AEW Rampage 1/5/2024

AEW Rampage 1/5/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/aew-rampage-12292023.html 

Mark Briscoe and The Hardy Boyz vs Kip Sabian, The Butcher and The Blade

We haven't seen much of Butcher and Blade lately. Mark side headlocks Kip then Kip wristlocks him. Kip shoulders him over then does Jeff Hardy's dance. Mark forearms him on the ropes then corkscrew forearms him in the air. Matt punches Kip in the gut then Kip takes a double suplex. Jeff splashes Kip for 2 then Kip eye rakes him. Blade side headlocks Jeff. Jeff snapmares him and yanks his neck forward.

Butcher is tagged in. Matt tries to do his pose and Butch blocks it. Matt bangs Butch's head off all 3 buckles then 2nd rope splashes him. Butch lariats him. Blade then Kip get in. Kip knee drops Matt then misses a top rope double stomp. Matt hits a weird neckbreaker on Kip.

Mark gets the hot tag in and hits chops. Mark back enzugiri's Butch then is whipped into a flying kick on Kip. Mark 2nd rope dropkicks Blade then dropkicks him through the ropes. Mark's legs are lariated on the apron then he is dropped face first on the apron. Kip arabian moonsaults Mark outside and Butcher bites Matt's head. Kip sentons Mark in the corner then Butch half-nelson backbreakers Mark for 2.

We go to PiP break and return. Mark and Blade trade shots. Mark neckbreakers him Jeff and Kip get in. Jeff hits lariats an atomic drop. Jeff legdrops him in the crotch then elbow drops him. Jeff 2nd rope splashes Kip for 2. Matt corner lariats Kip then Jeff jumps off of Matt's back and splashes Butcher and Blade. Matt hits a side effect on Kip for 2.

Matt is ddt'd by Blade. Kip springboards and dropkicks his partners on accident. Matt hits a twist of fate on Kip. Jeff top rope swantons Kip. Mark top rope froggy bow's Kip and gets the win.

It was a good opener. A little long with two hit tags but it was a fast paced and decent tag. Matt and Jeff showed their age here at times. Tony said this was the start of a great trios team.

Renee interviews Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho. Sammy has got Ricky Starks on Dynamite. Sammy this is what AEW is about and restoring the feeling. Sammy said they are a lot alike and they overcome whatever the world throws at them. Sammy said only one of them can be the winner next week but says he is not better than the best ever. Jericho says he will stop Big Bill if he gets involved. He said he's twice his size but has half his brain power. Jericho said he will knock him down with a proverbial axe, poke him in the eye and knock his teeth down his throat. He said Billy's Uncle Joe will cry.

Anna Jay, Hager and 2.0 are interviewed. Anna said she feels stagnant and a little number. She said it's time for a change of gears and said this is her year. She said she needs to do this by herself. Harley Cameron comes in. She said she is very helpful and wants to help all 3 of them. She flirts with Parker and says she'd do something in his ear, but we can't hear what. Menard says she seems like a nice girl and Parker says that's not what it looked like. 

Stokeley Hathaway interrupts Justin Roberts as he is about to do intros.

Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander vs Kennedi Hardcastle and Notorious Mimi

Stoke said he doesn't know who Kennedi or Mimi are. Stoke asks for Willow and Kris' music to be cut. He says Kris is the greatest TBS champ of all time and said he wishes she was hers. Stoke says Kris is thicker than a snickers and is faster than a cat with whiskers. He just says Willow's name with no hype and Kris slaps Stoke in the back of the head.

Mimi and Kris start us off. Mimi was in NXT but was not good despite looking great. Kris slams Mimi then Willow slams her too. Kris slams Mimi and lets Willow slam her again too. Kris slams Mimi a 3rd time and Willow sentons Mimi. Willow corner lariats Mimi and Stoke says she could do it better. Kennedi is tagged in and nails Willow from behind. Kennedi running euros Willow then Mimi running face kicks Willow.

Willow double suplexes both opponents. Kris running lariats both opponents then running forearms both in the corner. Kris powerslams Kennedi then blue thunders Mimi onto her. Kris high kicks Mimi and Willow spinebusters Mimi for the win.

It was a squash here and was background for whatever this Kris and Stoke storyline is here.

Stoke holds up Kris' hand after and Willow pushes him away.

Renee interviews The Hardy's. Jeff said he's feeling good after the win and said someone needs to get them on Dynamite so they can boost the ratings. Private Party comes in. Zay said everyone loves to see this. Matt says he's proud of him and says they got this. Matt said they sat under the tree of the tag team GOATS. Matt said if you love something, you have to let it go. He said they have to be their own team and said he's proud of them for calling people out. Matt wants one last group fist bump and has ring worn Hardy's AEW shirts for them. Matt says they were his their childhood but will be their adulthood very soon. He said he will see them down the road. Quen said he wants to kick their @sses. 

Anna Jay vs Hikaru Shida

They lock up and Shida mostly clean breaks her. Anna hits forearms on the ropes then sleepers her. Shida lifts her to get out of it. They both duck punches. Shida hits her then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers her. Anna hangs over the apron then Shida knee lifts her.

Shida grabs a chair then jumps off of it but Anna avoids it. Anna throws her into the rails. Shida is stretched over the post then Anna boots her for 2. We go to PiP break then full break. They trade shots and Shida forearm flurries her. Shida running forearms her then hits a dangerous looking brainbuster for 2.

Anna kicks her from the 2nd rope then gori special drops her for 2. Anna hits back elbows then is lariated. Shida falcon arrows her and Anna rolls her up off the pin for a 2 that looked like a 3. The crowd boos it and Anna grounded sleepers Shida. Shida knees her in the back of the neck then sliding knees her for 2. Shida top rope meteoras her then spinning knees her for the win.

They messed up the pin here and Shida got a busted mouth. It wasn't bad aside from that with the two matching up well. I would have put Anna over here, but she's not the girlfriend of Kenny so that wasn't happening.

Sonjay Dutt and crew talk in the back minus Singh. Dutt said he will lock the door and make sure they get on the same page. He said he wants them to get back to their winning ways. He says there's a tag match coming up and Jay doesn't see how that can help them. Karen Jarrett says they need a team name. Jeff calls Jay a loser and talks about people he beat. Jay said he wouldn't have won those if it wasn't for him. Jeff gets mad at him and tells Jay to get out and start his own winning streak. They stare down and Sonjay said they will try again next week.

We get an ad for Big Little Brawlers which is about midget wrestling. I'll try to check it out.

We get a Christian video with some of his lines from Dynamite this week.

ROH Pure Title - Wheeler Yuta (c) vs Komander

Yuta wristlocks him. Kom wristlocks him back then Yuta headflips out of it. Yuta suplexes him over as Excalibur puts over Skayde.  Kom uses his first rope break then Yuta chops and punches him. Kom does la magistral into a half-crab. Yuta uses his first rope break.

Kom side headlocks him. Yuta criss-crosses him then Kom hurricanrana's him. Kom misses a plancha then is punched on the outside. Yuta single arm ddt's him on the floor. We go to PiP break and return. Yuta gori specials him then Kom sunset flips him into the buckles.

Kom rolls him up for 2 then springboard dropkicks him. Kom jumps off Yuta's back onto the buckles then tornado ddt's him off of it for 2. Kom goes up top and misses a phoenix splash. Yuta does his olympic slam variation for 2 then AT locks him. Kom uses his last rope breal (I guess the 2nd was during the break).

Kom rolls up Yuta for 2. Yuta goes for a tilt-a-whril but is hurricanrana'd off of it. Kom spin kicks him high then takes a face kick. Yuta is hurricanrana'd, hangs onto the bottom rope and comes back in. Yuta germans Kom then they trade pin attempts. Yuta hits downward elbows and AT locks him. Kom rope breaks but is out of rope breaks and has to tap out. Yuta wins.

It was an okay match. Not great or memorable but they kept it moving and Kom kind of stuck to underdog offense here without the indy moves and dives. Nice to see the rope breaks come into play.

Overall thoughts: It was a good episode of Rampage. 3 of the 4 matches were fine and they did some storyline work here too.