3 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Rampage (Feb 23 - Results & Review)
Tony Khan signs ANOTHER wrestler; The Young Bucks thrive; AEW Rampage needs a revamp.
Tony Khan has a decision to make with Rampage (and most of his programming in general). Does he want to grow the audience with compelling stories and characters people invest in, or does he fancy putting on more indy-riffic spotfests that'll appease hardcores without drawing fresh eyeballs to the product?
That might seem like less of a pressing question for obvious 'C' show Rampage, but everything counts. Even some of All Elite's biggest fans must be numb to the company's familiar tropes. They're overdone, and that includes "blockbuster announcements" that AEW has (surprise, surprise) signed yet another wrestler to the roster.
Someone new debuted on this week's show. Khan booked a few matches in and around that to varying levels of success - one, in particular, was another banner showing from rising stars. Another was just your typical no-sell special. Then, there was the main event. That bout sagged and didn't deserve to go on last.
There were 'Ups' on this week's Rampage, but it's getting harder and harder to justify some of Tony's decision-making. His approach might be a love letter to hardcore fan culture worldwide, but it's obvious something is holding AEW's week-by-week product back.
Here's all the good and bad from Friday!