By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Rampage (Episode 96)
Taped June 7, 2023 in Colorado Springs, Colorado at Broadmoor World Arena
Aired June 9, 2023 on TNT
The Rampage opening aired… Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary… The wrestlers for the opening match were already inside the ring…
1. Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Bandido (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, and Big Bill. Fenix caught Page in an early inside cradle for a two count. Bandido and Moriarty tagged in. Bandido got the better of Moriarty, and then Penta and Bill tagged in.
Penta tried to do his no fear hand gesture, but Bill grabbed him by the throat. Penta fired away with kicks. Penta went for a springboard move, but Bill caught him by the throat again. Fenix and Bandido both superkicked Bill. Page and Moriarty pulled Fenix and Bandido to the floor. Penta sent Bill to ringside and then went for a suicide dive, but Bill punched him when he flew through the ropes.
Bill worked over Penta inside the ring while they cut to a picture-in-picture break. [C] Penta tossed Bandido over the top rope and he executed a corkscrew dive onto Bill and Moriarty. Back in the ring, Fenix put Moriarty down with a cutter. Fenix double stomped Moriarty into a Penta piledriver on the apron.
Page set up for his Ego’s Edge finisher on Bandido, but he was interrupted by Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Isiah Kassidy walking out and speaking to him from the entrance ramp. The Hardys said they gave Page gifts and ordered him to extend them. Page unrolled Hardy-style arm wear. Bandido took advantage of the distraction by hitting Page with his 21 Plex and then pinned him…
Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Bandido defeated Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, and Big Bill in 10:40.
Powell’s POV: Good action and a bad finish. All of the stories of wrestlers having their contracts controlled by other wrestlers or managers have been awful.
The latest edition of QTV aired. An image Powerhouse Hobbs was shown on a television in the background and listed him as AEW Collision bound. QT Marshall said he thought the show should be edgy. He felt Harley Cameron’s suggestion was too 1997. Aaron Solo suggested they buy ice cream for the fans. Marshall said it had already been done. Cameron said they could spit in Jim Ross’s coffee. Marshall said it had already been done. Solo spoke about making an announcement about an announcement. Marshall said they would have Powerhouse Hobbs give the fans a preview of what Collision will really be about… [C]
Powell’s POV: A little funnier than usual. None of this makes me want to see anyone actually wrestle a match, but at least it’s quick and harmless. I just wish they would let Powerhouse Hobbs be his own man.
An AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door video package aired and touted Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, and Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP U.S. Championship…
2. Powerhouse Hobbs (w/Harley Cameron, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo) vs. Caleb Crush. Crush was introduced as being from Colorado Springs, which got him a hometown pop. Hobbs destroyed Crush and finished him off with spinebuster…
Powerhouse Hobbs beat Caleb Crush in 1:10.
Renee Paquette interviewed TNT Champion Wardlow and Arn Anderson. She asked them how Brock Anderson was doing after he was attacked by Christian Cage and Luchasaurus. Arn said his son was fine and is a tough man. Arn took issue with Cage mentioning a Father’s Day gift. He said what goes around comes around. Wardlow said that disrespecting him and Arn comes at a cost.
Wardlow said Powerhouse Hobbs found out who the real powerhouse of the company is. He spoke about whopping Cage’s ass in his own backyard. Wardlow said they would pay. Wardlow said he was having an open challenge title defense against Jake Hager. Wardlow said once he’s finished with Hager, Cage and Luchasaurus’s days would be done…
Powell’s POV: Wardlow vs. Hager? Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz has competition for next week’s least anticipated television rematch.
Entrances for the next trios match took place. Max Caster rapped on his way to the ring and closed by saying that SAP stands for “small ass penises”…
3. Billy Gunn and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens vs. “Spanish Announce Project” Angelico, Luther, and Serpentico. Gunn somehow mesmerized Serpentico with his scissors fingers and then punched him in the face heading into a PIP break. [C] Angelico caught Gunn with a kick. Luther made the cover, but Bowens broke up the pin. Bowens slammed Luther and then tagged in Caster, who hit the Mic Drop and scored the pin…
Billy Gunn and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens beat “Spanish Announce Project” Angelico, Luther, and Serpentico in 8:30.
A video package recapped key segments from AEW Dynamite…
Powell’s POV: The live crowds still love the Acclaimed. I guess the idea is to keep them and Gunn in contention for an AEW Trios Titles rematch. Meanwhile, the video recap is a great idea. Granted, I don’t know how many fans watch Rampage yet don’t watch Dynamite, but hopefully they will be doing more of these on each show, particularly with AEW Collision debuting in eight days. It’s just common sense to make it easier for fans who don’t have five hours per week to invest in AEW programming.
Renee Paquette stood on the stage and introduced Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh. Paquette asked Dutt what was going on with them right now, but Karen interrupted and called out referee Aubrey Edwards.
Mark Briscoe’s music played and then he and Edwards walked out together. Jeff held Karen back. Edwards said that despite her best efforts, AEW would not sanction a match between her and Karen. Edwards said that if she saw Karen in catering or at a hotel or caught her interfering in one of her husband’s matches, she would kick her ass.
Mark called for everyone to simmer down, but then encouraged an “Aubrey” chant that broke out. Mark said he forgot to tell Edwards something. He said she was right that the company won’t sanction an Aubrey vs. Karen match, but the good news is that they will sanction a mixed tag team match.
Mark said it would be a mixed trios match. Sonjay teased saying he would be in the match and then said that Lethal would do it instead. Dutt pointed out that they still had the numbers. Mark said there was one man who told him not to trust Jarrett’s crew in the first place – his father Papa Briscoe… [C]
Powell’s POV: So apparently it’s going to be Jeff, Karen, and Lethal vs. Mark, Edwards, and Papa Briscoe. They didn’t list a date. Will it be a five star classic? No, of course not, but it could be good dumb fun.
A video package aired on the four-way main event. Mark Henry delivered the “It’s time for the main event” line… Excalibur ran through the AEW Dynamite lineup and added the Wardlow vs. Jake Hager match for the TNT Championship along with the previously advertised matches…
Excalibur also hyped CM Punk and FTR vs. Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson as the main event of the first AEW Collision… Finally, Excalibur pushed the two matches that were previously advertised for the Forbidden Door pay-per-view…
Entrances for the main event took place. A graphic listed this match as Martinez’s 2023 in-ring debut (due to being sidelined by an injury). Britt Baker came out last and was accompanied by a kendo stick holding Hikaru Shida…
4. Britt Baker (w/Hikaru Shida) vs. Skye Blue vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Nyla Rose (w/Marina Shafir) in a four-way for a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship. Schiavone noted that Blue was the only wrestler in the match who had not held a world championship. He added that the odds were against her winning the match.
Toni Storm and Ruby Soho were shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Shafir entered the ring and put Martinez in a rear naked choke in front of the referee. The broadcast team noted that there are no disqualifications in a four-way match. Shida entered the ring and ended up using her kendo stick to chase Shafir out of the ring and to the back heading into a PIP break. [C]
Rose had Martinez draped over the top rope and set up for her top rope leg drop. Baker shoved Rose to the floor. Baker and Blue traded strikes. Blue caught Baker with an enzuigiri and went for a cover, but Martinez broke up the pin. Baker and Blue both applied submission holds on Martinez until Rose broke it up.
Baker and Blue double superkicked Rose. Blue went after Baker, who dumped her to ringside. Rose chokeslammed Baker and covered her, but Martinez hit Rose with a knee strike to break it up. Martinez caught Rose with another knee and then suplexed her. Baker ran the ropes and performed a Stomp on Rose. Martinez threw Baker to ringside. Baker pulled Martinez to the floor where they traded shots. Blue rolled Rose into a pin and got the three count.
Skye Blue defeated Britt Baker, Mercedes Martinez, and Nyla Rose in a four-way in 9:00 to earn a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship.
The broadcast team hyped that Blue will challenge Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s Championship on Dynamite. Storm was shown spray painting an L over Blue’s face on the backstage television. Blue celebrated her win while the broadcast team hyped MJF vs. Adam Cole in an eliminator match for Dynamite…
Powell’s POV: Meh. It was a nice moment for Blue, but it’s hard to feel excited about her getting a title shot simply because they haven’t really pushed her in a way that makes it feel like she has any chance of winning. That said, I am curious to see if Storm can carry her to a good title match on Wednesday.
Overall, this show was a step down in quality from last week’s four title match edition. That said, I like that the main event was for a title shot rather than being just another random match. I will have more to say about Rampage in my same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
I would love to see a battle of the Mercedes in the future between Martinez and Monet..