7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage: New Year's Smash (Dec 30)

1. Banger Main & Right Result

Swerve should come into his own now he's free of Keith Lee, that dreadful 'Swerve In Our Glory' tag name and is flying solo once more. 2023 could be a big, big year for Strickland in AEW. Meanwhile, Yuta's always good in-ring, but he wasn't the star on this occasion.

The Mogul Affiliates leader was.

Like any good heel, Swerve tried to consistently cheat for the win just because he could. He yanked on Yuta's tights, tried to divert the referee's attention, and then seized the moment following a light ref bump by booting Wheeler squarely in the Yutas. That low-blow influenced win suits his new direction.

Rampage signed off with the Mogul Affiliates striking a power pose over a downed member of the BCC. That may well be telling heading into the new year - there's a bit of a faction war coming between both sides, and it'll hopefully help elevate Strickland further.

What did you think of this week's AEW Rampage? For more like this, check out 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2003 and 10 WWE Moments From 2022 You Totally Don’t Remember!