AEW Rampage 8-27-21 - Jurassic Express vs. Lucha Bros

 

Jurassic Express starts out and Taz says he won't sing because that's a Dark exclusive and Jericho says HE YELLS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE DOES. Lucha Bros get no intro here before the Bucks come out. DROPKICKS. SUPERKICKS! Fenix gets a hot tag and run-up spin kicks Luchasaurus to prevent a hot tag. STEREO DIVES BY JUNGLE BOY AND FENIX! Luchasaurus runs on through the Bros. Stacking chokeslam to Fenix and a standing moonsault gets 2. 

RUN-UP SOLEBUTT by Fenix! FENIX FROG SPLASH GETS 2.9! Snare trap to Fenix and Penta gets a buzzsaw kick to break that up. Torture rack/back cracker and a Made in Japan gets 2! Fear Factor broken up by Jack, who goes up and gets rope-walk rana'd TO THE FLOOR BY FENIX!

AIR HARDY-STYLE DESTROYER BY PENTA TO JACK!BILLION SUPERKICKS TO LUCHASAURUS! Wheelbarrow attack gets 2! Fear Factor ends it and the Lucha Bros win it. THIS WAS AMAZING. This may be the best sub-15 minute match ever - or at least since Rey vs. Angle. Bucks jump them in the post-match. The cage match at All Out gets hyped up by Jericho and Miro is NEXT. 

BUT FIRST, an epic Punk vs. Darby video package that truly places the Punk return in a point in history while asking the honest question of "can Punk still go?" in a compelling manner. MIRO is out with a revamped graphic for his belt and then beating up Fuego on the way down. Miro rips his mask off and then Kingston comes down and kicks Miro's ass with a big exploder while Jericho buries Fuego.

Bunny jumps Tay, who gets a brief flurry before chokes take over. Bunny eats a few corner brogue kicks before Penelope Ford helps distract Tay after the Tay-KO and Bunny uses Blade's knucks to win it. This was greater than the sum of its parts as Bunny's faces and Tay's moves were good - but the connecting tissue was lacking. Dynamite hype up with some All Out hype too. 

Darby faces Danny Garcia next week on Rampage. Mark chats with the main eventers tonight. Callis buries Cutler and Cage says he isn't trying to take out Omega - but he's already beaten him and he'll win the AEW World Title too. Kaz and Christian vs. Kenny Omega and Brandon Cutler - I like Cutler's chances tonight! Cutler COLD SPRAYS THE BELT!

Kaz and Omega have FANTASTIC chemistry together. Omega gets the rolling senton/moonsault on Kaz for 2 after a bunch of comedy with the stooges. Cutler does a dabbin' elbow and misses! Christian gets 10-count punches on both guys in the corner before the falling reverse DDT on both guys. V Trigger attempt to Cage, but he ducks and Cutler eats it! Omega avoids the killswitch and bails. Spear and the Killswitch take out Cutler! DAMMIT! I had $20 on Cutler to win!

AEW Dynamite 8-25-21 - CM Punk Dynamite Debut

Punk is hyped up and we get OC vs. Matt to start. OH/DELETE is a bizarre thing to see start a show on TNT and not like have at 2 AM on a cruise ship with a drunk fanbase. Side Effect on the floor by Matt. Back suplex by Matt and a long surfboard. He takes the money out of OC's pocket and Hardy gets nailed on the nose off a crossbody off the top - busting his nose up. Satellite DDT gets 2. HARDY-AAHHH pose and a swanton leads to him DELETING him and wanting a Twist - but Matt rams him in the corner. Twisto gets 2 and OC gets a sunset flip reversal spot AS A MOVE and gets his hands in his pockets to win. 

Malakai Black offers Brock Anderson a way to get out - he'll roll out and apologize to Mr. Black and take his dad and walk back to the locker room. Jericho comes out and JR talks about this being a tough point in his career. Jericho rambles about needing to beat MJF and not being able to yet. Jericho wants ONE MORE MATCH - a final fight at All Out. And if he can't beat him, he doesn't belong in AEW anymore. He'll leave and just do commentary in AEW and not wrestle in AEW again. MJF buries him and accepts the match. 

Varsity Blonds promo sets up PENTA JOKER and the Blonds out with Julia. Brian Jr. is wrestling in the same building his father faced Liger in. Big cutter from Fenix gets 2. Stereo superkicks to Pillman set up the double stomp/Zero Fear finish. This was fun! Jurassic Express comes in and the Bucks shove them into the Lucha Bros before that backfires and the faces stand tall. Hype vid for Pac vs. Andrade and Kris vs. Britt is announced for the PPV. 

Jamie Hayter is out to a banger of a theme to face Red Velvet. Jamie is working STARDOM style and Velvet is working...TNA knockouts style from a decade ago by comparison. Irish Curse and a LARIATOOO ends it! THIS WAS FUN! Kris comes out to brawl with Britt and Britt runs away. Evil Uno talks about the Dark Order having some issues - but they support their friends. Alex cuts a HORRIBLE promo on Page leaving them and then they just bicker. Okay, so this was weird. I'm guessing this leads to Bray as the defacto leader of the group in Brodie's honor.

Punk is out while Tony is in LILAC PANTS and he asks why Punk's back and it's Darby - it's all the young guys. "He's not the biggest and he's not the strongest - BUT GODDAMMIT, HE'S GOT HEART!" - I expect Punk vs. Darby to be more akin to Bret vs. the 1-2-3 Kid for a modern era style Punk puts Darby over more as the guy he would have loved at 15 and then puts his wife April over. TREMENDOUS! AMAZING Miro promo on THE MAD KING. BRING HIM THE MAD KING OR HE'LL BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND! 

Trios tag is up with the Wingmen against Mox, Kingston, and Darby. JD's dressed like Roadkill and soars around for Darby before WE GET DOUBLE-TEAMS FROM THE KING AND MOX! JD works over Mox before Ryan flexes and King just chops him down. Pretty Peter trips up Darby, so Sting stands and Mox and King beat him up. Standing diamond dust and the coffin drop end it for JD Drake - this was a lot of fun. Danny Garcia jumps Darby before Sting runs in.

Tay and Marvez chat and Allie buries the Dark Order and Allie wants her to join the HFO. We get an FTR video with them saying they won't be back full time or maybe not part-time, but needing one more match. We get a Super Elite deal with Don out in a pink suit AND SCARF with Christian showing video and Don says that he favored a 10 year old Kenny instead of a 20 year old Christian and even then, he knew that Christian was second-best. Don says that favoring family made him like the Gagnes or McMahons - but THIS IS KENNY BY GOD OMEGA and not Greg Gagne or Erik Watts. Christian has PISSED HIM OFF - HOLD MY SCARF and then they brawl. THIS RULED.

Mox says he's pissed off - he got one FedEx back for KOJIMA, SATOSHI on it. Gunn Club vs. The Factory is a nothing match and GOES THROUGH A BREAK before Colton wins with a small package when Wight...lumbers towards the ring. Lambert cuts a promo on them young people and says Sky's an ex-MMA fighter and Page has TWO BLACK BELTS. Rampage has Tay Conti vs. the Bunny and an Omega tag. Arn cuts a promo on his son's impending demise before MALAKAI'S INTRO! He looks like such a star and Brock is just...a dude, who looks 40. Black kicks his ass after a takedown and Arn teases a towel throw and Black wants it. High exploder by Black! RUNNING BLACK MASS HITS! 

Black threatens them with a chair before ball-shotting him and Black Massing him too. I'd be down for Arn vs. Malakai at All Out in a street fight. But Malakai is a star! Shotty Lee is out and I guess that's the All Out match - or something. Malakai has too much momentum to just not be on that show.

AEW Rampage 8-20-21 - THE FIRST DANCE

 

It's a big night tonight as it's the first match in the new tag title eliminator - and oh yeah, CM PUNK'S AEW DEBUT! The Accountant is the pre-AEW movie for the evening and it's a fun one. This is the largest crowd in company history and the show starts off with a CM Punk sign. Ex starts the show saying the most anticipated announcement in company is starting off the show as a MASSIVE CM Punk chant hits. He comes out to a GOD HAS DESCENDED FROM THE HEAVENS reaction. He's got tears in his eyes, fans are crying, and he's just THE MAN here. What a moment!

Punk says the fans made him feel like Britt Baker in Pittsburgh and he needed to feel it tonight. Punk apologizes for leaving - but says he was never going to get better staying in the same place that got him sick in the first place. He says that he built up Ring of Honor in 2005 - but knew he had to leave after he'd built a place people could learn and love pro wrestling. He cried leaving because he left a place he loved and it was home - and he knew where he was going and it wouldn't be easy. August 13, 2005 is when he left pro wrestling and on August 20, 2021 - HE'S BACK! He's back to work with the young talent that has the same passion he had back then. He's back for Darby Allin and he puts him over in the rafters and says he's tough. 

He's here to help and he's first on the list - I'M GONNA HELP. There's nothing Darby can do that's more dangerous than wrestling CM Punk - except DOING IT IN CHICAGO! Darby vs. Punk is official for All Out. Also, seven years is a long time to wait - and he's buying everyone a FREE ICE CREAM BAR tonight. Man, what a great 18 MINUTES!? that was. Christian gives the Jurassic Express a pep talk before they face Private Party next. 

As PP is out, Ex brings up them beating the Bucks in the second Dynamite. MASSIVE sing-along for "Tarzan Boy" before the Bucks come out too. Jungle Boy busts out some Fenix-like stuff before going on Lucha's shoulders and EATING A DESTROYER! SILLY STRING GETS COUNTERED into the tombstone/cutter for 2! Hardy yanks Marko down and Jungle Boy sends him off before getting schoolboyed with a moon for 2. Thoracic Express ends it! This was a blast! 

Jade vs. Kiera is hyped up with another video package at 43 after. Kiera gets a jobber intro and runs wild before slapping her legs and getting taken down. Glam Slam ends it. BOY does this bury the knockouts title. Mark Henry asks 2.0 why they took out Mox and Danny says he had to make a star for himself in the United Center. Mark seems tired or something - he's just off tonight.

Mox comes through the concourse and AEW just shoots it perfectly. Danny jumps him, but eats a Saito suplex before working the knee they worked over on Wednesday. Mark talks about Danny knowing leg pain because he broke both legs in a car accident two years ago. Garcia eats a couple of Germans, but gets a roll-through ankle lock! Garcia avoids the Death Rider and gets an arching scorpion, that Mox turns into a tight bulldog choke to end it. This was a great low-key showcase for Danny! The heels jump him, so Darby and Sting make the save! Stinger splash and the death drop set up the coffin drop! What an incredible hour! 

AEW Dynamite 8-18-21 - Jericho vs. MJF and Sting's First Match on TNT in 20 Years

 

Sting returns to the ring in a TV match and in a smart move, it's a tag match against 2.0. They'll fly around for him, Darby gets the win and looks strong building up to the likely Punk match at All Out. Jericho vs. MJF's blow-off is theoretically here too and Jericho can't have "Judas" or the Judas Effect. Mox and King are coming down but 2.0 jumps them and they want the match NOW! Sting is down and Darby jumps them with a skateboard and we get back to back Stinger splashes and corner bodychecks by Darby. 

We get a walk and brawl and it's amazing how great Sting moves at his age and with his injuries. Darby WALKS A RAIL, A LITERAL RAIL and dives on the heels! Parker takes Sting's knee out and they go to use the skateboard on Darby. SUPLEX ON THE WHEELS OF THE SKATEBOARD! We see Sammy propose to his girlfriend via Dark. Spears buries him for slim pickings here - but he'll let her "join the Pinnacle" for one night and he'll even let her be on top.

Sammy's story arc with this past year growing into his own as an act without the Inner Circle has been fantastic. Spears jumps Sammy on the ramp. FLIP OFF THE RAMP TO SPEARS! Spears and Tully DO THE SPIKE PILEDRIVER ON THE FLOOR! The bell hasn't rung so it's legal, but AUBREY EJECTS HIM trying it again. During the break, a railing bridge is set up between the apron and barricade. AVALANCHE CUTTER BY SAMMY. AVALANCHE C4 BY SPEARS! Holy shit! This is Spears' best match since the Cody match. C4 BY SAMMY, more of an AA off the apron into the barricade bridge! 630 SENTON HITS AND GETS 2.99!!!!! Three seated knees hit and the GTH ends it. THIS RULED!

Tony chats with Christian before Don interrupts IN A POWDER BLUE SUIT! Donny's powder blue suit is something else. Don says he loves seeing Christian around and he loved giving him his first break on TV and HE'S ON TOP OF THE WORLD and hey, Christian is still having matches...and Kenny will get him a five star match. Christian calls him a carny piece of shit. Dante Martin gets a nice video package. Dan Lambert, JDS, and Andrei Arlovski are mid-ring and he says that he made a call and his guys can get in a ring before burying the fans as the Men of the Year beat up Lance. 

Jericho says he'll have the fans sing him to the ring tonight and he'll take MJF out tonight. Jurassic Express is out for the tag title match! Jungle Boy getting the full-on Tarzan Boy singalong to a packed house on TNT helps him so much. Love the Bucks out in Zubaz gear. Jack runs wild for a bit before tagging in Luchasaurus. Leap-over rana by Jungle Boy to Nick! The dinosaur tags in and eats a tornado kick by Nick. SUPERPLEX OF OF HIS BACK BY JUNGLE BOY FOR 2. DOUBLE CHOKESLAM BY LUCHASAURUS and the tombstone/cutter gets 2! INDYTAKER and senton combo gets 2.9 on Jungle Boy! Kenny is out and slides a chair in - They're setting up that chair as a key prop in the breakup of the Elite. BRAINBUSTER ON THE CHAIR BY JUNGLE BOY! THAT GETS 2. THORASSIC EXPRESS GETS 2. Jungle Boy backslide is rolled through and a BTE TRIGGER ENDS IT. This was a lot of fun. Elite beats up Cage. LOL @ Don selling the foot after stomping Christian. OWA and Don counts three. 

Tony meets with DR. BRITT BAKER and Jamie Hayter. Britt says that Red chose Kris to be her friend - but Kris has everyone as her best friend. Jamie says that she answered Britt's call and she took them out last week - and she'll do it in Milwaukee on Dynamite. OC vs. Hardy hype video leads to Tony bringing Paul Wight out. Wight says it was amazing to get back in the ring and he gets interrupted by QT and his blue and black bowling shirt. I hope Paul's announcement was that he would buy him a third bowling shirt with crowdfunding. QT shows Wight's hip devices and JESUS it really is impressive he can move this well. Wight HAS A MATCH IN CHICAGO! He'll face QT.

Jade hypes up Kiera Hogan and their match on Rampage. In just TWO MATCHES, they made Hogan seem like a star facing Kris and Shida. Tony meets with Don and his POWDER BLUE SUIT! We get someone yelling and it drowns out Don before  Tony brings up a title eliminator tourney LEADING TO AN ALL OUT CAGE MATCH! Team Taz gets a promo segment to do...not much really. Ford vs. Rosa is up and Ford is working in leather pants and a top - which looks a bit odd. Cutter on the floor by Ford after Rosa dropkicks her to the floor. Rose gets a rope-trap dropkick! Half-crab by Rosa and a Muta lock by Ford but an RNC by Rosa wins it.

MALAKAI BLACK RECAP VIDEO! This leads to Tony chatting with Arn and Brock Anderson. Arn says his son is progressing - but HE HAS A MATCH AGAINST MALAKAI BLACK. He appreciates his son trying to avenge him, BUT HE'S VICIOUS AND HE WILL HURT YOU. Brock says he loves his dad - but he's telling him he's doing this. Matt vs. OC next week alongside the Lucha Bros vs. Varsity Blonds.  Private Party vs. Jurassic Express at the First Dance, Mox vs. Danny Garcia and we get a massive CM Punk chant. 

Miro says Fuego didn't earn his contract - and for that reason, he couldn't forgive him. He serves God by day and his wife by night - and Eddie Kingston, THE REDEEMER WANTS A WORD WITH YOU! Mox says that he's tired of white knight cowboys like Adam Page and he'll walk through Christian's ass like a wheat thrasher and he carried this company through uncertain times with empty buildings. HE PLANTED THE FLAG ON WEDNESDAYS and he'll show Garcia what it's like to main event. The ref and the ringside doctor are there for your safety - but that's not my concern! 

Fans sing Jericho down while MVC 2 gets some love. They brawl outside and MJF does Jericho's bird flip bit with the broadcast camera - BUT JERICHO SLUGS HIM! Jericho goes up and gets an axehandle, but MJF takes the brace off the left elbow and works the arm over. LIONSAULT hits for 2. MJF gets a "you ain't shit!" chant and Jericho gets a "fuck him up, Jericho - fuck him up" chant.  Kinda surprised that TNT let the "fuck him up Jericho - fuck him up" chants go through. I like Jericho taking notes out of Matt Hardy's playbook on how to fill a lot of time with things that involve movement - but not taking a lot of bumps with that new long corner lariat series.

Fujiwara armbar is locked on! Jericho rolls into the Walls, but MJF gets an upkick. Pendulum piledriver hits for 2! MJF low blows Jericho and gets the Walls. MJF loads up the ring but Aubrey nixes that. Jericho batshots him and goes for the Judas Effect, but he can't - so MJF hits him with it! A long Fujiawara ends it BY SUBMISSION ON THE BAD ARM! They didn't hit Rampage in Chicago at the finish - but this was a great show overall.