AEW Rampage Review - February 10, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, AEW World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta) def. Kip Sabian, The Butcher and The Blade

I was wondering what the hell happened to Blackpool Combat Club since Moxley and Bryan Danielson hadn't appeared on screen with Castagnoli and Yuta in a while, but it appears the faction is still intact. Sabian, Butcher and Blade didn't stand a chance, so this instead served as a showcase for Blackpool Combat Club and existed to give them a win. It helped to have some star power on the show, if nothing else.

Jericho Appreciation Society Attacked Impractical Jokers

I don't know if I'm in the minority on this, but I actually enjoyed the Q and Murr's involvement on AEW programming this week. I know Q and Sal are the wrestling fans of the Jokers, so maybe Sal wasn't available and Murr had to fill in. Either way, this was harmless. It was a stupid segment, sure, but stupid in a fun way I thought with Q and Murr hilariously getting put through a table and Chris Jericho getting his bat back. It was one of the better promotions I've seen on a wrestling show in recent memory, but again, I could be biased because I love the Jokers.

Ruby Soho def. Marina Shafir

The renewed push for Soho since she came back from injury has been refreshing. She won her feud with Tay Melo and has maintained her winning ways in this weird storyline with Saraya, Toni Storm, Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. Speaking of which, I have no idea where it's headed and I don't mean that as a compliment. The heel turn for Saraya and Storm came out of nowhere, but there's still time to correct course. As for this match, it's well documented that I'm not the biggest Marina Shafir fan, but it was perfectly fine for what it was.

"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry def. Ryan Nemeth

I'm all in favor of Perry picking up more wins, but he's largely felt directionless since his feud with Luchasaurus ended at Full Gear (we haven't seen Luchasaurus since then, by the way). That's likely because AEW is waiting until Christian Cage is cleared to resume that rivalry. This was a quick squash for Perry as it should have been. Brian Cage emerged afterward and he'll face Perry in a rematch from Winter Is Coming this Wednesday on Dynamite (for some reason).

AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy def. Lee Moriarty

I thought we already saw Moriarty challenge Cassidy for the All-Atlantic title, but then I remembered it was FTW Champion Hook he challenged instead. In other words, Moriarty is still just another dude on the roster despite joining The Firm in the fall. He's gotten more main events since turning heel, but most matches he has are predictable because he doesn't win when it matters most. Nonetheless, this was a quality contest even though there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. The Acclaimed saving Cassidy from Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett's group got a groan out of me since they just lost the AEW World Tag Team Championship on Dynamite and shouldn't go back to feuding with those guys.

Overall Show

This followed the same formula as last week's show in that we got some bigger names in the opener and everything else was pretty pedestrian stuff. Cassidy is basically the go-to guy for Rampage at this point and it helps that he's very over, but the title he holds isn't exactly the most prestigious and doesn't make be any more interested in watching this program. All in all, it was an adequate episode. You aren't completely wasting your time tuning in, but there was nothing I'd strongly recommend seeking out.

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