5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Rampage (Oct 14)
Tony Khan brings even more wrestlers to AEW; Rampage is a mixed bag (but a fun one)!
No, Mox - not three 'Ups' or three 'Downs'. This week's Rampage gets five apiece.
It shouldn't be lost on anyone that ROH was the driving force behind this week's episode. Tony Khan used Friday's show (which was taped on Thursday in front of a loud Toronto crowd) to set up an ROH World Title bout and reveal new challengers for the twin ROH/IWGP Tag-Team belts.
Did it work? Well, yeah, but a lot of familiar problems with the All Elite product remain. Some stories are just terribly dull, and these "surprise" run-ins/appearances need to slow before (before?!) people start yawning their way through them. An otherwise hot Canadian audience barely gave a toss about Tony's latest gets, for example, and that's a real bummer.
On the plus side, Daniel Garcia is coming into his own, Dalton Castle showcased what he's all about to a new audience, and two fun tag matches saved the day from an in-ring perspective. Hey, maybe the JAS is onto something. AEW is more "sports entertainment" than pro wrestling when it's booked like this.
Put those pitchforks away, please! Here's all the good and bad from Rampage.