AEW Rampage tonight comes to us from the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fl.  After last week drawing 371,000 & a 0.12 in the 18-49 demo.

There’ll be word tonight on the upcoming cage match between Moxley & Omega.

*****

Bullet Club Gold vs Shawn Spears & Ricky Starks

Backstory: White debuted by helping Juice beat down Starks; the two then attacked Spears after he insulted White’s in-ring debut last week

Well that’s refreshing.  They actually gave the openers their entrances.  As a recap of Bullet Club’s exploits thus far played.  Starks drew a nice reaction from the crowd.

Before rushing down the ramp, right to a four-way brawl, going after Robinson: the match he never got.  Spears and White spilled outside.  As Starks took Juice to the corner for chops.  Before tagging Spears.

Presumably he and Robinson wrestled in NXT?

Quick tags from the good guys, Spears mocked White which seemed to draw boos.  Before taking Juice to the corner for ten punches, even catching White with a sledge after spotting him sneaking up.  Though White had the last laugh with a knee to the back from the apron.

Allowing Robinson to take control.  White then dropped the vet across the apron to bring the break.

White in, Spears stuck in the wrong corner – slow, stinging chops from Jay, a dropkick to the knee maintaining the advantage.  Until a cheap shot to Starks allowed Spears to snatch him up in a suplex, both guys down, an animated Starks begging for the tag.

Which he got, as did Juice, a smashing clothesline dropping Robinson and making White abandon the apron – he wanted no part of Ricky.  Back body drop, back elbow, suplex, Starks firing up, the crowd responding.  White tried a cheapshot and ate a lariat to the outside, before Juice was taken upstairs.  Blind tag to Spears – superplex/big splash combo for two.

Which I believe was the first attempt at a pin, a solid ten minutes into the show.

C4 ready, Juice raked the eyes, tag to White, who also slipped out of Spears’ finish, only to eat a sky high.  Robinson made the save, was wiped out by Ricky, who was knocked off the apron by White, who was snatched up again for the C4, only to slip behind as the two ever-so-smoothly transitioned right into the Bladerunner.  Very nice finishing sequence.  And the move drew a pop from the crowd.

Right winner; right loser.

Starks showed a ton of charisma here and was over with the crowd.  He needs to be used more consistently.  But there are a dozen guys who tick that particular box.

The fight continued after the match as Starks and Juice continued brawling, White saving his partner from a Spear while shouting that he owned Starks.

Winner: Bullet Club Gold

Lexi with the Hardys and Hook.  ‘Isiah Kassidy is still missing, nowhere to be found’.

Erm, what?  When did this happen?

Anyway, it was the Firm who took him – Big Bill threatened to chokeslam him off some scaffolding unless the Hardys agreed to make Firm Deletion next Friday on Rampage.  They agreed; Bill chokeslammed him anyway.  Poor Isiah takes too many big bumps for far too little rub from the vets.

And Firm Deletion sounds like something to counteract too much Viagra.

A fired-up Hardy shouted that they were all ‘dead’.  ‘The Firm’s getting deleted,’ deadpanned Hook.

Naturally Limitless vs Brennan Hughes & Charlie James

Backstory: None

Lee beat James with the Spirit Bomb.

Afterward, Mogul Embassy (the Embassy & Swerve Strickland) appeared on the stage.

Winner: Naturally Limitless

Lexi with Sammy.  Who was interrupted by a furious Tay Melo – MJF isn’t his friend and he shouldn’t blow a world title opportunity for him (by laying down).

This is exactly why everyone needs a gorgeous Brazilian blonde – to help you realize when your friends aren’t really your friends.

Anna Jay vs Ashley D’Amboise

Backstory: None

Jay’s eyes are still black after her misting.

The crowd were almost silent except when D’Amboise was announced as being from the region.  Jay hooked a bow and arrow using the ringpost.

Ads.

The majority of this took place during those ads.  Jay got the win via Queenslayer after a neckbreaker.

Post-match, the lights went out, Julia Hart appeared & the two brawled.

Winner: Anna Jay

The Outcasts appeared.  Their latest swagger-jacking being an updated version of I Broke Wahoo’s Leg as they wore tees with an image of black-eyed Britt Baker.  They said ‘losers’ and ‘babygirl’ a lot.  Then that this was their house.

The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn vs Cameron Stewart, Ryzin & Some Dude

Backstory: None

Caster’s rap accused one of their opponents of looking like a pedophile.

Fameasser, Arrival, Mic Drop, win.

Crowd liked em.

Winner: the Acclaimed

Jay Lethal vs Cash Wheeler

Backstory: Jarrett beat Dax Weds after being distracted by Sonjay Dutt

Cool ring jackets for FTR as they dedicated the match to Jay Briscoe en route to the ring.

Immediately Lethal rolled outside, ostensibly to hug Mark Briscoe, as the announcers talked about how ridiculous the interference was in the JJ/Dax match Weds.

Lockup, to the corner, where Jay took cheap shots to the gut before ramming knees.  A bodyslam followed, the crowd almost silent.  Cash replied by reversing a hiptoss, armdrag into a lock; Lethal came back with the kitchen sink but saw Lethal Injection avoided as Cash hit a dropkick, knee lift, back body drop, clothesline to the outside.

A rare cut-to-break with the good guy on top.

Things had changed as we returned, a deadly and exciting abdominal stretch held by Lethal, who even more heart-stoppingly went right back to it after Cash briefly escaped.  As Briscoe prevented Dutt’s interference.

Cash slipped into a cradle for two but was quickly dropped across the ropes, the heel back on top.  This crowd is basically asleep.  As Lethal dropped an elbow so obviously intended to miss that JR basically called him on it.

And was then propelled into the air by the tag champ’s legs.  Flurry from Cash, big uppercut, snap powerslam out of a leapfrog.  Great sequence.  Followed by a tornado ddt for two.

The two exchanged pin attempts, Lethal back body dropped his way out of a piledriver, Lethal Combination followed, but Cash caught Lethal into a Gory Bomb out of Lethal Injection.  Two only as Dutt interfered and hopped onto the apron, Briscoe too, Lethal shoved Cash into both then rolled him up.

Wouldn’t you know it, that was the finish.  A rare interference-laden screwjob.

More fun with contenders no-one wants to see and screwy finishes.  WWE’s offer/the prospect of working for Vince must’ve really sucked if this is what FTR signed up for.

Decent enough match otherwise.  Strange how much of the match Lethal took considering he was winning.

Winner: Jay Lethal

_________________________________________________________________________

Next Dynamite:

• Darby Allin & Jack Perry vs MJF & Sammy Guevara (If the faces win, the title match at Double or Nothing will involve all four)
• Adam Cole, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong & Bandido vs JAS (minus Jericho himself)
• Saraya vs Willow Nightingale
• Trios Battle Royal –

Next Rampage:

• Hardys, Hook & Isiah Kassidy vs The Firm, Firm Deletion at the Hardy Compound

May 10^th Dynamite:

• Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega, Steel Cage

Thumbs Up/Down

• … I’m looking forward to the cage match?
• They at least tied-in the world title picture a little bit

 *****

• More screwy finishes
• Lack of stars
• Acclaimed remain an afterthought
• Something the HOB can only dream of

Appreciate you reading.  Have a great weekend.