AEW Rampage 7/7/2023

AEW Rampage 7/7/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/aew-rampage-6302023.html

This is the 100th episode of Rampage.

The Young Bucks and Adam Page vs The Dark Order 

We just saw this on Dynamite and it seems odd to run this again.  Alex shoulders over a Buck then argues with Page. Alex slides out and is kicked from the apron by a Buck. Nick corkscrew topes outside then Page top rope moonsaults outside. Nick does hist stupid locomotion northern lights suplexes then does the double northern lights suplex like usual. Alex takes a buckle bomb + double enzugiri's in the corner. The Bucks then do a combo top rope swanton + standing moonsault on Alex.

Silver pump kicks a Buck outside. Alex gets back body dropped over the top and a Buck misses a tag. Silver hits kicks on him as we go to break. We return and a Buck hits a top rope crossbody on the outside to Uno and Silver. Page botches his springboard lariat and back body drops Alex over the top. Silver sits up top and watches this, because he's waiting to do his next spot. Page does his fallaway slam + plancha combo then top rope lariats Alex.

The Dark Order save page from falling off the apron from a kick for some unknown reason, then they get superkicked for it. Uno is facekicked off the apron and the Bucks save him from falling off the apron fro unknown reasons. Page then hits a running ssp off the apron while Uno is bridged. One of the Bucks does his usual stupid facebuster + apron moonsault spot then does a slingshot canadian destroyer. Matt hits a top rope elbow on Alex then the Bucks hit their stupid Meltzer driver on Alex.

Uno and Page hit each other then Page lariats him. Silver kicks him against the ropes and hits a german. Silver is then superkicked as is Alex. Uno takes a double superkick. Silver and Alex stop a Page buckshot but are dove on. Uno uses the ref to block Page and low blows him. Takeshita and CC come down to help with the distraction and the Dark Order win.

I didn't like this match at all. The Dark Order could not win clean of course like the Bucks and Page could against them. The Bucks' offense was completely tone deaf like usual as they did all of their regular spots regardless of how they fit in. Both teams saving someone on the other team from falling didn't make much sense and they basically turned Dark Order heel here, even though the Bucks and Page have been the jerks of this one.

Kenny Omega comes down with a chair after and CC and Takeshita back off.

We go to QTV. They say they are on a winstreak and congratulate themselves on the QT and Johnny TV win. Solo says Johnny TV and QT should be called, "QTV". They show Bowens on some gay magazine and Harley says they would make such a hot couple. We see cut to Johnny TV throwing something in the air and kicking it into a trash can and yelling, "trash", then the segment ends. Trash is a word that I would use to describe this segment.

Blind Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinal - Matt Hardy and Jeff Jarrett vs Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia

Garcia dances and Matt does his delete taunt at him. Garcia has his neck catapulted into the 2nd rope. Sammy and JJ get in and Sammy rides his back. JJ hiptosses him, Sammy backflips over him and dropkicks him. Sammy then does the Fargo Strut. Sammy goes for a corkscrew tope outside and ends up nailing Jay Lethal when JJ moves.

We go to PiP break and return. Both Matt and Garcia get tagged in. Matt hits lariats then bangs his head off the buckles. Matt then pulls him from the buckles to slam him down. Matt hits a splash mountain for 2. Samy comes off the buckles and gets hit then Dutt gets on the apron. Lethal passes Matt the guitar to use, but he refuses it. Matt is bumped into Lethal, who falls off the apron and bumps into JJ then Sammy hits a GTH on Matt. Garcia then gets the pin off a blind tag.

It was a circus with the shenanigans and wasn't anything special.

The heels beat up Matt after. Brother Zay comes out to make the save then is chokeslammed by Singh. Ethan Page then comes down and beats up on the heels, clearing them off. 

Hikaru Shida vs Marina Shafir

They each hit some shots and Shida dropkicks her. Shida gets pulled down on the top buckle and Marina hipthrows her. Marina cartwheels into a kick and slams her down. They trade more shots then Shida forearm flurries her. Shida running knees her for 2. Shida misses a top rope dropkick then rolls through an anklelock. Shida hits a brazilian kick and a falcon arrow for 2. Shida then does her spinning knee and wins it.

It was short and nothing special. 

Kris Statlander is interviewed by Renee. She's wearing a stupid visor over her face. She says she feels great and said she defended the title 6 times (3 of those were on house shows btw). She said this means she's a fighting champ. She said she is the defeater of the undefeated. She said that would make a good shirt and is going to put it on one. She then said, "Kris Stat is where it's at".

Mark Henry says the main is Brian Cage/Big Bill vs Trent Beretta and Matt Sydal. We see like a 5 second clip package and he says it's time for the main event.

Blind Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinal - Brian Cage and Big BIll vs Trent Beretta and Matt Sydal

Cage pushes Sydal and throws him in the corner. Sydal hurricanrana's him but is caught. Sydal gets his poisonrana attempt blocked and rolls him up for 2. Cage then shoulders him over. Bill and Trent get in. Trent chops him a few times. Bill goes over the top rope on a charge then Trent tries to tope him but is chokeslammed on the apron.

Bill runs his back into the post and fallaway slams him on the floor. We then go to PiP break and return. Trent hits a tornado ddt on Cage. Sydal hits kicks on Cage and brazilian kicks him. Sydal buzzsaw kicks him then enzugiri's Bill out. Cage kicks him and Sydal reverses his drill claw into a hurricanrana. Bill is hung over the top rope and double stomped by Sydal then Trent hits a running knee on him. Cage double lariats both opponents over.

Sydal is thrown over the rail outside by Cage. Trent is thrown into the rail but rebounds and spers Cage. Sydal codebreakers Bill off the rail. Trent and Sydal both come off the top and get caught and the big guys hit a stereo drill claw and black hole slam for 2. Cage and Bill run at Sydal and he jumping kicks both at the same time. Cage spinning lariats Trent and Sydal limbos out of the spinning lariat. Cage takes a top rope german from Trent then Trent piledrivers him. Sydal top rope meteoras Cage for 2.

Bill takes a double superkick then double lariats both opponents. Bill chokeslams Trent then Sydal takes a lariat + powerbomb combo for the Cage/Bill win.

I hated this. The big guys took more offense than the little guys did and weren't treated as being particularly tough. the top rope german also not being the finish was stupid.

Overall thoughts: It was an awful show. The Bucks did their usual gymnastics routine and they had the Dark Order cheat to win against them despite them being the faces out of this. The Jeff Jarrett tag had lots of shenanigans and the main had poor big man/little man logic.