5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (July 14)

4. A Squash With Context

Don Callis Mentallo
AEW

Pre-match, Don Callis grabbed a mic to reveal that Konosuke Takeshita's opponent on Friday was actually Kenny Omega's childhood buddy. Then, the heel Takeshita hammered Mentallo in less than five minutes, and finished the job with a killer-looking senton move from the top.

That looked superb.

The bout was short, but the fact AEW stuck some story context in there linking it back to Omega before Wednesday's 'Blood & Guts' showdown was appreciated. This was definitely more effective than having the announcers explain who Mentallo is to the fans at home without cluing in the live crowd.

Suddenly, people had a reason to root for Mentallo. They knew he wasn't winning, but they wanted him to put egg on Konosuke's face; or, maybe on Don's face, because he does such a stellar job as a punchable heel manager.

Advertisement
In this post: 
AEW Rampage
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

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.