3 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Rampage (April 22)

2. The Right Winner

There were shenanigans aplenty involving Jay White and Rocky Romero towards the conclusion of Adam Cole vs. Ishii, but the important thing is that Cole (Bay-Bay!) went over in the end. Sticking him in that Owen Hart Foundation tournament alongside the likes of Samoa Joe and Kyle O'Reilly was the right decision.

The tourney needs credible stars that AEW's hardcore fans know well. Cole fits the bill for that, whereas Tomohiro Ishii doesn't. Honestly, who would you rather have in the brackets? Ishii, who is a good worker but blatantly a guest, or Cole? It's a no-brainer.

AEW got this one right.

Cole also carries even more street cred due to the fact he's coming off a World Title feud vs. Hangman Page. Now, he can be considered a firm favourite in the tournament. Nobody could say the same about Ishii, so there should be zero complaints about the opener's end result.