By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@McGMondays)
AEW Rampage (Episode 50)
Taped on July 13, 2022 in Savannah, Georgia at Enmarket Arena
Aired July 15, 2022 on TNT
The commentary team of Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and this week, Chris Jericho checked in as pyro shot off. The bell rang immediately and we went to the ring without introductions…
1. Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds vs. Malakai Black and Brody King. Black and Reynolds began the match with a pretty even exchange. Black eventually worked a headlock and tagged in King. King hit a shoulder block to take Reynolds down. King went for a chop, but Reynolds ducked and tagged in Silver, who posed in front of King. Right when Silver thought he was making headway, King landed a strong shoulder block.
Reynolds tagged in and the Dark Order hit stereo kicks on King. They then landed a double super-kick. Reynolds went for a Tope, but King caught him and spiked him on the apron. King then landed a Senton on the inside of the ring. From there, we got our first PIP of the night [c].
Back from break, Reynolds and Black were fighting, but Reynolds got the hot tag to Silver, who hit an uppercut on Black and fired up. Silver slammed Black for a two-count and tagged in Reynolds. Before long, the House of Black was alone with Reynolds in the ring and King got a two-count. King lifted Reynolds, but Silver came in for the save. Silver landed a German Suplex on King, which was a wow. Reynolds went for a pin, but Black broke it up. House of Black landed Dante’s Inferno on Reynolds for the win.
Malakai Black and Brody King defeated Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds via pinfall in 8:18.
After the match, as King was walking to the back, Darby Allin attacked King. King took back control, but Sting walked out and had a stare down with Black. King and Allin then fought through the crowd.
A Miro video aired. He called out Malakai Black and said he wonders if he should rip off heads and tear off spines. Miro said the darker it gets, the clearer he sees Black. He wondered of Black sent his people to destroy Miro or recruit him…
McGuire’s Musings: That was a fairly basic opening match for Rampage, especially considering who was in it. The action was there and the Dark Order guys showed their regular good fire, but nobody on earth thought Black and King would lose. Still, the spots with Silver and King were entertaining and the post-match nonsense between Allin and King was a lot of fun. I actually really like the prospect of Black vs. Sting at some point because those styles could either really work or really not, and I, for one, would pay money to see which one wins out. As for the Miro stuff … that might be the most interesting development of the first 15 minutes of the show. Will Miro eventually join the House of Black? Color me intrigued.
2. Jonathan Gresham (w/Tully Blanchard) vs. Lee Moriarty (w/Matt Sydal) for the ROH World Title. The two shook hands to start, adhering to the code, but Moriarty took Gresham right down and Gresham rolled to the outside. Gresham got back into the ring, but Moriarty landed a strong knee, which knocked Gresham back outside. Outside the ring, Moriarty threw Gresham into the guardrail and kept working him over before rolling him back into the ring. Gresham cheated to gain the upper hand and then talked to Tully at ringside. Gresham worked a headlock and we went to our second PIP of the night [c].
Back from break, Moriarty and landed a big kick to the face of Gresham and the two went down. Moriarty hit a single-arm hook suplex and went right for a series of knees. Moriarty then landed a nice looking drop-kick before hitting a suplex for a two-count. Gresham went for a handful of go-behinds before rolling Moriarty up for a two-count. Moriarty rolled up Gresham for a hell of a near-fall. Gresham came right back with a submission and Moriarty tapped out.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Lee Moriarty via submission in 10:08.
Schiavone walked into the ring to interview Gresham, who gloated about winning and said Tony is a true fan of “this great sport.” Gresham said everyone would see his face on TNT every week from now on. Gresham said he’s going to outclass and out-wrestle all of everyone’s favorites. Tully pumped Gresham up.
Claudio Castignoli made his entrance and stopped at the ramp. The two jawed at each other..
A backstage promo aired from Christopher Daniels, who stuck up for Samoa Joe. Daniels said he’s one of Joe’s best friends and he might want to choke out Jay Lethal before Joe and Lethal square off…
3. Kris Statlander and Athena vs. Charlette and Robyn Renegade. Statlander and Athena jump-started the match and Athena hit a wild back-duplex on one of the twins. Athena went to the top and hit her finisher for the win.
Kris Statlander and Athena defeated Charlette and Robyn Renegade via pinfall in 0:26.
After the match, Leila Grey tried to attack Statlander and Athena, but Jade and Hogan came in for the save. The heels kind of posed over Statlander and Athena before leaving the ring.
McGuire’s Musings: I was expecting more out of Moriarty vs. Gresham. It didn’t help that at least a third of the match took place during picture-in-picture. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week: I’m not so sure Jonathan Gresham as a heel is the right call. Even with Tully, who is a legend and a great mouthpiece, I can’t quite buy in to hating ones of the best technical wrestlers in the world. That in mind, my guess is Gresham vs. Claudio will be really good – great, even – but I kind of feel like this defines Claudio down. He was the star and The Story of Forbidden Door, but now he’s on a pay-per-view for a match that barely has a week build? I don’t know, friends. I just don’t know.
Back from break, Moriarty was being interviewed backstage and Stokely Hathaway came back to tell Moriarty something big is coming his way. Sydal chimed in and said Moriarty is going to face Dante Martin next week and pushed Stokely away…
In the ring, Schiavone interviewed the “Gunn Club” Billy, Austin, and Colten Gunn. Billy said he loves The Acclaimed. As Billy was talking, The Acclaimed’s music hit. Jim Ross did the “Yo, yo, listen.” After Max Caster and Anthony Bowens got in the ring, Billy stopped them. Billy went for the Scissor Me, but he got a super-kick instead. The two teams brawled. Max picked up a microphone and free-styled on the Gunn Club. Bowens asked the crowd if they wanted to see a match right now, but The Gunn Club said no and walked away…
We went back to the Mark Henry segment. Andrade spoke for Private Party and said he believes in Private Party. Private said Andrade hasn’t gotten back to them and tonight, Private Party is just bringing love. Penta then spoke before Fenix spoke. Both were in Spanish. His words were translated, essentially saying Andrade is a piece of trash. Excalibur then ran down all of the cards and Private Party made their entrance.
4. “Private Party” Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix. Penta mean-mugged Kassidy to start the match, but Private Party tried to take control. It didn’t work because Penta rolled out and tagged in Fenix. The Lucha Bros went for stereo super-kicks, but Private Party moved and while the Bros were outside, both Private Party members hit splashes onto their opponents on the outside. Back inside the ring, Fenix landed a rolling Cutter for a two-count. The Bros kept control with a double super-kick on Marquen. Private Party came back with cutters of their own and they kept control as our final PIP began [c].
Back from break, Private Party had control. That changed quickly, though, when Penta got the hot tag to Fenix. Fenix came in and cleaned house. Fenix landed a series of chops on Kassidy. Fenix went for a super-plex, but Marquen broke it up and Kassidy landed a splash for a series of two-counts. Private Party hit a couple double-team moves, but Fenix came back with a jaw-breaker. Fenix tagged in and kind of fell. Still, Penta planted Marquen for a two-count. The two managers fought on the outside while Penta kicked Andrade. Rush ran down and tried to interfere, but Penta tagged in Fenix and Fenix hit the Black Fire Driver for the win.
Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix defeated Private Party via pinfall in 11:17.
The show almost immediately ended after the pin…
McGuire’s Musings: The wrestlers worked hard, but a lot about this felt disjointed. Their first match a couple years ago felt light-years better than this, but that’s probably because both teams were positioned differently then. These days, Private Party are members of some indefinable faction that has three or 13 members in it, depending on the week. The Lucha Bros, meanwhile, have had a good run in AEW since then, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say it hasn’t been marred by injuries. So, while I rooted for this match, it didn’t quite get to where I hoped it would get to. The Rush appearance felt forced and for the life of me, I still don’t know what the hell Andrade is doing in AEW. So … eh.
None of that is to say this was a bad episode of Rampage. The matches I had high expectations for didn’t quite live up to them and this hour featured the worst of the company’s bang-bang-bang approach to television mixed with moments and wrestling that should be more memorable, but they just aren’t because nothing here is allowed to breathe. Case in point: House of Black vs. Sting and Darby. A few stories came out of those two minutes and they’d be way more impactful if they had time to marinate. So, bah humbug. I’ll have much more to say in my weekly AEW Rampage audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@McGMondays)
AEW Rampage (Episode 50)
Taped on July 13, 2022 in Savannah, Georgia at Enmarket Arena
Aired July 15, 2022 on TNT
The commentary team of Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and this week, Chris Jericho checked in as pyro shot off. The bell rang immediately and we went to the ring without introductions…
1. Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds vs. Malakai Black and Brody King. Black and Reynolds began the match with a pretty even exchange. Black eventually worked a headlock and tagged in King. King hit a shoulder block to take Reynolds down. King went for a chop, but Reynolds ducked and tagged in Silver, who posed in front of King. Right when Silver thought he was making headway, King landed a strong shoulder block.
Reynolds tagged in and the Dark Order hit stereo kicks on King. They then landed a double super-kick. Reynolds went for a Tope, but King caught him and spiked him on the apron. King then landed a Senton on the inside of the ring. From there, we got our first PIP of the night [c].
Back from break, Reynolds and Black were fighting, but Reynolds got the hot tag to Silver, who hit an uppercut on Black and fired up. Silver slammed Black for a two-count and tagged in Reynolds. Before long, the House of Black was alone with Reynolds in the ring and King got a two-count. King lifted Reynolds, but Silver came in for the save. Silver landed a German Suplex on King, which was a wow. Reynolds went for a pin, but Black broke it up. House of Black landed Dante’s Inferno on Reynolds for the win.
Malakai Black and Brody King defeated Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds via pinfall in 8:18.
After the match, as King was walking to the back, Darby Allin attacked King. King took back control, but Sting walked out and had a stare down with Black. King and Allin then fought through the crowd.
A Miro video aired. He called out Malakai Black and said he wonders if he should rip off heads and tear off spines. Miro said the darker it gets, the clearer he sees Black. He wondered of Black sent his people to destroy Miro or recruit him…
McGuire’s Musings: That was a fairly basic opening match for Rampage, especially considering who was in it. The action was there and the Dark Order guys showed their regular good fire, but nobody on earth thought Black and King would lose. Still, the spots with Silver and King were entertaining and the post-match nonsense between Allin and King was a lot of fun. I actually really like the prospect of Black vs. Sting at some point because those styles could either really work or really not, and I, for one, would pay money to see which one wins out. As for the Miro stuff … that might be the most interesting development of the first 15 minutes of the show. Will Miro eventually join the House of Black? Color me intrigued.
2. Jonathan Gresham (w/Tully Blanchard) vs. Lee Moriarty (w/Matt Sydal) for the ROH World Title. The two shook hands to start, adhering to the code, but Moriarty took Gresham right down and Gresham rolled to the outside. Gresham got back into the ring, but Moriarty landed a strong knee, which knocked Gresham back outside. Outside the ring, Moriarty threw Gresham into the guardrail and kept working him over before rolling him back into the ring. Gresham cheated to gain the upper hand and then talked to Tully at ringside. Gresham worked a headlock and we went to our second PIP of the night [c].
Back from break, Moriarty and landed a big kick to the face of Gresham and the two went down. Moriarty hit a single-arm hook suplex and went right for a series of knees. Moriarty then landed a nice looking drop-kick before hitting a suplex for a two-count. Gresham went for a handful of go-behinds before rolling Moriarty up for a two-count. Moriarty rolled up Gresham for a hell of a near-fall. Gresham came right back with a submission and Moriarty tapped out.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Lee Moriarty via submission in 10:08.
Schiavone walked into the ring to interview Gresham, who gloated about winning and said Tony is a true fan of “this great sport.” Gresham said everyone would see his face on TNT every week from now on. Gresham said he’s going to outclass and out-wrestle all of everyone’s favorites. Tully pumped Gresham up.
Claudio Castignoli made his entrance and stopped at the ramp. The two jawed at each other..
A backstage promo aired from Christopher Daniels, who stuck up for Samoa Joe. Daniels said he’s one of Joe’s best friends and he might want to choke out Jay Lethal before Joe and Lethal square off…
3. Kris Statlander and Athena vs. Charlette and Robyn Renegade. Statlander and Athena jump-started the match and Athena hit a wild back-duplex on one of the twins. Athena went to the top and hit her finisher for the win.
Kris Statlander and Athena defeated Charlette and Robyn Renegade via pinfall in 0:26.
After the match, Leila Grey tried to attack Statlander and Athena, but Jade and Hogan came in for the save. The heels kind of posed over Statlander and Athena before leaving the ring.
McGuire’s Musings: I was expecting more out of Moriarty vs. Gresham. It didn’t help that at least a third of the match took place during picture-in-picture. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week: I’m not so sure Jonathan Gresham as a heel is the right call. Even with Tully, who is a legend and a great mouthpiece, I can’t quite buy in to hating ones of the best technical wrestlers in the world. That in mind, my guess is Gresham vs. Claudio will be really good – great, even – but I kind of feel like this defines Claudio down. He was the star and The Story of Forbidden Door, but now he’s on a pay-per-view for a match that barely has a week build? I don’t know, friends. I just don’t know.
Back from break, Moriarty was being interviewed backstage and Stokely Hathaway came back to tell Moriarty something big is coming his way. Sydal chimed in and said Moriarty is going to face Dante Martin next week and pushed Stokely away…
In the ring, Schiavone interviewed the “Gunn Club” Billy, Austin, and Colten Gunn. Billy said he loves The Acclaimed. As Billy was talking, The Acclaimed’s music hit. Jim Ross did the “Yo, yo, listen.” After Max Caster and Anthony Bowens got in the ring, Billy stopped them. Billy went for the Scissor Me, but he got a super-kick instead. The two teams brawled. Max picked up a microphone and free-styled on the Gunn Club. Bowens asked the crowd if they wanted to see a match right now, but The Gunn Club said no and walked away…
We went back to the Mark Henry segment. Andrade spoke for Private Party and said he believes in Private Party. Private said Andrade hasn’t gotten back to them and tonight, Private Party is just bringing love. Penta then spoke before Fenix spoke. Both were in Spanish. His words were translated, essentially saying Andrade is a piece of trash. Excalibur then ran down all of the cards and Private Party made their entrance.
4. “Private Party” Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix. Penta mean-mugged Kassidy to start the match, but Private Party tried to take control. It didn’t work because Penta rolled out and tagged in Fenix. The Lucha Bros went for stereo super-kicks, but Private Party moved and while the Bros were outside, both Private Party members hit splashes onto their opponents on the outside. Back inside the ring, Fenix landed a rolling Cutter for a two-count. The Bros kept control with a double super-kick on Marquen. Private Party came back with cutters of their own and they kept control as our final PIP began [c].
Back from break, Private Party had control. That changed quickly, though, when Penta got the hot tag to Fenix. Fenix came in and cleaned house. Fenix landed a series of chops on Kassidy. Fenix went for a super-plex, but Marquen broke it up and Kassidy landed a splash for a series of two-counts. Private Party hit a couple double-team moves, but Fenix came back with a jaw-breaker. Fenix tagged in and kind of fell. Still, Penta planted Marquen for a two-count. The two managers fought on the outside while Penta kicked Andrade. Rush ran down and tried to interfere, but Penta tagged in Fenix and Fenix hit the Black Fire Driver for the win.
Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix defeated Private Party via pinfall in 11:17.
The show almost immediately ended after the pin…
McGuire’s Musings: The wrestlers worked hard, but a lot about this felt disjointed. Their first match a couple years ago felt light-years better than this, but that’s probably because both teams were positioned differently then. These days, Private Party are members of some indefinable faction that has three or 13 members in it, depending on the week. The Lucha Bros, meanwhile, have had a good run in AEW since then, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say it hasn’t been marred by injuries. So, while I rooted for this match, it didn’t quite get to where I hoped it would get to. The Rush appearance felt forced and for the life of me, I still don’t know what the hell Andrade is doing in AEW. So … eh.
None of that is to say this was a bad episode of Rampage. The matches I had high expectations for didn’t quite live up to them and this hour featured the worst of the company’s bang-bang-bang approach to television mixed with moments and wrestling that should be more memorable, but they just aren’t because nothing here is allowed to breathe. Case in point: House of Black vs. Sting and Darby. A few stories came out of those two minutes and they’d be way more impactful if they had time to marinate. So, bah humbug. I’ll have much more to say in my weekly AEW Rampage audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
So, we start with a tag match where one of the guys was challenging for the AEW title recently but now he and his partner need 10 minutes to be Sky Low Low Jr. and El Hijo Del Who Gives A Fuck, and as usual there’s a bunch of post match bullshit.
I’ll catch the Gunn’s explanation and Kris Statlander later, this is going to be brutal to watch in real time.
With Silver and Gresham, AEW should institute a Cruiserheight division.
Absolutely not; that would mean another tournament to crown an inaugural Pacific Cruiserheight Champion. Crash Holly isn’t around anymore to be the belt presenter so that’s a dealbreaker.
Besides that this was an uneventful show; really they could have some of these mid-card matches with existing storylines to boost AEW dark and relegate Rampage to upper-tier action. The championship match here is in the right show setting but the other contests could be more suited to take the place of trivial enhancement matches that they populate the majority of dark with.