AEW Rampage Review - September 27, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

House of Black (Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews) def. Action Andretti and Lio Rush

I realize this was taped almost a week ago, but the timing of this airing today of all days is interesting because it was just reported that WWE has interested in bringing Black back and that AEW might add injury time onto his contract. I don't doubt that for a second. Yes, he and Matthews won here, but what have they really done since their feud with Adam Copeland ended back in May? The answer is nothing. This was an enjoyable outing, but I'm not sure what purpose it was supposed to serve.

Anna Jay def. Robyn Renegade

Jay lasted competed in an AEW match back in June when she briefly aligned with The Outcasts. She left for Stardom soon after and has clearly honed her skills since then as she showed signs of improvement in this match. This was a solid showcase for her and I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll bring to the AEW women's division. Hopefully there's a plan in place for her and she won't flounder like she was prior to her Japan excursion.

Konosuke Takeshita def. Angelico

Takeshita teased having unfinished business with Kazuchika Okada and the AEW Continental Championship coming out of All Out, but there's been little follow-up with that since then. In fact, Takeshita has been more concerned with Will Ospreay than anything. I assume this win was designed to give him a mini momentum boost before he eventually faces Ospreay again. He and Angelico had a nice little sprint.

The Acclaimed def. TJ Crawford and Ryan Clancy

It's amazing how much The Acclaimed have cooled off this past year. I don't know if a feud with MxM Collection will be enough to heat them up again (being back in the AEW World Tag Team Championship picture over the summer certainly didn't), but I suppose it's something. Honestly, I'm just happy to see MxM Collection already clicking so well with the AEW audience.

Willow Nightingale def. Taya Valkyrie

Nightingale was the perfect person to headline this show in Springfield given her ties to the northeast. Granted, there was nothing at stake here and it mostly standard stuff, but both women are talented and I thought they had a quality contest. I assume Nightingale will get the next shot at the AEW Women's World Championship at WrestleDream while Mina Shirakawa is saved for a little later on.

Overall Show

Rampage used to get the two-hour Grand Slam treatment in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Collision has since filled that spot, turning Rampage into an ordinary show. That's why this was taped a week ago in Springfield immediately following that night's Collision. I was in attendance but left as soon as Collision ended because I couldn't care less about Rampage these days. As it turned out, I didn't miss much at all. Fine if you tuned in, fine if you didn't. That's Rampage in a nutshell. Cancelation can't come soon enough.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews