4 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (May 5)

Is it alright to admit we're all over this Matt Hardy "Deletion" stuff in 2023?!

by Jamie Kennedy
The Firm Deletion AEW
AEW

Hopefully, The Firm has been "deleted" permanently.

What started as a vehicle for MJF's success quickly turned into an unwanted comedy sideshow that's struggled to convince ever since. Now, AEW has deemed it necessary to dust off a now-ancient gimmick (or, at least, that's what it feels like in 2023) and book one of those "Hardy Compound" set pieces.

This week's Rampage was at its best when it fed into events on Dynamite by delivering short, punchy promos, or gave fans popular wins by the Lucha Bros, El Hijo Del Vikingo and Mark Briscoe. The show was at its worst when it dived into creaking IMPACT territory to become another promotion guilty of buying into cinematic BS when that ship should've sailed years ago.

Your tolerance for such hijinks will vary, but this writer is pretty much over it. The fact AEW dedicated so much time to "The Firm Deletion", and this fan's reaction to it, perhaps makes it surprising that Rampage had more 'Ups' than 'Downs'.

Tony Khan has some Dynamite exposition to thank for that.

Here's all the good and bad from Friday's topsy turvy offering.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.