AEW Rampage 4/28/2023

AEW Rampage 4/28/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/aew-rampage-4222023.html

This aired early on Friday night.

Jay White and Juice Robinson vs Ricky Starks and Shawn Spears

The faces run down to the ring and pound on the heels. They fight outside then evetnually get back in. Starks double axe handles Juice's arm and then stands on hi throat while Spears makes gun shooting motions at Jay. Jay knees Spears as he hits the ropes then Juice hits a jumping side kick. Spears is dropped chest first on the apron.

We go to PiP break and return to Jay chopping up Spears. Spears hits a suplex then gets Starks in. Starks back body drops Juice then suplexes Juice. Starks lariats Juice over the top. Juice takes a superplex then Spears top rope splashes Juice. Spears hits a sky high on Jay for 2. Juice is thrown out and Starks jumps on him off the steps.

Spears superkicks Jay then Jay hits a blade runner on Spears and wins it.

This wasn't anything special and did nothing to put over Jay White. If anything, it seemed like this was designed to put over Shawn Spears, who will never be over.

Starks pounds on Jay after and Juice pulls him off to pound on Starks. Juice ends up running away and Jay says he owns the ring as the heels walk off.

This photo describes this segment well

The Hardy's and Hook are interviewed. Isaiah Kassidy is missing somehow and Matt asks where he is. Stokeley Hathaway and Lee Moriarty then say they beat him up at Applebees and we see Kass getting beaten up on scaffolding. Big Bill has Kass ready for a chokeslam and Page said their match is happening next week on Rampage at the Hardy Compound or else Kass gets it. Matt agrees and Page said he is a man of his word and tells Bill to let him go. Bill then chokeslams him off of it, though of course the camera doesn't show his landing and the scaffolding is wobbly, so it looked really lame.  Stoke says they will see them next week, but probably not Kassidy. Stoke says he will run through his house, turn every light on and right up the electrical bill. We then see Kassidy laying. Matt flips out while no one else seems to care and Hook says The Firm is getting deleted.

This angle was terrible. Kass getting thrown off looked bad and Matt being the only one who really seemed to care didn't help things. They also acted like we knew that Kassidy was missing somehow, when they never mentioned it on TV.

Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes vs Brady Pierce and Charlie James

Lee continues to look like the grandpa from the Nutty Professor.

Dustin shoulders over Brady then takes a double backdrop. James starts dancing then takes a shoulder and goes down. Lee throws him across the ring then Lee hits a double clothesline. Lee then throws Dustin into their opponents. Lee then hits a sit out powerbomb and wins it.

This was just a squash. Tony really emphasized how much he likes this team. Well, that makes one person.

The Mogul Embassy comes out after with Parker and Trench missing. Despite having the 4v2 advantage, the Mogul Embassy opts not to attack.

Sammy Guevara is interviewed. Tay Melo walks in and tells him MJF is not his friend. Tay says she wants the best for him and asks if the child version of Sammy on his shirt would be proud of him giving away his world title shot. Tay asks why and says he doesn't need money nor does he even like MJF.

Anna Jay vs Ashley D'Amboise

Anna spin kicks her in the corner. Ash does an up and over then hits armdrags. Ash hits corner spears then takes a corner kick. Anna drops her throat over the top rope then stretches her over the post.

We go to PiP break then a full break. Anna neckbreakers her then put her in a grounded sleeper to win.

This was a short squash that was cut up by a commercial break.

The lights go out then Julia Hart appears and decks her from behind. Julia bangs her head off the floor. Julia is thrown into the post then is stretched around it.

The Outcasts do a promo. They said they don't care about Britt and Jamie and wear shirts with Britt's black eye on it. Saraya says she will whoop Willow like a dog and then they bark and say they will show why AEW is their house.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn vs Cameron Stewart, Rizin and ?

One of the jobbers runs into the Acclaimed as they enter and gets nailed. Bowens superkicks someone as he enters and one of them starts gesturing before Billy nails him. The Acclaimed hit the arrival and the mic drop and win it in this waste of time.

We get a split screen interview with FTR and Jay Lethal's crew. Jay says he will bust the bubble that FTR lives in tonight and says he and Jarrett will be the next tag champs. FTR says they know they will cheat. FTR said they will have Mark Briscoe at ringside to make sure Lethal's crew doesn't get what they want.

Cash Wheeler vs Jay Lethal

Jay stalls outside to start and hugs Mark Briscoe. Cash hits chops early then hits a euro. Jay shoulders him over and slams him twice. Cash hiptosses him and hits an armdrag. Jay knees him in the gut then Cash dropkicks him. Cash spears him hard on the ropes then back body drops him. Cash lariats Jay over the top and we go to PiP break.

We return after 4 minutes with Jay having Cash in an abdominal stretch. dutt tries to get involved and Mark pulls him out. Cash hiptosses Jaythen takes a stun gun. Jay goes for a top rope elbow but Cash gets his knees up. Cash euros Jay then powerslams Jay. Cash hits a tornado ddt for 2. Jay back body drops Cash then hits a lethal combination. Cash has Jay on his back in a gori special then slams him back. Dutt gets on the apron and Mark gets up there with him. Jay pushes Cash into Mark then hits a lethal injection and wins it.

The finish made sense for the story they are telling. Other than that, this was really cut up by the break like most Rampage main events are and there wasn't a ton left.

Overall thoughts: A very skippable edition of Rampage with no big or must see matches and tons of squashes.