The AEW Rampage 10/15 episode was shaping up to be a fun night of wrestling, but then things got … interesting.
Out of nowhere (or at least out of nowhere for this writer who’s been bogged down in way too much recently), WWE announced they’d be airing an extra half an hour of programming when they aired on FS1 on October 15. Was there a real reason for WWE to do this besides just being the pettiness that’s been ever-present since Vince McMahon took the company over from his father? No, of course there wasn’t. They saw an opportunity to counter program AEW Rampage — a show with initial ratings in decline (but apparently strong DVR numbers) — because that’s what WWE does. They’re petty that’s what they do. And if you think this is a AEW fanboy stance, then then check out this story on how they apparently got MLW’s potential deal with Tubi scrapped — just because Tubi is affiliated with FOX.
So AEW owner Tony Khan decided to throw down and welcome the challenge, claiming he was going to defeat WWE when the two shows went head-to-head. Then WWE announced they’d be running Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch and a Brock Lesnar appearance against Rampage. So then Tony Khan countered by adding a one-hour “Buy In” special on YouTube to run against the final hour of Smackdown — a special to be headlined by Minoru Suzuki vs. Bryan Danielson in an absolute dream match.
I honestly do not give a single solitarily shit about “the fast nationals,” “the demos,” the ratings” or who “won the night.” To be transparent, I’ve made no bones about my preference of AEW to WWE as well as my frustrations with WWE. However, at the end of the day all I want for all wrestling fans is to be given the best possible product — regardless of the promotion — and I believe that did happen last night. WWE fans were given a highly memorable Brock/Roman segment and a surprising clean finish in an excellent another addition to Becky and Sasha’s legendary canon. Meanwhile AEW fans, well you were given what they wanted — strong in-ring action anchored by an instant classic between Suzuki and Danielson.
So let’s dive right into AEW Rampage 10/15 (as well as The Buy-In)…
Rampage has settled nicely into a groove of delivering a nice balance of wrestling and character development within the expanse of an hour. You can go read any of Mike Mueller’s terrific pieces on the show as he expresses all of this wonderfully.
Santana Garrett vs. Tay Conti w/Anna Jay: This was probably the weakest match on the card, yet it was still a very solid match. Tay Conti is an undeniable star and I wouldn’t hate it if she ended up being Britt Baker’s opponent at Full Gear. Santana Garrett looked a little unsure here, but I think she could still fit into AEW nicely — particularly as a regular on AEW Dark and Elevation.
“Taiga Style” Lee Moriarity vs. “The Infamous” Bobby Fish: This match was the sleeper of the two hours. This match was a great strike fest and a nice appetizer for the main event of the Buy In. Fish has been someone who’s never connected with me outside of his tag team work, really brought it here. Fish was absolutely crisp and surgical with his strikes. Cannot wait for his match with Dragon tonight. The brilliance of this match was that they grabbed a dead crowd and make them red hot. After the show Moriarity got the “All Elite” graphic and let me tell you, he’s the absolute future of this company.
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Minoru Suzuki: An absolute, undeniable modern classic. It’s an absolute joke for me to try and put how good this match was. It’s wild to think that six or so months ago Dragon was headlining Wrestlemania and now here he is living his best life trying to cave Murder Grandpa’s chest in. It’s like watching two different guys. Suzuki is just an absolute genius at what he does and he was the perfect foil for Dragon. One can only hope that this short run Suzuki has had in AEW isn’t his only one, he fits in perfectly.
CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal: This was way better than advertised. On paper this match seemed like it’d be like most of Sydal’s high profile matches — it’d be competitive, but it’d be a layup that his opponent would win the match. This match was way more competitive though and it makes perfect sense — Sydal has been a highly active pro wrestler, while Punk is less than five matches in on his return. This match had the unenviable task of following Dragon and Suzuki, but they really knocked it out of the park.
Ruby Soho vs. The Bunny: It was obvious Ruby Soho was picking up the win, but once again this match was way better than advertised. The Bunny has upped her game so much over the past year and has worked her way into one of the most reliable wrestlers in the women’s division. Ruby looked fantastic here and has definitely woven herself into the fabric of AEW in relatively quick time. I like how they’re going to continue this feud by having Penelope Ford help Bunny beat Ruby post-match.
The Inner Circle vs. American Top Team: This was just an absolute spectacle in the best way possible. Junior Dos Santos looked really good in his pro wrestling debut and I wouldn’t mind seeing more him in AEW. Jericho, Hager and Guevara did their job making ATT, particularly Dos Santos, look very good. Paige Van Zant interfered to allow ATT to pick up the win via Masvidal’s flying knee to a prone Jericho. If AEW would be smart to apply the full curt press on to sign Van Zant. She’s so charismatic and is such a legitimate bad ass. Love that Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page are getting the push here and their eventual match with Santana & Ortiz is going to be great.
