4 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (Aug 5)
1. Old-School Brawling
Mance Warner isn't responsible for the fact that AEW debuts far too many wrestlers before going ice cold on them and burying them beneath countless other wrestlers. The 'Southern Psychopath' can actually be proud of his company debut here, especially considering the calibre of worker he was in there with.
It would've been easy for Warner to let the occasion get to him, or for Mox to eat the newcomer alive out there so he had maximum momentum going into Wednesday's title defence. Jon didn't do that though, and Mance brought a similar level of thunder to meet him halfway.
The blood, brawling and general intensity of this one conjured up images of classics like Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk. It was the kind of bout that old-school NWA traditionalists would relish seeing - Warner and Mox worked a real throwback to the glory days of Jim Crockett Promotions.
Warner's future in AEW is anyone's guess, but he deserves the chance to work a proper program against somebody (Eddie Kingston?). The dude's pre-match vignette proved he can talk too. There was a vintage 'Stone Cold' vibe to his words, and that's a good thing.
What did you think of this week's AEW Rampage? For more wrestling, check out 5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (July 29) and 10 New Directions For WWE After SummerSlam 2022!