By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
AEW Rampage taping
Taped August 30, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois at NOW Arena
Report by Dot Net contributor Chris Vetter
We heard “Judas” again, as Chris Jericho came out and joined commentary; that would matter later. Tony Khan briefly spoke to us, thanking us for coming and telling us how much he loves Chicago and this building.
They switched the stage fairly quickly and we had full introductions for every team in the tag battle royal. Let’s be honest, though, these were not the premier teams of the AEW roster. Even the Outrunners (Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum) got a full entrance. The Hardys came out last and got a big pop; I told my boys that either the Hardys or the Best Friends were going to win. As they all stood at ringside, we had the “Rampage” opening sequence and fireworks.
1. John Silver won the tag team battle royal at 11:37. The jobber teams got tossed early. The highlight of the match was silliness of the Best Friends trying to hug the Hardys, who weren’t into it, and suddenly we had a ‘hug-fest’ vs. a “delete!” argument in the center of the ring, until everyone attacked them. To my great surprise, the Hardys were tossed about half-way through.
We were suddenly down to seven remaining teams. Aussie Open, Best Friends, Dark Order and Action Andretti. Andretti, Reynolds and Chuck Taylor were tossed, leaving our final four: Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher, John Silver and Trent Beretta.
Fletcher charged at Silver, who pulled down the top rope and Fletcher flew over it to the floor. Davis kicked Silver off the apron… into the waiting arms of Alex Reynolds! The crowd loved this. Reynolds set Silver on the metal ring steps. Beretta and Davis fought on the ring apron, closest to the hard camera. Beretta was able to toss Davis, but Silver immediately ran in and shoved Beretta to the floor, too, to be our sole survivor! By winning, Dark Order gets an ROH Tag Title shot at All Out.
* Aussie Open walked up to Chris Jericho at the commentary booth. They briefly argued before attacking him. Sammy Guevara ran out and helped Jericho fend them off.
2. Nick Wayne and El Hijo Del Vikingo defeated Gringo Loco and Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford) at 7:37. Vikingo and Loco just squared off five days ago in AUSTRALIA! Now they are back here. Kip is fine, but these other three know each other so well and they carried the match. The heels beat down Wayne early on before Vikingo was finally able to make the tag. A flawless night for Vikingo on his big high-flying moves, as he stood on the ring post, bounced off the middle rope, and hit a flying forearm on Loco’s back as he sat on the ropes. This got a massive pop; they do it every match but my first time seeing it live. They finished with the exact same sequence as in Australia — Vikingo hit the top-rope Poison Rana, the running double knees into the corner, and the top-rope 630 Splash for the pin. One of my favorite matches of the night.
3. “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Bryan Keith at 3:28. I am fairly certain Keith has never had an AEW match before, not on Elevation, Dark, etc. He’s a talented Black man from Texas who wears his Mexican baja jacket and he’s known as the “bounty hunter.” As talented as he is, I was surprised how small he looked next to Page, who I don’t consider particularly big. Don’t be fooled by the short length of this match, as this was a back-and-forth hard-hitting FIGHT, and Keith had just landed a big move right before Page nailed the Buckshot Lariat for the pin. No, this was not a one-sided squash; well worth checking out if you want to see why Bryan Keith is so highly booked across the country.
4. Willow Nightingale and Skye Blue defeated Anna Jay and Taya Valkyrie at 8:26. Good match with the heels controlling the action, and of course, one heel accidentally hit the other. The crowd was totally into Skye Blue. Everyone looked good here.
A short walk back to the car and it was only 10:30-ish CST. A LOT of the crowd left, either after the main event of Dynamite, or after the tag team battle royal. It will be noticeably smaller for the final three matches of the show.
> I am fairly certain Keith has never had an AEW match before, not on Elevation, Dark, etc. He’s a talented Black man..<<
WHo GIVES A CRAP if he was "black"????