AEW’s original stint in Toronto, Canada will continue in the four-game Friday edition of Rampage.
The show kicks off with AEW World Champion Jon Moxley teaming up with Blackpool Combat Club teammate Claudio Castagnoli to take on The Butcher & The Blade.
Butcher & Blade seek quarrel after feeling Castagnoli treated her friends Private Party last week.
Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia will attempt to explain their actions from Dynamite in a promo segment on Wednesday.
The Pinnacle (multi-promotion tag team champions FTR and returning Shawn Spears) will face off in trios against The Embassy’s Brian Cage and Gates of Agony, who get started at Dynamite on Wednesday.
The law firm is on the line with conditions for both. If Page wins, Matt Hardy will have to join The Firm, while a win by Kassidy will free Private Party from their recently sold contract to Stokely Hathaway’s Firm.
Nyla Rose will “pitch” her stolen TBS title against Anna Jay AS, who wants Jade Cargill’s belt for herself.
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From Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross commentate on the opening game along with William Regal.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli def. The Butcher & The Blade (w/ the Bunny) (8:40 aired)
Regal doesn’t approve of Moxley taking this match so close to his world title defense with Adam Page on Tuesday. After a brawl in and around the ring to start the match, it came down to Moxley and the Balde in the ring. Moxley rocked Blade with a German suplex while Adam Page watched from behind. Claudio got the tag and Butcher took the fight, but Castagnoli countered a suplex attempt with one of his own. Blade attempted a chop on Castagnoli and he responded with a pair of European uppercuts. The Bunny (dressed in Toronto Maple Leaf Red) ran into the ring to cut off an attacking Castagnoli and the Butcher attacked Castagnoli to take control.
After the split-screen break, Butcher held up Castagnoli for a suplex while Blade dived off the top with a javelin, causing a near fall. Moxley got the tag and took out Blade with a cutter and Butcher with a tope on the floor. Back in the ring, Moxley hit a Superplex and a stuff piledriver on Blade for a near fall. Moxley tried to cut off Blade’s head, but Butcher broke it with a diving crossbody. Butcher and Blade attempted to dredge the lake, but Claudio stopped it and a stalemate ensued between the two teams. Mox and Claudio clotheslined their opponents and then kicked their heads off. Claduio hit Butcher with a Riccolo Bomb while Moxley gave Blade the Death Rider and Castagnoli got the pin.
Moxley and Castagnoli clipped a brief promo after the match.
– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. Strickland tried to shed light on the plight of the celebrated loss to Mark Sterling, but Lee slammed how Strickland had to cheat to beat Billy Gunn on Wednesday. On the bright side for Rene, no one has interrupted her interviews so far, so she’s doing better than Lexi Nair.
– Back in the back, Renee Paquette’s interview with The Dark Order is interrupted by someone’s assistant, Jose. #10 challenged Rush for next week and if #10 wins then Rush and Jose will have to leave the Dark Order alone. The, Stu Grayson returns for at least one night because the Dark Order is in Canada!
– The Jericho Appreciation Society did an in-ring promo together again (but without Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo). They have a huge babyface heat since it’s Toronto. Daniel Garcia explained his actions, but he doesn’t blame the fans for making him do it like a real sports entertainer would. The fans chanted “You’re a wrestler!” at Garcia anyway. When Jericho belted Garcia (at Dynamite in Washington), Garcia learned that being a sports entertainer was better.
Jericho then vowed to beat all former ROH World Champions, producing former ROH World Champion and ROH Six-Man Champion Dalton Castle. Fans sang for Castle and he immediately looked like a star. Castle called Jericho “a stupid, stupid, naive little goose” and said he fought his way back for the ROH Championship. Castle pumps peacock power into this building! (Shouldn’t Castle be at HBOMax Power for corporate synergies?). Castle challenged Jericho for the ROH title for Dynamite next Tuesday, and Jericho accepted. All honor the Ocho!
– Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm discuss their interlude for the Women’s World Championship title in a pre-taped promo.
Nyla Rose (w/ Marina Shafir & Vickie Guerrero) def. Anna Jay AS (w/ Angelo Parker & Matt Menard) to retain the TBS Championship (5:25).
Rose is carrying around the TBS championship belt she stole last Friday and if Anna Jay wins AS she will get the belt. Jay avoided a cannonball in the corner and took control of Rose as the show went on break.
Back from the break, Rose set up an ingenious point where she hung Jay AS off the ropes, then went upstairs to drop a knee but Jay AS dodged. Jay went to the QueenSlayer but Rose countered. Jay dived at Rose but Rose caught her and delivered the sit out powerbomb for the pin.
After the game, Guerrero held up a 1-0 sign. The baddies and Jade Cargill attempted to get out and recover the belt, but security interfered and Rose and her crew were able to sneak away with the TBS belt.
– In a pre-taped segment, Ari Daivari stated his offer to Hook was not to join the Trustbusters, but $50,000 for Daivari to buy the FTW belt. If Hook isn’t interested in selling the belt, Daivari will just smack him for it.
Ethan Page (w/ Stokley Hathaway) def. Isiah Kassidy (w/ Marq Quen & Matt Hardy) (2:10)
It was basically a pumpkin. Kassidy missed a senton, Page hit a Twist of Fate and then the Ego’s Edge to get the pin. As a result, Matt Hardy has to join Hathaway’s crew.
– In another pre-taped segment, Orange Cassidy was pretty happy he won the All-Atlantic Championship, but now he and best friends want to challenge Death Triangle for the AEW World Trios Titles. How about Tuesday on Dynamite? “Dynamite is Tuesday this week?” Orange Cassidy is apparently the only one who didn’t get the memo.
FTR & Shawn Spears def. Brian Cage and Gates of Agony (with Prince Nana) (10:29)
Shawn Spears called Cage a “900-pound charisma vacuum” in the pre-match promo. Spears also dubbed himself the “perfect ten” in his pre-match promo.
Bishop Kaun and Spears started the match and the crowd chanted FTR while Spears and Kaun exchanged holds. Spears played his “10!” Persona way more than I can remember him ever doing before in AEW.
Most of Spears’ heat segment took place during the split-screen commercial. Kaun dropped Spears first on the top turnbuckle in an ugly spot, and Toa Liona flattened Spears with a senton on the ring apron. Cage splexed Spears into the ring from the middle rope. Kaun cut Spears off the hot tag once, but Spears kicked Kaun away and took the tag to Harwood. Harood defeated Kaun with a spinebuster but was caught by Cage with a spinning lasso. Cage came off the lead with an elbow on Harwood for a near fall. Spears awkwardly threw Liona over the ropes. FTR and Spears put Cage, Kaun and Prince Nana in triple snipers, but Liona finished that and chokeslammed Harwood. The fight shifted to the floor, where Liona missed a charge down the stairs and Spears caught Cage with a superkick and a DDT. Back in the ring, FTR hit Kaun with the Hart Attack and Spears followed up with the C4 for the pinfall.
The babyface celebration was interrupted by debutants Maria Kanellis-Bennet and the Kingdom, Matt Taven and Mike Bennet. Maria claimed they built the ROH and IWGP Tag Team Titles first and the Kingdom never got the recognition it deserved. Embassy members jumped on FTR and Spears. The Kingdom joined to make it a 5v3 beatdown until Wardlow and Samoa Joe came in to chase heels away.
Final Thoughts:
Tuesday is a loaded episode of Dynamite. Added for tonight’s show:
- Chris Jericho vs. Dalton Castle for the ROH Title
- Death Triangle v. Best Friends for the AEW Trios title
This was an unusually hot episode of Rampage that still felt fresh despite being a pre-recorded show. I think that has at least partly to do with the fact that they didn’t record it immediately after two hours of dynamite late in front of a burned out crowd. Unless AEW wants to do Rampages live every Friday, they might want to consider more Thursday night taping to see if that improves the quality of the show.
#AEW #Rampage #live #results #Moxley #Castagnoli #Butcher #Blade
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