https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYwwyuO1P1w
This Friday night All Elite Wrestling kicks off 2022 on TNT with a jam-packed edition of RAMPAGE!!! Coming at you on TNT, and at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, there are four bouts on deck for wrestling fanatics this Friday night, and that’s on the heels of AEW’s landmark DYNAMITE debut on TBS!
On Wednesday, AEW faithful were treated to THREE championship matches as Bryan Danielson fell to Hangman Page in their World Title clash and Jade Cargill claimed the crown as first TBS Women’s Champion, while Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus finally ascended to the top of the tag team mountain! Plus CM Punk got MJF’s new year off to a rocky start, Wardlow kicked his off with another powerbomb symphony, and the stage was set for Friday night!
RAMPAGE gets underway at 10pm EST/9pm CST on TNT, but prior to that, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for DYNAMITE highlights, as well as the most recent editions of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, ROAD TO, and a special CONTROL CENTER episode!
NO HOLDS BARRED, NO DQ MATCH…
Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, & Santana vs. 2point0 (Jeff Parker & Matt Lee) & Daniel Garcia
Twice now Daniel Garcia, Jeff Parker, and Matt Lee have managed to sneak one out on Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, and Santana. They did it the first time on the December 17th edition of RAMPAGE when Garcia leveraged a School Boy pinfall on Kingston, and then proceeded to assault “The Mad King” with The Acclaimed’s boom box across his head.
They pulled it off again at DYNAMITE: NEW YEAR’S SMASH when Matt Lee rolled up Santana for the three count and once more attacked their foes after the victory, this time using the ring bell across Santana’s skull to cap off the assault. It was only the timely return of Chris Jericho that prevented the assault from becoming something worse, but it was not an intervention that Eddie Kingston remotely desired. He would’ve rather taken the lumps than rely on Chris Jericho, a friend of his friends mind you, to save the day.
Yet on Wednesday night, when Jericho was on the wrong end of an assault from the 2pointTrio, Eddie rallied alongside Santana and Ortiz to help out the head of The Inner Circle. “The enemy of my enemy…” becomes an even more complex notion than usual when your enemies’ enemy hasn’t actually done anything wrong by you, and is also the friend of a friend. The Jericho/Kingston dynamic is quite combustible, but nowhere nearly as much as the hate that’s built up between Ortiz, Santana, Kingston, Parker, Garcia, and Lee.
Luckily for all, that hate gets to come out this Friday night in an environment utterly devoid of rules or restraints! There will No Rules, No DQs, and No Holds Barred when these six warriors come to battle on RAMPAGE, and that is a recipe for disaster if you’re in the boots of 2point0 and “Red Death”!
ONE-ON-ONE…
Adam Cole vs. Jake Atlas
27 year old Jake Atlas comes to All Elite Wrestling with five years of experiences under his belt inside the squared circle, and with a wealth of potential to become one of the top players in AEW. Originally out of California, Atlas has stepped inside the ring with many members of the locker room over the course of his career, competitors such as Jungle Boy, Scorpio Sky, Nyla Rose, The Lucha Brothers, and Kip Sabian, as well as names like the legendary Ultimo Dragon, Brody King, B-Boy, and Nick Gage.
After several years on the independent circuits, Atlas took his talents to the Orlando area where, for the next year and a half, he competed against a variety of opponents that also included All Elite Wrestling members 2point0 and frequent DARK competitor Anthony Greene. In September of 2021, to take care of his own mental health, Jake took a hiatus from wrestling but recently returned on DARK: ELEVATION this past Monday in a victory over Serpentico.
Almost immediately it was announced that Atlas was signed onto All Elite Wrestling, and would be heading into competition immediately, all that was left was to find out just who he would face on RAMPAGE this Friday night.
Well Adam Cole took matters into his own hands, as can be seen in that tweet embedded above, by calling out Atlas for a match. Adam has chosen to take it upon himself to welcome the new guy to the team by showing Jake, at least in his Cole’s mind, just who runs the show. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Atlas in his first bout as an official member of the AEW locker room, and a tremendous risk for Adam Cole to lay down the challenge!
TAG TEAM BOUT…
AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D & Jamie Hayter
vs.
Riho & Ruby Soho
Things did not go the way Ruby Soho had hoped on Wednesday night in the finals of the TBS Women’s Title Tournament. Fighting with all her heart, albeit an arm injury, “The Runaway” just couldn’t find the right key to overcome the strength of Jade Cargill and earn that championship. As if that defeat wasn’t to deal with on DYNAMITE, as if being asked about it by Tony Schiavone right after the fact wasn’t enough, Ruby also had to deal with the taunts of the AEW Women’s World Champion.
With her entourage at her side, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D chose to get right in Soho’s face and poke the bear; perhaps the champ figured there would be no repercussions for her words, that she could run off at the mouth without any consequence, and although Ruby didn’t strike Baker with fists, her words regarding Riho certainly hit hard. It’s a well-known fact that Britt hasn’t scored a victory over Riho in their two singles bout or their four way in January 2020, and in the two tag team victories Britt has on Riho, well Baker never pinned the first-ever Women’s World Champion in those either. Thus Ruby’s little reminder of that fact got her assaulted by Brit, Jamie Hayter, and Rebel, at least until Riho arrived to interrupt the beating.
Rather quickly this tag team bout was signed pitting Riho and Ruby against the Women’s World Champ and Hayter, and less than 24 hours before the Women’s World Title bout at BATTLE OF THE BELTS (Buy Tickets) this Saturday night! It’s a chance for both champion and challenger to get a last minute advantage, both psychological and physical, before the big title fight. Can Baker break the streak and actually pin Riho’s shoulders to the mat with that nasty curb stomp or make her tap out to The Lockjaw? Tune in Friday night to find out!
REDRUM…
HOOK vs. Aaron Solo (w/ QT Marshall)
Words are not HOOK’s preferred choice of communication, he prefers the violence that occurs once the bell rings to make his statement. “Luckily” for everyone else, QT Marshall is more than willing to provide the commentary prior to the match and verbally denigrate “The Cold Hearted Handsome Devil”. As can be heard in the tirade captured above, QT wants to take credit for the prowess that HOOK has shown in his previous bouts against Fuego Del Sol and Bear Bronson. It’s not the first time that’s been thrown in the face of Taz, many moons ago Cody also questioned why HOOK was training at The Nightmare Factory instead of with Team Taz.
While there is absolutely truth in that statement, be it Cody’s or QT’s, it was clearly evident in just two matches just how much of his father HOOK had in him, and how much he is Team Taz at heart. Those suplexes, the vicious submissions; that is pure Taz and it clearly drives Marshall a bit nuts that he helped create this “lightning in a bottle” talent but isn’t getting any of the credit.
QT can call HOOK lazy all he wants, he can call him a slacker, and Aaron Solo can borrow Taz’s signature lines all day long, but what matters is what happens once that bell rings. Can Solo grind the momentum of HOOK to a halt on RAMPAGE, or will the Cold Hearted Devil continue his winning ways?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7mE-V5_M4w
RAMPAGE starts off with a BOOM at 10pm EST/9pm CST, and at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, this Friday night on TNT! To get ready for the night, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from DYNAMITE, the latest episodes of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, ROAD TO, as well as a new edition of the AEW CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone!
Article source: allelitewrestling.com