Considering last weeks Rampage made one hour feel like six, this episode was an exponentially better paced show with a really fun opener and a fantastic main event. Outside of a very elongated and dull Abadon squash I liked everything on this show, and although nothing was majorly advanced, every match was in service of either a title, tournament or storyline, so I could understand why every match had been booked and was therefore able to invest. I would implore you to watch at least the beginning and end of the show this week, as they were really good fun!
Tonight on AEW Rampage, Bryan Danielson begins his first of two league matches in 24 hours as he takes on Daniel Garcia. Orange Cassidy faces Angelico for the International Championship and TBS Title Challenger Abadon battles Trish Adora. Let’s get at it!
GREAT Orange Cassidy vs Angelico
Its safe to say Cassidy’s International Title run since Full Gear has been disappointing, so it is nice to at least see his title being defended once again in its bread and butter form. Angelico has also been a top level ROH talent in recent months, and together they do really exciting work. The entire match revolves around Cassidy’s leg, and it gets much more time than I expected to develop into a great title defence. Very innovative and well wrestled as expected, and a thoroughly enjoyable affair only slightly marred by some rather irritating Daddy Magic calls on commentary.
Result: Orange Cassidy by Pinfall via Orange Punch
David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
SQUASH Abadon vs Trish Adora
Too long for a squash of this nature and very boring, this should’ve been done with a local competitor, as it made the very promising Trish Adora look rubbish. The only part of this that excited me was that Schiavone quoted A Christmas Story, and as a huge fan of that film that majorly popped me. The rest of this was played out, including the same post match angle with Julia Hart as last weeks Collision
Result: Abadon by Pinfall
GOOD Don Callis Family (Hobbs and Takeshita) vs Daniels and Sydal
A fun tag match that did it’s job nicely. Nothing extraordinary but it showed off all 4 guys nicely, particularly so Hobbs and Takeshita, and keeps them on the boil for an inevitable Golden Jets match.
Result: Powerhouse Hobbs by Pinfall via Worlds Most Dangerous Slam
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3 Stars
AMAZING Bryan Danielson vs Daniel Garcia- Watch Match Here
A terrific PPV calibre match, this had so many moving parts, from the psychology of the eye to Danielsons technical submissions and lack of respect to the dancing to Garcia’s refusal to quit. This was brilliantly wrestled by both men, and although it wasn’t perfect, it was the best match Rampage has seen in a long while.
Result: Bryan Danielson by Referee Stoppage
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 4.25 Stars
Overall…
Considering last weeks Rampage made one hour feel like six, this episode was an exponentially better paced show with a really fun opener and a fantastic main event. Outside of a very elongated and dull Abadon squash I liked everything on this show, and although nothing was majorly advanced, every match was in service of either a title, tournament or storyline, so I could understand why every match had been booked and was therefore able to invest. I would implore you to watch at least the beginning and end of the show this week, as they were really good fun!
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.5/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling – December 8th 2023
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the system here:
