By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Rampage (Episode 145)
Taped May 15, 2024 in Portland, Oregon at Moda Center
Aired May 18, 2024 on TBS
Rampage opened with a propaganda video for The Elite… Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, and Matt Menard were on commentary. Ring announcer Bobby Cruise handled the introductions for the opening match…
1. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty (w/Anthony Ogogo). Moriarty caught a charging O’Reilly and drove his face into the middle turnbuckle pad. Moriarty followed up by dropkicking the left arm of O’Reilly heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Moriarty caught O’Reilly in the Border City Stretch, but O’Reilly picked him up and suplexed him to break the hold. Moriarty came back and targeted O’Reilly’s shoulder. O’Reilly caught Moriarty in a submission hold. Moriarty headbutted him, but O’Reilly applied a triangle lock. O’Reilly released the hold and booted Moriarty, then slammed him and applied an armbar for the win…
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Lee Moriarty in 9:55.
Powell’s POV: A good match with a predictable outcome involving two wrestlers who work a similar style.
Lexi Nair interviewed Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, and Billy Gunn in the backstage area and praised their latest video. Caster said the song is about him and Bowens going back to tag team action. Caster said the other teams are too afraid to face them, so Bowens took the first single match he could get against Brian Cage. Bowens delivered a fiery promo and scissored with Gunn… [C]
Rush made his entrance while his opponent was already inside the ring…
2. Rush vs. Cody Chhun. There was a chant for Chunn to start. Rush avoided a charging Chunn and then hit him with a shot in the corner. Rush hit Bull’s Horns and scored the pin.
Rush beat Cody Chunn in 0:40.
Rush teased leaving, then pulled Chunn to the floor and chopped him. Rush ran Chunn into the barricade twice. Rush whipped Chunn with an electrical cord and then used it to choke him while several referees barked at him…
Powell’s POV: Chunn is a popular independent wrestler, so that’s why the crowd was chanting for him. This was a total squash match win for Rush.
Lexi Nair stood outside the trainer’s room and spoke about the beating that Bryan Danielson, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler took after the AEW Collision main event. Danielson emerged from the room and said that The Elite put a price on their heads and it must have worked. Danielson said FTR would not be able to appear at AEW Dynamite, but he would still be there. Danielson told The Elite to take whatever shots they want, but they won’t like the consequences if they miss…
Deonna Purazzo made her entrance while her opponent was inside the ring…
3. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade. Purrazzo was dominant going into an early PIP break. [C] Purrazzo applied the Fujiwara armbar for the submission win.
Deonna Purrazzo beat Robyn Renegade in 7:20.
After the match, Purrazzo released the hold, then put Renegade in the Venus de Milo. Thunder Rosa made her entrance and ran to the ring. Purrazzo released the hold and rolled to the floor once Rosa entered the ring. Rosa checked on Renegade. Purrazzo snuck back inside the ring and hit Rosa from behind. Purrazzo exited the ring.
Rosa chased Purrazzo and caught her before she could get to the stage. Rosa ran Purrazzo into the LED board on the apron, then rolled her inside the ring, but Purrazzo snuck out the other side. Purrazzo hopped the barricade and ran up the steps into the crowd…
Powell’s POV: The match showcased Purrazzo and the post match angle continued the build to her grudge match with Rosa.
A Scorpio Sky vignette aired. He spoke about how it was easy to win championships and how a normal person in his position would fail. Sky spoke about reaching down and lifting up the fans. Sky said he’s coming back and he’s here for the fans… [C]
Powell’s POV: Sky’s verbiage sounded like something that Chris Jericho would say, so perhaps we’ll see Sky join the Learning Tree faction.
Sonjay Dutt was interviewed by Lexi Nair, who noted that he had asked for the time. Dutt said he didn’t need Nair and dismissed her. Dutt said he worked out a hell of a deal with The Elite. Dutt said Bryan Danielson would face Satnam Singh on AEW Dynamite. Dutt said he heard dragon meat is expensive these days. Dutt said they would have one hell of a cookout and then did a ridiculously over the top laugh…
Schiavone listed the following matches for AEW Dynamite: AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland vs. Nick Wayne, Will Ospreay and Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta and Roderick Strong, Konosuke Takeshita vs. Matt Sydal, Toni Storm and Mariah May vs. Saraya and Harley Cameron, Kyle O’Reilly vs. Malakai Black, Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bryan Keith in a three-way for a shot at the FTW Title, Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh, Bullet Club Gold speak, a closer look at Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Mone, and Jon Moxley will be in the building…
Brian Cage made his entrance for the main event. Anthony Bowens made his entrance with Max Caster and Billy Gunn. Caster rapped on his way to the ring…
4. Brian Cage vs. Anthony Bowens. Caster and Bowens did not stick around for the match. Cage dominated early and powerbombed Bowens into the ring post heading into a PIP break. [C] Bowens hit a late DDT on the apron.
Schiavone announced that Tony Khan texted him to let him know that Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta was official for Double Or Nothing. Cage dropped Bowens with a late lariat. Bowens avoided the Drill Claw and then superkicked Cage and followed up with another kick that led to a near fall.
Cage shoved Bowens at the referee in the corner, but Bowens stopped before making contact. Cage swung at Bowens, who moved, but Cage also stopped short of hitting the referee. With the referee shielded, Cage threw a low blow kick at Bowens and then hit the Drill Claw before scoring the pin…
Brian Cage defeated Anthony Bowens in 11:45.
After the match, Cage celebrated his win while Caster and Gunn came out to check on Bowens…
Powell’s POV: So it is now confirmed that Tony Khan can text with a bad neck, so why can’t he run the show remotely? Anyway, a bounce back win for Cage after his loss to Swerve Strickland on Dynamite. While I assumed that Cage would win for that reason, his match with Bowens had the only outcome that didn’t feel completely predictable during the entire three-hour block of Rampage and Collision. That’s not good. Overall, it was par for the course with Rampage in that it was fine if you saw it, fine if you did not. Really, the same is true of Collision. Will Pruett will be by with his weekly audio review of AEW Collision for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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