4 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Rampage: Slam Dunk (Feb 18)
Jay White's first official match; AEW miss a golden opportunity; Rampage = wrestling.
The NBA's All-Star weekend meant that AEW had to shift this week's episode of Rampage around a little, but at least they got to subtitle the show 'Slam Dunk'. That fit in nicely with the basketball on TNT, and made All Elite feel like it belonged as a launching point for the weekend fun.
Tony Khan didn't go hard and heavy on star power for the show though. Jay White and Adam Cole were the two main names on the broadcast, and they were tasked with carrying the can for AEW against midcarders who wouldn't normally get this much attention. That's hardly a bad thing.
Rampage did feature a possible missed opportunity though, and one segment could've been scrapped completely without hurting the night one bit - honestly, somebody has to sit down and have a word about squeezing too much onto a 60-minute broadcast. This is something AEW does constantly, and there's never any need for it.
As always though, that didn't kill the show. If you like solid wrestling and stars who are giving with opponents a rung or two below them on the ladder, then this was the hour for you.