SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
JULY 12, 2024
RECORDED AT THE LANDERS CENTER IN SOUTHAVEN, MS.
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tony Schiavone and Matt Menard
Ring announcer: Bobby Cruise
– The opening of Rampage aired as Tony Schiavone welcomed us to the show. He was joined by Matt Menard.
(1) THE KINGS OF THE BLACK THRONE (Brody King & Malakai Black) vs. THE PREMIERE ATHLETES (Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari w/ Mark Sterling & Josh Woods)
Black kicked things off with Daivari as Menard said he had to focus on calling the show as he thinks about his friend, Daniel Garcia. Daivari ducked a spin kick and fell to the mat as Black sat down and waited for Nese to tag in. Black caught Nese with a back elbow before tagging in King. Nese nailed King with a chop across the chest which did nothing to phase him. King fired back with a huge chop of his own, then another. King hit a back body drop, then a scoop slam, before hitting Nese with a senton for two.
Black tagged back in as he and King double teamed Nese. Nese was able to fight off both men until getting caught with a boot to the face, then a clothesline for another two count. King was the legal man but was sent to the floor after Josh Woods pulled down the rope. Nese flew over the top rope onto King as he and Daivari went on the attack. [c]
King was caught in the opposing corner as Nese and Daivari continued their advantage. King tried fighting out of the corner but was cut off by Nese. King hit Nese with a desperation slam before tagging in Black. Daivari tagged in as well but Black had his number. Black took Daivari down with a headscissors, then his Nese with a pumping knee strike. He followed up with a springboard moonsault for two. Black got caught with a thrust kick but quickly took down Daivari and then Nese before he turned to Woods on the apron.
King took out Woods but Black was nailed with Sterling’s clipboard behind the ref’s back. Nese came off the top onto Black and covered for a close count. Daivari was about to tag in as King yanked him off the apron. King set Daivari up across the barrier but Sterling cut him off from hitting his cannonball. King was only slowed for a second as he decided to just take out Sterling and Daivari together.
Inside the ring, Black hit a brainbuster on Nese before going to the top. Nese cut him off and dropped him to the mat. Nese came off the top but Black got his knees up in time. Black hit his finisher on Nese for the win. [c]
WINNERS: Kings of the Black Throne in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: I liked this much more than I thought I would. Nese and Daivari looked good here and got in much more offense than I imagined. It’s a shame they’re never taken seriously. Black and King work well together and it seems like they are faces that really never made a formal turn.)
(2) RODERICK STRONG (w/Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. BEN BISHOP
Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and Kyle O’Reilly joined commentary for this match. Bishop is extremely tall but Strong immediately focused on taking him to his knees. Strong hit a back suplex before nailing Bishop with a pumping knee strike for the quick win.
WINNER: Roderick Strong in 1:00
(Moynahan’s Take: YOUR RAMPAGE SQUASH OF THE WEEK!)
– A video package aired highlighting Deonna Purrazzo. She asked us if we knew what it meant to be the Virtuoso. She said she liked what this place has forced her to become, and she will burn it down to recreate it in her own image.
(3) REY FENIX vs. ANGELICO vs. A.R. FOX vs. KOMANDER
All four men went for early pin attempts until they ended in a stalemate. Angelico was nailed by the other three men and rolled to the outside. Fenix and Komander double teamed Fox who was able to fend them off. Fox tripped Komander then flipped off the turnbuckle onto Fenix on the outside. Fox quickly hit Komander with a spinning suplex but Angelico broke up Fox’s pin attempt. Angelico nailed Fox with a kick across the head, then covered for two.
Fenix and Komander fought in the center of the ring. Fenix chopped Komander who retaliated with a hurricanrana. Komander and Fenix fought on the apron as Fenix walked the top rope and kicked him across the face. [c]
Komander nailed Fox with a thrust kick while Fenix seemed to be the only one on his feet. Fenix kicked away at Angelico’s legs but missed a follow up move as Angelico tied him in knots. Fox broke up the submission but Angelico reversed into a submission on Fox. Komander walked the ropes and hit a moonsault on Angelico for two. Komander turned his focus to Fox and hit him with a DDT for two after Fenix made the save.
Fenix went to drop Komander who turned things around in a very close pin attempt. Fenix kicked out Komander’s left leg then hit him across the face. Komander was perched on the top rope as Fenix tried for a move but was knocked down. Fox came over as all three men were on the ropes. Fox was thrown down as Komander and Fenix continued to battle. Angelico joined the fray but was quickly knocked to the floor.
Komander hit a moonsault off the top onto Angelico. Fenix then hit Fox with a frog splash for a two count. Fenix rolled through and locked Fox into a submission for the win.
WINNER: Rey Fenix in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: A heckuva match and good showing by all four men. Like most things, sadly, this one deserved more of a story. Nevertheless, worth a watch.)
– Video highlights aired recapping Chris Jericho driving Samoa Joe through a wall on last week’s Dynamite. Jericho and his crew were then interviewed backstage by Renee. Jericho said he has been saying things like this the entire time. If you don’t listen to The Learning Tree, he said, then bad things will happen. He then offered a remedy for Joe’s injury before saying there’d be a special edition of TV Time on Dynamite. Big Bill then said they wanted as much TV Time as possible since they always maximize their minutes. He told Renee to try it sometime before walking off. The Bad Apple ended by saying if people don’t respect Chris Jericho, they’d make them respect Chris Jericho.
(4) THUNDER ROSA vs. RACHAEL ELLERING
Rosa nailed Ellering with a dropkick then splashed her in the corner with a running elbow. Rosa ran over Ellering with a clothesline for two. Rosa quickly locked Ellering in a submission before nailing her with hammer and elbow blows. Rosa pushed Ellering into the corner and slapped her across the chest. Ellering revered things and whipped Rosa into the turnbuckle before hitting a running uppercut. Ellering hit a senton to follow up for a two count.
Rosa was whipped into the corner again until Ellering missed a clothesline. Rosa hit one of her own before hitting Ellering across the face with a double knee strike. Rosa hit a drop kick across the ropes. Rosa locked in a submission for a quick tap out.
WINNER: Thunder Rosa 3:00
– After the match, Purrazzo ran in and attacked both women, but mainly set her sights on Rosa. [c]
(Moynahan’s Take: A bit sloppy at times, which seemed to be more due to Ellering than anything else. Nice post-match attack by Purrazzo who Tony noted as being the most decorated women’s champion in ROH. Not sure if that means anything for her future in ROH.)
(5) SHANE TAYLOR PROMOTIONS (Anthony Ogogo & Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) vs. TOP FLIGHT (Dante & Darius Martin) & ACTION ANDRETTI
Moriarty and Darius started things off with a few exchanges. Moriarty mocked Darius before kicking him in the stomach, then tried for a backslide. Darius tried for his own pin attempt as the two continued to battle back and forth. Ogogo and Dante each made the tag in as the next legal men. Dante flipped over Ogogo and went for a pin for a quick count. Ogogo cut him off but Dante was too fast for him. Andretti tagged in and immediately came off the top with a neckbreaker for one.
Ogogo carried Andretti to his corner before tagging in Taylor. Andretti nailed Taylor with a Pele kick, then flipped Taylor over the top rope to the floor. Andretti went to jump over the ropes but was topped by Ogogo. [c]
Andretti fought his way out of the opposing corner and hit a bulldog off the ropes onto Taylor. Andretti tagged in Darius who sent down Moriarty and Ogogo. Darius continued to take it to Moriarty as he hit a flatliner for two. Andretti tagged back in as he and Darius double teamed Moriarty. Andretti hit a standing moonsault for two as Ogogo broke things up.
Ogogo fought out of a double team but was caught by Darius. Taylor ran in and hit a huge clothesline to take out Darius. Dante was in next and nailed Taylor with a series of kicks before being dropped by Moriarty. Taylor and Moriarty double teamed Andretti who did his best to fight them both off. Andretti was attacked by Moriarty from behind but Andretti recovered and took out Ogogo on the outside before coming back in and hitting Moriarty with a springboard lariat.
Taylor and Andretti were alone in the ring. Andretti hit a thrust kick but was unable to pick up Taylor who dropped him then hit him with a knee strike. Taylor hit Andretti with a huge right hand for the win.
WINNERS: Shane Taylor Promotions in 10:30
(Moynahan’s Take: Solid main event, with a much-needed win by Shane Taylor Promotions who I think has been underutilized with the amount of TV time they’ve been given over recent weeks. Speaking of, I believe we will see them again on tomorrow’s Collision.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This felt like a packed episode, with some solid in-ring action. But, just like most Rampage episodes, not a ton actually happened in the grand scheme of things. That said, if you have time to kill and want to watch some wrasslin’, then definitely check out the opener, the four-way, and the main event. Until next week – stay safe everyone!
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