AEW Rampage Review - February 25, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara def. Andrade El Idolo

I was hoping for a barn burner of a bout from these two given the immense amount of talent between them, but it never seemed to be anything other than pretty good. I know they're capable of more, so I'm not sure why they held back, especially since we're getting that six-man tag team match at Revolution and not the three-way with Guevara, Andrade and Darby Allin I wanted to see and was expecting. The A.H.F.O. stuff is just the worst, but thankfully, it appears Matt Hardy's time with the group is coming to an end and a Hardy Boyz reunion is on the horizon.

Hook Interrupted QT Marshall

I couldn't care less about Marshall, but he's probably the perfect person to be programmed with Hook because he can make him look even better than he already is. Marshall complained briefly before being interrupted by Hook, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that he got one of the loudest reactions of anyone the entire night. This was simple and effective stuff to leave viewers wanting to see Hook get his hands on Marshall. Maybe that happens on the Revolution Buy In?

Wardlow def. Nick Comoroto

I absolutely would not have had this last as long as it did. Trust me, I was in the building for this; no one needed a six-minute match from Comoroto. That isn't to say it was bad by any means, but Wardlow should be straight up squashing people at this point, and it's not like Comoroto is much of a threat despite being a bigger guy like Wardlow. The important thing to note is that Wardlow is gradually getting over with the audience and his inevitable babyface turn is going to be huge.

Serena Deeb def. Kayla Sparks in a 5-Minute Rookie Challenge

Fun fact: Sparks also appeared on tonight's WWE SmackDown as the "fan" in the front row being kissed by Los Lotharios. Of course, this Rampage show was taped Wednesday night in Bridgeport, CT, but it's still cool she pulled a "Rick Rude" of sorts. Interestingly, it's taking Deeb longer and longer to win these matches. Surely that's intentional, even though the outcome of this contest was never in doubt. I'm curious where this will ultimately lead and I'm hoping they can make a new star out of it. Either way, Deeb is terrific and I'm happy to finally see her being showcased.

The AEW Women's World Championship Contract Signing Between AEW Women's World Champion Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa Ended in Chaos

This was the segment we needed to really put some heat on the AEW Women's World Championship match at Revolution. Of course, Rosa needs to be the one to take the title from Baker, but AEW hasn't done much with their feud up until now. In fact, it felt more appropriate to go with a four-way also involving Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Martinez at Revolution than a one-on-one affair, and I certainly see them interfering in some form or fashion. This was a strong verbal exchange with some great lines thrown in. I don't think I'd be opposed to Rosa losing at Revolution only to win the rematch at Double or Nothing. That would at least extend the program a little longer.

Orange Cassidy def. Anthony Bowens to Qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match

I know Bowens recently beat Fuego Del Sol on Dark, but I don't know what else he did to deserve an opportunity to qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder match. I wish AEW made that more clear like they do with their win-loss records/ranking systems, but oh well. Bowens has actually come into his own as a solid singles competitor over the last year. Cassidy is a comedy goof, but he also holds wins over Chris Jericho and Adam Cole, so I don't think it needed to take him as long as it did to defeat Bowens, even though it was a quality main event. Danhausen popping up was a treat, though, especially for those of us who were there live.

Overall Show

I think I said this last time I attended a Dynamite/Rampage taping, but AEW needs to do a better job of not making the night so damn long. The Elevation taping started around 7/7:15 p.m. ET and I didn't leave the building until almost 11:45 p.m. ET. I was late to Elevation and was still exhausted. Elevation and Dynamite are timed just fine, but the Rampage taping taking over an hour is just ridiculous. Nonetheless, this was a solid show. It helped to have a Face of the Revolution qualifier, a contract signing and an AEW TNT Championship match to make things more meaningful, even if the Wardlow vs. Comoroto squash was a little long in the tooth.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews