AEW Rampage live results: Mistico vs. Rocky Romero

Mistico makes his AEW debut on tonight’s Rampage. 

The legendary luchador Mistico will face Rocky Romero in a battle of CMLL champions from different weight classes in what is billed as a battle for the pound-for-pound crown of Mexico. No titles are officially on the line in the contest. Mistico is CMLL World Historic Middleweight Champion, while Romero holds the World Historic Welterweight Championship.

John Silver of Dark Order will face Kip Sabian & Brother Zay in a triple threat match for a shot at Orange Cassidy’s International Championship at Saturday’s Battle of the Belts VIII special.

The Outcasts’ Ruby Soho will face Skye Blue in a women’s division contest. 

Also set for the show, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta of Blackpool Combat Club will be in tag team action on the show. Yuta & Castagnoli will challenge for the AEW World Tag Team titles on Saturday’s Collision episode.

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Taped in Rosenberg, Texas. 

Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were on commentary. 

Mistico defeated Rocky “Azucar” Romero in a two out of three falls match (14:24 aired) 

Romero is the CMLL World Historic Welterweight Champion, which “dates back to 1946” according to Excalibur. Mistico is World Histroic Middleweight Champion, which dates to 1933, the year CMLL was founded. Neither championship is on the line, and Excalibur was in his glory going into the details about CMLL and the history of the company. 

First Fall:  After a few minutes of back and forth action, Mistico hit a back handspring elbow to send Romero to the floor, and followed up with a twisting tope. The crowd was solidly behind Mistico. Back in the ring, Mistico tied up Romero on the mat in a surfboard and got a surprisingly quick tap out at 2:38. Mistico up 1-0. 

Second Fall: Romero attacked Mistico from behind and sent him into the ring stairs. Back in the ring, Romero tore at Mistico’s mask. Romero dominated through the split-screen break. Romero hit the forever clotheslines in the corner. Mistico fought out of a cravat and took Romero down with a tijeras. Mistico sent Romero to the floor with an arm drag. Romero suplexed Mistico on the ring apron, then hit a tope suicida that sent Mistico halfway up the ramp. 

Back in the ring, Romero hit a superplex for a near fall. Romero caught Mistico with a kick, then locked in a camel clutch. Mistico escaped the clutch, but Romero hit Sliced Bread for the pinfall at 9:49 (total time). 

Third Fall: This fall was joined in progress after a long commercial break, which killed my enthusiasm for the match. Mistico came off the top rope with a crossbody onto Romero on the floor. Back in the ring, Mistico hit a springboard bodypress for a near fall. After a slam, Mistico went for a moonsault, but Romero got his feet up and kicked Mistico in the mush. Mistico hit a spinning powerslam for a near fall. Mistico tried for a German suplex off the middle rope, but Romero countered with a Sliced Bread off the top rope for a near fall.

Romero slowly climbed to the top, and Mistico ran up the ropes and took Romero to the mat with a Spanish Fly for another near fall. Mistico planted Romero with a Canadian Destroyer, then took Romero down with a spinning tijeras into a Fujiarwa armbar, and Romero tapped out. 

The multiple commercial breaks really hurt this one for me. 

– From Dynamite Wednesday, Stokely Hathaway made a match between Eddie Kingston and Jeff Jarrett for Collision. If Jarrett wins, Lethal gets a shot at the ROH World Title. I sure hope this isn’t the dream match we were promised earlier today. 

John Silver (w/ Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds) defeated Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford, The Butcher & The Blade) and Brother Zay for a shot at the AEW International Title (7:03 aired)

Less than two minutes into the match, the show went into another split-screen break. The commercials feel really poorly timed and have been killing the show.

After the long break, Zay hit a springboard cutter for a near fall. He went for the Twist of Fate, but Sabian shrugged him off. Silver pressed Sabian into Zay for a low blow. Silver hit a German suplex for a near fall. Sabian hit an Arabian Press on Silver on the floor. All the hangers on got into it on the floor, so Zay came off the top with a dive on everybody. Back in the ring, Zay hit the swanton bomb on Sabian, but Silver ran in with a punt and got the pinfall. 

None of these three should be near a singles title match. This was a mess, and the cheap finish didn’t help. 

– Santana and Ortiz will fight next week in Philadelphia. Is this the dream match?  

Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta defeated “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith & Exodus Prime (1:41)

Yuta catapulted Prime into a gorilla press from Castagnoli. A giant swing into a dropkick from Yura and the Fastball Special ended the match. 

– Renee Paquette interviewed Matt Menard and Daniel Garcia (along with the rest of that group, and they desprately need a new name), who immediately started arguing. Jake Hager didn’t give up the hat for this! Anna Jay told them it was time to squash it, and even though Menard hates the dance, he loves Garcia and the beef is squashed. It’s unclear how this affects the status of Hager and his hat. 

– The Young Bucks and Hangman Page offered an open challenge for their ROH Six Man titles on Dynamite Wednesday. 

– New on Collision Saturday: FTR returns, and the Dream Match is Official! Bryan Danielson will take on Andrade El Idolo. That’s it?!?!?  

– New on Dynamite Wednesday: Tony Khan has a gift for Sting (there’s like a 50% change with Sting’s history that Khan is turning on him) and The Hardys & Brother Zay accepted the open challenge for the ROH Six Man Titles. 

– New on Rampage Friday: Santana v. Ortiz, which makes sense since the entire feud has been happening through Rampage segments.

Ruby Soho (w/ Saraya) defeated Skye Blue (9:59)

Soho hit a series of short-arm lariats, and Blue came back with a superkick. They fought to the apron and Blue planted Soho face first into the apron. Soho caught Blue with a kick to take control on the floor.

Both women exchanged forearms after a split-screen break. Blue caught Soho with a running knee and a chop block. Blue is noticeably more aggressive, fish-hooking Soho and generally playing dirty. Saraya tripped up Blue, and Soho dropped Blue with a Saito suplex for a near fall. Blue powerbombed Soho out of the corner for another near fall. Saraya interfered again, and Soho hit the No Future for another near fall.

Blue countered an attempt at Destination Unknown with a backslide. Behind the ref’s back, Saraya hit Blue with the can of spray paint, and Soho rolled up Blue for the victory.

Soho and Saraya beat on Blue after the match, but Kris Statlander ran out to chase the heels away. Statlander tried to help Blue back to her feet, but Blue shoved Statlander away and left on her own. 

Final Thoughts: 

This show felt like kind of a mess tonight. They probably would have been better off just announcing Danielson v. Andrade without hyping up “announcing a dream match.”