Written by Mike Mueller
The fallout from All Out continued on AEW’s Rampage 9/10 edition and it delivered a truly action-packed hour of television.
Andrade El Idolo vs. Pac
No time was wasted as the show opened with Andrade El Idolo and Pac already in the ring, ready to go. This match was supposed to happen last Sunday at the All Out PPV, but travel restrictions made that impossible. AEW made it up to their audience by having Pac and Andrade deliver a match for the ages.
After an early back-and-forth, Andrade dominated the beginning and middle parts of the contest, hitting an impressive corkscrew plancha, followed up later by a double stomp to the outside. Pac came back with a series of impressive moves, capped off with a 450 splash that would have been the end had Andrade not grabbed the bottom rope to break the ref’s count.
Pac continued to lay on the offense until Idolo’s Assistant jumped up onto the apron, brandishing a taser that obviously got the ref’s attention. The newly-crowned Tag Team Champion Lucha Brothers ran down to pull the assistant off of the ring and even the odds. The chaos outside the ring left an opening for Chavo Guerrero to sneak inside and strike Pac with his trusty tablet. Andrade, dazed and having not seen what happened, rolled over and got the pinfall victory.
However, the real fun began after the match ended. On their way back up the ramp, Andrade realized what had happened and apparently took umbrage with Chavo’s interference. He struck Chavo and threw the tablet at him for good measure. Left on his own, Chavo was assaulted by Death Triangle so horribly that I actually started to feel bad for him.
The Cincinnati crowd was absolutely white hot for this match, chanting “This is awesome!” a mere five minutes into the contest. The energy stayed up the whole time as these two put on a physical, technically masterful performance that was a perfect way to start the show.
Shawn Spears’ Stealthy Sneak Surprise!
Darby Allin and Sting came to the ring next and they immediately fired shots toward Tully Blanchard and Shawn Spears. Sting called out Tully for riding Ric Flair and Arn Anderson’s coat tails his entire career, and Darby Allin called Shawn Spears a generic piece of s***. This caused Tully to come out and jaw jack for a moment, but really all he was doing was causing a distraction so Shawn Spears could come from behind, pull Darby out of the ring, and deliver a running Death Valley Driver before escaping through the audience.
This was a short segment but it did the job in building heat for the Darby Allin/Shawn Spears feud.
Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson Speak
Next, we were treated to a promo package beginning with Adam Cole telling us that not only is The Elite a brotherhood, but he trusts them with his life. Cole says that while people like Christian and Bryan Danielson are very impressive and he respects their body of work, he hasn’t even hit his prime and he is ready to show he’s already above their level.
Danielson, on the other hand, thinks The Elite are swimming in insecurity, but his target is really just Kenny Omega, the rest of the Elite he doesn’t seem to be so concerned with. He would love for Kenny to be his first AEW match, but questions if Kenny will step up and accept the challenge. It will be exciting to see where this journey of Bryan Danielson vs. The Elite will take us, but a logical first stop seems to be Cole vs. Danielson. Either way, I am fully on board.
Ruby Shines in a 6-Woman Trio’s Match
AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker teamed up with Rebel and Jamie Hayter to take on Kris Statlander, Rhio, and #1 Contender Ruby Soho. Britt started the match off against Rhio, and after a quick exchange, Rhio tagged to Kris Statlander, and Britt got the better of both of these exchanges, just as the champion should. Kris Statlander got the better of Rebel and nearly ended the match but Britt Baker saved the day.
The fast pace of trios matches was on full display, as were the loose rules, as there was rarely a formal tag after the first three minutes of the match. However, the pace did not hinder the performance, as the action never felt sloppy or rushed. Ruby Soho took advantage of the nature of the trio’s match and hit Rebel with the Pele kick and got the 1-2-3 pinfall win.
This match did a great job building up Ruby Soho as a legit threat to Britt Baker’s title, while also showcasing upcoming talent in Hayter and Statlander.
Brain Pillman Jr. and Max Caster Go Old School
Mark Henry interviewed Max Caster and Brian Pillman in a scene that gave me immediate flashbacks to Prime Time Wrestling. Between the split screen presentation, Max Castor’s jacket and chain, and Brian Pillman’s mullet, I thought it was 1992 all over again. The promos themselves were classic “cocky heel vs. whitemeat babyface” which kept perfectly with the vibe of the entire match and segment. Max Caster came out with a pretty fantastic Cincinnati diss track, as only Max Castor can, and it certainly got the crowd fired up. Then hometown hero Brian Pillman Jr. came out and paid homage to his late father by wearing his Cincinnati Bengals-inspired ring gear, which was a really nice touch.
The match started hot with Pillman storming the ring and beating down Max Castor, which is exactly how an emotionally charged match should start. The crowd quickly broke into a “Flyin Brian” chant, and Pillman continued his offensive flurry. Eventually Castor got the upper hand after some interference from Anthony Bowens and dominated the middle of the match, allowing the crowd to build up plenty of sympathy and support for Pillman. This whole match had a very “classic wrestling storytelling” vibe about it, and it ended in equally fitting fashion.
After overcoming further interference from Bowens, Pillman mounted his comeback and hit a lariat off the top rope for the victory. After the match, Pillman celebrated with his family, who was sitting ringside, before he received a post-match beat down by The Acclaimed. Hope seemed lost until our other Cincinnati hero, Jon Moxley, came to the rescue and made sure to send the crowd home happy. It was everything an old school match should be.
Overall Thoughts: Though Rampage is still in its infancy as a show, it really seems to be hitting its stride. Some recent episodes have been criticized for perhaps being a bit lackluster. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who felt that way about this most recent episode. It was exciting, it furthered storylines, and most importantly, it has me NEEDING to tune in again to see what happens next.
