By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Rampage (Episode 104)
Taped August 2, 2023 in Tampa, Florida at Yuengling Center
Aired August 4, 2023 on TNT
The Rampage opening aired… Excalibur, Taz, and Chris Jericho were on commentary…
1. Keith Lee, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy (w/Ethan Page, Brother Zay) vs. Kip Sabian, The Butcher, and The Blade (w/Penelope Ford). The heel trio isolated Jeff heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C] The isolation continued coming out the break until Jeff hit a jawbreaker on Butcher and tagged out.
Lee checked in for the first time and worked over multiple opponents. Lee threw Sabian at Butcher and Blade. Sabian came back with an enzuigiri, but Lee caught him going for a running crossbody block and slammed him to the mat. Lee had the pin, but Butcher broke it up.
Matt took out Butcher with a Twist of Fate and then performed another on Blade. Sabian went for a springboard move and was swatted out of the air by Lee, who followed up with a one-armed slam. Jeff tagged in and performed a Swanton Bomb on Sabian before pinning him..
Keith Lee, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy defeated Kip Sabian, The Butcher, and The Blade.
Powell’s POV: A quick showcase match for the Hardys and Lee. It’s hard to say whether this was just a random match or if they are setting up the Hardys and Lee for a run at the AEW Trios Titles.
Matt Taven and Mike Bennett were shown talking about their history with Adam Cole in The Kingdom faction in Ring of Honor. They said they looked out for him and did everything for him. They asked where Cole was when they needed him. They said Cole always forgets about his real friends… [C]
Powell’s POV: If Taven and Bennett are going to be a part of this Cole and MJF storyline, then they really need to replay this on Dynamite and Collision. I love Jake Barnett’s idea of Cole turning heel and realigning with Taven and Bennett. Their history helps, but it’s more about Cole being the heel in the feud with MJF and AEW getting more out of Taven and Bennett.
“The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson talking into a camera held by Brandon Cutler a hallway. Nick said they’ve been focusing on trios matches and eight-man tags. He said he thinks it’s important that they get back into the tag team division.
Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy showed up and said he heard they were getting back into the tag division. Matt Hardy said they should dive right in and face The GOATS. Matt Jackson said it would be awesome to face the second best brother tag team. The Bucks walked away and Jeff said, “Video over, Brandon”…
The Young Buck vs. Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy was officially added to the AEW Dynamite lineup…
Excalibur hyped AEW All In and said it would be available via traditional pay-per-view providers…
2. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay (w/Matt Menard, Angelo Parker). Jay, Menard, and Parker shot Jericho a look during the entrances. After some back and forth action, Jay caught Blue with a kick that knocked her off the apron heading into a PIP break. [C]
Jay put Blue down with a Flatliner and got a near fall. Blue avoided the Queen Slayer and rolled Jay into a pin for a two count. Blue threw Jay to the mat and then Parker stood on the apron and asked for a kiss while Menard distracted the referee. Blue teased kissing his cheek and then hit him. Jay put Blue in the Queen Slayer and got the submission win…
Anna Jay defeated Sky Blue.
Powell’s POV: Both wrestlers showed improvement, but that finish was just plain corny.
Kris Statlander performed squats with Renee Paquette on her back while Paquette interviewed her. Statlander ran through a bunch of household chores that Mercedes Martinez should do before their match on Collision and said it’s because mommy is coming home…
Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight checked in from the parking lot at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. There were a bunch of cheering fans behind them. They announced that Pac was injured and was not medically cleared. They spoke about how it leaves Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix shorthanded, yet said they will still face the winners of the Parking Lot Brawl in a match on Dynamite…
3. Swerve Strickland and AR Fox (w/Prince Nana) vs. Tyshaun Perez and Logan Cruz. The entrances for Prince and Cruz were not televised. Fox wore the bloody shirt from the Nick Wayne attack to the ring. In the end, Swerve performed a brainbuster on Cruz, and then Fox tagged in and hit a 450 splash that led to him getting the pin…
Swerve Strickland and AR Fox defeated Tyshaun Perez and Logan Cruz.
Powell’s POV: A squash win for Swerve and Fox and there’s nothing wrong with that. One of the highlights of the match was watching some random dude in the third row get all caught up in dancing to Swerve’s entrance theme.
The latest QTV segment aired. Harley Cameron and Aaron Solo were seated at their cubicle. Solo showed off a hat that he said he got by stealing a guy’s bag at the airport. Cameron put the hat on and said it was a perfect fit. Solo wondered what happened to that random guy who usually stands in the background.
QT Marshall showed up and spoke about their recent loss to The Acclaimed. Marshall said he looked like a guy who had just worked a death match in Mexico “and won.” Marshall said they have to start over and asked who they should feud with. He shot down House of Black because HOB would kill them. He rolled his eyes at a Factory suggestion.
Cameron set up a clip that showed Johnny TV doing the splits while sliding down a red carpet. An interviewer was waiting for him. TV issued an open challenge to anyone who has been on TV… [C]
Big Bill, Brian Cage, and Prince Nana stood on a backstage interview set and spoke about their AEW Tag Team Title match with FTR on AEW Collision. They mocked the differences between their physiques compared to FTR…
Powell’s POV: Back to back bad segments. QTV does nothing for me, and I was hoping for a better promo from Bill and Cage heading into their title match. They took weak verbal jabs at FTR and didn’t do anything to sell me on the match or their chances of winning.
Mark Henry hosted the main event preview and listed his usual line…
Schiavone welcomed viewers to the Parking Lot Brawl and said it could be won by pinfall, submission, or surrender. He introduced the two teams while the extras who were all 20-somethings cheered while standing behind a barricade. The Best Friends actually made an entrance complete with entrance music…
4. Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. “Best Friends” Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Brawl. Schiavone and Wight provided commentary. There were several vehicles set up in a circle that the wrestlers fought on and around. There were a pair of referees.Trent bled almost instantly and Moxley jabbed a fork into the wound. Trent eventually got the fork and returned the favor, leaving Moxley bleeding from the forehead.
Beretta and Taylor slammed the hood of one of the cars on Castagnoli. Moxley intervened and then he and Castagnoli slammed the same hood on Beretta. They picked up Taylor and dumped him on the hood that Beretta was still under. Moxley covered Beretta for a two count. Castagnoli performed the big swing on Beretta. Moxley rolled a trash bucket into the picture and Castagnoli capped off the swing by sending Beretta crashing into the bucket.
Taylor returned with a street sign, which he hit both opponents with. Taylor backdropped Castagnoli onto the hood of his car and his feet smashed the windshield. Taylor jabbed Moxley with a fork repeatedly. Taylor grabbed a piece of the barricade and leaned it up against one of the cars. Moxley fought back and suplexed Taylor onto the barricade piece head into a PIP break. [C]
Beretta and Taylor both hit Castagnoli with street signs. Castagnoli fell off the roof of a car and onto a barricade that was propped up over the open passenger side doors. Beretta performed a senton onto Castagnoli. Moxley DDT’d Taylor on top of a car. Beretta went for a spinning kick on Moxley, but Castagnoli pulled his partner out of the way and then Beretta crashed into the side of the car.
Castagnoli pressed Beretta over his head and dropped him on the roof of another vehicle. Castagnoli set up for a powerbomb on top of a car, but Beretta countered into Dudebuster on top of the car. Moxley put Beretta in a rear naked choke on top of the car. Beretta gouged the eyes of Moxley to break it. Moxley and Beretta fought on top of the car and eventually Moxley knocked Beretta off it. Beretta went right back up and traded punches with Moxley, who performed a Death Rider through the windshield of the car.
Taylor was shown sucking gasoline out of a hose. He used the gas to set a barbed wire board on fire. Taylor walked toward Moxley, but Wheeler Yuta showed up and distracted Taylor, which allowed Moxley to hit Taylor and take the board. The fire went up. Yuta jabbed Taylor with a screwdriver.
Trent’s mother Sue drove a minivan into the area with Orange Cassidy on the roof. Cassidy dove off the roof onto Moxley and Castagnoli. Cassidy wrapped a chain around his fist. The three Blackpool Combat Club members ganged up on Cassidy. Yuta dropped Cassidy with a double underhook DDT on the hood of Sue’s van. Castagnoli let Sue run away and then he and Moxley slammed the head of Beretta into the side of the van repeatedly.
Castagnoli ripped the driver’s side door off the fan while Moxley smashed out the windows with a crowbar. Moxley stomped Beretta’s head onto the door that had been ripped off. Castagnoli held Trent’s head over the windshield and then Moxley stomped him. Castagnoli covered Berretta and got the three count while Yuta threw punches at Cassidy and Moxley waged war with the windshield of the van.
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli defeated “Best Friends” Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Brawl.
After the match, Castagnoli slammed the barricade piece through the van’s front windshield. Schiavone hyped Penta and Fenix vs. Moxley and Castagnoli for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite…
Powell’s POV: A good brawl that lived up to the expectations created by the original. I wasn’t sure why they didn’t have Cassidy and Yuta in the match to start with, but I think it would have been a little too much action to follow and they made the right call by going with four men and some outside interference. Overall, it was nice that the brawl made it feel like they didn’t just phone it in with Rampage.
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