AEW Rampage 11/22/2024

Taped in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Excalibur, Matt Menard & Ian Riccaboni were on commentary.

Mina Shirakawa & Mariah May defeated Nyla Rose & Harley Cameron (8:36)

**3/4

Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up

Rose and Cameron don’t even get an entrance. Rose and Shirakawa teased us with a test of strength. Rose dominated Shirakawa with body slams. Cameron tagged herself in to the match, and Shirakawa took her down with a Russian Leg Sweep for a near fall. May came in with a spinning side slam and got another near fall. Shirawaka and May double-teamed Cameron with a double shotgun dropkick. Rose tried to attack, but Mina and May dumped her to the floor.

Back in the ring after a split-screen break, Rose hit May with a rolling neck snap. The crowd chanted “We Want Mina!” while Rose got the heat on May. Cameron hit a knee strike on May for a near fall. May countered an attempted Soul Food with a headbutt, and got the tag to Mina.

Shirakawa took down Cameron with a flying clothesline. Mina caught May in the corner with a kick, but Rose broke up the pinfall attempt. Mina tried for a figure-four on Rose, but Cameron interfered and Mina hit her with a DDT while Rose’s legs were all twisted up. May dropkicked Rose out of the ring. Cameron got a near fall off a cradle, but May hit her with knee strike. May and Shirawaka hit a double-team top rope bulldog (think the old Steiner Brothers move, if you’re old enough to remember that) on Cameron and got the pinfall.

Lexi Nair hosted the official weigh in between QT Marshall and “Big Boom AJ,” accompanied by Big Justice. They actully have big banners with pictures of Marshall and Big Boom AJ in the ring, so I guess that WBD money isn’t going to waste. The crowd popped for something or someone called “The Rizzler.” I have no idea about any of this because the only things I follow on social media are cooking recipes. Marshall weighed in at 229 pounds (103.9 kilograms), which was displayed on the big screen. AJ weighed in at 550 pounds(249.5 kilograms). AJ is not a super-heavyweight, so either Paul Wight was running the scale in the back or there were some shenanigans. Big Justice (who is actually a child) got in Marshall’s face about rigging the scale. This lead to Marshall hitting AJ with a cutter to end the segment. I hope this stuff is creating fans out of whoever it’s supposed to appeal to.

Juice Robinson defeated The Butcher (9:02 aired)

**1/4

Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up

The fight went to the floor and Butcher dropped Robinson back-first on the ring barricade.

Most of the match took place in the split-screen window. After a commercial, Robinson hit Butcher with a leg lariat. Butcher ducked the Left Hand of God, but hit with a DDT and a senton. Butcher countered a splash in the corner and hit Robinson with a lariat for a near fall. Robinson tripped up Butcher in the corner and hit a cannonball. Butcher ducked another left hand and hit a backbrearker and a modified jackhammer for a near fall. Butcher called for a brainbuster, but Robinson escaped and finally hit the Left Hand of God. Robinson hit is front-falling DDT for the pinfall. This felt slow at times.

Lexi Nair announced with Thunder Rosa an “all Lucha” episode of Rampage. Thunder Rosa made an open challenge for any luchadora. The challenge was immediately answered by “Harley-Gram” the counterpart to “Hologram” who looked suspiciously liked Harley Cameron in a green hood.

A hype package for Ricochet and Konsuke Takeshita for Full Gear tomorrow night.

Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii & Mark Briscoe defeated Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno & John Silver (11:41)

***

Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up

Silver and Briscoe started off with a “kung fu” standoff, until Uno jumped Briscoe to allow the heels to get the advantage. Uno needs a better look; the ill-fitting dress pants, shirt and tie and mask aren’t working for him. After Uno got in trouble in the Conglomeration corner, Romero hit Uno with the forever clotheslines until Alex Reynolds broke that up. Uno hit a flatliner on Romero and the Dark Order took control.

After a long split-screen break during which Romero was taking all the heat from the Dark Order, Briscoe got the hot tag. He fought all three mebers of the Dark Order. Briscoe hit an exploder on Uno for a near fall. Uno hit Briscoe with a piledriver for a near fall. The Dark ORder set up Briscoe for a Pendellum Bomb, but Briscoe escaped and got the tag to Ishii. Ishii and Silver exchanged chops and kicks. Silver hit Ishii with a German suplex, but Ishii came right back with a clothesline. Romero took Reynods down on the floor with a hurricanrana, and Briscoe hit his springboard plnacha on Reynolds and Uno. Back in the ring, Ishii hit a brainbuster on Reynolds and got the pinfall.

The show ended with the tremendous “November Rain” hype video for Full Gear.

Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Down