5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (June 24)

3. Such A Silky Smooth Opener

Andrade El Idolo Rey Fenix
AEW

This fan could watch Andrade El Idolo and Rey Fenix trade hurricanranas all day. Everything they did during that opening bout looked effortless - of course, it isn't easy, and that's a testament to their combined skill. It's also worth pointing out just how safe everything looked without sacrificing that snug feel.

Both guys were right there for every dive or post. Go teamwork!

That was a tremendous opening match, and the pacing was excellent. They punctuated those stamina-sapping sequences with rest holds that brought fans down juuuust enough to electrify them all over again when the tempo increased. Honestly, El Idolo vs. Fenix was pay-per-view quality.

AEW could've got away with dropping some of the other matches on Rampage and giving these dudes another 10 minutes of so. They were excelling that much. This might've been the only time when the eye-rolling "Fight Forever" chant would've seemed appropriate.

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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.