This is a replay of Bleacher Report’s coverage and recap of All Elite Wrestling Rampage held on October 7th.
This was the fourth Battle of the Belts special, and the longest episode at two hours. We saw plenty of gold up for grabs in this one.
PAC worked double duty Friday in trios and singles matches. He defended his titles alongside The Lucha Bros. and defended the All-Atlantic Championship in a singles bout.
There were two title matches in Bound For Glory. First, Jade Cargill defended the TBS Championship against Ryder Cartwright. Then, FTR wrestled The Blackpool Combat Club in a three-way match for the Ring of Honor tag titles.
Today’s double-length episode of Rampage really shocked viewers. It might have been a little too intense for some.
Blackpool Combat Club vs. Rush and Private Party
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Marq Quen and Wheeler Yuta, who were about to get in the ring for their opening bout, both had their own entrances. Also, Isiah Kassidy and Rush got their own entrances at the start of the show.
Rush and Moxley seemed to focus mostly on each other for most of the match, but the other four wrestlers still managed to put in some excellent work and provide some entertaining moments.
This next bout was a lot of fun, but it had a really disjointed storyline. I couldn’t tell who was legally hitting whom after a while, but it didn’t really matter because the crowd was so engaged and cheering for everyone on the mat.
Moxley, the Swiss Superman, and William Regal were seen celebrating with Yuta after he scored a submission victory for his team. It was a smart way to start the show.
Winners: Blackpool Combat Club
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Chris Jericho has had some classic lines on commentary recently. He has been more quiet lately, which is making him much more entertaining.
A good German suplex doesn’t always look pretty, but Moxley’s actually hits it very clean and precise.
Quen hit a beautiful 450 splash on the ramp.
For Castagnoli, proving his prowess behind the decks at once with members of Private Party was impressive.
Varsity Blonds vs. Tony Nese and Josh Woods
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This was little more than a squash match. Tony Nese and Josh Woods defeated Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison in short order. The whole segment was just done to set up The Acclaimed coming out to mock Nese and Woods while Mark Sterling talked about how his clients deserve a title shot.
There were a few moments during this show that were probably great for the live audience, but they didn’t actually do anything.
Winners: Tony Nese and Josh Woods
Grade: D+
Anna Jay and Tay Melo vs. Madison Rayne and Skye Blue
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First to compete in their match were Anna Jay and Tay Melo from Jericho Appreciation Society. They took on Skye Blue and Madison Rayne from the Company.
The majority of the match was controlled by Tay and Jay. Blue and Rayne had some offense, but they were mostly on defense.
The 23-year-old went down hard, and Rayne was the one to pick up where she left off. For a little while, Rayne had a lot of time in the spotlight.
Despite Tay and Jay’s teamwork, Jay took the win with the Queenslayer.
Winners: Anna Jay and Tay Melo
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Blue was in a great position until she tripped and fell off the apron to the floor.
Tay and Jay play a heel team very well. They do a lot of little heat-getting things to get the crowd riled up.
Rayne hit a very nice northern lights suplex on Jay.
After Blue hit a crossbody, she accidentally rolled off of Jay before actually kicking out of the pin. It was a bit sloppy.
Death Triangle vs. Dark Order (Trios Titles)
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PAC references the former Dark Order member Brodie Lee in the pre-match interview with Mark Henry. PAC pays respect to Brodie before telling his opponents that they would lose.
As soon as the bell rang, six men began to fight. John Silver and Preston Vance cleared Penta and PAC out of the ring so they could focus on Rey Fenix, but the luchador didn’t make it easy for them.
The three-way match was all over the place, but they did a slightly better job at tagging in and out than they had in the previous trios match.
Jose and Rush came out to distract the referee, giving PAC an opportunity to grab a weapon (the ring bell hammer) and use it on Reynolds. The Bastard applied his trademark finisher (the Brutalizer), for the win.
Winners: Death Triangle
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Penta’s Joker gear is some of the best gear in pro wrestling.
Vance’s masks have gotten significantly cooler in 2022.
When Reynolds hit a double Stomp to PAC, he almost landed right on PAC’s head when they both fell down.
Silver has the best hot tag in pro wrestling. When he gets on a roll, he’s unstoppable.
Trent Beretta vs. PAC
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The moment that the trios title match was over, Trent Beretta came out to face PAC. This was Beretta’s second title match of the night.
The challenger demonstrated that he had a lot of energy when he was easily able to take control from PAC, who seemed to be slowing down.
Taking advantage of his height advantage, PAC set up a table near the stage. However, Beretta put him on top of it instead. When the champion rolled off, Beretta managed to take him down another way.
Ryan Bader and Anthony Perosh threw everything they had at one another. To see this, you just need to remember that PAC was fighting in his third contest in 12 months. Both fighters showed the kind of chemistry that tells me they’ve trained together a million times.
PAC was able to use the hammer without the ref seeing it, so he picked up the pin. Orange Cassidy ran down to attack him, but PAC escaped before taking too much damage.
Winner: PAC
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
One of PAC’s best moves is the superkick. It always connects well, and it looks really smooth too.
The baseball slide dropkick Beretta hit looked brutal.
PAC is a pro when it comes to the avalanche brainbuster. It’s an awesome move, but one that could easily go wrong in many different ways if you don’t know what you’re doing! Thankfully, PAC has the skills and training to ensure success every time.
PAC and Beretta had a great spot where PAC did the whip into a back body drop.
Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale
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When Willow Nightingale had to compete against Cargill for the TBS Championship, her rival showed up with some backup. It didn’t seem likely this would have an effect on the opponent’s performance, but they underestimated the Baddies.
After a slow start, they ended up having a reasonably competitive match. Both women displayed quality moves which impressed the audience.
Willow was able to get close, but Cargill managed to hit a finisher and keep the title.
Winner: Jade Cargill
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Willow’s entrance music is a lot of fun. You can see the excitement on their faces as she steps on stage.
The way Nyla Rose stole the TBS belt and ran off with it was funny.
FTR vs. Gates of Agony
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Toa Liona and Kaun had a big moment in the main event when they faced off against Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in a match for the ROH Tag Team Championships.
Gates of Agony started with a lock-up and had control for more time than Still FTR in the match. There was plenty of action outside and inside the ring, but Gates of Agony seemed to have the better of it mid-match.
FTR was able to hit Liona with the Big Rig, but they weren’t able to get a pin from the maneuver. Harwood, on the other hand, scored the pin after executing a perfect backslide.
The main event at the end of the show saw Brian Cage come to his friends’ aid, attacking FTR. Samoa Joe and Steve Wardlow ran down to help out. It was a great way to end the night!
Winner: FTR
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
The Gunn Club wearing outfits to mock FTR was the funniest thing we saw all night.
The AEW barricades need to be reinforced better. Being a fan in the front row is a good way to get a bruised knee when someone is sent into the barricade.
Liona being too big to get up for the Big Rig was a good spot because when FTR hit it a moment late, the crowd popped even louder.
