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AEW RAMPAGE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 20, 2024
RECORDED AT THE MASSMUTUAL CENTER IN SPRINGFIELD, MA
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard
Ring announcer: Arkady Aura
(1) THE HOUSE OF BLACK (Malakai Black & Buddy Matthews w/Brody King) vs. LIO RUSH & ACTION ANDRETTI (w/Top Flight)
Rush and Black started things off for their teams. Rush used his quickness to catch Black in a stunner, but was caught with a round quick soon after. Andretti made the blind tag on Rush who wasn’t expecting it. Black turned his back on Andretti, then tagged in Matthews. Andretti got kicked in the face, which riled him up. Rush had to calm him down, and took over as the legal man. Andretti continued his frustration on the apron as the commentator’s made mention of it.
Matthews nailed Rush with a pump kick that sent him to the floor. Andretti got in the face of Matthews as continued to get riled up. Andretti distracted Matthews which allowed Rush to nail Matthews with a tope suicida through the ropes. Andretti and Rush double teamed Matthews as The Righteous looked on from backstage. House of Black regained the advantage as they double teamed Andretti. [c]
Andretti was still taking a beating from House of Black as we came back from commercial break. Andretti made the tag to Rush who used his speed to attack Matthews and take him down with another stunner. Black tagged in but was met with a kick across the back of the head. As Rush went to the top rope, Andretti made another blind tag. Andretti told Rush he had things handled as Black kicked Andretti into Rush, then hit him with his finish for the win.
WINNERS: House of Black in 9:00
– After the match, Brody King attacked Andretti, who had to be held back from his partners.
(Moynahan’s Take: Nice opener with some actual storyline progression with Rush and Andretti seemingly showing signs of dissent. Now, since this is on Rampage, I’m not too confident this will go anywhere of note, but it’s a start.)
– Lexy Nair was backstage with Anna Jay, who’s returning from her time in Stardom’s 5-Star Grand Prix tournament. She said she wasn’t sure where she fit into the women’s division, which she said looked much different than when she left.
(2) ANNA JAY vs. ROBYN RENEGADE
Renegade and Jay traded holds in the early going as they measured one another up. Jay whipped Renegade into the corner then followed up with a running elbow strike. Jay followed up with a dropkick after yanking Renegade off the top rope. Renegade gained some momentum and pulled at the face of Jay. Jay fired right back with a flying forearm on Renegade. Jay hit a neckbreaker, then hit a Gory Bomb for the win.
WINNER: Anna Jay in 3:30
(Moynahan’s Take: Just out of the realm of total squash. The right type of match to re-introduce Jay into the women’s division. Now let’s give her a storyline and some momentum, perhaps?)
– Footage aired from the recent sit-down between Will Ospreay and Ricochet. The full version is currently available on the AEW YouTube channel.
(3) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. ANGELICO
Tony Schiavone noted how Don Callis was not present tonight, and added that he didn’t care why. Angelico went for a quick rollup pin attempt for two before nailing Takeshita across the face with a big boot. Takeshita rolled to the outside to regain his composure. Angelico followed and rammed Takeshita face-first into the ring post. Both men got back into the ring just in time for Takeshita to hit a flying clothesline. [c]
Takeshita missed a charge into the corner which allowed Angelico to hit him with a clothesline. Angelico rolled Takeshita up again for a close count. Angelico locked Takeshita into an arm and leg submission which Takeshita broke with a shot to the face. Angelico dropped Takeshita into another leg submission, but Takeshita broke it after he reached the ropes.
Takeshita went to the top rope as Angelico met him with a stiff right hand. Angelico dropped Takeshita off the top with a back body drop but was caught with a forearm shot as he flew off the ropes toward Takeshita. Takeshita followed up with his finish for the win.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Yet again, love Takeshita more than anybody but WHY is he on Rampage!? Get this guy on Dynamite every single week and make him mean something, Tony! I implore you! As far as the actual match, well, this boggled my mind. Angelico had like 75% of the offense…someone explain to me how and why this was the case?)
– Footage aired from this past week’s Dynamite Grand Slam.
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship episode with guest cohost Jason Powell: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(4) THE ACCLAIMED (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens w/Daddy Ass) vs. RYAN CLANCY & TJ CRAWFORD
Caster and Clancy kicked things off. Caster immediately dropped an elbow across the back of Clancy’s head. Clancy landed a dropkick but Caster fired right back with a backhanded slap. Bowens tagged in, as did Crawford. Bowens nailed him with a thrust kick as The Acclaimed double teamed him. They turned their attention back to the legal Crawford and hit their finish for the win.
WINNERS: The Acclaimed in 2:00
– After the match, The Acclaimed took the mic. Caster addressed MxM Collection who said they’d be unveiling The Acclaimed’s new jacket during Fashion Week on tomorrow’s Collision. Caster said it was time to crash MxM’s party before MxM appeared on the big screen. MxM Collection reiterated tomorrow was Fashion Week, but The Acclaimed wasn’t invited. They told them to find a comfortable spot on their couch to watch “the greatest debut in fashion history.’ [c]
(Moynahan’s Take: YOUR RAMPAGE SQUASH OF THE WEEK! Oh, and MxM Collection still sucks.)
(5) WILLOW NIGHTINGALE VS. TAYA VALKYRIE
Taya got the early upper hand on Willow as she rammed Willow’s head into the corner. The two traded chops as Taya cut Willow off. Willow slammed Taya to the mat before she hit a crossbody for two. Willow hit a shotgun dropkick off the middle rope as Taya rolled to the floor. Willow followed up with a cannonball off the apron right onto Taya. [c]
Willow nailed Taya with a clothesline as we came back from the commercial. She followed up with a pump kick to the face of Taya, then planted her to the mat for two. Willow tried for the dropkick off the middle rope once again but Taya moved the second time. Taya followed up with a double knee strike in the corner for two. Willow hit a superplex off the top which took out both women. They both got to their feet and traded shots before Willow hit a pounce. She followed up with her sit-down powerbomb for the win.
WINNER: Willow Nightingale in 10:00
(Moynahan’s Take: Eh, not a main event worthy match. It felt like they were going through their motions for much of this one. At least the few fans that remained seemed to dig it?)
FINAL THOUGHTS: One of the more dismal Rampage episodes in a while, especially due to the extra dimly lit crowd. Aside from the subpar main event, the question remains as to why we keep seeing Takeshita placed on Rampage. If it also feels like a total waste to you as it does me, well, that’s probably because it is. The one storyline thread they seemed to push tonight was a potential Action Andretti heel turn, which is fine, but won’t sell me on investing in him at this stage. Until next week – stay safe everyone!
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