AEW Rampage 3/18/2022

AEW Rampage 3/18/2022

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/aew-rampage-3112022.html

The Butcher vs Darby Allin

No entrances here. Darby throws his jacket at Butcher then hits him with hard forearms. Darby gets picked up and slammed into the corner then flurried on. They fool around outside and Darby hits a super hard tope on him and the rail. Butcher clobbers him with a hard lariat. He then grbas him by the neck and spins him around before throwing him. Butch then hits another nasty lariat on the floor. Butch and Sting stare down and back in the ring, Butch lariats Darby in the corner.

Darby gets put in a cloverleaf then Darby somehow gets under him and flings his body up...then gets powerbombed. Darby climbs his back on the outside and Butcher rams him back into the post. Butch then swings him into the rails and steps. Darby then climbs the steps and hits a code red. Darby goes up top and coffin drops him off the top to the floor. The ref starts the count and Darby beats the count to win.

I really liked this one. Easily the best match I've ever seen Butcher in. He was stiff and did a great job bullying around Darby. Darby was a real good face here being fiery and stiff back and hitting a couple of cool spots leading to the unique finish.

AHFO comes down after then Sting and Darby get jumped. Darby gets slapped by Andrade then the Hardy's make the save, just as they did last week.

Matt Hardy challenges AHFO to fight, but they aren't interested to the surprise of no one. Matt challenges them to an 8-man tornado tag match.

Scorpio Sky did a promo with Paige and Dan Lambert. He said other people make excuses but he makes history. Dan calls himself the co-TNT champion. Paige says she is prettier than anyone else on the roster, prints more money and fighters better than the men.

Leyla Hirsch vs Red Velvet

Leyla goes after her on the ramp then Red suplexes her on it. Red standing moonsaults her in the ring for 2 and Leyla comes back with chops. Red combos her in the corner. She then stands on the 2nd rope to do corner punches but Leyla pushes her legs and she takes a hard fall.

Leyla continues the beat down as we go to break (though the version I have doesn't have a break). Leyla does a nice arm throw and Red makes her comeback as we come back from break. Red bulldogs her out of a wheelbarrow. Red goes for a spin kick but takes a capture suplex then a german suplex.

Leyla gets pushed outside and she hits Red's arm off the apron. Leyla then gets a turnbuckle connector but Kris Statlander comes out and takes it off of her. Red then hits an SOS/tornado kick and wins it.

It was fine. Red didn't blow anything for a change and Leyla looked okay here.

QT Marshall did a promo on Hook. He said his mother was worried about him after Hook beat him up but QT said he was proud. He said he would give Hook the first ever QT Marshall Certificate of Accomplishment.

The House of Black (Brody King, Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews) vs Bear Country and Fuego del Sol

It has to be a squash here and it's a shame as it probably would be a good one if they gave them 15-20. Black legsweeps Bronson then spinning high kicks him. Black hits a nice armdrag on Bronson then Buddy double stomps Bronson's arm. Brody sentons Bronson then lariats him oer the top. Sol springboards and gets nailed in mid-air with a forearm. Bear Boulder stares at HoB 1v3 and gets pushed into a big Brody lariat.

Sol top rope dropkicks Brody and fights off HoB. Sol springboards into a pumping knee then gets a last falconry for the win.

Quick squash here as it should have been and it was fun as expected.

Penta Oscura does a promo in Spanish. His translator is asking all evil and says Death Triangle is inevitable.

We get a split screen promo for Lee/Caster. The Acclaimed goof around and liken him to Henry the 8th's way of talking and someone at a Renaissance fair. Lee says he is a fan of them and says they are just a stepping stone. Lee's delivery here as usual was odd.

Max Caster vs Keith Lee

Caster brought up Ted Cruz, Razor Ramon and Pete Davidson in his rap. This global media push for Pete Davidson is the most inauthentic thing I have ever seen and insufferable.

Lee picks him up with one arm early and Max hits some dropkicks. Lee did a neat over the shoulder belly to belly on Max. Powerhouse Hobbs comes down and distracts Lee then Max knocks him out of the ring. Lee bangs Max's head off the ring apron. Bowens and Lee argue outside and Caster springboard dropkicks Lee as his head comes in through the ropes. Max stands on Lee's neck as he is against the bottom rope and Bowens gets a cheap shot in.

Lee pounces Max then throws him. Max comes back with a nice superkick then Lee hits an F-U into a powerslam for the win.

This was fine. I didn't have any real issues with this and it was what it needed to be.

Powerhouse Hobbs goes down after and fights with Lee. Starks comes down to help then the Acclaimed hit Lee with the boom box.

Swerve Strickland then comes down to help and they run off.

Overall thoughts: A solid hour of wrestling. Darby vs Butcher was very good and the rest was alright enough.