Arena: Rupp Arena

City: Lexington, KY

Last Week’s Rating: 464,000 overall; 0.13 in 18-49 demo

It’s Friday Night, and you know what that means…  it’s time for our Rampage Review!

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Hangman Page vs Wheeler Yuta

Backstory: Yuta challenged Page since Moxley wasn’t there to do so

No entrances, right to the ring with Yuta pretty much mid-sprint as he launched a dropkick and began aggressively stomping away on Page in the corner.  Seeking distance, Hangman shoved him away; Yuta came back with an Octopus then avoided a shot to the face, wrapping Page up in a leglock, eventually with a bridge.

Until Hangman got the rope break and again tried to put some distance between the two.

Yuta pursued him, stomping away again until Page eventually dropped him via running slap.  Excalibur’s nose grew as he hyped the show.

Then took him to the corner, firing off stiff chops before snapmaring Yuta down and hitting him with a basement clothesline.

Aside from a small section chanting ‘cowboy s’, the crowd were very quiet as Yuta dropped Page face-first across the top rope.  Page came back quickly to catch and drop him via fallaway slam.  The crowd did come alive a bit here.

After starting hot, Yuta now couldn’t get anything going, Page easily cutting him off every time he tried.

A springboard clothesline was followed by a vaulting cross body to the outside.  Page afterwards slapping and kicking at his downed opponent.  Then briefly turning his back, allowing Yuta to sprint back inside to launch a tope.  Thereafter chopping and striking the cowboy around ringside but being caught on a second tope and powerbombed onto the apron.  A Liger bomb inside followed for two and the first pin attempt of the match.

Yuta was working the fingers as we came back, trying to escape Page’s grip, finally doing so then launching a shotgun dropkick from the middle buckle.  Then a flurry of offense: Manhattan drop, enziguri, splash in the corner, diving elbow strike to the face, kip-up, another splash in the corner, bulldog, count of two.

Page finally caught him up top and fired off headbutts then spiked him via avalanche dvd.  Looked brutal.  Yuta just kicked out.  More weak ‘cowboy s’ chants as Yuta crawled to his feet only to be dropped right back on his neck via German.  Then another.

A third setup, Yuta widened his base, reached for the ropes then finally slipped behind to drop Page with three Germans of his own until Page got the ropes.  Then threw back-elbows to free himself, looking for the Buckshot.

Yuta quickly cut him off, firing H&A elbows with Page still between the ropes then looked for a German on the apron, which he finally hit after running Page into the buckle, maintaining his grip down to drop him with another German at ringside.  Following up with a diving cross body off the top.

Then flinging Page inside before heading to the top once more.  Page got the knees up then dropped him with a stiff lariat as Excalibur noted it was the type of move which took out Moxley.

Yuta again countered the Buckshot then headed up top once more to this time hit the splash for two.  Then flung more H&A elbows which Page eventually blocked.  To his feet, they slugged it out in the middle, Yuta biting the forehead, Page flung him away, Yuta went to the apron looking for his seatbelt pin but Page was ready for it, sending him back inside with an invitation to Buckshot city.

Though he wasn’t done.  A Death Rider followed to send a message to Mox along with the victory.  Page went to the cameras to yell that he’d see Moxley next week.

Hard-hitting, nice back and forth all wrapped up in the Hangman/Mox story.  Though a good crowd does make a match for me and this one wasn’t even palatable.

WINNER: Hangman Page

Footage of Starks and Andretti after Wednesday’s match.  AA guaranteed that he could beat Sammy one-on-one.  Starks noted that Jericho never wins his matches, it’s always one of the JAS getting the win for him.

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Eddie Kingston backstage.  He said the real Eddie Kingston is going to come out now.  He ‘understands’ and ‘feels’ the HOB and is ‘ready to go home’.  Still didn’t feel like he’d gone heel.  Nor should it, he’s still being cheered.

Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh vs Best Friends & Danhausen

Backstory: The J’s stole the Best Friends’ friend’s golden globe

Danhausen had a ukelele.  Singh broke it over his knee.  How impressive.

Taylor and Lethal got us going: quick tag to Trent, double-team elbow drop, tag out to Jarrett.  Who threw fists; Trent responded with chops then raked his boot over Jarrett’s face before all three quickly tagged in to triple team Jarrett.  Then dropped Singh off the apron and were about to hug when the heels all dragged them outsde.

Leaving Trent in the ring with Singh.  Though the big man only had to stand still and be chopped.  Then whip Trent into the corner where he flew over to the outside.

Break time.

Singh wrestled throughout the break but wasn’t in the ring when we came back.  Which pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Trent bagged two with a roll-up then tagged Chuck who dropped Lethal with clotheslines then a raised knee and a single-arm ddt into an armlock.  Jarrett broke up the submission.

Taylor drop toe hold-ed Lethal into Jarrett’s junk then put a figure four on the veteran, avoiding a Lethal elbow off the top until Singh came in and Taylor got the tag to Danhausen.  Whom Jericho clearly really likes.

Nothing worked, Danhausen celebrated anyway.  Until Singh missed in the corner, hitting his face on the buckle, the ref took the guitar away from Danhausen and Jarrett struck him with the golden globe to absolutely no reaction whatsoever as Singh got the pin.

Still doesn’t look like he’s anywhere near ready for tv.  Perhaps they can invent a belt and give him a win streak?

WINNER: Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal

Renee with Ruby Soho this past Wednesday.  Britt quickly interrupted.  Soho didn’t want her help tonight or any night.  Baker admitted that Ruby had some value and challenged her to grow a backbone and pick a side.  ‘And if you’re smart, you’ll know which side to pick.’

Will Hobbs vs Tony Mudd

Backstory: None

Hobbs brought a literal Book of Hobbs with him.

You know the outcome.  Several very intense clotheslines led to a face-first DVD for the win.

Follow-up continues to be by far AEW’s biggest weakness.  Hobbs being, ironically enough, ‘just another victim’ of it.  He’s done nothing for months.  The vignettes led nowhere.  And there was nothing here suggesting any sort of upcoming feud.

WINNER: Will Hobbs

Top Flight package and promo.  They put themselves over for beating the Young Bucks and winning the $300,000 battle royal.  Essentially, they kept emphasizing the number 3 before challenging the Elite to a trios match, their partner being AR Fox.  ‘Step up, or take flight’

Like that closing line.

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Renee with Dustin Rhodes.  Who just wanted to thank the fans for all their support.  Swerve Strickland interrupted along with his boys.  He threatened to get rid of Dustin like he’d done to Billy Gunn.

Dustin warned him.

Swerve didn’t heed it, talking down the entire family until he got to Dustin’s father.  At which point Rhodes had enough.  Both warned the other to step off.  Neither backing down.

This was a really good, intense segment.  Strickland comes across as such a star.

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Lexi Nair with Jade and Leila.  Red Velvet, along with Kiera Hogan, interrupted with ‘cut the s***’.  Then challenged her to put her record on the line next week (Cargill is 49-0).  Velvet talks well but is there even a glint of interest in this match?

Jamie Hayter vs Emi Sakura, Women’s title Eliminator

Backstory: None

Testament to Hayter’s popularity is that she got even this crowd to react.

Sakura kept stepping away from the lockup until both got to chopping, the champ driving Sakura back into the ropes but the vet low-bridged her to the outside.  Then flung her back and forth between the barricade and the ring apron.  Finishing by crushing her with a knee to the gut.  Then peppering her with more chops before returning her to the ring.

A stiff slap to the face was followed by a cross body splash in the corner then another dismissive slap which finally woke Hayter.  Though she was quickly tripped back to the mat as Sakura dropped an elbow then hauled her up into a surfboard.

Sakura’s facials are great.

To the break with the champ in big trouble.

And still was as we returned, crushed in the corner but fighting out with heavy chops.  Before being quickly cut off once more.  Sakura stopped to trash talk and ate an exploder, then another.  A third even.  Hayter then crushing the vet in the corner before piling on stiff shots, driving Sakura down in the corner then catching her into the Haytbreaker as she stumbled out.  Two only.

Hayterade was blocked, Sakura dropping Jamie by holding her upside down for a good ten seconds before spinning her ’round into a backbreaker as she dropped.  Hayter kicked out right on two.  Britt was worried on the outside.

After a tired ushi-goroshi, Hayter struck with a basement clothesline then hauled Sakura up top to drop her face-first (essentially a draping RKO) before going topside herself, missing a moonsault, Sakura got la magistral for another close two, then another via tiger driver.

Sakura then landed a moonsault of her own.  Hayter kicked out again.  A frustrated Sakura began launching slaps until Hayter popped up into a big clothesline.  Sakura again avoided Hayterade into a backdrop driver.  Hayter popped up to launch another lariat then finally hit Hayterade to escape with the win.

Jamie was all but unconscious afterward.  She gave the vet a ton here.

It should be a long time before Hayter loses this belt.  She’s had three of the best women’s matches in AEW history in/since winning it.

WINNER: Jamie Hayter

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Next Dynamite:

• Bryan Danielson vs Timothy Thatcher
• Hangman Adam Page vs Jon Moxley
• Acclaimed in action
• Darby Allin vs Samoa Joe, TNT Title, No Holds Barred
• Red Velvet vs Jade Cargill, TBS Title, Jade 49-0 (Mercedes finally?)
• Konosuke Takeshita vs Brian Cage

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Overall impressions

Two good matches out of four isn’t something to complain about.  So I won’t.  But more connections with Dynamite please.  They help the show feel important and connected to the main storylines.

Check Out

• Hangman Page vs Wheeler Yuta
• Jamie Hayter vs Emi Sakura

Thanks for reading.  Have a great weekend!