AEW Rampage Review - November 3, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Penta El Zero Miedo def. Komander and AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo in a Three-Way Match (Non-Title)

The Day of the Dead was this week, so this was a fitting match to do. I wish there was more setup for it than an announcement via a graphic on Dynamite, but this is AEW we're talking about, so I'm not surprised. As expected, this was all action. I was entertained, but these spot-fests would mean so much more if AEW didn't do them so often. I'd love if AEW did more with Penta on his own coming out of this, but I'm not holding my breath.

The Gunns def. Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels

Bullet Club Gold has been all over AEW TV lately, and as entertained as I've been by the group, AEW needs to be careful not to overexpose them. The Gunns are also more bearable than they've been in the past. This was another straightforward showcase for them before they challenge MJF for the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Full Gear, so needless to say, the outcome was never in question here.

Skye Blue def. Marina Shafir

Shafir has improved in the ring from where she was over a year ago, I'll give her that much. She's still incredibly uninteresting as a character, and no, I don't think bringing in Ronda Rousey is the answer. This was a perfectly passable match, but I'm not sure why it existed other than to give Blue a rebound win. I also have no idea where her character is headed since it was made clear on Dynamite that isn't turning heel.

Daniel Garcia def. Trent Beretta

The fact that this served as the main event of Rampage should speak volumes about how highly AEW views this show. Don't get me wrong, this was very well wrestled and they made the most of the time they had, but this didn't feel meaningful in the slightest. The only reason it went on last was because Garcia cut a promo after it was over challenging MJF to an AEW World Championship match on Wednesday's Dynamite. The fact that this was Garcia's first televised singles match in almost six months is wild, and apparently this was enough to earn him a title shot? That's pretty silly, but at least the match itself should be fun.

Overall Show

What a disappointing edition of Rampage after last week's, which was considered by many (myself included) to be one of the best all year. We got a crazy three-way (that had zero storyline significance whatsoever) to open the episode and the setup for an AEW World Championship match on Dynamite, but otherwise, this was a throwaway show. We'll see what AEW has in store next week, but it seems like Rampage will be returning to the norm, unfortunately.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews