AEW Rampage Review - October 14, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Blackpool Combat Club (AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli) def. The Butcher and The Blade)

I'm always down for any combination of the Blackpool Combat Club boys because all of them work wonderfully together. Butcher and Blade didn't stand a chance here and I couldn't care less about them at this point, but from an in-ring standpoint, this was good stuff. Castagnoli picking up the winning fall for his team was a nice touch, but when will he focused on his own again? I believe it was last week on Rampage that he cut a pre-taped promo teasing unfinished business with Chris Jericho, but there was no follow-up on that this week.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Dalton Castle and The Boys Interrupted Jericho Appreciation Society

It's well documented I'm no fan of Jericho Appreciation Society, but at least it's clear that their sole purpose is to build toward that inevitable clash between Jericho and Daniel Garcia. Speaking of Garcia, he explained his actions from Dynamite and pledged his allegiance to the group, but I still think his actual reasoning is that he wants to beat Jericho for the ROH World Championship himself. As we found out here, Castle will be Jericho's next challenger on Tuesday's Dynamite. Castle isn't a notable name, but he's synonymous with Ring of Honor's recent history and is indeed a former ROH World Champion. That should be a fun match and a fine filler opponent for Jericho.

Nyla Rose def. Anna Jay A.S.

It appears Rose is the de facto face in her feud with Jade Cargill, and I only assume that because she took on a heel in Anna Jay A.S. here. That said, would a face steal someone's title belt? Who are viewers supposed to cheer for? I appreciate the attempt to make their rivalry more interesting, but Rose is a glorified stepping stone and doesn't pose much of a threat despite being portrayed as dominant at times. The match was whatever, but the crowd was into Cargill destroying the security guards afterward.

"All Ego" Ethan Page def. Isiah Kassidy

It was said on Dynamite that if Kassidy won, Private Party would be free from The Firm (who apparently purchased Private Party's contracts from The Andrade Family Office), but if Page won, Private Party as well as Matt Hardy would be forced into The Firm. I can't say I cared either way, but I would rather see Private Party back on their own as babyfaces. This was incredibly brief and basically a squash for Page.

ROH/IWGP/AAA World Tag Team Champions FTR and Shawn Spears def. The Embassy (Brian Cage and The Gates of Agony)

Spears being a babyface in AEW for the first time since his debut (Double or Nothing 2019) is a refreshing change for him as well as the decision to have him go back to his Perfect 10 gimmick. He'll likely remain a utility player, but hopefully this will make him less boring. This was a spirited six-man tag team affair with enjoyable action, but the outcome was never in doubt. The Kingdom's Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis showing up afterward was a pleasant surprise, but I really hope their challenge to FTR ends up being a one-off. I'm a fan of the faction, but is there really a place for them in AEW unless they reunite with Adam Cole? Sure, ROH could use them, but the brand doesn't have its own show yet and I doubt they get television time consistently on Dynamite and Rampage. I think they'd be a better fit in WWE or NXT's tag team division, but that's just me. Funnily enough, they're still technically the Impact World Tag Team Champions following their successful defense at Bound for Glory last weekend, but they didn't have the belts with them here.

Overall Show

Rampage remains ROH TV, and while that doesn't bother me a ton, I totally understand a vast majority of the audience not giving a crap. Again, without a weekly show, ROH getting so much focus doesn't accomplish anything and only waters down the AEW roster more when there are so many others not receiving meaningful television time. For example, where the hell has Miro been? This was a solid episode, but even with all the cameos (including Stu Grayson, who briefly popped up in a backstage segment with what's left of The Dark Order), you didn't miss much if you didn't tune in.

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