By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Rampage (Episode 93)
Taped May 17, 2023 in Austin, Texas at Moody Center
Aired May 19, 2023 on TNT
[Hour One] The Rampage opening aired and pyro shot off on the stage. Jim Ross, Chris Jericho, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary, and Justin Roberts was the ring announcer. The wrestlers were already in the ring for the first match. Excalibur narrated brief highlights of Hangman Page’s return at the end of AEW Dynamite…
1. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta (w/Bryan Danielson) vs. Bandido, Trent Beretta, and Chuck Taylor. Ross and Schiavone spoke about how Don Callis can’t be trusted. Jericho defended him by blaming Kenny Omega for the fracture in his relationship with Callis. The Blackpool Combat Club trio isolated Beretta heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Bandido checked in and performed a huracanrana into a pin for a two count on Castagnoli. The babyface trio continued to dominate and did their hug spot. Taylor picked up a near fall on Yuta and then went for another pin, but Moxley ran in and booted him in the face to break it up.
Late in the match, Castagnoli hit Taylor with an uppercut. Moxley performed the Death Rider. Castagnoli helped Yuta perform an assisted flip from the ropes onto Taylor, which led to the three count…
Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta defeated Bandido, Trent Beretta, and Chuck Taylor in 9:25 in a six-man tag match.
The broadcast team plugged their daily fantasy sports partner… [C]
Powell’s POV: Well, the commercial break was billed as picture-in-picture. They showed the Rampage logo while running ads, but they didn’t actually show any footage from the match. Weird. Anyway, the right team went over given that BCC are the top heel faction while “Best Amigos” seem to exist only because someone thought the name would be funny to use if they added Bandido to Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta’s act. The babyfaces were given plenty of offense and the crowd was receptive.
A brief video package featured Kyle Fletcher talking about his desire to win the AEW International Championship…
Jade Cargill made her entrance for her open challenge title defense…
2. Jade Cargill (w/Mark Sterling, Leila Grey) vs. Danni Bee for the TBS Championship. Cargill dominated from the start and performed an early fallaway slam. Cargill kipped up and booted Bee in the face before pinning her…
Jade Cargill defeated Danni Bee in 0:35 to retain the TBS Title.
Afterward, Sterling said they didn’t expect much, so they lined up additional talent. A local wrestler made her entrance. Excalibur said the woman’s name is Genesis (unsure of the spelling)…
3. Jade Cargill (w/Mark Sterling, Leila Grey) vs. Genesis for the TBS Championship. Cargill absorbed some punches and then took control. She whipped Genesis into the ropes. Genesis stumped and and hit the ropes. When she turned around, Cargill speared her and then put her away with the Jaded finisher…
Jade Cargill defeated Genesis in 0:30 to retain the TBS Championship.
Afterward, Sterling said Cargill was now 59-0. “Let’s bring out another one,” Sterling said. A local wrestler walked out. Taya Valkyrie made her entrance and punched out the local wrestler on the stage. Valkyrie went to the ring and ducked a Cargill clothesline before knocking Grey off the apron. Valkyrie clotheslined Cargill and then put her down with her Road to Valhalla finisher.
Excalibur noted that Valkyrie was unable to use the Road to Valhalla finisher when she faced Cargill due to the match stipulations. He also pointed out that Valkyrie was returning from a suspension. Valkyrie took the mic and asked now who that bitch is. Valkyrie said she would see Cargill at AEW Double Or Nothing…
A graphic listed Cargill vs. Valkyrie for the TBS Title at the pay-per-view while the broadcast team played up Valkyrie being able to use her finisher during that match…
Powell’s POV: This turned out to be more eventful than the usual Cargill open challenge match on Rampage. Well, both matches were just squashes, but the angle with Valkyrie was solid and the announcement of a pay-per-view match was newsworthy by Rampage standards.
The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass made their entrance while The Varsity Athletes were already inside the ring. Max Caster rapped as they headed to the ring…
4. Daddy Ass and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens vs. “The Varsity Athletes” Josh Woods, Tony Nese, and Ari Daivari. The crowd chanted “Scissor Me, Daddy” as the match started. Daddy Ass started in his t-shirt and then they made a production out of him removing his shirt. Nese punched Ass, who came back with a side slam for a two count heading into a PIP break. [C]
Ass roughed up Woods at ringside. In the end, Bowens superkicked Nese and then tagged out. Bowens slammed Nese to the mat and then Caster hit the Mic Drop and scored the pin. Ross called it an outstanding tag team matchup while adding that it was “entertaining and athletic as hell”…
Daddy Ass and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens defeated “The Varsity Athletes” Josh Woods, Tony Nese, and Ari Daivari in 7:45.
Powell’s POV: A predictable, yet solid television win for The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass as the company continues to build them up for an apparent AEW Trios Title match.
A QTV segment aired. QT Marshall asked Aaron Solo if he attacked Matt Hardy. Solo said no, he didn’t want to be deleted. Marshall said that was good news. He said he signed them up for the Blackjack Battle Royale for the AEW International Championship at Double Or Nothing. Marshall hyped Powerhouse Hobbs being front and center on the AEW Collision poster. Solo celebrated and then questioned what it meant for them. Marshall said that “the real story” begins on June 17…
Tony Schiavone stood in the ring and introduced Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Isiah Kassidy. Matt announced that they would face Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn at Double Or Nothing. Matt said he would be in charge of Page’s contract if they are victorious. Jeff spoke briefly about going after the AEW Tag Team Titles.
Ethan Page walked out with a mic and said he asked the Gunns for help, not to make a match or put his contract on the line. Page said that he and Matt have been doing this too long and were done. Page said he barely knows Jeff and didn’t enjoy being Swanton Bombed, so they are done.
Page entered the ring and spoke to Kassidy about how he helped him when Marq Quen got hurt. Page said that he and Kassidy would become a tag team known as The Moan Event. Page said they were going to hug it out and then tried to hug Kassidy, who shoved him away. Page asked for a handshake. Kassidy gave him one, but then Page held onto his hand.
Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn entered the ring behind the babyfaces and worked them over with chairs. Page wrapped a chair around the neck of Kassidy. The Gunns held Cassidy down and then Page went to the ropes and stomped the chair. “You are never going to moan again,” Page said. “Hell, who knows if you’re ever even going to wrestle again. We’ll see you at Double Or Nothing”…
Powell’s POV: The babyfaces immediately started looking behind them once Page came out, so it’s not like they had to act completely oblivious. Can someone come up with an idea for Matt Hardy that doesn’t involve his or someone else’s contract? I wonder if injury angle will take Kassidy out of the pay-per-view match. If so, will it be a handicap match or do they have a third man in mind?
Excalibur recapped footage of Roderick Strong beating Chris Jericho in a Falls Count Anywhere match on Dynamite with help from Adam Cole. Jericho looked into the camera and called Cole a coward. Jericho said that if Cole was there, he would beat his ass.
Adam Cole popped up on the screen and then we had a split-screen shot of the duo. Cole indicated he was standing outside the building because Jericho prevented him from being there. Jericho challenged Cole to face him in an unsanctioned match at AEW Double Or Nothing. Jericho ripped up the legal agreement that prevented Cole from entering the building. Cole said that’s exactly what he wanted. Cole entered the building heading into a break… [C]
Cole made his way through the crowd while Jericho stood up at the broadcast desk and removed his headsets. Cole and Jericho met on the stage and traded punches until security ran out and separated them…
Mark Henry previewed the main event and delivered his money line… Entrances for the main event took place…
5. Dustin Rhodes vs. Bishop Kaun (w/Prince Nana). Kaun attacked Rhodes when he first entered the ring to start the match. Excalibur did his speed reading through Dynamite matches (I’ll list them on the main page later). Kaun reversed a whip and sent Rhodes through the ropes, which led to Rhodes’s head hitting a television camera. Rhodes bled heavily from the forehead at ringside heading into another PIP break. [C]
Kaun dominated the bloody Rhodes, who eventually came back and hit a Destroyer for a near fall. Eventually, Rhodes hit the Final Reckoning on Kaun and then got the 1-2-3.
Dustin Rhodes defeated Bishop Kaun in 8:50.
After the match, Brian Cage attacked Rhodes and powerbombed him. Swerve Strickland also entered the ring. Keith Lee made his entrance. Kaun and Cage went to the ramp to fight him, but Lee quickly disposed of both men. Lee entered the ring to go after Strickland, who smiled at him and removed his jacket.
Kaun and Cage returned and attacked Lee from behind. Lee started to power up Cage for a move when Kaun hit him with a chair. Cage picked up Lee and performed the Drill Claw on him while Nana tried to slip a chair Lee before he hit the mat, but Lee actually missed the chair. The heels set up the chair and sat Lee on top of it. Swerve went to the ropes and double stomped Lee, which knocked him out of the chair…
Powell’s POV: The blood felt really over the top for a Rampage match with an opponent whom Rhodes doesn’t have a heated feud with, but I guess Dustin wanted to do it up in his hometown. The post match angle put some heat on the heels. I hope it’s leading to Lee finally facing Strickland in a singles match, but it seems like some type of tag team match is also possible given the way that Lee and Rhodes have been linked.
Overall, the show was still chaotic in terms of the pacing, but it was more newsworthy than usual with the pay-per-view developments. I will have more to say about Rampage in my audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Stick around and join Jake Barnett for his live review of WWE Smackdown.
I love how this show is so consistently awful that you guys don’t even put up a poll anymore.
It’s more about the lack of votes that we were getting in the Rampage polls. Insert your own joke here about the show being so consistently awful that our readers stopped watching (or at least voting). It’s typically just an hour of chaos with mostly meaningless matches. On the bright side, at least they had a few PPV match announcements today.