AEW Rampage 12/29/2023

AEW Rampage 12/29/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/aew-rampage-12232023.html

 

Chris Jericho came out to talk. He said The Don Callis Family turned on Sammy, so he came out to help him then Darby and Sting came out to help them. Jericho said Sting called him months ago and said he didn't like him, but he respects him and would have his back. Jericho brings Sammy Guevara out.

Jericho said he has always been a supporter and fan of his. He asked why Sammy turned on him months ago. Sammy said it's hard to be in his shadow. He said he blamed him for holding him back and said he was just holding himself back. He said he's sorry. Jericho says he's sorry too. He said he always believed in him and said he still has a tag title shot and needs a partner. He asks him to be his partner. They then hug and says they are back.

Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard are interviewed. Menard said Garcia got the biggestwin of his career and The House of Black took the moment away. Garcia said they are tired of them picking on people like them. They said they will get them back, but it may not be today.

Ruby Soho vs Marina Shafir

I will not be covering this match.

The Don Callis Family is interviewed with Starks and Big Bill. Don says Darby and Sting's world ends tomorrow. Takeshita talks in Japanese and says he looks forward to tomorrow in Japanese. Hobbs says we will find out why he's big, black and jack. Kyle said they will find out why The Family is on the top of the food chain. Bill said they will whoop all four of their @sses. Starks says Sting will not make it to Revolution after tomorrow night.

Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander are interviewed. Willow said she cherishers her partnership and friendship with Kris. She said they are both from Long Island and wants to share the ring with her. Stokeley Hathaway comes in. He asks why it took so long for Willow to save Kris on Dynamite. Stoke said they should fight each other at World's End. Kris likes the idea and they agree to the match in a weird segment.

ROH Pure Rules Title - Wheeler Yuta (c) vs Matt Sydal

Matt wristlocks him and Yuta kips up and out. Yuta armdrags him and is rolled up. Matt does a headscissors into a roll up Yuta trips him and tries to pin him while using the ropes. Matt high kicks him then hits a standing corkscrew moonsault. Yuta pump kicks Matt then backdrops him.

We go to PiP break and return. Matt hurricanrana's him then takes a dropkick. Matt spinning heel kicks him then hits other kicks. Matt brazilian kicks him then does an air raid crash for 2. Yuta face kicks him and takes a high kick back. Yuta germans him for 2. Yuta suplexes him for 2 then does a chinlock + hammerlock submission. Matt uses his first ropebreak.

Matt jumping knees him then rolls him up for 2. Yuta does a springboard armdrag off the top and rolls him into elbows. Yuta then pins him.

It was a short and cold match. The crowd didn't care. It was fine wrestling wise though with some decent wrestling at times.

 

Danhausen comes out after. He says he's an ROH legend and has appointed himself the 4th judge. He said Yuta cheated during the match tonight and is disqualified. Danhausen said he lost. Yuta forearms and ddt's him. Yuta tells him to "kiss my @ss" then hits downward elbows. Hook then comes down the ramp and Yuta runs off. I thought Yuta nailing Dan and telling him to kiss his butt was really funny for some reason.

Samoa Joe said MJF never saw it coming when he turned on him. He said he was worried about The Devil instead of him. MJF said he's been stabbing people in the back during his whole career and never expected someone to stab him in the back first. MJF said he's coming to beat him.

Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta vs Top Flight and Action Andretti

OC and Action lock up. OC snapmares him then poses. Action sunset flips him. OC puts his hands in his pockets and dropkicks him then boots him with his hands in his pockets. Action takes a double back elbow then a Trent elbow drop. Trent knocks AA down with a punch.

Trent and Darius go at it. Darius shoulders him then is shouldered over. They trade chops in the corner then Trent jumping meteora's him. Darius uses the ropes to armdrag him then dropkicks him. Darius suplexes Trent then Dante slingshot swantons Trent.

Darius uses Dante to tornado ddt Rocky. Action handsprings into OC to knock him off the apron then Action's team does triple stereo dives. We go to PiP break and return.

Rocky chops Action. Action forearms Rocky then spinning enzugiri's him. Action springboard lariats Rocky. Dante hits forearms on Trent then springboard crossbodies him. Darius bulldogs Trent through the ropes into the middle rope. Darius flatliners Trent off the bottom rope.

OC throws out Dante. Darius takes a cutter from OC. OC is shotgun dropkicked into a german. Rocky takes an unusual skull crushing finale type of move from Dante. Trent takes corner lariats, is suplexed and springboard 450'd by Action. Everyone is now down.

OC and Dante stare down. Dante superkicks him. Darius plants off the top buckle to pele kick Rocky. Trent yanks Darius into a backdrop. Action pump kicks Trent out then arabian moonsaults him outside. Rocky topes Action. Rocky goes up top and is enzugiri'd. Trent release top rope germans Action. Trent has Dante up for a b-driver then Darius superkicks Trent, causing Dante to code red him. Dante rolls up OC. OC superkicks him and Dante counters his orange punch with a dropkick. Dante hits his half-nelson bomb on Rocky and wins it.

I was really surprised Top Flight and Action got the win here. That was a surprise and there's clearly more to that upset. It had the usual OC screwing around which I didn't like. It was fast paced with lots of indy style wrestling with flips and superkicks.

Overall thoughts: I only saw 2 of the 3 matches. The main was indy style wrestling and Yuta/Sydal was a cold match that was okay but not one the crowd cared about. They also had Jericho and Sammy make amends here. I wouldn't recommend this one.