AEW Rampage Review - February 18, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Adam Cole def. Preston "10" Vance

Evil Uno never stood a chance against Cole when they faced off a few weeks ago, but Vance has always been made to look dominant and has gained credibility in his matches with more established talent on TV over the last year (despite being squashed by Jon Moxley pretty promptly back in October), so I didn't have an issue with this being a competitive contest. Cole keeps rolling heading into his AEW World Championship opportunity at Revolution.

Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dante Martin to Qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match

Martin and Hobbs have been feuding for what feels like forever, so hopefully this was the blowoff. The two of them had quality chemistry together per usual with Hobbs tossing Martin around the ring like a child before the commercial break and Martin flying around in spectacular fashion. This was a blast. I fully expected Martin to qualify considering he's tailor-made for a Ladder match and it already has Keith Lee and Wardlow involved, but I can't complain about Hobbs winning a meaningful matchup for once.

Serena Deeb def. Angelica Risk in a 5-Minute Rookie Challenge

I love the idea of Deeb holding weekly challenges against unknown talent to showcase her skills and get her heel persona over. I know she's been hurt on and off over the last year, but I'm glad she's back to competing consistently because she should be pushed. This was simple stuff yet exactly what it needed to be. It's going to be a big deal when someone eventually beats her, assuming they drag this out for a bit.

Jay White def. Trent Beretta

I don't follow the New Japan Pro-Wrestling product regularly, but White has always stood out as a star to me and I'm happy to see him making appearances in AEW. As for Beretta, I think he's one of the more underrated wrestlers in the company. The Best Friends stuff can be too goofy at times, but when Beretta is serious, he's great as seen here. This was a very entertaining main event with the right outcome.

Overall Show

Rampage is always an easy watch, but I thought this was one of the better editions in recent memory. White wrestling in the main event was a treat, Deeb got to do her thing, Hobbs vs. Martin was fun and had stakes, and the opener was well wrestled. AEW still needs to do a better job of making Rampage feel must-see, but the additional star power this week was appreciated and with the in-ring action delivering, the hour flew by. We also have Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade El Idolo for the AEW TNT Championship to look forward to on next week's show and I'll be there to see it.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews