AEW Rampage live results: Holiday Bash

Two title matches will take place on tonight’s AEW Rampage Holiday Bash episode. 

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will defend his title against fellow CHAOS & Best Friends stablemate Rocky Romero in a match set up with a backstage promo segment on Wednesday’s Dynamite episode. 

In a rematch from last Friday’s ROH Final Battle, AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo will defend against Black Taurus. Vikingo successfully retained the title over Taurus at Final Battle. 

In a women’s division contest, Skye Blue will face Queen Aminata. It will be the first match for Blue since she aligned with House of Black’s Julia Hart on last Saturday’s AEW Collision episode.

In tag team action, The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett & Matt Taven will face Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy. Roderick Strong will accompany The Kingdom at ringside.

Tonight’s Holiday Bash episode was taped Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. Spoilers from the show are available here.

Taped in Oklahoma City, OK, it’s AEW Rampage – Holiday Bash! 

Excalibur, Tony Schiovone and Chris Jericho were on commentary.

Orange Cassidy defeated Rocky “Azucar” Romero to retain the AEW International Championship (10:50)

Rocky Romero (who did not get a TV entrance, which telegraphed his chances here) accidentally challenged Cassidy on Dynamite. Trent Beretta was in a neutral corner in this match, since he has history with both men.

Romero hit Cassidy with a tope suicida on the floor, then caught him with a step-up hurricanrana on the floor. Literally a step up hurricanrana, he used the ringside stairs as a springboard for the move. Back in the ring, Romero hit an infinite series of clotheslines until Cassidy caught him with a cazadora into a cradle for a near fall. Romero hit a side backbreaker for a near fall. Cassidy came back with a tornado DDT, then hit a tope suicida of his own. Back in the ring, Cassidy tried another tornado DDT, but Romero countered with a suplex. Romero suplexed Cassidy on the ring apron and both men fell to the floor, just in time for a split screen commercial break!

After the break, both men exchanged blows mid-ring. Cassidy hit a superkick and the Orange Punch, but wasn’t in a position to cover. Cassidy with the “high impact” kicks that actually really became high impact kicks. He turned Romero over with a PK, but Romero came back with a knee strike and the Sliced Bread for a near fall.

Romero went for the Strong Zero, but Cassiddy escaped and both men got cradles for near falls. Cassidy dove into a knee strike, and Romero hit a spinning DDT and the Strong Zero for another near fall. Cassidy pushed off another attempt at the Sliced Bread, hit an Orange Punch, and delivered the Beach Break to get the pinfall. Great opener.

After the match, you’ve got to give the people what they want! A group hug in the center of the ring.  

– The stars of AEW gave toys to the community this week.

– Tony Schiavone interviewed Kris Statlander about her big win on Collision last week with Willow Nightingale. This was interrupted by Stokely Hathaway, who was there to try and stir up dissension between Statlander and Nightingale. 

– Prince Nana and Brian Cage were excited backstage. Brian Cage, “The Vanilla Gorilla,” will take on Keith Lee on Collision tomorrow night. I can’t believe a year later they’re finally getting around to Lee v. Swerve.

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (w/ Roderick Strong) defeated The Hardy Boys.

Why are Taven and Bennett still called “The Kingdom” instead of “Neckstrong?” Before the match, Strong got the names of various fans in the crowd, shouted their names and called them stupid. Fantastic. “If I call people stupid, I gotta go to H.R.” quipped Excaliabur.

Taven caught Matt with an enziguri, then got the tag to Bennett. Bennett went for a Twist of Fate, but Matt pushed him off. Matt and Jeff combined for Poetry in Motion on Bennett. Jeff went for the senton, but Taven distracted Jeff and Bennett crotched him on the top turnbuckle. 

(Usually it’s the women’s match that gets the long split-screen commercial into a full break on Rampage, but tonight it was this tag match.)

After a long commercial, Jeff crawled to his corner for the tag. Bennett tried to cut off Matt, but Matt gave him a side effect on the ring apron. Matt got the tag and Taven helpfully ran into clotheslines from Matt. Matt yanked Taven out of the corner into a sitdown powerbomb for a near fall. A Side Effect in the ring got Matt another near fall. Matt hit Bennett with the Twist of Fate. Taven escaped the Twist of Fate, and the fight went to the floor. Hardy whipped Taven into the ring barricades and the ring announcers table.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Hardy beat on Bennett with his boot. Matt whipped Bennett into the steel stairs, then sent him head firsts into all of the steel stairs. Referee Rick Knox and Matt Hardy fought over a steel chair, which Knox got away from Hardy. Then, back in the ring, Taven rolled up Matt Hardy and got the pinfall.

– During  Rene Paquette’s interview with Ruby Soho, Jeff Parker arrived and asked Soho out for a drink. Before she could answer, Saraya interrupted and initially acted in support of Soho and Parker’s new romance. But once Soho was out of earshot, she told Parker she hated him.

Skye Blue defeated Queen Aminata (3:44)

Aminata caught Blue with a Twist and Shout early for a quick near fall. The fight went to the floor, and Blue tossed Aminata into the ring barricade. Back in the ring, Aminata came back with a release german suplex. Aminata hit the hip attack and sliding boot in the corner for a near fall. Aminata went to the top for a moonsault, but Blue rolled out of the way. Blue hit a superkick, then a TKO into what was supposed to be a Dragon Sleeper and got the quick tap out. 

El Hijo Del Vikingo defeated Black Taurus to retain the AAA Mega Championship (14:13)

So I know Taurus is supposed to be a threat to Vikingo, but I feel like I’ve already seen Taurus lose to Vikingo a dozen times. And then Excalibur said the record between Vikingo and Taurus is 3-2. But why do I feel like Taurus has no chance?

Taurus countered a step-up rana from Vikingo and hit a step-up rana of his own. Taurus ran into a forearm from Vikingo, but Taurus came back with a pop-up Samoan Drop for a near fall.

After a split-screen break, Vikingo hit a springboard dropkick that Taurus shrugged off. Taurus countered a poison rana, but missed a dive in the corner and hit the floor. Taurus avoided a dive from Vikingo by sliding back in the ring, and the hit a tornio through the ropes. Vikingo sent Taurus into the steel post and hit a Tiger Feint Kick using the apron. Taurus caught Vikingo on a dive but Vikingo countered that into a vertical powerslam on the floor.

Vikingo went to the top and hit a sky twister press on the floor. Back in the ring, Vikingo hit an enziguri out of the corner. Vikingo hit a springboard poison rana and a crucifix bomb, but Taurus came back with a spear and both guys were down.

Taurus set up Vikingo on the top rope, then gorilla press slammed Vikingo while standing on the top rope for a near fall. Taurus hit a backbreaker out of a torture rack, powerbombed Vikingo straight on his neck, then hit a discus lariat for another near fall. The crowd chanted “Fight Forever!” while Taurus figured out what to do next.

Vikingo hit a spin kick, then flipped over Taurus into a powerbomb. Vikingo hit a running meteora on Taurus, going through Taurus and the ropes to the floor. Vikingo hit a Canadian Destoyer out of the corner, a pair of knees in the corner, and then the 630 Senton to get the pinfall. Amazing match. This felt like a better match than their ROH match last Friday and is well worth seeking out.

Final Thoughts:

Two great matches in an hour. Can’t complain about that. Happy Holidays!