AEW Rampage: 1/21/2022

It’s Friday, and you know what that means. It’s time for AEW’s Rampage which is finally live for once instead of being immediately taped following Wednesdays after the Dynamite shows. Jon Moxley has made his in-ring return, Jade Cargill defends her TBS championship and the feud between the Best Friends and the Elite continue in what was originally a tag team match turned to a really fun singles match. It’s a wild ride, so buckle up and let’s get going!

Match 1: Jon Moxley vs Ethan Page. (Rating: 3/5)

Wild thing, you indeed make my heart sing. It was really great seeing Mox returning to action and the man has not missed a beat these last couple of months. This was not a squash match by any means but seeing Page go toe to toe with Mox and actually getting the better of him in some moments of the match solidifies how far Page has come and how much he has to offer to All Elite Wrestling. The match was won after Moxley locked Page in with the Bulldog Choke which looked really gnarly. After the bell rang, Page got up and wanted to shake Moxley’s hand and Mox drops him with the Paradigm Shift. While exiting through the aisle with all the fans, waiting for Mox was one Bryan Danielson; teasing that we’re going to be seeing these two go head to head.

Match 2: Trent Beretta vs Nick Jackson. (Rating: 3/5)

Back to back great matches to keep the night rolling! As previously stated, this was supposed to be a tag team match with Beretta teaming up with Rocky Romero to take on The Young Bucks and unfortunately due to again how messy the world is, it was changed to a singles match between Trent and Nick; and honestly, I feel like this was the better decision. Sure I love tag team wrestling and the Young Bucks are without a doubt the greatest tag team, but seeing either Matt or Nick in solos action really makes me appreciate them more as athletes. Tag teams like the Hardy Boys, Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boys, Jurassic Express, Rock and Sock Connection; the list goes on but the point getting across is that all these men listed are not only great tag team wrestlers but they’re also great singles wrestlers as well. The match was won via pinfall by Trent Beretta after a really fun and close match. Trent can certainly break away from the Best Friends at any time and when he does, there shouldn’t be a worry about what happens to him as the man really knows how to put on bangers by himself.

Match 3: Hook vs Serpentico. (Rating: 2.75/5)

When Hook is sent, Hook is sent with such a massive impact. Although he’s being portrayed as a heel since he’s in Team Taz, the crowds love him and love him a lot! This was also one of the first times in a while that Serpentico appeared on such a major show and as impressive as he is on Dark alongside Dr Luther, against Hook was a different story. Hook really is Taz’s kid: both, despite their stature, are fast and hit hard with their offense. Hook quickly took care of Serpentico after locking in his version of the Tazmission which is being referred to as the Redrum. After the match, QT Marshall came out to confront Hook and basically called him out for another future match and immediately Hook drops Marshall by the ramp.

Main Event: TBS Championship; Jade Cargill (c) vs Anna Jay. (Rating: 2.5/5)

And what a way to end the show with Jade’s first TBS championship defense. This didn’t feel as grand as the finals of the TBS tournament went but this was still a great match that made Anna Jay look like a formidable foe for either women’s championships. The match was of course won by Cargill after hitting the Jaded finisher via pinfall. 25-0 record for Jade as well, so it’s really interesting to not only see how far Jade’s streak goes but also to see who’d be the
one to not only hand Cargill her first loss but also who’d be the one to dethrone her for the championship.

Final rating: 3.75/5