ref’s back with a huge shot. [c]
Kaun worked over Yuta in the center of the ring. Yuta hit a German suplex and finally made the hot tag to Claudio who unloaded on Liona, the other legal man. Claudio attempted a cover but Liona kicked out at one. Liona fought out of the giant swing attempt before tagging in Kaun who rolled up Claudio for two. Claudio locked Kaun in the giant swing and right into a dropkick by Yuta. Prince Nana hit the ring but Claudio chased him away. Yuta was alone in the ring but fought against both Kaun and Liona with a series of shots. Liona planted Yuta hard to the mat, but Yuta kicked out at two and a half.
Claudio came back in time to even the odds. Yuta came off the top with the help of Claudio and hit a splash on Kaun for the win.
WINNERS: BCC in 12:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Great win for BCC and a solid main event. A little slow at parts but this showcased Yuta nicely.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A fine hour of pro wrestling, but a very un-newsworthy show. If you went ahead and skipped or simply missed this episode, you wouldn’t be out of the loop on nearly anything. That said, if there’s one match to catch, go out of your way to see the main event. Until next week, stay safe everyone!
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