Adam Cole vs Jake Atlas
They had a very good match but marred with an unfortunate ending. Cole and Atlas have great chemistry with each other, and their history was brought up on commentary which added to the story of the match.
I haven’t seen a lot of Jake Atlas but thought he looked great in the ring and with him only being 27, he is someone that has the potential to be a future player in AEW. He has the look but can back it up in the ring and will only get better in time.
Their styles worked well together, and it provided some nice exchanges throughout the match. They mention on commentary how Jake’s look can be deceptive as he is a bigger person than he appears, but the way he moves around the ring at times is like that of a smaller athlete.
Adam Cole had another great performance which is pretty much the norm whenever he steps in the ring, and it’s exciting to think about the dream matches we are going to get involving him and the many opponents on the roster in 2022.
The ending saw Jake pick up a legit knee injury. It appeared that Cole was going to end the match with a Panama Sunrise, but being a veteran and quick thinking, he instead puts Atlas in a safe kneebar for the submission victory.
Hopefully Jake recovers soon and it’s not a serious injury and I am sure we will get a rematch between the two somewhere down the line.
Post-match, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly come out to celebrate with Cole. They’re about to add further damage to Atlas but Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends come down for the save as Cole, Fish and Kyle leave the ring.
Hook vs Aaron Solow
This was Hook’s longest match in his short career and his most back-and-forth match with Solow getting some offense in and at times being in control. We know Hook looks good on offense, but it was nice seeing him sell and for a short match, it showed that he is someone that has the makings to have a longer match eventually and perform well in it.
Taz was great on commentary and it’s nice hearing his genuine emotion which adds to the match. Hook again got to look like a badass with hitting suplexes out of his father’s playbook and making Solow submit with the Redrum. He also lays out QT Marshall after the match with QT making the mistake of getting into Hook’s face.
Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs Riho & Ruby Soho
They had a fast-paced match with a lot of action from the start. I thought it was a great choice and really played to the strengths of Riho, as she was allowed to showcase her speed and quick attacks.
Jamie Hayter played a great base to Riho at different points, and I thought they were the standouts in the match, and their little rivalry they’ve had in recent times is something I’ve been enjoying.
The match did its purpose to build for the Women’s Title match at Battle of the Belts and it managed to get me even more excited for a match that I was already looking forward to, and on a card that some people are finding lacklustre and understandably so, I have faith that Baker and Riho are going to use that spotlight to have a match that will have many people talking about coming out of it.
Riho & Soho get the win after miscommunication between Baker and Hayter. I’m glad Soho got a win coming off the loss to Jade Cargill. They also continue the dissension between Hayter and Baker and it’s only a matter of time now before we get the breakup and eventual match.
Other Segments
- There was a quick video featuring The Bunny, Penelope Ford, Anna Jay, and Tay Conti recapping their bloody battle from last week. I like that they put over the effects of it and hopefully they continue to bring it up in the same way as Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker as it’s a match that should be remembered as a defining one in their careers.
- Tony Schiavone interviewed Andrade El Idolo. They had funny chemistry together and Andrade had some humorous lines running down Darby. Should be an excellent match.
- Ricky Starks is going to defend the FTW Title against Matt Sydal. He is going to show Dante Martin that he can beat Sydal in one match as it took Dante three matches.
- Dan Lambert and Men of the Year think it’s a stupid idea having Dustin Rhodes face Sammy Guevarra for an interim TNT Title. They wonder why Scorpio isn’t getting any opportunities as it’s been a long time since he has last been defeated in singles action.
Eddie Kingston and Santana & Ortiz vs Daniel Garcia & 2.0
They basically start during the Mark Henry split screen segment and when they come back from commercial, they’re on the stage.
The wrestling was kept to a minimum with all six men relying on a lot of brawling and fighting on the outside. There was a lot going on with it being a tornado rules and no disqualifications, so the camera had to cut to different spots a lot.
I like that they all wore street clothes to a street fight and made it feel like a fight rather than a wrestling match.
I enjoyed Kingston’s exchanges with Garcia and the dynamic that while there is a hatred between them, there is also this respect with both bringing out the best in each other. The kid looking to beat the veteran and the veteran trying to teach the kid a tough lesson in a game of brutal violence.
Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz end up with the win and getting some revenge after losing the six-man tag match a few weeks ago.
As Rampage comes to an end, Garcia and 2.0 look to beat down on their opponents but Chris Jericho runs down from commentary to make the save. I’ve enjoyed Garcia and 2.0 but I am ready for the next progression of this story between Kingston and Jericho.
Final Thoughts
I thought each match felt different which is always a good thing. It wasn’t necessarily must watch television, but with Ramage you always get a fun hour of wrestling that breezes by. This episode in particular though did a good job at showing a lot of younger talent and names that will be around in AEW for a long time to come with Hook, Daniel Garcia, Riho, Jamie Hayter and Jake Atlas all being in their twenties.