November 20, 2023 / By mobanmarket
AEW Rampage airs live tonight from Oakland, California with a tag team match set to headline.
FTR's Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler will face AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo & AAA Cruiserweight Champion Komander in tag team action on tonight's episode.
Komander & Vikingo wrestled on last week's Rampage in a Lucha del Dia de los Muertos triple threat match won by Penta El Zero Miedo.
Harwood & Wheeler are coming off a victory in an eight-man tag match on last week's Collision where they teamed with Preston Vance & Rush of La Faccion Ingobernable against the AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks, and Mogul Embassy's Gates of Agony Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun.
FTR is aiming to get back into the Tag Team title picture after dropping the belts to Starks & Big Bill on the October 7 Collision episode and ending their second reign as AEW Tag Team Champions.
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Rampage is live for the first time in forever from Oakland, California, with Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness on commentary.
Ricky Starks (w/ Big Bill) defeated Preston Vance (w/ Jose the Assistant) (7:13)
Big Bill joined the commentary team. Vance battered Starks in the corner to start. Starks made a brief comeback, but Vance knocked him for a loop with a pump kick. The fight went to the floor, where Vance whipped Starks into the ring barricades. Starks sent Vance into the ringpost head first, then stopped to do commentary on his own match. The fight continued on the floor, with Starks suplexing Vance on the entrance ramp.
Starks continued his dominance through the break, and got a near fall after a legdrop on the ring apron. Vance hit a back elbow, a shoulder block off the middle rope and a series of clotheslines. Vance hit his spinebuster (which is his second best move) to no reaction. Starks reversed a discus lariat into a spinning DDT for a near fall. Vance hit a sit-out death valley driver for another near fall. Vance was getting better reactions during the empty-arena Dark tapings in 2021.
Vance went for a full nelson, but Starks dropped out and into a cradle for two. Vance hit another sit-out death valley driver. Vance was setting up another attempt at the discus lariat, but Bill left commentary and nailed Vance from behind. Starks hit Vance with a spear for a pinfall.
After the match, the tag chaps took some cheap shots on Vance, but Rush and Drulistico came out to make the save.
– Chris Jericho cut a promo with Rene Paquette for his match on Sunday in DDT with Takeshita. After the promo, Schiavone said the match was taking place in the Tokyo Dome, but that can’t be right.
– Lexy Nair wasin the back with Don Callis and Prince Nana, who looked to be negotiating. Callis announced that Brian Cage will be the fourth man in the “Like a Dragon” Street Fight on Wednesday (replacing the presumed to be particiaping Sammy Guevara, who is still out with an injury).
– Lexi Nair interviewed Jeff Jarrett’s crew in the locker room as the parade of interviews continued. Jay Lethal’s promo was interrupted by Ortiz. Lethal and Karen Jarrett warned Ortiz to walk away before he got “jumped,” but Ortiz started swinging anyway and wound up chokeslammed on a production crate.
Red Velvet defeated Ruby Soho (9:04)
Saraya briefly came out with Soho, but went to the back and left Soho to fight alone. Velvet caught Soho with a leg lariat, then worked her over with jabs in the corner. Velvet went for a casadora, but Soho sent her into the ropes, knocking the wind out of Red Velvet.
After a long commercial, Velvet made her comeback. She hit the casadora and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Soho hit pair of backdrop suplexes. Soho sent Velvet headfirst into the middle turnbuckle. Then a production assistant delivered flowers to Soho in the middle of the match. “Apparently she’s got a secret admirer.” Apparently Schivone isn’t watching the TV shows either if he doesn't’ know who Soho's admirer is. Velvet got a cradle off the distraction from the flowers, then hit a spinning kick to get the upset victory.
During this match, Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart was announced for Collision.
“No neck November is in full effect, baby!” Roderick Strong dedicated the next match to his best friend, Adam Cole.
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) defeated Danny Rose & Ricky Gee (0:48)
Bennett and Taven finished off Rose with the “neck check” which is a jumping neckbreaker out of a power bomb. After the match, Strong sprung from his wheelchair to hit Rose with a backstabber and immediately jumped back into his wheelchair.
– Danny Garcia –with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker– challenged Andrade El Idolo for Collision. Saraya and Ruby Soho interrupted the interview to confront Parker about the mid-match flower delivery. Well, Saraya was more confrontational than Soho, who seemed enamored with the flowers and Parker. Saraya and Menard sent the love birds away in opposite directions, then agreed they "had a problem." What do they have against love?
Garcia v. Andrade was made official for Collision later in the show.
– In the back, Darius Martin & Action Andretti confronted Roderick Strong & the Kingdom. Strong decided that “DARIUS!” would be his first victim.
FTR defeated Komander & El Hijo Del Vikingo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) (11:42)
Dax Harwood and Komander started the match, and after a brief feeling out period they were off to the races. Komader got a one cout after a dropkick. Komader tagged in Vikingo, and the crowd was solidly behind Vikingo. Vikingo caught Cash Wheeler with a hook kick and an enziguri, then hit a springboard inverted rana. Vikingo went for a high speed plancha, but Wheeler moved and he went headfirst right into the commentary table. The show almost instantly went to a split screen break.
The ring doctor checked on Vikingo during the break, but soon the match was back in the ring. Vikingo did a few spots during the split screen break, and eventually got the tag to Komander. Vikingo and Komander hit a pair of crazy dives coming out of the break.
Harwood rolled through on a top rope crossbody for a near fall. Vikingo hit a top rope dropkick on Harwood, who fell into a cradle from Komader for another near fall. Harwood crotched VIkingo on the top rope. FTR went for the Powerplex, but the Luchadors countered (Komader caught Wheeler with a rana on the top rope, while Vikingo shifted his weight when Harwood went for the superplex into a crossbody). Komader and VIkingo then hit stereo 450s on FTR for another near fall.
Komader did a handspring into a Gory special from Wheeler. Vikingo almost broke his neck again on a Lionsault, but Harwood caught him and hit a tombstone for a near fall. Vikingo countered the slingshot powerbomb into a sunset flip for a near fall, then countered a second attempt at the slingshot powerbomb into a rana and cradle for a near fall.
Harwood hit the slingshot powerbomb on Vikingo on the third try, but Komader had gotten the tag. He cradled Harwood for a near fall. Komander ducked a charg from Harwood, who hit the turnbuckle headfirst. Komader walked the ropes for a shooting star press, but Harwood got out of the way. Komader landed on his feet, but FTR caught him with the Big Rig/Shatter Machine. Wheeler got the pinfall on Komander.
Both teams showed each other respect after the match. This match was absolutely insane. Even though the outcome was never in doubt. it was still the best thing on the show by a country mile.
Just as Schiavone was closing the show, the lights went out, and The House of Black appeared on screen to applaud FTR.
Final Thoughts:
I'm going to be shocked if Vikingo doesn't wind up out for a bit with a concussion. This show was all about setting up Collision, but check out that main event if you can.
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