2 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Rampage (Oct 28)
3. Swing And A Miss
Credit to Tay Melo and Madison Rayne for at least trying to do some flashy stuff during their midcard bout, but practically nothing came off. Though the pair wanted to weave in a 'sports entertainer vs. pro wrestler' story, Rayne is hardly known for being some technical wizard in there. So, it didn't work.
The match was a real chore to watch.
It says everything when a 10-minute scrap with an ad break feels like it lasted 45. Excalibur, JR and Tony Schiavone really struggled to fill time throughout, and the latter looked like a complete tool by saying it was "a great, great match" afterwards (this wasn't the only time Schiavone seemed foolish on Rampage).
Some may disagree, which is fair enough, but it does seem like Tay has regressed a little in-ring. Perhaps that's why the live crowd didn't give a you-know-what about anything put in front of them here. Even Sammy Guevara failed to get them excited around ringside.