AEW Rampage Review - May 13, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Death Triangle (Pac, Rey Fenix and Penta Oscuro) def. The Andrade Family Office (Marq Quen, The Butcher and The Blade)

I believe this marked the first time we've seen all members of Death Triangle in action together since Fenix's return a few weeks ago. They looked great in there, but there was zero uncertainty surrounding the outcome. I'd say that the only purpose The A.F.O. serve at this point is to put over other trios, but then again, hasn't that been their purpose since The H.F.O. days? At any rate, this was a standard showcase for Death Triangle ahead of their eventual encounter with House of Black.

Shawn Spears def. Bear Boulder

It was announced during the contract signing on Wednesday's Dynamite that if Wardlow can endure the 10 lashings from MJF next week (and he will), he'll then have to face Spears in a Steel Cage match on the go-home show before Double or Nothing. Obviously, Wardlow is winning that, but at least we'll finally get to see Wardlow get his hands on Spears after all the teases of tension with the two dating back many months. This was a simple warm-up for Spears over a bigger opponent and I liked that they kept it short and sweet.

Ruby Soho def. Riho in a Women's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinal Match

Not counting the Dark shows, we haven't seen a ton of these two in action on AEW TV this year, so it was cool that they had a chance to remind viewers what they can do. I thought they worked well together and had a fun, spirited sprint. Riho isn't my favorite, but she tends to deliver more often than not. As for Soho, I hope she goes all the way to the finals. Toni Storm is my ultimate pick, but I'm guessing it will come down to them two.

Tony Schiavone Revealed Kris Statlander as Red Velvet's Opponent in the Quarterfinals of the Women's Owen Hart Cup

We found out here that Hikaru Shida will not be taking part in the Owen Hart Cup due to what was said to be an injury, even though Shida has since said otherwise on her Twitter. Either way, she's out and and Statlander is in, which will be interesting given her history with Velvet. I mean, they were friends as recently as two months ago. We also got to hear from Jade Cargill a bit in this segment, though we still have no clue what's next for her.

AEW TNT Champion Scorpio Sky def. Frankie Kazarian

I appreciated all the attention paid to the history between Sky and Kazarian in SCU, though I don't think either guy ever acknowledged why Sky broke away from Kazarian and Christopher Daniels in the first place or what their thoughts were on his heel turn. The crowd didn't seem too interested early on, but this turned into a quality main event down the stretch. I thought Ethan Page helping Sky win without Sky knowing was a nice touch,

Overall Show

The ratings were understandably atrocious for last week's evening airing of Rampage, and considering this show aired at the same time this week, I assume the ratings won't be much different. That's a shame because, as I've said before, I'd actually like to see the show air earlier on Friday nights. Maybe an hour before WWE SmackDown would be doable? Nonetheless, this was a perfectly fine show. There was some enjoyable action, but it was one of those episodes where you didn't miss much if you didn't tune in live.

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