CM Punk vs Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia has had a great year: a year that has seen him step in the ring against Darby Allin, Minoru Suzuki, Jon Moxley, and the opportunity to be involved in segments with Sting. He can now add CM Punk to an already impressive list.
They had a good match and while it might not feel as big as Punk’s match at All Out or even the match against Hobbs on Grand Slam Rampage, quality wise it might’ve been the best Punk match since his in-ring return.
It was technical style match which played to Garcia’s strength but also allowed Punk to show off his technical ability, and at times there was a master vs the student feel. Garcia worked a lot on the leg of Punk throughout the match and they were given a lot of time to tell a compelling story.
Punk brought out the Pepsi Twist in the match for the near fall but would eventually lock Garcia into the Anaconda Vice for the submission victory. Garcia continues to prove that despite his young age, he’s in ring maturity allows him to work with the best in professional wrestling. In some ways he reminds me of Kurt Angle when he started out his career and he is a prospect that AEW should be looking to scoop up full time.
AEW World Tag Team Titles: Lucha Brothers vs The Acclaimed
It was a short match, but they packed a lot into it. It was pretty much all action from the get-go and more about the spectacular moves rather than the story. I thought it worked well though, if you’re a fan of the Lucha Brothers then it’s a match you will enjoy.
The Acclaimed looked good too and didn’t really miss a beat as they kept up with the fast-paced style, but ultimately it was a match designed to showcase the new champions and give them another title defence and strong win as they look to whomever it is they compete against next.
Jade Cargill vs Skye Blue
The match was over in about a minute and its purpose was to continue Jade’s undefeated streak and make her look dominant. Skye Blue sold it well, Jade looks impressive in these matches but the challenge for her is when she competes in the TBS Title Tournament.
I thought she performed well in the triple threat match with Thunder Rosa and Nyla Rose, but it was a match where they were able to protect her to an extent. I don’t see her winning the tournament as I feel it’s a title that would be a better fit for a workhorse so someone like Thunder Rosa or Serena Deeb, perhaphs Ruby Soho. But I look forward to seeing Jade compete in a longer match and see where she is at, and if she isn’t winning the TBS Title then it’ll be interested to see how they have her lose while making her still look strong.
Post-match, Jade continues the assault on Skye Blue. Thunder Rosa runs down for the save with a steel chair. Excalibur pointed out that it was the same steel chair that Jade used on Rosa in the triple threat match which was a nice touch and continues to build towards a singles match between the two.
FTW Title: Ricky Starks vs Brian Cage
They’ve been building up to this match for a while now. It hasn’t been the greatest of feuds, not that it was anything bad, just not enough for get too emotionally involved in. The match itself was a hard-hitting Philly Street Fight and I felt they did a good job at conveying the animosity between the two.
As the match continued to build towards the finish it felt like this would be the blow off, and maybe it is, but the ending would see Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs get involved and basically turn the match into a three on one handicap allowing Starks to retain the FTW Title.
The ending would suggest Brian Cage finding some friends to even the odds, but we will wait to find out. If it’s the end of the feud, then I am curious to see what is next for both men. There’s the tease of Punk and Starks, and as for Brian Cage I am unsure now where he fits in AEW. I think he has a lot of talent for a big man, but he seems to be in a role that is similar to Lance Archer.
Other Notes
Lio Rush is backstage with Dante Martin and Matt Sydal. Matt thinks that Rush doesn’t have anything to offer Dante, so looking to prove him wrong Rush manages to get Sydal a match against CM Punk on Rampage next week.
There was a video package like the one on Dynamite (might’ve been the same one) hyping up some of the women that are competing in the TBS Title Tournament.
Final Thoughts: it was one hour of mostly wrestling and different styles. CM Punk vs Daniel Garcia was a great match, the tag team match was a lot of fun and Starks and Cage worked hard in a solid street fight. Next week’s live Rampage is going to the big one. Going up against the last half hour of Smackdown and featuring The Inner Circle vs American Top Team, and CM Punk vs Matt Sydal in what should be a fun match, all eyes are going to be on the ratings Rampage receives next weeks in comparison to Smackdown.