AEW Rampage Review - March 25, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW TNT Champion Powerhouse Hobbs def. Penta El Zero Miedo

I wouldn't put this on the same level as Hobbs vs. Rey Fenix from last week's Rampage, but it was still a solid match to kick off the show. They worked well together and it was another nice showing for Hobbs as TNT champ. More of Penta in singles competition, please. The post-match angle seemed to indicate Hobbs has unfinished business with The Lucha Brothers, but I'm not sure why considering he has now beaten both of them.

Juice Robinson Agreed to Face Ricky Starks

I'm sorry but I don't just don't get Robinson's "Rock Hard" crap. He's a talented dude, but he just hasn't clicked for me in AEW so far. He should be a one-off opponent for Starks, but instead, this is being dragged out as a mini feud. With Starks coming off back-to-back clean wins over Chris Jericho, this feels like a significant step down. This was a fine segment to set up their match for the Long Island Dynamite on April 5th.

AEW World Trios Champion Brody King def. Jake Hager

King lost to Daniel Garcia last week on Rampage, so he may as well have quit the company if he couldn't beat Hager here. I guess this was supposed to continue the feud I don't care about between Jericho Appreciation Society and House of Black. Who are fans supposed to cheer for, anyway? This was decent albeit the epitome of what I've come to expect on Rampage. I said I need more of Penta, but I also need less of Hager. This was a waste of time.

Taya Valkyrie def. Leila Grey

Valkyrie made her AEW debut just over a week ago on Dynamite and wrestled her first AEW match that Friday on Rampage. Considering we got Valkyrie against Jade Cargill's remaining baddie here, I get the feeling they're not saving Valkyrie vs. Cargill for the AEW TBS Championship for Double or Nothing after all. It will probably happen on Dynamite or Rampage soon instead. The upcoming installment of Battle of the Belts would actually make the most sense.

The Acclaimed def. The Kingdom

I'm all for The Kingdom getting more television time, but AEW fans have been given zero reason to take them seriously so far. They joined the promotion months ago and have largely been relegated to Ring of Honor. Don't get me wrong, this was a well-wrestled main event, but it didn't feel worthy of the main event slot. The Acclaimed vs. Matt Menard and Angelo Parker isn't much doing, but evidently, that's where we're headed.

Overall Show

God bless you if you tuned into this show live. This came across like a phoned-in episode that featured absolutely nothing worth seeking out. Even Hobbs vs. Penta, which I enjoyed while it lasted, was not as fun as Hobbs vs. Fenix. This was a filler show if I've ever seen one. Rampage will be back in its regular slot next Friday night, but I can't imagine it will be that much more eventful than it has been in recent weeks.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews