AEW Rampage 1/12/2024

AEW Rampage 1/12/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/aew-rampage-152024.html 

AEW Continental Crown - Eddie Kingston (c) vs Wheeler Yuta

Jim Ross is on commentary here. Yuta could be a four title champ if he wins this, though his Pure title isn't on the line here. Yuta face locks him then Eddie armlocks him. Yuta face locks him again and they both get up. Yuta does it again, Eddie ropebreaks and Yuta footshoves his head. Yuta piefaces him and takes bad strikes. Eddie is pulled out and Yuta topes him. Yuta bangs Eddie's arm over his shoulder then top rope crossbodies him.

Eddie machine gun chops him then tornado ddt's his arm. Yuta bangs Eddie's arm off the rail then jumps off the bottom rope to dropkick him on the ramp. Yuta stomps Eddie's arm into the ramp then stands on his neck in the corner. Yuta pulls both of Eddie's arms back. Yuta dropkicks Eddie.

We go to PiP break and return. Yuta stomps the arm then hits kicks and a slap. Eddie snapmares him and chops him. Yuta arm throws him down. Yuta slaps him and takes a front suplex. Yuta comes off the top and is caught with an exploder.

Eddie ddt's him. Yuta is seated on the top rope and chopped. Yuta 2nd rope implant ddt's him. Yuta hits downward elbows on him then armbars him. Eddie ropebreaks then is kicked in the arm. Yuta rolls out and in then germans him. Eddie enzugiri's him then Yuta does a suplex and top rope splash on him. Yuta kimura's him then Eddie hits a backdrop. Eddie urakens him then half-nelson suplexes him. Eddie northern lights bombs him for the win.

Yuta mostly worked the arm here then Eddie made his comeback and won it. I thought it was a long opener at almost 18 minutes between two of the less interesting people on AEW's roster.

Mark Briscoe and The Hardy's are interviewed. Mark said this union has made the world shake and said they aren't done yet. Jeff said they kicked butt in the rings and the ratings as their match did higher ratings then Collision did. Matt said he could see trios gold in this combination and said the Briscoe's fought them like no one else. Matt said they were meant to be together as a trio then the Hardy's give Mark a necklace. Matt says he is one of us now.

Swerve Strickland vs Matt Sydal

Swerve throws him then takes a flying headscissors. Swerve headflips out. Matt rolls him up then Swerve puts him in la magistral. Matt wraps around him into a roll-up then takes a tilt-a-whirl neckbreaker. Swerve 2nd rope euros him in the back of the neck. Swerve racks him and drops down into a backbreaker.

Matt headscissors him down then Swerve backbreakers him. Matt hits a high kick then an air raid crash. Swerve rolls into a flatliner then suplexes him. Matt's roll-up is blocked. Swerve grabs him by the hair and hits a JML driver. Swerve then wins it.

It was a short, 50/50 match. I don't think it did a whole lot for Swerve due to Sydal getting so much in. 

Top Flight and Action Andretti are interviewed. The yare asked where they want to go from here. Private Party then walks in. Dante said they interrupted them twice now. Him and Quen get rough with each other. Zay says him and Quen are about action and said any two of them can come get it. Darius says to run it. Action says "no words, all action" then Action chugs a water down. Zay then says that was four words. Action says, "So what, I'll be hydrated".

This was awful and should be mocked endlessly. Why is Action Andretti chugging water?

Hikaru Shida vs Queen Aminata

They show clips of these two fighting from 11/25/22 and say Queen has grown since then. Queen backs her up and they push each other. Shida shoulders her overthen hits corner punches, barely hitting her at all. Queen running forearms her then hip attacks and kicks her against the bottom rope.

Queen snapmares her and kicks her in the back. Shida then does the same. Shida then sits down and tells her to do it again. Shida blocks a PK and dragon screws her. Shida suplexes her then Queen germans her. Shida hits a pepsi twist lariat then Queen running knees her. Queen misses some kind of triple jump off the topes. Shida hits a flying knee an a falcon arrow for 2. Shida does the spinning knee then wins it.

This was not good. Shida's offense looked terrible here and barely connected. 

Renee interviews Saraya and Ruby Soho. she wishes Ruby a happy birthday. Renee said Harley Cameron is a great addition and really gelling. Saraya said Harley isn't here and shows a video of Harley flirting with Angelo Parker and kissing him. Angelo Parker comes in with a cake and sings happy birthday then Ruby shoves the cake in his face and says to go to hell. Angelo asks what is going on and Saraya says she always wins. Angelo then says the video is not what it looks like and we see Angelo pulling away from her.

The Dark Order (John Silver, Evil Uno and Alex Reynolds) vs 2.0 and Jake Hager

Negative One came out with The Dark Order. He's almost the same height as Silver. Parker still has cake on his face. Silver wristlocks him then eats cake off of Parker's face. Parker side headlocks him and hsoulders him over. Jake puts his necklace around Parker's head. Silver shoulders him over then puts the necklace on and dances.

Hager gets in and face kicks Silver. Hager puts the necklace back on. Menard shoulders Silver over. Alex flying back elbows Menard. Parker goes for a leapfrog but is german'd by Uno from behind. Menard is lifted and dropped into a Silver euro.

We go to PiP break and return. Parker chinlocks Alex. Uno tags in and beats up all 3 opponents. He gives the ref Parker's leg and neckbreakers him. Uno hits a top rope swanton on Parker for 2. Silver hits kicks on Parker then cannonballs Hager off the apron. He running euros Menard outside then germans Parker inside.

Parker takes a triple team pendulum bomb for 2. Alex takes a lifting double ddt then Hager hits a vader bomb for 2. -1 puts on Hager's hat. 2.0 chase him and are lariated by Uno. Hager gets the hat back. Silver splashes Hager and -1 gets the hat. Hager takes the Dark Order's combo and is pinned.

It was a goofy comedy tag with a lot of screwing around. The last time we saw Dark Order, they were basically heels and being all serious and it seems that is gone. The Dark Order were jerks here taking Hager's stuff for no real reason.

Overall thoughts: A really bad episode of Rampage. We had an 18 minute opener, we had a terrible Top Flight/Action Andretti segment and a comedy main event. Skip this.