10 Misconceptions About AEW You Probably Believe
8. Rampage Is A Failure
Along similar lines, if Dynamite is struggling to reach a mythical number, Rampage has apparently failed entirely.
The fast nationals are leaked in an attempt to embarrass AEW with incredible irony; somebody is embarrassing themselves, and it's not the promotion boasting a secondary television programme that more often than not outperforms all competition in the time slot.
The numbers are impressive only if they're caveated; the slot is bad, the show itself very good if inessential. It isn't actively pushing for a monster number most weeks.
Still, any reasonable AEW fan is probably deluding themselves if Rampage has consistently met their expectations. It's not as momentous as it was in weeks one or two, nor is it the home of TV classics like Bryan Danielson Vs. Eddie Kingston. When a main event-level star does appear on the show, their appearance usually functions more like Dark: Elevation stat-padding than a proper must-see main event.
It has settled into existence as the hidden gem offering of the week; it's the show on which HOOK breaks through, where there's little flab, where the acts (like Ricky Starks) actually get the TV time that the most ardent fans demand.
Ultimately, AEW Rampage is an A- version of what is decidedly, knowingly a B show: a minimum 7.5/10 most weeks that benefits the big picture more than it detracts from Dynamite as the show that still feels like an elusive treat every week.
The ratings aren't great, but look at the cards: if the show was in any real trouble, they'd look a lot less like the hidden gems that they often are.