3 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Rampage (Sept 15)

Downs...

5. A Missed Opportunity?

Right, this is obvious nitpicking, but it still counts as a slight negative.

AEW have an International Title match scheduled between reigning champ Jon Moxley and challenger Rey Fenix for Dynamite: Grand Slam midweek. This, as every episode of telly is, was another opportunity to properly build towards that and stick the fanbase on the edge of their seats waiting to see it.

Sadly, that didn't really happen. Yes, Fenix got the win in Rampage's opening eight-man tag, but storytelling should've been key here. People already know Rey can pull off flashy moves and dazzling sequences, but what would defeating Mox and winning the strap mean to him? That's how you hype a title showdown.

One got the sense that a little more was needed. Maybe Tony Khan has something on ice for Collision (even a video package would do), but that remains to be seen. For now, a golden ticket passed AEW by. They really need to get better at making these (admittedly hastily-arranged) title matches feel grander.