AEW Rampage: New Year's Smash Review - December 31, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Darby Allin def. Anthony Bowens

It feels like Allin has been involved in nothing but random matches since losing to MJF at Full Gear, probably because either AEW doesn't know what to do with him or they're waiting for his next program to kick off. Could it be with Andrade El Idolo, who walked out onto the stage afterward? This was an enjoyable opener from Allin and Bowens, who continues to improve and show signs of potential as a singles star. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't break up The Acclaimed, but he's doing better now than he was when Max Caster was suspended a few months ago. I assume Allin and Sting face The Acclaimed before Allin transitions into a program with Andrade.

Anna Jay and Tay Conti def. The Bunny and Penelope Ford in a Street Fight

This has been the never-ending feud of 2021 for AEW and I really hoped it was over after the Submissions match Conti had with Ford a few weeks ago. I didn't think this match or its stipulation were necessary coming into the show, but they ended up having a blast of a bout and making the most of the extreme environment. That botched moonsault from Ford was unfortunate, but everything else kept the crowd hot and they put forth a fantastic effort. This really should have closed out the show and not been placed in the middle.

AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes def. "All Ego" Ethan Page​

Page is a perfectly competent competitor and he's had some quality matches over the last year in AEW, but for some reason, I simply can't bring myself to care about him at the moment. Maybe it's his pairing with Dan Lambert and Scorpio Sky (who should be doing his own thing and not serving as a background player), but nothing about him stands out as special to me. It didn't help that the outcome was never in doubt here, but it was a well-wrestled affair, nonetheless. Cody's current "character" (or whatever you want to call it) is just unbearable and I have no desire to see this feud continue.

Overall Show

That Street Fight was far and away the best part about this episode, which was pretty pointless otherwise. The opener and the main event were good, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to watch them the same way I would the Street Fight. It certainly exceeded my expectations, so props to all four women involved. Rampage continues to be a fairly missable show, so hopefully AEW can work on that in 2022. Happy New Year! 

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews