AEW Rampage live results: Keith Lee vs. Max Caster

By Joseph Collins
Published: 18 Mar 2022, 20:20

AEW will air a special late-night edition of Rampage following Friday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, headlined by Keith Lee vs. Max Caster of The Acclaimed.

Lee will be looking to remain undefeated in singles action ahead of expected future matches against members of Team Taz.

In more singles action, Darby Allin will take on The Butcher of the Andrade Family Office. This is a continuation of the recent Andrade Family Office rivalry with Allin, Sting and The Hardys after Andrade, Butcher, Blade and Private Party kicked Matt Hardy out of the group.

In trios action, the House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews and Brody King) will unite once again to take on Bear Country and Fuego Del Sol while Leyla Hirsch will battle Red Velvet in a grudge match.

The show will air at 11:30 PM Eastern or whenever NCAA coverage on TNT concludes.

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The show started at 11:48pm. Hosts were Taz, Excalibur, Chris Jericho and Ricky Starks.

Darby Allin (w/Sting) defeated The Butcher (w/ The Blade & The Bunny) by count-out. (10:35)

This was an updated version of the Sting/Vader matches from the 90s, with Allin taking a beating from the Butcher and occasionally getting the brief hope spots against his larger opponent.

Allin got knocked from the ring early on, and The Butcher didn’t let him get back in the ring easily. Allin managed to maneuver Butcher out of the ring, then hit Butcher with his high-speed tope. Back in the ring, Butcher hit a high angle back breaker for a near fall. Allin came back by biting Butcher’s hand. Butcher floored Allin with a clothesline for another near fall. Butcher swung Allin around by his neck and kicked him to the floor. On the floor, Butcher leveled Allin with a lariat. Butcher went face-to-face with Sting and the show took a split-screen ad break.

Back from break, Allin dove off the middle rope for a dropkick, but Butcher caught his legs and locked in a Texas Cloverleaf. When it looked like Allin would escape, Butcher pulled Allin up and powerbombed him while holding the cloverleaf. Allin eventually crawled to the ropes and escaped to the floor. On the floor, Allin escaped a powerbomb attempt but got rammed back first against the ringpost. Butcher swung Allin around the ringside, sending him into the barricade and the steel steps. Allin evaded a splash from Butcher against the stairs, then hit a Code Red on the floor. Allin followed up with a Coffin Drop from the top rope to the floor. Allin crawled back into the ring to beat the count, and the Butcher was counted out.

After the match, Adrade El Idolo and Jose came out to distract Sting and Allin, and the Private Party ran in from behind to attack. The Hardys ran in to make the save (Jeff didn’t dance on his way to the ring this time). Matt Hardy challenged the AFO to get back in the ring. The AFO teased getting in the ring, but of course didn’t. “Don’t give them a free match! Save it! That’s what sports entertainment is all about!” Jericho said on commentary. Matt challenged Butcher & Blade & Private Party to face the Hardy Boys, Darby Allin and Sting for Dynamite.

– Scorpio Sky cut a promo with Paige VanZant and Dan Lambert, who is now the “co-TNT champion.” Sky was playing second fiddle to VanZant. I’m not feeling this Scorpio reign yet.

Red Velvet defeated Leyla Hirsh (6:54 aired)

The fight started on the floor, where Hirsh tried a German suplex but Velvet countered with a suplex of her own. When the match got to the ring, Velvet hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. Velvet showed real fire here and laid in some tight body shots on Hirsh. But when Velvent went for ten punches in the corner, it looked awkward because Velvet is very tall and Hirsh is very short. Hirsh slipped out and yanked Velvet down, then took control as the show went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Velvet regained control with a cazadora into a bulldog for a near fall. Velvet went for a spinning kick, but Hirsh tossed her from a powerbomb position into an overhead suplex. Hirsh followed that with a German suplex and the cross-arm breaker, but Velvet used her long legs to get to the ropes. Hirsh went for a diving knee against the ropes, but Velvet ducked and Hirsh went to the floor. On the floor, Hirsh found the turnbuckle wrench/connector she’s been using to win matches. Before she could use the international object, Kris Statlander grabbed it from Hirsh. Distracted, Hirsh walked into a spin kick from Velvet and got the pin.

– QT Marshall and Aaron Solo cut a promo backstage. Marshall mentions “The Boss” and since Solo is in the demo, he had no idea who Marshall was talking about. Marshall will present the first ever “QT Marhasll Certificate of Accomplishment” to his best student, Hook, “live on Rampage” next week. (I don’t think Rampage is live next week.)

The House of Black defeated Fuego Del Sol & Bear Country (3:22)

I hope Fuego Dos isn’t upset that Del Sol was teaming with some new friends tonight.

Bear Bronson started out with Malakai Black. A kick took out Bronson, and a knee strike took out Bear Boulder. Buddy Murphy took apart Bronson, and Brody King came in with a senton. Del Sol tried a dive off the top and King swatted him down with a right hand. Bear Boulder tried to take on all three members of the House of Black and he got destroyed. Del Sol came in with a top rope dropkick on King and actually did better than Boulder for about 30 seconds. But, he got destroyed too. Black hit a top rope moonsault to the floor on one of the Bears, and Murphy hit a tornado high angle slam on Del Sol for the finish. Total squash, and the crowd was very into the House of Black.

– Penta Oscuro and Alex Abrahantes cut a promo directed at the House of Black. The Death Triangle is inevitable.

Dynamite Wednesday:

MJF Speaks!
Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia v. Alex Reynolds and John Silver
8 Man Tornado Tag Match: Butcher & Blade & Private Party v. Hardys & Darby Allin & Sting

Keith Lee defeated Max Caster (w/ Anthony Bowens) (9:46)

From Caster’s rap: Keith Lee is going to be running “like Ted Cruz in a snow storm.” And this will be his last time on the show; the fans will have to “remember him like the Alamo.” Fantastic rap from Caster.

On commentary, Ricky Starks might have been planting the seeds for an AEW originals v. AEW invaders storyline, when he talked about how guys like Lee and Swerve Strickland were coming in and trying to take the spots of guys like Starks and the Acclaimed. Or maybe he wasn’t.

Lee dominated with power early on, but also used his speed to drop down and leapfrog over a charging Caster (and he looked good doing it, too). Lee tossed Caster with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Powerhouse Hobbs came out to watch the match as the show went to a split-screen break.

During the break, Caster caught Lee coming in the ring with a top rope dropkick. Lee powered out of a chinlock with Caster on his back, then trucked Caster with a pounce bodyblock. Lee followed up an avalanche in the corner with a beel across the ring. Caster came back with a superkick and tried to pick up Lee for a fireman’s carry, but that didn’t work. Lee then picked up Caster in a fireman’s carry and spun him into a powerslam (the Big Bang Catastrophe) to get the pinfall.

After the match, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks ran in to attack Lee, and the Acclaimed helped overwhelm him. Swerve Strickland ran in with a steel chair to save Lee.

Final Thoughts:

Not a bad effort for a show that was on at practically midnight. Hopefully the eight minutes of commercials between the end of the ball game and the start of Rampage didn’t drive off viewers.