AEW Rampage 5/5/2023

AEW Rampage 5/5/2023

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

El Hijo de Vikingo, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo vs QT Marshall, Aaro Solo and Powerhouse Hobbs

 

 

If you are wondering why Pac isn't here, you aren't alone. This guy has the greatest job in the world as he only has to work a few days a year.

QT mocks Vik's height and Vik handspring flips over him. QT then handsprings as well to one up him. Vik spin kicks him in the gut then springboard dropkicks him. Vik spin kicks him in the head and hits more kicks to the head. Vik hits his implosion 450 hurricanrana then corkscrew kicks him. Vik does his outside to inside 2nd rope phoenix splash on QT.

Solo and Fenix get in and trade shots. Fenix walks up the ropes with Solo's hand and armdrags him. Fenix hook kicks him. Hobbs and Penta get in and Penta top rope crossbodies him. Penta superkicks him then Hobbs lariats him. Fenix goes for a springboard and Hobbs hits a perfect forearm on him. Vik then tries a springboard and is powerbombed off of it by Hobbs.

Hobbs delay suplexes Penta and QT throws Penta into the rail outside. We go to PiP break and we see a table has been set up outside. Penta sling blades QT and Solo then Fenix walks the top rope and kicks Hobbs. Vik springboard hurricanrana's QT then the luchadores hit triple stereo dives. Vik top rope ssp's Solo then Fenix is rolled onto Solo. Solo reverse sitout slams Fenix then Vik catches Solo and swinging slams him. QT hits his orange crush variation on Vik then Penta goes off of Vik's back and canadian destroyers QT. The other guys get moves in and everyone is down.

Fenix is popped up into a QT punch then Solo top rope double stomps Fenix. Vik top rope canadian destroyers QT onto the apron. Vik goes for his 2nd rope 630 through a table but Harley (QT's assistant) moves QT. Solo takes an electric chair into a german from QT then Hobbs grabs Alex outside. Solo takes a double stomp + package piledriver combo and Penta gets the pin.

It was basically a spot fest with not much selling and lots of flashy moves.

We see clips of MJF destroying stuff and hitting a staff member after the 4 way gets set up at the PPV.

Lexi wants to interview Chris Jericho. Chris doesn't want to open the door. He said he can't be a commentator tonight due to Adam Cole's attack. He said he needs assurances that cole won't be in the same building as him and will have more news about it on Dynamite.

Jade Cargill vs Gia Scott

Gia is caught on a crossbody and thrown. Jade pump kicks her and wins with the jade end in this total waste of time.

I'm really over the Jadeberg stuff. It's been going on forever, it isn't going anywhere and she's just getting under with it at this point.

Mark Briscoe is interviewed then Jarrett and crew walk in. They ask him if FTR will accept their tagtitle challenge. Briscoe says he can't speak for them, but they have never turned down a challenge. they ask Mark to ask them himself. Lethal assures FTR will do the right thing.

Mark Briscoe vs Preston Vance 

Mark hits some shots and knocks him out of the ring. Vance rips up signs that the Briscoe family are holding. Mark dropkicks him through the ropes then blockbusters him off the apron. Mark hits chops and punches outside. Mark puts him on a chair outside and tries to 2nd rope corkscrew onto him but Vance moves and he hits hard. Mark is then thrown into the rails.

We go to PiP break and return. Mark germans him then is german'd. Mark dropkicks him. They trade chops and forearms then Mark lariats him. Mark does a weird high flatliner then takes a spinning lariat. Vance spears him from the apron to the inside. Vance low blows Mark with help from Jose.

Mark jumps off a chair to tope con hilo Vance then nails Jose. Mark then hits a jay driller and wins it.

I thought it was a fun TV match with Mark doing some wild dives and them keeping the action going.

Mark's family comes into the ring and celebrates with him after. 

Dustin Rhodes said he is excited to wrestle for AEW in Austin. He said anything can happen in AEW then Brian Cage jumps him with the Mogul Embassy. Swerve said the Mogul Embassy is anything. Keith Lee then just kind of walks in without hitting anyone and they leave.

Julia Hart and Anna Jay talk about each other. Anna says Julia is brainwashed and she's ready to end it in a no holds barred match. They announced Claudio vs Rey Fenix in a double jeopardy match. I guess AEW doesn't know what match that is though as a double jeopardy match has two matches going on at once and this is not it.

Daniel Garcia says it's a stupid business decision to be in the ring with him (which I agree with, but not the for the reasons he means). He said he will exploit every injury he has. OC says he is injured and has been injured. He said he always finds a way and will find a way.

The Firm Deletion Match - The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy), Hook & Isiah Kassidy vs. The Firm (Big Bill, Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty & Stokely Hathaway)

 

 

The Firm arrives in a car and Page says they should let them know they are here and destroys their mail box. Matt Hardy appears in a hologram on a drone and talks trash. Matt somehow turns it from day to night then shoots roman candles with his partners at them. Stoke immediately runs away and they start fighting in the woods.

Hook puts a dragon sleeper on Lee and Lee is backed up into a tree. Jeff is thrown into a tree then Bill boots Jeff. Kassidy is slammed into a tree then Page and Jeff hit people with branches. Jeff chokes Bill with a branch. I think Matt's kids then try to run Stoke over with a kid's vehicle toy. Bill hits Jeff with a branch and Matt and Page head to a ring.

Page facekicks Hardy and Hook hits punches on Lee. Hook lariats Lee then Page is sent into a pole. Stoke tries to do something to Hook and gets suplexed. Lee hits Hook with a chair in the gut then Matt is slammed onto a table. Matt hits a twist of fate on Page then Bill hits Matt in the back with a chair. Stoke goes into Matt's theatre and goes to watch movies then a kid stares him down. Other people who live there yell at Stoke then I think they stun gun him. The kids then beat up Stoke.

Matt has lighter fluid poured on him then Brother Zay, who is Isaiah Kassidy swantons the heels off a box. Stoke takes a twist of fate from Matt Hardy's wife then Matt's kid swantons on Stoke form the 2nd rope. Bill is hit with a chair from Kassidy then Kassidy jumps off a ladder and legdrops him through a table.

Page takes a 4v1, getting suplexed and taking a twist of fate. Jeff hits a swanton bomb and wins it.

Jeff Hardy walks out. He lights his logo on fire and seems to be doing prayers of some sort. We then close the show.

The match was missing something. They didn't have the crowd watching this, so the lack of heat was maybe it. It wasn't super serious either and with it being pre-taped, it kind of came across as a bad movie.

Overall thoughts: I think AEW fans will really like this, but it wasn't for me. They did too much in the opener. Jade's quick squash was a waste of time. The Briscoe/Vance match was good. The Deletion match just wasn't serious enough for me.