4 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Rampage (June 16)
Down...
1. So Many Wrestlers, But...
Right, OK. This is a bit of a convoluted point, because Aubrey Edwards performed admirably during the mixed tag, and that match even met criteria for the 'Ups' section. So, why is Aubrey also in the 'Downs'? Well, it's a familiar bitch amongst AEW fans really.
Tony Khan has signed a seemingly endless number of pro wrestlers since 2019. His roster is stacked in 2023, so much so that people were even talking about a hard brand split post-Collision launch. That isn't happening, apparently, but another two hours of telly won't be enough to nourish all these workers under contract.
It will not sit well with some fans that a referee bagged a featured match on Rampage. The Friday night show might be peripheral, but it's still a chance for hardworking wrestlers to show their wares on television in front of a decent audience.
Just wanted to point that out for balance, but this is admittedly a half-baked negative overall.