3 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Rampage (Mar 25)

1. The Solid Opening Grudge Match

As usual, Excalibur did a neat job on commentary when explaining the history between Lance Archer and Dustin Rhodes. Yes, it's slightly odd that AEW waited approx two years to pull the trigger on this grudge match, but it is what it is. Besides, both men went for it here and clearly love working with one another.

Dustin knows how to take fans on a journey too. He's an old-school storyteller, and has retained enough popularity that crowds heap sympathy on him when big monsters like Archer are dismantling him. The pair worked a fun story that peaked when Lance crashed into the same turnbuckle he'd exposed earlier.

Post-match, he got his heat back.

Archer hammered Rhodes, then hit him with a chokeslam through the ringside table. This was a simple post-bout beatdown, but it worked to sell Lance's frustrations and heap compassion on Dustin. The 10-minute duration was also ideal for these guys.

What did you think of this week's AEW Rampage? For more like this, check out 4 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (Mar 18) and WWE 2K22: 11 AEW CAWs You Must Download!