AEW Rampage: 3/25/2022

It’s Friday, and you know what that means! It’s Rampage time and with a title match closing off the show, it truly was going to be quite the shoe. However, how did the rest of the show do? Well, let’s kick things off!

Match 1: Dustin Rhodes vs Lance Archer. (Rating:3.25/5)

Dustin’s FINALLY in a match again! It’s been a while since the Natural had last competed on any of the main AEW shows, and the man truly hasn’t lost a step in the ring. This was a rubber match of sorts between the Murderhawk and Rhodes as both men have previously met against each other in a tournament to qualify for a shot for the TNT championship back in 2020 which had Archer absolutely DOMINATE Dustin, resulting in Dustin bleeding. This match was more or less a repeat of their last encounter with Archer taking control for most of the match, however Rhodes managed to shock us all by pinning Lance Archer for the three count! However Archer proceeded to attack Rhodes after the match, leaving Dustin in a bloody mess ala their previous encounter.

Match 2: Tag Team Match; ReDragon vs 10 and Alan “5” Angels. (Rating:2.75/5)

Had this match received a bit more time, it truly would’ve been a tag match for the ages. But for a match to test out the waters and see if these 4 men could have incredible chemistry, this was relatively okay. 10 and Angels were to control the field for most of the match but then Fish and O’Reilly were able to get the upper hand and with one High/Low later, ReDragon pin the Dark Order members. Following the match it seemed a post match assault was going to happen, which prompted Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy to make the save and scare the heels away!

Main Event: FTW Championship; Ricky Starks (c) vs Swerve Strickland. (Rating:3.5/5)

Indeed, AEW’s starting to become Swerve’s house as in his second ever match he was set to potentially become the new FTW champion. I really am starting to understand more the hype that was the signing of Swerve as the man had INCREDIBLE chemistry with Ricky Starks; so much so that the crowd were split and rooted for both individuals. Strickland had the match seemingly won up until he was hit by a freight train; albeit the train was Powerhouse Hobbs. With the referee distracted by Starks, Hobbs floored Swerve which gave the champion the opportunity to hit his challenger with the Roshambo for the pinfall victory. Really solid stuff and it did give Swerve a bit more of an edge as the only reason he lost was because of Starks having help from Hobbs.

Final rating:3.5/5