AEW Rampage Review - April 27, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trent Beretta def. Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Fight

I have no issue with AEW rushing into this so soon after Taylor rejected joining Beretta in his feud with Orange Cassidy because it's clear Beretta vs. Cassidy is what they're building to, probably at Double or Nothing. It was also fitting that they had their Parking Lot Fight at Daily's Place because of their past Parking Lot Fights with Santana and Ortiz as well as Blackpool Combat Club (that was at Daily's Place, wasn't it?). This was a fun brawl that didn't last longer than it needed to. In addition to his win, Beretta attacking Taylor afterward only puts more heat on him.

Thunder Rosa def. Deonna Purrazzo

Fun fact: Purrazzo beat Rosa at TNA's Slammiversary show in 2021 to retain the then-Impact Knockouts World Championship. Their alliance against Toni Storm and Mariah May recently fell apart and now they're rivals. This was a good match from them, but I'm sure they're capable of better. The crowd was largely quiet, so hopefully Purrazzo's post-match heel turn (assuming that's what it was intended to be) makes the dynamic more clear.

Big Bill def. Trevor Blackwell

Blackwell looked like he could easily pass as Jack Perry's brother. Bill destroyed the dude as he should have and in short order, too. He confronted Chris Jericho on Wednesday's Dynamite and expressed interest in joining the "Learning Tree" crap, so this was designed to reestablish him as dominant before then. Why the hell happened to Bill's tag team partner Ricky Starks? Is he still hurt and can he be on his own again when he comes back?

Katsuyori Shibata and Daniel Garcia def. Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor)

I like the idea that Garcia and Shibata have formed an alliance out of respect for each other following their ROH Pure Championship battle last summer and potentially out of mutual disdain for Chris Jericho. Speaking of Jericho, Shibata will challenge him for the FTW Championship on Wednesday's Dynamite, so this gave him a win before then. The outcome was never in doubt because Shane Taylor Promotions almost always lose whenever it matters most, but this was a well-wrestled main event.

Overall Show

This show benefited from airing immediately after Collision, which was also loaded up more than it normally is. AEW could have easily done the Parking Lot Brawl and Rosa vs. Purrazzo on that Collision, but they saved both bouts for Rampage and that enhanced my enjoyment of this episode significantly. The first half was stronger than the second half, but it was an above-average edition on the whole.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews