10 Things AEW Stopped Doing That We Really Want To See Again
3. Making Rampage Distinct From Dynamite
Rampage feels like the third hour of Dynamite already, albeit on a different night.
Early evidence suggested it would feel like a more match-heavy night of the week - a destination to blow off the various midcard/upper midcard storylines that simmer away on Dynamite, the flagship show that functions to promote and build matches alike. The very first Rampage, naturally, was heavy on in-ring action. AEW required a strong establishing rating, and live action retains viewers more effectively than promos and pre-tapes.
But even beyond that, the show for a brief time settled into a nice pattern of few angles and three matches, at least one of which was either a top star in a predictable outing served up for the nerd purists (CM Punk Vs. Daniel Garcia), an inconceivable dream match (Bryan Danielson Vs. Eddie Kingston) or an unpredictable clash between protected upper midcard acts (PAC Vs. Andrade).
The more angles a promotion shoots, the less realistic and immersive the promotion feels. Engineering some random and frivolous reason for two acts to fight removes AEW from what it actually is or is portrayed as being: a sporting league in which championships are pursued.
Rampage is more of a variety show now, which stretches the plausibility of the fictional universe yet further, and in terms of marquee attractions and match quality, the show feels like the middle part of a 7/10 Dynamite too often - less of an afterthought, and more a dilution.