AEW Rampage live results: MJF appearance, Owen Hart Tournament kicks off

For the first time in show history, AEW World Champion MJF will appear on tonight’s Rampage in Chicago ahead of his title defense Sunday at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

Adam Cole — MJF’s surprise teammate for the upcoming blind tag team eliminator tournament — will also be on the show to share some thoughts and perhaps find a dance partner for Sunday’s pay-per-view.

The Owen Hart Foundation tournaments will begin as the women kick things off. Past AEW Women’s title challenger Skye Blue will face Anna Jay A.S. in a quarterfinal battle.

Ahead of his challenge of NJPW World Champion SANADA on Sunday, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry will face SANADA’s stablemate Douki.

CHAOS (Rocky Romero, Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta & Yoh) will take on United Empire (Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Jeff Cobb) and Swerve Strickland in an eight-man match.

Former AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed will also be in action.

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Taped in Chicago, Illinois.

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Chris Jericho were on commentary.

Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Jeff Cob and Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Rocky Romero, Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta & Yoh

This is sort of a rematch for a six-man tag last week, with Swerve Strickland and Yoh added to each side, respectively.

Beretta slid ouf a suplex attempt from Fletcher and took him down with a half-and-half suplex. Fletcher came back with a bodyslam. Beretta and Romero caught Fletcher with a double high knee. After a classic Roppongi Vice double team, The Best Friends and Rocky tried to give the people what they want, but the heels broke that up. 

Ospreay took control of the match by giving Romero a tornado backbreaker.  Cobb got the tag and a pretty noticeable pop. He took Romero down with a clothesline and hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. 

After a split-screen break, Yoh squared off with Ospreay, who gave him a powerful chop. Ospreay hit a corkscrew kick and the crowd got solidly behind him. The match broke down and all the babyfaces ganged up on Ospreay, and they were finally able to give the people what they want! Yoh hit a falcon arrow on Ospreay for a near fall. Strickland took out Romero, and the United Empire ganged up on Yoh in the ring. Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade on Yoh to get the pinfall. 

– Toni Storm promised New Japan Strong Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale she would “bend [her] over and make [her] humble” in their title match on Sunday. Storm’s title is the only title on the line in the match because hers is the only one that matters. 

– Adam Cole came to the ring for a promo but was interrupted by MJF (making his first-ever appearance on Rampage) from the entrance stage. MJF is so thankful that Cole encouraged him to take that title match with Hiroshi Tanahashi on Sunday, that MJF got Cole a match with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor for Sunday. And no sooner does MJF announce the match were Lawlor and Royce Issacs in the ring to attack Cole. MJF took his time getting to the ring to run off Team Filthy, but not before Issacs and Lawlor got their licks in. It was almost as if MJF wasn’t interested in saving his tag team partner. 

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn defeated three unnamed enhancement talents (0:50)

Nothing to this match. The Acclaimed won quickly with The Arrival and the Mic Drop.

After the match, Harley Cameron (from QTV) came out with men dressed in masks and black hoodies. The Chicago crowd wanted nothing to do with this and were quite vocal with this disapproval. Cameron wanted to join the Acclaimed. She wanted to sing with the Acclaimed and tried to sing for them, but Billy Gunn cut her off. Cameron tried to impress the Acclaimed with her rap skills and tried flirting with Anthony Bowens. Bowens asked if she’s been kicked in the head too many times by a kangaroo because he’s gay. Bowens’ proclamation drew the biggest pop from the crowd all night. There was a very loud “He’s gay!” chant in support of Bowens. 

QT Marshall and Aaron Solo came out to really take this segment off the rails. Marshall declared Harley’s rap “incredible” and compared Max Caster to John Cena… in 2003. This distracted the Acclaimed and allowed one of the men to unmask as Johnny (Hennigan/Nitro) TV and take out Billy Gunn with a superkick. Solo and Marshall then took out the Acclaimed. 

This was a trainwreck of a segment. But I could not look away. 

– Swerve Strickland promo. He’s going to cut the line to MJF by taking his opponent for Sunday,  Hiroshi Tanahashi, out on Collision tomorrow night. 

Skye Blue defeated Anna Jay A.S. (w/ Matt Menard & Angelo Parker) to advance in the first round of the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament (7:52 aired)

Anna Jay A.S. dropped Blue with a DDT on the floor to take control of the match through the commercial break.

Skye Blue made her comeback after the break. Blue came off the top with a crossbody for a near fall. Jay hit a backstabber for a near fall. Blue hit Code Blue and got the pinfall. Blue looked great in this match and had the crowd behind her. Let’s hope she can keep this going outside of Chicago. 

“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry defeated Douki (w/ Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (10:11)

Douki dumped Perry to the floor and followed him out with a tope. Douki chopped Perry around ringside, who came back by whipping his opponent into the ring barricade and back-suplexing him onto the ring apron.

After a long split-screen break, Douki caught Perry with a flying forearm and a double stomp. Douki gave Perry a powerbomb out of a backslide for a near fall. Perry came back with a tiger driver for a near fall.

Douki rolled to the floor, and Perry set up the timekeeper’s table. He made went for a powerbomb, but Douki escaped and took out Perry with his own diver through the table. This got the crowd behind Douki, (they chanted “Holy Douki!”) and they even started booing Perry. Douki got a brainbuster for a near fall, then a springboard into a DDT for another near fall. I’m pretty sure there was a “We want Douki/Not Jack!” chant.

Perry came back with a superkick and a poisoned rana while the crowd booed his comeback. Perry hit the sliding elbow strike, then locked Douki in SANADA’S finisher, the Skull End, to get Douki to tap out. The crowd stopped booing Perry to sing and dance to his sown after the match.

After the match, SANADA (looking quite dapper in a suit with the IWGP World title over his shoulder) came to the ring to have a staredown with Perry.