Part 2 of 2 as we’ve got our first ever live Wednesday edition of Rampage:
- Street Fight: Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart & Skye Blue
- Rocky Romero vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Wild Card Match: Best Friends vs. Don Callis Family
AEW Dynamite 3/20/24
Live from the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! A video package of the Bang Bang Gang hanging out in Florida is shown, with a skeleton Darby Allin.
The Acclaimed are here. Daddy Ass can’t even travel, and Caster says that Jay White is some light heavyweight fake tough guy who hides behind his Ass Boys. Caster says White can go anywhere he wants on dime, but White is a stupid person. How does Caster know White is a stupid man? Because he’s messing with the best wrestler alive. Bowens says there’s a bit more to that, and The Bang Bang Gang know they aren’t Elite enough. Maybe Jay White should have listened to the idiot and signed somewhere else, because he’s lost all his opportunities. Bowens wants everyone to flip off the camera and the Bang Bang Gang, and the fans are the only gang they need, because everyone loves… The Acclaimed.
Match #1. AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Wild Card Match: Best Friends vs. Don Callis Family
Hobbs and Cassidy to start. Cassidy looks for the Orange Punch early but Hobbs drills him with a Spinebuster! Trent makes the save at 2.99. Outside the ring, Don Callis Family are in control. Suicide dive by Cassidy but Hobbs catches him and slams him on the apron about five times. Hobbs avalanches in the corner but misses and Trent gets the tag. Double knees to Fletcher and a somersault plancha to the floor. Fletcher accidentally charges Hobbs back inside the ring. Tornado DDT but Fletcher catches Trent and hands him to Hobbs… Pendulum Bomb! Two count. Trent eventually hits the Tornado DDT on Fletcher and Cassidy gets the tag. Diving crossbody to Fletcher and a Satellite DDT to Fletcher. Elbow suicida to Hobbs on the outside. Hobbs back in the ring and he Torture Rack’s Cassidy. Trent tires to make the save and dropkicks Hobbs, allowing Cassidy to roll him up for two. Stundog Millionaire by Cassidy to Fletcher and the half-and-half suplex by Trent! Cassidy and Trent hug but Hobbs doesn’t care and clotheslines both of them. Suicide dives by everyone to the outside. Fletcher with a superkick to Cassidy. Back in the ring, Fletcher ducks another Orange Punch and plants Cassidy with the spinning Tombstone. Fletcher is leaking blood out of the mouth, by the way. Two count. Running enziguiri in the corner. Both guys on the top rope as Trent catches Fletcher. Avalanche half-and-half suplex by Trent to Fletcher! Diving DDT by Cassidy! Orange Punch as Trent spears Hobbs on the floor!
Winners: Best Friends
Rating: ***1/2. This was a blast! All four guys are great and while not the normal combinations on either side, these guys can do anything. Fletcher is such a star, too.
Match #2. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kevin Matthews
Forearms as Shibata backs Matthews into the corner. Running dropkick in the corner by Shibata. Butterfly suplex by Shibata gets two. Shibata hits the ropes but Matthews catches him with a clothesline. Matthews looks for the Death Valley Driver but Shibata escapes out the back, locks in the rear naked choke, and finishes this one with the PK!
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata
Rating: NR
Copeland is pounding champagne in the back with the boys, Action Andretti, Top Flight, Trent, Matt Sydal, etc.
Match #3. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Rocky Romero
Duck under by Rocky and Takeshita sits Rocky on the top rope. Chops by Rocky and a quick throat thrust. Rocky ducks under a big boot and delivers a hurricanrana. Forever clotheslines by Rocky but he runs into a boot. Pop-up F5 into a facebuster by Takeshita! Takeshita in control throughout the break, focusing on the neck of Rocky. Takeshita looks for an avalanche Blue Thunder Bomb but Rocky fights him off… avalanche Sliced Bread by Rocky but he can’t cover! Pair of suicide dives by Rocky. Takeshita catches a third dive and drops Rocky, looking for a rolling elbow but he hits the ring post! A third suicide dive by Rocky lands. Sliced Bread back inside the ring but he only gets two. Straight armbar by Rocky but Callis gets on the apron and provides a distraction. Helluva Kick in the corner by Takeshita. Double overhook tombstone into a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb! One, two, no! Wow. Jumping knee by Rocky and a rebound heel kick. Rocky hits the ropes and eats a big Takeshita-line. Rolling elbow to a kneeling Rocky and the spinning Falcon Arrow ends this one!
Winner: Konosuke Takeshita
Rating: ***1/2. Yeah, this ruled. Rocky can absolutely still go (shoutout Havana Pitbulls) but Takeshita is unbelievable. The Tombstone/Blue Thunder combo is unreal.
Match #4. Street Fight: Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale
Statlander and Willow are wearing white so, you know what that means. Blue and Hart hit the ring with kendo sticks but Willow Statlander respond with chair shots. Willow sets Hart up, laying through an unfolded chair. Dropkick by Willow as Statlander picks her up, in the chair, and hits a backbreaker. Another dropkick by Willow and Statlander gets two. Willow looks for a table but Blue cuts her off. Inside the ring, Hart has the spike and she’s looking to hit Statlander but connects with Blue instead! Hart locks in the rear naked choke on Statlander but Statlander holds on, tucks her chin, runs, and drives both of them through a table! Statlander and Willwo look for some more plunder, but Hart grabs the kendo stick and lays into Statlander, before choking her to the ground on the outside. Willow sets Blue up in the corner for the cannonball, and puts a chair there for good measure. Cannonball! Hart blasts Statlander with a chair but Willow opens it up and suplexes Blue on it! Willow takes Blue outside and sets her up on the announcer’s table, but Blue counters with the Code Blue! Brutal, and the table doesn’t break! Blue has a bag of… something. Thumbtacks, baby. Statlander has a bag of her own! More tacks! Both women trade elbows on top of the tacks before heading to the top rope. Statlander wants a superplex but Blue slides down the back, superkicks Statlander, and powerbombs her on the tacks! Tacks in the mouth by Blue and a superkick to Statlander! Blue goes up top but Willow meets her there, sets her up on the apron, and hits a Death Valley Driver off the apron through a pair of tables on the floor! Hart sets up a pile of chairs but Statlander back body drops her on it. Statlander wants the 450 off the top but Hart moves! Hart locks in Hartless and Statlander is forced to tap!
Winners: Julia Hart & Skye Blue
Rating: ****. Yep, all four women delivered. The show ran long so it felt like the women had to run through the match a little more quickly than they’d have liked, but man oh man, what a battle. This was brutal, everyone gave everything in this match and nobody held anything back. All four women walked out better than they walked in.
Final Thoughts: Ummm… can we have more Rampage’s like this? This was one of the best episodes of Rampage I can remember. The opening tag match was a blast, Rocky and Takeshita was a lot of fun, and the main event was brutal. Each match felt important, too. Also, The Wrestler getting a quick showcase before his match with Ospreay next week. Super thumbs up. 9/10.