AEW Rampage Review - February 24, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW World Trios Champions The Young Bucks def. Aussie Open

I couldn't believe it when Aussie Open said recently that hadn't been booked by any promotion in several months. They're a terrific team and I hope they find a permanent home somewhere soon. Having them eliminated from the tag team Battle Royale on Wednesday's Dynamite in anticlimactic fashion didn't bode well for their chances of beating the Bucks here (even with the lights going out briefly due to House of Black), but it was a very entertaining opener as expected and they were given plenty of time. House of Black attempted to attack them afterward but disappeared when the lights went out again. I'd be surprised if that Trios title match wasn't added to Revolution.

Toni Storm def. Willow Nightingale

This was a rematch from a Dynamite match they had last month, right before Storm turned heel. We actually hadn't seen Nightingale on Dynamite or Rampage since then. I appreciated that this was a competitive contest and she wasn't completely squashed by Storm, but I'd still like to see Nightingale doing more. This gave Storm a win following her loss in the three-way last week, but I don't think we've heard from her once since the heel turn.

Lance Archer def. Bryce Saturn

Archer's last appearance on AEW programming was on Rampage in November as part of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament. Props to the crowd for not sitting on their hands for him here, but it's practically impossible to care about the guy at this point, and that's coming from a fan of his. This was one of his usual squashes and the crowd reacted to his offense, but I have no idea whether he's supposed to be a babyface or a heel. I assume this was designed to give him a win so he lose to someone more important soon on Dynamite or Rampage. I've give up on AEW doing anything of note with him.

Sammy Guevara def. Action Andretti

It's been almost two and a half months since Andretti scored that massive upset over Jericho on the Winter Is Coming edition of Dynamite, and the follow-up has been less than stellar, to say the least. He's had a few wins here and there, but we still know nothing about him other than that he beat Jericho that one time (and that he's essentially the sidekick for Ricky Starks). This was a very fun main event, and if Andretti wasn't going to win, at least he was protected and made to look credible in defeat. I'm ready for Andretti, Starks and Jericho Appreciation Society to move on to other opponents. Better yet, I'm ready for Jericho Appreciation Society to break up all together.

Overall Show

From an in-ring standpoint, this was an easy thumbs-up show. The opener was a blast along with the main event, and even Storm and Nightingale made the most of their time. The Archer return will likely end up being inconsequential, but I appreciated that we got more star power and storyline-significant stuff this week with The Elite/House of Black, the women's division, and Andretti/Jericho Appreciation Society. Time will tell as to whether that will help with the ratings coming off last week's lowest-rated-ever episode.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews