AEW Rampage was taped after Wednesday night’s Dynamite in the Keybank Arena in Buffalo, New York. Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin battled in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions to crown a new AEW Champion.
Rampage Results
- Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin to advance to the semifinals of the tournament
- Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne via submission
- Claudio Castagnoli def. Dax Harwood to retain the ROH Championship
Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of AEW Rampage:
Sammy Guevara Will Face Jon Moxley In The Semifinals Of The AEW Championship Tournament Next Week
Sammy Guevara battled Darby Allin tonight in the tournament for the vacant AEW Championship. Tay Melo was ringside for the match. Darby took Sammy down to start off the action and applied a Headlock.
Guevara hit a Superplex but didn’t let go. Sammy went for another Suplex but both wrestlers wound up tumbling out of the ring. Darby went for a Suicide Dive but Tay stood in the way. Allin went for the dive anyway but Sammy countered into a Cutter on the floor as Rampage went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Darby took control and started bending back Sammy’s fingers like Pete Dunne. Tay hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Sammy caught him with a knee strike. Sammy followed it up with a springboard Cutter for a near fall.
Sammy went for a Coffin Drop but Darby rolled out of the way. Allin climbed to the top rope and Anna Jay provided a distraction this time. Sammy capitalized with a low blow and then Powerbombed him to the mat. Sammy then hit the GTH for the pinfall victory.
ROH TV Championship Match Set For Next Week
ROH TV Champion (ROH doesn’t have a TV show at the moment) Samoa Joe made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Joe said he’s open for business before he was interrupted by Mark Sterling. Mark noted that Tony Nese has more abs than Samoa Joe and claimed that Josh Woods deserves a title shot. Samoa Joe accepted but Mark delated the match until next week’s Rampage.
Opinion: The crowd let out an exhausted boo when Mark Sterling and the funky bunch interrupted. Samoa Joe versus Josh Woods might be great but there’s no momentum at all for the match following this segment.
Miro Wants The Title
Miro cut another ominous promo from a poorly lit room tonight on Rampage. He spoke about God, his wife, and complained about the “lesser” men battling for “his” title in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions.
Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne
Serena Deeb squared off against Madison Rayne tonight on AEW Rampage. Madison controlled the action early but Deeb battled back with a slam. Serena bashed Madison’s knee into the canvas several times before applying a Half Crab for the quick submission victory.
TBS Champion Jade Cargill was interviewed backstage and boasted about defeating Athena at AEW All Out. Jade challenged anyone on the roster and try to defeat her. The TBS Champion is currently 37-0 in AEW.
Claudio Castagnoli Retained The ROH Championship
Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. William Regal accompanied Claudio to the ring. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. The action started out back and forth as Rampage went to a break.
When Rampage returned, Claudio launched Harwood into the ring post and the challenger fell to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Claudio remained in control and locked in an Abdominal Stretch. Harwood countered into an armdrag but the champ shrugged it off and leveled Dax with a lariat for a near fall.
Harwood hit a slam and followed it up with a headbutt off the top rope for a two count. Claudio went for an uppercut but Dax blocked it. Harwood connected with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Claudio was able to kick out and the match continued.
Dax connected with a German Suplex before perching Claudio up on the top turnbuckle. Harwood went for another Suplex but Castagnoli countered into a Crossbody for a near fall. Castagnoli got Harwood in The Swing for several rotations before locking in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.
Harwood tried to crawl to the ropes but Claudio dragged him back to the center. Dax then escaped and locked in a Sharpshooter on the champion in the middle of the ring. Claudio escaped with several forearm shots to the face and got Dax back in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. Claudio Castagnoli is still the ROH Champion. William Regal raised Dax’s hand and Harwood shook hands with Castagnoli to close the show.
Final Thoughts: AEW has a long way to go to get people invested in tuning into Rampage every week again. Tonight was a solid show and hopefully more stars are featured on Friday in addition to the changes moving forward.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Rampage? Let us know in the comments section below.
