AEW Rampage live results: Superkliq & Fish vs. Best Friends & Romero
The Superkliq & Bobby Fish will be in eight-man tag team action on Friday’s AEW Rampage.
The Young Bucks, Adam Cole and Fish will take on Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Trent and Rocky Romero of Best Friends. The two sides have been feuding for several weeks with the Best Friends looking to get revenge after being beaten down by the heels last week after Cole defeated Wheeler Yuta.
In a ten-man tag, AEW Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers will team with Santana & Ortiz and Eddie Kingston to take on Daniel Garcia, 2point0 and The Acclaimed.
In a submission match, Tay Conti will take on Penelope Ford in a grudge match between the two heated rivals.
Friday’s show will also see the return of ATT’s Dan Lambert in his first AEW appearance since ATT and Men of the Year lost to The Inner Circle at November’s Full Gear.
This week’s matches were taped on Wednesday in Garland, Texas, after Dynamite.
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Hosts are Taz, Excalibur, and Ricky Starks
Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Trent and Rocky Romero (w/ Wheeler Yuta) defeated The Young Bucks, Adam Cole & Bobby Fish (w/ Brandon Cutler) (13:28)
Confirmed for Dynamite on Wednesday during the entrances is the first TBS Title Tournament semi-final match, Ruby Soho v. Nyla Rose.
Chuck Taylor and Matt Jackson started out, and Taylor hit the standing sliced bread for an early near fall. Rocky Romero got the tag and hit Matt with a step up hurricanrana, and Matt quickly tagged in Bobby Fish.
Tags were soon made to make Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole the legal men in the ring. It looked like they’d face off, but Cole thought better of it and tagged out to Nick Jackson instead. This was an excellent exchange that saw both men do a top rope walk the tightrope spot and ended with the heels running in and taking out Cassidy. Then on the floor, The Bucks and Cole powerbombed Beretta on the edge of the ring apron, and back in the ring the Superkliq superkicked Cassidy. The show went to the split-screen ad break.
Back from break, Cassidy was double-teamed by the Bucks for a near fall. Cole set up Cassidy for the running double superkick from the Bucks, but the Best Friends tripped up the Bucks while they ran the ropes, and Cassidy cradled Cole for a near fall. Cassidy countered a Panama Sunrise attempt from Cole, then got the hot tag to Baretta.
Beretta came in like a house of fire. He hit a half-and-half suplex on Nick Jackson, then double clotheslined Nick and Cole. Beretta hit a senton on Cole on the apron, then nailed Fish with a spear on the floor. A diving splash on Nick Jackson got Beretta a near fall. Romero and Beretta hit a double knee strike on Nick Jackson. The former Roppongi 3K double teamed Nick Jackson. Romero hit a top rope dropkick on Nick’s back, and Beretta slid in with a knee strike. Then the Best Friends hit the half and half/soul food combination on Cole, and Taylor hit a tope con hilo on Fish and Matt Jackson on the floor. Beretta went to the middle rope for a move, but he was yanked off the ropes by Nick Jackson, hitting his neck against the turnbuckle. The Bucks and Cole hit a triple team neckbreaker on Baretta, and Fish came in with a top rope splash for a near fall.
Fish hit a top rope falcon arrow on Beretta for a near fall, but Cassidy broke up the pin attempt. Cassidy set up the Orange Punch, but Cole cut him off with a pump kick. Romero hit a heel kick on Cole, and then hit a tope suicida on the floor. Nick hit a twisting plancha on Romero and Taylor, and then Cassidy hit the Orange Punch on Matt, sending him to the floor. Cassidy then hit a top rope springboard senton on the pile on the floor. Back in the ring, Beretta hit Fish with the Strong Zero and held him down for the pin. This was crazy bonkers great. It probably should have been the party match that followed Danielson/Page on Dynamite to keep the million viewers that match had at its peak.
– Dan Lambert cut an in-ring promo with the Men of the Year. Lambert trashed Tony Khan, calling him two-faced. Lambert said Khan is giving the title matches to “undeserving EVPs” and started to trash Cody Rhodes, which of course brought out Cody. Rhodes is so screwed as a babyface if he can’t get cheered against Dan Lambert. Rhodes and Lambert took turns stealing the mic from each other in a funny bit, and then without saying anything Cody attacked the Men of the Year. Cody was quickly overwhelmed. Dustin Rhodes ran in to save his brother, but Lambert distracted Dustin and soon both Rhodes brothers were down. Sammy Guevara finally ran in and hit a double jump cutter on Scorpio Sky, and ran off the Men of the Year. Guevara and Cody Rhodes will fight for the TNT title on the Christmas Night episode of Rampage.
– Quick promos for the TBS Title Tournament semi-final matches from the remaining women involved.
Tay Conti (w/ Anna Jay) defeated Penelope Ford (w/ The Bunny) in a submission match (5:20)
Conti jumped Ford before the bell and hit a pump kick early on. Conti got a half-crab early on, but Bunny helped Ford get to the ropes to force a break. Conti also got a juji gatame for another submission attempt, again broken by Ford getting the ropes. Bunny distracted Conti when she locked in another submission attempt. Ford caught Conti in a dragon sleeper. Ford caught Conti with a handspring cutter, then rolled into a cravat for another submission attempt. Conti came back with a pump kick, then countered a cazadora attempt by dropping down. Conti chicken-winged Ford’s arm with her leg, then pulled back on Ford’s neck, and Ford quickly tapped out.
After the match, Bunny nailed Conti with the brass knuckles, and Anna Jay chased off Ford and Bunny with a steel chair. So I guess this feud must continue.
– The Owen Hart Cup: Excalibur announced that both men’s and women’s tournaments will take place next May and wrap up at Double or Nothing, and that Dr. Martha Hart would present trophies to the winners. The graphic for the tournaments looked to be the traditional single elimination brackets. More details will come on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Run down of new matches for upcoming shows:
- Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy was added to Dynamite on Wednesday.
- Hook vs. Bear Bronson was added to Rampage which will air next Saturday (Christmas Day) at 9pm.
- And the first match for Battle of the Belts on January 8th, Dr. Britt Baker will defend the AEW World Women’s title against Riho.
Main Event Face to Face Promo Segment: Mark Henry moderates. Kingston cut off the 2point0 guys from their nonsense, then told Mark Henry it was time to do his thing “and all that jazz.” “It’s TIME for the MAIN EVENT.”
2point0, Daniel Garcia and The Acclaimed defeated Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz and Lucha Bros (w/ Alex Abrahantes) (8:31)
Kingston and his team attacked the heels on their way to the ring, robbing us of the opportunity to be offended by Max Caster’s rap. Lots of brawling around the ring before the match officially started with Penta and Caster in the ring. Taz tried to claim Penta’s chest protector was loaded with steel, which Excalibur quickly refuted. “Stop sticking up for the masked guys all the time!” The Lucha Bros were incredibly over with the crowd, and Caster took a beating from both Penta and Fenix. Santana and Ortiz hit some wild double teams on Anthony Bowens and the show took its last split-screen break.
Back from the break, Santana hit a springboard moonsault on both Parker and Lee of 2point0, and got the tag to Penta. Penta hit sling blades on 2point0. Fenix got the tag and hit a punt on Bowens, then a tor-knee-do on Garcia for a near fall. Kingston got the tag so he could get after Garcia, but the 2point0 guys pulled him out of the ring. Penix and Penta hit stereo dives on the 2point0 guys. Santana hit a piledriver on Garcia, and Kingston hit an exploder suplex on Bowens. Garcia then got a rollup on Kingston and held his tights to get the surprise win.
After the match, Bowens hit Kingston with the boombox. Jungle Boy’s music played, and the heels stood facing the stage waiting for Jurassic Express. Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus and Christian Cage ran in from the crowd and attack the heels from behind, chasing them off. Then, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus made a point of giving the Lucha Bros their belts back, teasing a future match between the number one contenders Jurassic Express and the World Tag Champions the Lucha Bros.
Final Thoughts:
I would think Cody teaming with his brother against Lambert’s crew would get the fans behind him again, but if that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will. Also the announcement regarding the Owen Hart cup was kind of a nothingburger. The 8 man tag was great, the 10 man was fine, and the submission match was pretty skippable.