AEW Rampage 6/28/2024

AEW Rampage 6/28/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/aew-rampage-6212024.html

Handicap Match - Orange Cassidy vs The Outrunners

Truth wristlocks OC. OC twists out of it and arm throws him. Turbo and OC pose at each other. Turbo stops OC from putting his hands in his pockets. Turbo knocks him over and poses. The Runners miss elbow drops and OC puts his hands in his pockets. OC double dropkicks them with his hands in his pockets.

Truth chops Turbo on accident twice. The Runners almost hit the ref then OC almost hits the ref and hugs him. OC takes a double backdrop for 2. Truth boots OC from the 2nd rope. Truth kneedrops OC for 2.

Turbo slams OC then punches him. OC hits punches. Turbo misses a splash. The Runners are pushed into each other. OC topes Truth then top rope crossbodies Turbo. OC ddt's Truth then hits an orange punch on Turbo. OC superman punches Truth and wins it.

Thoughts: Why was this a handicap match? This is why I hate OC. They basically treat him as a comedic version of The Fonz. Him beating both Outrunners alone was bogus and this match should have never happened. This was a total burial.

Renee interviews The Learning Tree. Renee asks what they will do and who their partner will be. Bill says when all the cards are down, you get a new deck. Keith says if you want to play poker or pinnacle, you better respect Chris Jericho. Jericho is on the phone and says he has got a partner. He won't tell Renee who but says he's a real ring-a-ding-dong-dandy. 

Gabe Kidd and Roderick Strong vs The Infantry

I'm convinced someone set up a dartboard with various NJPW and AEW names and came up with this one by throwing darts at it.

Gabe boots Bravo then shoulders him over. Gabe knocks Dean off the apron then slaps Bravo. Gabe hits headbutts on Bravo. Bravo is chopped by both opponents. The Infantry hit stereo dropkicks.

Strong takes a double team that ends in a ddt for 2. Dean slams Strong then elbow drops him for 2. Strong uranage backbreakers Dean. We go to PiP break and return.

Dean's head is banged off the buckles and Strong runs around the ring and boots Bravo outside. Strong gutbusters Dean. The infantry stop a double team. Bravo hits forearms on both opponents. Bravo spinning forearms Gabe then neckbreakers Strong. 

Bravo does his crossover fakeout punch on Strong. Bravo slingshot cutters Gabe for 2. Bravo scissors kicks Strong and plancha's Gabe outside. Dean top rope splashes Gabe for 2. Strong trips Bravo then Dean takes a release backdrop from Gabe. Bravo takes shots then a piledriver from Gabe. Gabe gets the pin.

Thoughts: It was fine but nothing too special. Everyone did what they were supposed to here.

They announce Brodie Lee themed sneakers. 

AEW TNT Title Forbidden Door Qualifying Match - El Phantasmo vs. AR Fox

ELP = El Phantasmo

Fox rolls out of a wristlock and side headlocks him. Fox shoulders him over. They do some rolls and ELP flying headscissors him. ELP flying dropkicks him. ELP walks up the ropes and does rope tricks then headscissors Fox over.

Fox slingshot sentons him then tope con hilos him landing on ELP's neck. Fox top rope swantons ELP for 2. ELP flying forearms Fox. ELP atomic drops Fox then russian legsweeps him. ELP 2nd rope elbow drops Fox.

Fox boots ELP. ELP goes up and over then springboard twisting crossbodies him. ELP asai moonsaults him for 2. Fox kips down out of a lariat and enzugiri's him. Fox suplexes him then hits a 450 for 2.

ELP 2nd rope diving canadian destroyers Fox. ELP superkicks him then piledrivers him for the win.

Thoughts: It was what you would expect with lots of flying and not so much heel/face work or any other logic. Not awful or anything but it did go a little long.

Deonna Purrazzo is interviewed by Lexy. She is mad she wasn't asked about how it felt to make Thunder Rosa pass out. She says some people are so far behind in the race that they think they are leading. Deonna asks what Hikaru Shida has done lately. She said she won matches while Shida was at home. Deonna says The Owen Hart Tournament is not for part-timers and says she can't hold the cup up with a broken arm anyway.

Thoughts: This was a good promo here and Deonna really nailed it.

Shingo Takagi vs Dalton Castle

They lock up and DC swings him to the ropes. Shingo misses a chop on the break. Shingo shoulders him over then elbow drops him. Shingo misses a senton and we go to PiP break then full break with no warning. We return and DC hits chops and forearms on Shingo.

Shingo back body drops him off a side headlock attempt. Shingo walks on him and sentons him. Shingo hits a BCC style elbow flurry. DC suplexes him. Shingo back elbows him and DC lariats him.

DC flying knees him in the corner and bulldogs him for 2. Shingo stops a bangarang and does a gori bomb move. Shingo back elbows him then ddt's him.

Shingo hits a nice lariat then hits a made in Japan to win.

Thoughts: A lot of this got eaten up by the break. It didn't really have enough time and couldn't be as good as it should have been. The crowd wasn't too into this.

Saraya and Harley Cameron do a promo. She said she only lost out there because she wasn't by herself. She says Toni, May and Mina are a bunch of losers. Harley calls Saraya an unproblematic icon. Saraya says she has a cup, a title and a country that is waiting for her to come home. Saraya and Harley then toast.

Skye Blue vs Queen Aminata

Queen was doing good on TV then they relegated her to ROH for like 6 weeks for no reason. They roll each other up. Queen ducks a facekick and germans her. Skye rolls her up and Queen back rolls her. Queen snap suplexes her twice.

Skye cradles her for 2 then slaps her. Skye ducks a slap and slaps her again. Skye superkicks her. Skye step up knees her then kicks her through the ropes. Skye top rope crossbodies her outside.

We go to PiP break and return. Queen hits a nice forearm and a double chop. Queen running knees her for 2. Queen running knees her on the ropes then germans her on the apron. Queen misses a hip attack against the steps. Skye suplexes her off the steps to the floor. Skye hits a twisting full nelson slam. Queen headbutts her out of nowhere and wins it.

Thoughts: I think Queen is better than Skye but i didn't like how this was done. This was totally random with no build and therefore didn't get the reaction it should have nor did it mean what it should have. It was a pretty decent upset here too. I thought they did too much here with moves on the apron and floor not being enough to take them down.

Skye superkicks her after and sits on her back with a dragon sleeper. Red Velvet comes out to save Queen.

Overall thoughts: It was a night of random matches. There was no real build or meaning to any of this stuff and it was just ways to get NJPW wrestlers on the card. I hated the opener as The Outrunners got buried to OC's comedy. The tag match was okay as what ELP/Fox. Shingo/Dalton didn't really get enough time and got eaten up by commercials. The main had a surprise upset win but it had no build to it and nobody cared. The crowd brought this one down. So yeah, it was a mixed bag here but I've seen worse.