AEW Rampage Review - February 11, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Young Bucks def. Roppongi Vice

We were supposed to get this match a few weeks ago, but Rocky Romero testing positive for COVID-19 caused it to be changed to Trent Beretta vs. Nick Jackson instead. AEW really played this up as a huge feud from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and they delivered an above-average opener. I actually prefer Roppongi Vice over Best Friends because they're easier to take seriously. Jay White's appearance afterward was a nice surprise and I remain curious what role he'll play in AEW beyond being aligned with the former Bullet Club guys.

AEW Women's World Champion Britt Baker def. Robyn Renegade

It's rare we see Baker in non-title action on either Dynamite or Rampage, so this served as a solid showcase for her. Renegade is very inexperienced and probably wasn't the best person for Baker to be in the ring with, but the match was serviceable. I just don't think it needed to last as long as it did. The post-match angle all but confirmed it will be Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the title at Revolution if they opt to go with a four-way also involving Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Martinez, which I certainly wouldn't hate.

Hook def. Blake Li

Hook continues to be one of the most over wrestlers in all of AEW. I still don't understand the Hook phenomenon, but the kid's impressive, that's for sure. They're taking their time with him by having him beat nobodies, including one of QT Marshall's students Blake Li. Hook dominated Li as he should have and the crowd ate it up. Hook vs. Marshall would be a fine addition to the undercard of Revolution to keep Hook's momentum going.

AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) def. Gunn Club (Austin and Colten Gunn)

While it was nice to have a championship up for grabs in the main event of Rampage again, it was one of those matches were there was zero doubt surrounding the outcome. And yes, Austin and Colten have been undefeated as a team for the last two years despite hardly any of those wins coming on Dynamite or Rampage. They tried with a few of those nearfalls, so I applaud their effort on that front. It was a well-worked main event and Gunn Club were made to look credible in defeat.

Overall Show

Although this was a solid show on the whole, it was another one of those middle-of-the-road editions of Rampage where you don't really have to go out of your way to see anything. That's been the case with this program for a while in that you aren't missing much if you don't tune in live. That's why I can't say I'm surprised the ratings have been so lackluster. The tag team opener was enjoyable and the rest of the show was far from a waste, but none of this will be remembered a week or two from now.

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