AEW Rampage live results: Eddie Kingston vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Friday’s AEW Rampage will feature four matches that includes Eddie Kingston taking on Konosuke Takeshita for the first time in singles action.
This will be Kingston’s first match since last Wednesday’s Blood & Guts match while Takeshita is looking to extend a two-match winning streak. He has also been competing in buzzworthy matches on the indies as of late.
Orange Cassidy will battle Tony Nese in a match made during Wednesday’s Dynamite. Nese and Mark Sterling were asking Cassidy and Best Friends for signatures to fire Swerve Strickland and the group refused, leading to a challenge.
The build toward this month’s Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view begins in earnest with two tag team matches.
In one, ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham teams with Lee Moriarty against Tully Blanchard’s Gates of Agony. In the other, ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez will team again with Serena Deeb against opponent to be named.
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Taped in Rochester, New York. Excalibur, Jim Ross and Tony Schivone were on commentary.
Eddie Kingston defeated Konosuke Takeshita (12:01 aired)
Entrances took place before the show on YouTube.
Takeshita has been in the business for 10 years but is only 26 years old. Takeshita frustrated Kingston on the mat early, but the crowd was solidly behind Kingston. Kingston got Takeshita in a surfboard, but Takeshita reversed it. Kingston caught Takeshita with a knee in the ropes, then followed up with a gutwrench suplex. Kingston’s straps came down and chops were exchanged, then Kingston caught Takeshita with a thumb to the eye. Kingston followed up with machine gun chops in the corner and a headbutt, then worked a chinlock. Takeshita hit a flying lariat. Takeshita hit another lariat out of the corner and then a blue thunder bomb for a near fall.
After a split-screen break, Kingston and Takeshita exchanged strikes on the apron. This ended with Takeshita hitting a german suplex on the apron, who then rolled to the floor to try another german suplex. Kingston reversed it into an exploder suplex on the floor, and both guys made it in before referee Rick Knox’s ten count.
Back in the ring, both guys exchanged lariats, and Kingston got a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Takeshita blocked the spinning backfist and got a brainbuster for a near fall. Both men exchanged forearms and palm strikes on their knees, battling up to their feet. Kingston hit a half and half suplex, but Takeshita came back with a lariat. After more back and forth strikes, Kingston caught Takeshita with the spinning backfist, then basically fell on top of him for the pin. Hard hitting match worth going out of your way to see.
– Athena and Kris Statlander cut a promo on Jade Cargill, calling her a coward afraid to defend her TBS Championship.
(During the break, a commercial for the A&E Biographies series on WWE wrestlers aired.)
– Hook video, highlighting all the ways he’s thrown people around and made them tap out.
The Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Kaun) (w/ Tully Blanchard) defeated Lee Moriaty & ROH World Champion Johnathan Gresham (6:24 aired)
Caprice Coleman did commentary for the match and Bobby Cruise did the ring announcing.
The Gates of Agony started out fast and cut off Moriarty from Gresham. Kaun got a near fall after a slingshot senton. Moriarty had the opportunity to make a tag, but Gresham walked away from the corner to jaw with Tully Blachard. Liona got a near fall after a Samoan Drop, then worked a chinlock during the split-screen break.
After the break, Moriarty knocked both the Gates of Agony to the floor, finally getting the opportunity to make the tag. He dove into the corner, and Gresham short armed him on the tag, then walked away from the ring. Moriarty tried to fight both Gates of Agony in the ring, while on the floor, Blanchard and Gresham hugged! A discus lariat from Kaun turned Moriarty inside out, then a Juice Box from Liona got the pin.
– Eddie Kingston cut a great promo backstage. Kingston praised Takeshita, and promised to get Chris Jericho’s blood for Ruby Soho and the Blackpool Combat Club. Kingston challenged Jericho to a barbed wire match. “Every drop of blood is a sin that you’ve commited, Chris. And that last drop of blood before you pass out? That’s for my Ruby.” Excellent promo.
Serena Deeb & ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez defeated Kayla Sparks & Christina Marie (2:22)
Coleman was still on commentary for this match.
Deeb dominated both her opponents until Martinez tagged herself in. Martinez hung up Marie in the ropes with a suplex, and Deeb tagged herself in to lock Marie in the Serenity Lock and get the tap out.
After the match, Deeb clotheslined Martinez and locked her in the Serenity Lock. Martinez quickly tapped. Pencil in Deeb v. Martinez for the ROH pay-per-view.
– Tony Schiavone interviewed Jonathan Gresham and Tully Blanchard. Gresham was sitting at home until Blanchard called him up, despite signing a contract back in March. Schiavone announced Tony Khan has made Gresham v. Moriarty for the ROH World title official for next week’s Rampage.
Main Event Promo: Tony Nese started to talk, but Danhausen objected and it was awesome. Excalibur ran down the next few shows:
Fyter Fest Week 1 (Next Wednesday):
- Claudio Castagnoli v. Jake Hager
- Anna Jay v. Serena Deeb
- AEW World Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks v. Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee vs. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs
- Christian Cage interview, Luchasaurs in action.
Rampage Fyter Fest Night 1 (Next Friday):
- ROH World Title: Lee Moriarty v. Jonathan Gresham
- Private Party v. Lucha Brothers
- Gunn Club interview.
Fyter Fest Week 2 (July 20th):
- Kingston v. Jericho in a Barb Wire Death Match with The Jericho Appreciation Society will be suspended in a Shark Cage.
Orange Cassidy (w/ Danhausen) defeated Tony Nese (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) (14:58)
If Nese won, Cassidy would have to sign the petition that would have Swerve Strickland kicked off the AEW Roster.
Cassidy avoided a pair of legdrops, then caught Nese with a shotgun dropkick. Just as the crowd was getting behind Cassidy, Nese flattened him with a back elbow. Cassidy caught Nese with a flying mare and tied him up with a crucifix on the mat for a near fall. Nese caught Cassidy in the ropes and got a Juice Box for a near fall. Cassidy rolled to the floor, where Nese put the boots to him until Danhausen chased him off.
After a break, Nese had Cassidy locked in a body scissors. Cassidy went for a spinning DDT, but Nese reversed it into a Northern Lights suplex attempt for a near fall. Nese punched Cassidy down to the mat in the corner, then placed him on the top turnbuckle. Cassidy blocked a superplex attempt twice, then knocked Nese to the mat. Danhausen and Nese got into a confrontation on the floor, and this distraction gave Cassidy the advantage. Cassidy hit a Stundog Millionaire and a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Nese went for a pump handle slam, but Cassidy countered it into a spinning DDT, hit a second spinning DDT, then came off the top with a diving DDT for a near fall.
Sterling got up on the apron to confront Cassidy, who responded with his “high impact” kicks. Sterling sold it like death, which distracted Cassidy. Nese caught Cassidy with a pump handle into a sitout tombstone for another near fall. Nese missed a charging knee in the corner and began selling his knee. Referee Aubrey Edwards checked on Nese’s knee. Sterling came in the ring to hit Cassidy with the clipboard for the petition, but Danhausen punched him low. Danhausen cursed Nese, and Cassidy flew in with the Orange Punch, then got the pinfall.
Great main event.
Final Thoughts:
Cassidy and Danhausen was the pairing I never knew I needed until now. Show was bookended by two great matches, and the ROH stuff didn’t drag the show down. Although, two “tag teams break up to set up title matches” might have been a bit much. JR put Cassidy over strongly on commentary, and Takeshita had another star in the making performance. Finally, Kingston’s promo to set up the barbed wire match was money.
Strong show.