AEW Rampage Review - April 28, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bullet Club Gold def. Shawn Spears and Ricky Starks

Jay White and Juice Robinson weren't announced as Bullet Club here, but they did declare themselves as such recently on Dynamite. I think the Bullet Club crap is just so overdone at this point, but whatever. As much as the pairing with Robinson feels like it's beneath White, they work well together and had a very good match with Starks and Spears here. Spears was only involved to take the pinfall loss for his team. We'll see if he pops up again after this or if he'll disappear for another several months.

Naturally Limitless def. Brady Pierce and Charlie James

I was first exposed to Pierce in AEW when he served as a jobber on Dark, but he has since gone on to appear in the NWA as part of the Spectaculars group. Well, he was back to pulling jobber duty here to put over the duo of Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes. Lee and Rhodes are a nice pairing, but what's the point? Why is Rhodes still involved in the storyline with Swerve Strickland and Lee? And when will Lee vs. Strickland finally be blown off? This felt like filler.

Anna Jay A.S. def. Ashley D'Amboise

I genuinely have no idea who this Jay vs. Julia Hart feud is supposed to be for. They headlined Rampage a week or two ago and it was decent enough, but it's not as if their encounter was so stellar that a rematch is needed. Listen, I'm all for more non-title stories in the women's division, but I don't care about this, especially with both of them apparently being heels. This gave Jay a win, but that's about it.

The Acclaimed def. RYZIN, Cameron Stewart and Dante Cassanova

There was a point two years ago where RYZIN was on Dark most weeks and I thought he was on the verge of being offered a contract, but that unfortunately didn't pan out. Thus, it was cool to see him resurface here, even if it was only to get beaten quickly by The Acclaimed. This was a fairly straightforward showcase for The Acclaimed, who now feel directionless following their mini feud with Jericho Appreciation Society.

Jay Lethal def. AEW World Tag Team Champion Cash Wheeler

Jeff Jarrett beat Dax Harwood on Wednesday's Dynamite, so it was only logical for Lethal to beat Wheeler here to set up the expected AEW World Tag Team Championship match. We don't see FTR in singles competition much, but they shine on their own when given the opportunity as seen in this well-worked main event. The action was enjoyable. Mark Brisoce being at the center of this storyline feels forced, but at least he's getting television time in addition to appearing on ROH TV.

Overall Show

Man, they packed a ton of stuff into Rampage this week. I know that's the case with almost every episode, but it was especially apparent this week and it just becomes too chaotic. I mean, were three squashes in the middle really necessary? The opening and closing matches saved this show from being a total waste of time, and at least we finally found out the Firm Deletion match on The Hardy Compound will air on next week's Rampage.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews