The AEW Rampage Sandwich
Sandwich?
Allow me to explain. For weeks now, Rampage has been giving us a similar set up:
Great match to start
Great match to end
Stuff in the middle
It’s a sandwich. Don’t hear many people loving the bread and not talking about the filling when eating a sandwich, do ya? There’s the Rampage problem.
About 20-25 minutes in the middle of the prog isn’t great.
Take this week…
The Bread
Mox v Sammy Guevara : It was brutal and it was expected to be with those two at it and it contained a rather nasty Mox earring spot. We’ve seen the earring being pulled out before in a Mox match on Rampage, haven’t we? Anyway, this was…highlighted
Sammy spent time pulling that sucker out
He put the earring in his mouth, then threw it into the crowd, a fan on the front row covering up as if he was about to be hit
Mox bled. Quite a lot.Sammy got his mouth on the blood so he was bloodied.
Then he kissed Tay Melo/Conti, so she was bloody too.
Credit; Cageside Seats
Did we need that? Probably not? Did it provide a talking point? Absolutely. Did the match need it? Yes and no.
There were a series of spots which would have been seen as amazing a few years ago but now are pretty meh. The Mox Cutter and Superplex, for instance. Or Sammy’s Somersault and Dropkick. The Sammy Swanton off the top through Mox and the timekeeper’s table was another.
And that’s a shame because these were well executed moves.
Brilliant too were Sammy changing his dive off the top into a stomp and Superplex to a Mox Bulldog choke.
That was a bit special. But not as good as the main event…
Kip Sabian/Butcher/Blade/Trent Seven v Orange/Best Friends/Dustin Rhodes: Danhausen was there too! Yeah…
Put those thoughts the Sabian has a new Rampage faction out of your mind, it may hamper enjoyment.
And there was a lot to enjoy; Best Friends got a huge pop from their hug, Trent Seven turnin
g a Superplex into a Euranagi, a Dustin Destroyer and two spots;
Not such a good one when Orange faked a twig and berries shot and Danhausen just copied him, not leading the fun then, DH…
And a very good one when Best Friends both executed a Topé, Sabian topped it with a Springboard Moonsault and Dustin decided his Cannonball would beat them all – he was wrong.
The end came with a nice Orange Punch and Bulldog on Seven. Who wasn’t the legal man, I didn’t think.
Never mind, it was fun. Remember when Rampage had that every week?
The Filling
OK, FTR were out, making a heartfelt plea to the fans, which they’re really good at, pop secured and a warm feeling ensued.
Britt Baker v Skye Blue: A sort of Rampage squash, a quick match with Hayter and Rebel help in the corner, a Baker Neckbreaker off the top which didn’t look particularly smooth and at least a different finisher, a Kerb Stomp, for the pin. Skye Blue didn’t get much offence in and we didn’t get entertained much either.
10 Gets To Tell Us Why He Did It: At least I think he did, I wasn’t listening much, it’s the same ‘you turned your back on your best friend/mother and father/tag partner/high school teacher; why?’
‘They were holding me back/they said something I didn’t like/they weren’t there for me.’
What a bore
The Real Rampage Squash!: Exodus Prime was having his Rampage debut. Hell, his AEW debut. And would he get a chance to shine?
He was facing Wardrobe. So no. Headbutt to the shoulder, the shoulder…then 4 Powerbombs and we’re done. Thankfully. As Bleacher Report put it;
‘This was quickly followed by Wardlow squashing local talent Exodus Prime’
Can Wardrobe, who some call Wardlow, source a weekly wit injection? He hasn’t so far. And can he do something else except Rampage Powerbombs? I don’t know. And increasingly, I don’t care.
That Filling Is Insubstantial
It’s like having just coleslaw. Or chicken with no coronation. 20-25 minutes of Insubstantial work isn’t good enough and it’s been going on for weeks.
Rampage is ailing. Less sandwich, more feast please.
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