AEW Rampage Review - December 9, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jon Moxley def. Konosuke Takeshita

This was a damn hot opener to the show and it reminded me a bit of Moxley's match against Wheeler Yuta from earlier this year that was seen as a star-making performance for Yuta. Quite frankly, I thought this was stronger. Takeshita is just terrific and had another stellar showing here. Moxley definitely does bleed more than he should, but it was effective in this case and they made every minute matter. This was the most must-see match I've seen on Rampage in some time and is absolutely worth checking out. Now the key is AEW following up accordingly with Takeshita on TV, specifically Dynamite.

Regina Di Wave Champion Hikaru Shida def. The Bunny

I recall Shida defending the Regina Di Wave Championship against Emi Sakura on Dark: Elevation a few months ago. I'm sure it's a prestigious prize over in Japan, but I'm not sure why this audience was supposed to care about the title. It was determined on Wednesday's Dynamite that the winner of this match would challenge Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women's World Championship at the Winter Is Coming edition of Dynamite next Wednesday, so that made this match mean more. This was a good match and I'm sure Hayter vs. Shida will be even better.

The Firm (Big Bill and Lee Moriarty) def. Clayton Bloodstone and Izzy James

The Firm already feels dead in the water and they've only been around for three months. The moment MJF parted ways with them, they became just another undercard faction (which they basically were to begin with). Big Bill is an awful new name for W. Morrissey, by the way. Bill and Moriarty are both talented, so maybe they'll be best suited in the tag team division. This was a quick squash for them.

AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy def. Trent Seven

Seven certainly was not on the mind when I was thinking of potential opponents to challenge Cassidy for the title. He's been a free agent for a little while since being released from WWE a few months ago. I always enjoyed his work in NXT UK, so I was happy to see him show up. The first few minutes were the usual Orange Cassidy silliness, but the rest was fun. Kip Sabian vs. Cassidy is clearly coming soon.

Overall Show

This was probably the best all-around edition of Rampage in recent memory, and that's coming from someone who has been largely down on Rampage this year due to a lack of effort and meaningful matches. However, Moxley vs. Takeshita was fantastic and worth the watch, Seven showing up was cool, The Firm showcase was quick and to the point, and the women made the most of the time they had. There were also a few more match announcements for Ring of Honor's Final Battle pay-per-view on Saturday. More of this from Rampage, please.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews