AEW Rampage Review - January 27, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"Hangman" Adam Page def. Wheeler Yuta

It's so great to have Page back in action after a few months off due to his concussion. As for Yuta, he's cooled off considerably since last year as he feels like just another member of Blackpool Combat Club (is that still a thing?) at this point, but the guy can go and this was the enjoyable, well-wrestled affair you'd expect from them. The crowd was quiet, though I'm not sure if that was due to this being a taped show, both guys being babyfaces or both. This gave Page a win before he faces Jon Moxley in a rubber match on Wednesday's Dynamite.

Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh def. Danhausen and Best Friends

Although the pairing of Lethal and Jarrett has grown on me, there's no point to them continuing to team considering they've already failed to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship twice. Them feuding with Best Friends and Danhausen doesn't accomplish anything, but at least the crowd seemed to enjoy the action here. It was your typical Rampage match in that sense. From an in-ring standpoint, it was perfectly fine while it lasted.

Powerhouse Hobbs def. Tony Mudd

Yes, Tony Mudd was the guy's ring name. Thankfully, Hobbs made quick work of him. This squash was short and sweet, exactly as it should have been. Hobbs is still coming out with his literal Book of Hobbs, and although I've enjoyed his vignettes in recent weeks, they have to be leading somewhere eventually, right? It was nice to see him in the AEW TNT Championship picture a few months ago, but that was obviously short-lived.

AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter def. Emi Sakura in an AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator

Shockingly, this marked Sakura's first match on AEW TV in years, if the stat I saw online was correct. She's been a regular on Dark for the last year or two but hasn't been used on Dynamite or Rampage in ages. I've never been her biggest fans, but I've enjoyed most of her work on Dark lately. This actually exceeded my expectations as they beat the hell out of each other and Sakura gave Hayter quite the fight. This was definitely deserving of the main event slot.

Overall Show

Rampage once again followed the formula of being a show that didn't matter much on paper and there was nothing storyline significant, but I wouldn't say you wasted your time if you tuned in. The opening and closing matches were both very good and the two matches in the middle were serviceable. Page being back in the ring on Rampage was a welcome boost and I hope Tony Khan continues to put more main-eventers on the show going forward.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews