AEW Rampage Review - October 29, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bryan Danielson def. Eddie Kingston in an AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Semifinal Match

The outcome was obviously never in doubt, but I was really looking forward to seeing what type of match they'd deliver. It was more along the lines of the gem Danielson and Minoru Suzuki produced two weeks ago, and because I thoroughly enjoyed that, I enjoyed the hell out of this as well. It was an absolute war. Danielson's chest looked like raw hamburger meat at the end. I wouldn't say Kingston is nearly as technically sound as Danielson, but they worked a certain style that both were able to adapt to and the crowd was absolutely into it. Not only did Kingston not shake Danielson's hand afterward, he also angrily interrupted CM Punk's backstage interview, so if that's the match for Full Gear count me in.

Dante Martin def. Matt Sydal

We were originally supposed to get Dante and Lio Rush against the Sydal brothers, but Mike Sydal is hurt, so they changed it to another match between Dante and Sydal. This was well wrestled, but I really wish they had put Rush in there with Sydal instead. I don't think anyone was begging for the the third installment of this trilogy, but it was fine. I think it suffered from this show being taped and the crowd already being exhausted. They wanted a spot-fest and got more mat-based wrestling. Again, it was fine, but it's definitely not the type of match you throw in the middle of a taped show.

AEW Women's World Champion Britt Baker def. Abadon in a Trick or Treat No Disqualification Match

I know this was their Halloween show, but Abadon really shouldn't be in the main event of Rampage, Dynamite or anything for that matter. She's just not that good, but I know there's a lot of people who will disagree with me because she has her legions of fans. There's a reason why she hasn't been featured on AEW TV all year except for Dark and Elevation. This was basically one of those WWE Trick or Street Fights (like what we got on SmackDown tonight) except with a slightly different name and not as entertaining. The botched table spots were especially bad, but to their credit, they rebounded nicely down the stretch and the crowd (or what was left of it in the building) was into it. I didn't see the point of protecting Abadon with yet another roll-up finish. There's zero reason to revisit this.

Overall Show

If you're wondering why AEW consistently gives away their biggest bouts on Rampage at the start of the show, it's because that's when the crowd is at their hottest. Bryan vs. Kingston was an excellent affair and absolutely worth going out of your way to watch if you didn't catch it. Martin and Sydal did their thing, but I wish it was on a live show so the crowd could've been hotter for it. As for Baker vs. Abadon, it wasn't my cup of tea if you couldn't tell, but maybe you'll like it more than I did. It was a solid show on the whole, but I can't stress enough how much these AEW shows feel like marathon tapings on Wednesdays with how much they attempt to cram into a four-hour period. Rampage getting started 20 minutes after Dynamite ended didn't help matters, either.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews