4 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (Jan 14)

2. Solid Squash, Solid Promo!

Rampage had one squash on it anyway, and that's enough for a 60-minute broadcast.

Poor Andrew Everett, but Shawn Spears did need a sacrificial lamb before he wrestles CM Punk on MJF's behalf come Wednesday's Dynamite. The way in which Spears coolly dispatched Everett and then grabbed the mic to add some more spice to the Punk situation just worked for this viewer.

Shawn's promo was really, really good. It's worth pointing out that Wardlow, who stood in the background looking all mean, tough and p*ssed off, got some love from the fans in attendance too. Who else smells a super-obvious babyface turn on his fellow Pinnacle members coming rather soon?

This was a nice use of TV time, and it's really what Rampage should be for. It's a bridge between flagship episodes of Dynamite, and nobody tuning in has a problem with that so long as AEW keeps stories ticking along on Friday nights.