AEW RAMPAGE RESULTS (3/1): Matt Sydal vs. Magnus with in qualifying match, Claudio vs. Rugido, Riho vs. Adora, plus Archer & The Righteous

AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
MARCH 1, 2024
RECORDED AT THE GREAT SOUTHERN BANK ARENA IN SPRINGFIELD, MO
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard, Nigel McGuinness

Ring announcer: Justin Roberts

– The opening of Rampage aired as Tony Schiavone welcomed us to the show. He was joined by Matt Menard and Nigel McGuinness.

(1) CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. RUGIDO

A rare double entrance to start off the show as both Rugido and Claudio made their ways to the ring. Claudio quickly threw Rugido to the mat as things kicked off. Rugido took Claudio down with an arm drag but Claudio reversed things into a pin attempt. Both men worked the mat as they traded holds before they ended in a stalemate. Rugido flew off the ropes with a flying forearm, then took Claudio down to the outside. Rugido followed up by flying through the ropes to take Claudio out.

Rugido climbed to the top rope and hit a crossbody on Claudio, who immediately got to his feet and nailed Rugido with a clothesline. Claudio kicked away at Rugido who remained on the mat. Claudio tossed Rugido to the outside and followed before throwing him into the barricade. Claudio picked up Rugido and threw him throat-first across the barricade, then made his way back into the ring as the ref counted. Rugido got back inside the ring just in time for Claudio to go back in the attack. Rugido nailed Claudio with a series of chops but Claudio threw Rugido into the corner and hit a lariat. He tried again but Rugido got his foot up. Claudio fired right back and threw him hard to the mat and covered for two. [c]

Claudio maintained control over Rugido who fought to get out of the hold Claudio had him in. Rugido took Claudio down with a headscissors before hitting a dropkick. Rugido followed up with a moonsault off the ropes onto Claudio who was on the outside. Back inside the ring, Rugido went for a few quick covers to no avail. Claudio hit a huge European uppercut, then a clothesline on Rugido for two. Rugido hit a clothesline of his own then threw Claudio across the ring before covering for two.

Rugido power slammed Claudio for another close count, then locked in a headscissors. Claudio broke free and hit the giant swing on Rugido. Claudio covered for a two count before hitting the hammer and elbows. He hit a face-plant piledriver for the win.

WINNER: Claudio Castagnoli in 12:00

– After the match, Claudio went to shake the hand of Rugido before giving him a low blow and taking him to the mat. Magnus, Rugido’s partner, hit the ring with a chair to drive Claudio away.

(Moynahan’s Take: Nigel told us Rugido translates to “roar,” which falls into the “you learn something new every day” category for me. While slow at times, this was otherwise a fun little match where the storyline between BCC and CMLL was slightly progressed.)

– A recap from Dynamite aired recapping the Young Bucks and Sting and Darby Allin feud. [c]

– Another video package aired recapping the AEW World Title 3-way match at Revolution between Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland.

(2) LANCE ARCHER & THE RIGHTEOUS (Vincent & Dutch) vs. LUKE LANGLEY & ANAYA & VAUGHT

Vincent kicked things off with Vaught and immediately took Vaught down with a running back elbow. Vincent kicked away at Vaught’s knee before hitting a running kick to his face. Dutch tagged in and immediately powerbombed Vaught before he nailed him with a stiff right hand. Vaught jumped to make a tag into Langley but he was met by a slam by Dutch. Archer tagged in and took out all three opponents by himself. Vincent and Dutch entered the ring as they helped Archer who hit the Blackout and picked up the win.

WINNERS: Lance Archer & The Righteous in 2:00

(Moynahan’s Take: YOUR RAMPAGE SQUASH OF THE WEEK.)

– A video package hyping the Women’s Title match at Revolution between “Timeless” Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo aired.

(3) RIHO vs. TRISH ADORA

Riho hit an early double stomp across Adora’s back, then nailed her with a dropkick which sent Adora to the outside. Riho followed up with a huge crossbody off the top onto Adora on the floor. Back inside the ring, Riho went for a cover for two. Adora caught Riho in a crossbody attempt, then drove her hard across her knee. [c]

Adora caught Riho again right into a backbreaker, then covered for two. Riho evaded a charge in the corner then climbed to the top to hit a crossbody for a two count. Riho followed up with a headscissors takedown, then hit 619 in the ropes. Riho tried for a full nelson, but Adora broke it so Riho hit a northern lights suplex for two. Riho charged at Adora who hit her with a pump kick. Adora missed a senton and Riho hit a crucifix pin for a close count. Riho followed up with a running double knee strike for the win.

WINNER: Riho in 8:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Not much of a match since the commercial break took up a large portion of their time., but what we got was fine That said, Riho got a nice reaction from the crowd, which always seems to be the case.)

– Alex Marvez was with Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker as they were getting ready for their date. Zak Knight attacked Parker from behind as they were distracted talking to Harley Cameron and Saraya. Knight left Parker lying as Soho yelled for help. [c]

– Mark Henry hyped up Magnus vs Matt Sydal as video clips aired of the various participants in the Revolution All-star Scramble match. Henry told us it was “time for the main event.”

(4) MAGNUS vs. MATT SYDAL – Revolution All-Star Scramble Match Qualifier

Quick work by both men in the early going, with a few pin attempts were made to no avail. Sydal sent Magnus to the outside, then flew off the top to take him out on the floor. Sydal tossed Magnus back inside the ring but Magnus caught Sydal on the apron. Sydal slid back into the ring and quickly hit Magnus with a back kick before hitting a corkscrew splash for two. Sydal hit a running leg lariat in the corner. Magnus caught Sydal in a double underhook into a backbreaker for a two count. [c]

Sydal came off the middle ropes but Magnus caught him with a kick to the stomach. Magnus hit Angel’s Wings, then covered for two. Sydal reversed a move on Magnus and covered for two. Magnus went for a powerbomb but Sydal reversed again, then kicked away at Magnus a number of times. Sydal covered for a close count. Sydal hit Magnus again with a kick to the face before dropping him for yet another close count. Sydal went for a springboard but Magnus caught him in time and kicked the ropes right out from under Sydal. Both men got to their feet and exchanged blows. Sydal got the upper hand and went to the top rope.

Magnus pushed Sydal off, then went for a superplex. Sydal blocked it and knocked Magnus off the ropes before hitting a double knee strike to the face for a pin attempt. Magnus hit a leg drop then went to the top. Sydal cut him off. Sydal attempted a move off the top but Magnus knocked him off then charged in with a double knee strike in the corner for the win.

WINNER: Magnus in 12:30

(Moynahan’s Take: A fun, fast-paced match, which ironically was not meant to be a qualifier for the Revolution All-star Scramble when it was initially taped. It’ll be fun to see how Magnus does with some AEW regulars on a bigger stage, as long as he’s given the platform.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Another middle of the road episode of Rampage, which otherwise served a solid purpose in hyping up Sunday’s PPV by weaving in reminders throughout the show. An extra plus for me since I may not be able to catch Collision this week, so this certainly served as a palatable hype show. I will say that I am getting a kick out of the CMLL wrestlers, so I do recommend checking out the opener and main event. It’ll be fun to see Magnus in Sunday’s All-star Scramble just to see how he mixes it up with people like Powerhouse Hobbs and Jericho, among others. Until next week, stay safe everyone!