4 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Rampage (June 3)
AEW made a total mess of the CM Punk title situation on this week's Rampage.
Injuries are part and parcel of the pro wrestling biz. They suck, but they happen, and the timing is often rather rubbish. AEW just experienced this firsthand - new World Champ CM Punk appeared on this week's episode of Rampage to announce that he needs surgery and won't be wrestling for a while.
Then, All Elite dropped the ball.
The way they handled everything after this promo was simply awful, and they don't get a pass for it. Rampage was formatted so poorly that it genuinely left this fan shocked. He's still struggling to understand why things were such a clusterf*ck, to be honest.
Friday's broadcast did have some big positives though. The opening tag-team match was a dizzying display of everything company hardcores love about The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros (it acted like a greatest hits compilation for both duos), and Athena's in-ring debut readied her for coming title shots nicely.
Fans deserve a ton of credit for being electric too, but strange presentation and clumsy narrative context following that Punk speech definitely hurt the show.
Here are all the 'Ups' and the 'Downs'.