AEW Rampage live results: Two title matches, Jon Moxley speaks
Two titles will be on the line on Friday’s AEW Rampage — a show that will also see former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley share some thoughts.
Orange Cassidy will look for another defense of his AEW All-Atlantic Championship as he faces an unlikely opponent: Best Friends teammate Trent Beretta. As Kip Sabian made his case for his own shot Wednesday, Beretta pointed out he eliminated Sabian from last Friday’s trios battle royale and Cassidy agreed to give him the opportunity instead.
Moxley will talk to Tony Schiavone after Hangman Page intimated last Wednesday that they could finally have another match on January 11th in Los Angeles if Page can get cleared.
TBS Champion Jade Cargill will put both her title and undefeated streak on the line as she defends against former Baddies teammate Kiera Hogan.
In a first-time-ever match between two young guns, Swerve Strickland will face Wheeler Yuta after the latter challenged him Wednesday.
Additional promo/interview segments include AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter, Sting & Darby Allin, and Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh.
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Taped in Broomfield, Colorado, it’s Rampage: New Year’s Smash.
A nice In Memoriam graphic for Don West opened the show.
Excalibur, Tony Schivone, and Paul Wight were on commentary, along with Kip Sabian for the opener.
Orange Cassidy defeated Trent Beretta to retain the All-Atlantic Championship (14:36)
Danhausen and Chuck Taylor were at ringside. Cassidy and Beretta start the match out with a long handshake. Cassidy worked a side headlock, but Beretta escaped with a head scissor. Cassidy challenged Beretta to try a shoulder block. Beretta hiptossed Cassidy over the ropes, where Taylor helped him to his feet.
Beretta dumped Cassidy to the floor, and Taylor had to restrain Danhausen from putting the boots to Cassidy. Beretta tried to follow Cassidy out with a tope, but Cassiddy ducked and Taylor caught the tope… which turned into a hug. Cassidy hit his own tope on Beretta, then threw him back in the ring and hit a crossbody. Beretta caught Cassidy with a shot to the throat, sending him to the floor. Beretta followed him out with a dropkick.
The fight continued on the floor, and Beretta sent Cassidy into the ringside barricade. Beretta charged at Cassidy, but missed and hit the barricade. Cassidy followed up with a shotgun dropkick.
After the split-screen break, Cassidy and Beretta exchanged strikes in the ring. Cassidy caught Beretta with a superkick, but Beretta came back with a clothesline. Beretta countered a Slumdog Millionaire with a half and half suplex. Cassidy caught Beretta with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Beretta countered a Beach Break attempt with a piledriver attempt, but wound up getting a near fall with a sunset flip instead. Cassidy came back with a spinning DDT, then followed up with a diving DDT for a near fall.
Beretta caught Cassidy with a spinning tombstone for a near fall. Beretta followed that up with a standard piledriver for another near fall. Penelope Ford came to ringside. She got up on the apron to distract Beretta, and Beretta turned right into the Beach Break for a near fall. Cassidy then hit the Orange Punch to get the pinfall. Good match.
After the match, Beretta left the ring without the rest of the Best Friends, and Ford stole Cassidy’s elbow pad, which was lying in the corner. Sabian danced his way down to the ring to talk to Ford and get ready for his match.
– Taped backstage after Dynamite Wednesday, Tony Schiavone interviewed Darby Allin and Sting. Schavione let Allin know he was getting a TNT Title match next week in Seattle. Allin thinks no one, not even Sting, believes he has a change against Samoa Joe. Sting will not confirm or deny those doubts, because he doesn’t want Allin to lose the chip on his shoulder.
Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Atiba (1:12)
Sabian hit a double foot stomp off the top about 30 seconds into this match. Ford tossed Sabian Cassidy’s elbow pad so he could put it on, then take it off and hit Atiba with the sloppiest Orange Punch for the pin.
– Lexi Nair interviewed Preston Vance, who would now like to be known as Perro Peligrosos (which means “Dangerous Dog”). Peligrosos will have his first singles match on Rampage next week. If he had realized all he needed to do to become a star was insult a child, he would have done that 3 years ago.
– Tony Schiavone interviewed Jon Moxley in the ring. Moxley cut a great promo on Hangman Adam Page. For three years, Moxley and Page fought everyone in AEW but each other, leading to their inevitable showdown. And Moxley proved he was the only top guy that night, because when they fought Page spent the night in the hospital but Moxley “slept like a baby.” Moxley and challenged Page for the Forum on January 11th, if he can get cleared.
– In the back, Jeff Jarrett and his crew cut a promo on the Acclaimed. Jarrett & Lethal will get their title shot against the Acclaimed on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Jade Cargill (w/ The Baddies) defeated Kiera Hogan to retain the TBS Championship (6:26)
Hogan countered a suplex attempt from Cargill with a small package for a one count. Hogan avoided a pump kick, but Cargill countered with a back elbow. The fight went to the floor and the show went to a commercial.
After the break, Cargill caught Hogan with a pump kick for a near fall. Hogan rolled to the floor. Leila Grey held Hogan open for a shot from Cargill, but Red Velvet held Cargill back from hitting Hogan, and Hogan caught Cargill with a superkick.
Back in the ring, Cargill caught Hogan with a superkick. Hogan countered a Jaded attempt with a bulldog, then landed a hip attack with Cargill against the ropes. Hogan hit a pair of superkicks and a sliding dropkick in the corner. Hogan came off the top with a crossbody for a near fall. Hogan set up some kind of suplex, but Cargill converted it into a Jaded out of nowhere for the pinfall.
Red Velvet left without celebrating Cargill’s victory.
– A brief Jamie Hayter promo aired. The hard-hitting match Hayter had last week against Hikaru Shida will set the new standard for the women’s division in AEW. Hayter doesn’t care who Saraya picks to be her partner in two weeks. No hints on who Saraya’s partner could be, but in a later segment Excalibur said they would be investigating it further on Dynamite Wednesday.
– Lexi Nair interviewed Mark Sterling in the back. Sterling was sick of Bryan Danielson interfering in MJF’s affairs (his best friend and best client) and “pro bono,” Tony Nese will take on Danielson on Dynamite Wednesday. The match will be great but this feels like a waste of Danielson’s return to Seattle.
– Announced for next Wednesday, Jade Cargill & Red Velvet will take on Keira Hogan and Skye Blue. Also, MJF is contractually obligated to appear in Seattle.
– And announced for Battle of the Belts 5, Kip Sabian and Orange Cassidy will finally square off for the All Atlantic Title.
Swerve Strickland (w/ Mogul Affiliates) defeated ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta (12:36)
Yuta got in a funny line in the pre-match face off about the Mogul Affiliates being “Tattoo Redo Rejects.”
Excalibur made the point on commentary that the win-loss records reset at the end of the year. But a win here will help the winner “build momentum” into the new year.
Yuta looked very good early. Yuta got a standing senton on Strickland early, then tied him up in a bow and arrow. Yuta dropkicked Strickland out of the ring, and followed him out with a tope. Yuta got distracted by the Mogul Affiliates, and caught a boot from Strickland that sent him to the floor.
Stickland dominated the match during the split-screen commercial, working over Yuta’s leg. When the commercial ended, Yuta came back with a pair of backdrops. Yuta came off the top with a flying forearm, then hit a german suplex for a near fall. Yuta was selling his injured leg, and Strickland kicked at it. Strickland hit a brainbuster for a near fall.
Strickland went for the JML driver, but Yuta countered with a roll up. Yuta hit an inverted Angle Slam for a near fall. Yuta tried to charge on Strickland, but his knee gave out on him and Strickland caught him with a knee. Strickland went to the top, but Yuta crotched him with a kick. Yuta hit a superplex off the top.
Yuta lowered the hammer and anvil elbows, then went for the seatbelt for a near fall. Swerve escaped and hit Yuta with a kick. Swerve went for the JML driver, but escaped and backed Strickland into the ref, giving him an inadvertent elbow. Strickland then hit an incredibly intentional low blow on Yuta, then hit the JML driver for the win.