AEW Rampage “Slam Dunk” Results 2/17/23

• Ricky Starks vs. Daniel Garcia
• Swerve Strickland vs. Dustin Rhodes
• AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Vertvixen
• AEW World Trios Championship: The Elite (c) vs. AR Fox & Top Flight

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AEW Rampage “Slam Dunk” 2/17/23

From the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas! Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone are on the call and we’re kicking off with a big rematch:

Match #1. AEW Trios Championship: The Elite (c) vs. Top Flight & AR Fox

Dante and Nick have a tip off in the middle of the ring but Nick catches him with a Manhattan drop. Dante then launches a basketball at The Elite. Triple threat dropkick to Matt Jackson. Fox dives on to the bucks on one side of the ring, and Omega on the other side of the ring. The Elite call a time out with Cutler and Nakazawa and we’re back. Omega and Fox are legal now. Shoulder block by Omega, who takes out Top Flight on the apron. Elite now playing basketball around Fox before Omega spikes his face into the mat. Elite now cut the ring in half and put the boots to Fox throughout the PIP. Bulldog by Nick but Fox responds with an enziguiri. Fox drags Nick off the top rope, holds on, and hits a rolling cutter. Tag to Dante, tag to Omega. Hot tag to Dante who an atomic drop on Omega and follows with a plancha to the floor. Cross body off the top by Dante gets two. Enziguiri by Dante but Matt gets the tag. Matt and Omega stacked in the corner and it’s forever clotheslines and a standing Spanish Fly by Fox. Dante comes off the top with a dropkick to Matt while pegging Omega with the ball. 450 splash off the top by Fox gets two. Triple team buckle bomb and enziguir combo by the Elite to Darius. Both members of Top Flight are hanging from the middle ropes as Nick comes off with a senton for two. Dante comes off the top with a clothesline that breaks up an Omega V-Trigger attempt. Double cutter to the Bucks by Fox. Cutter by Omega to Fox. Fox comes off the top with a moonsault but The Elite counter with a triple superkick. Escalara by Nick takes out Fox. V-Trigger by Omega to Dante followed by the One Winged Angel and that’ll do it.

Winners and STILL AEW World Trios Champions: The Elite

Rating: ***1/2. Entertaining sprint here, however seemingly a bit shorter and not as good as their previous match. Elite winning here is of course the right call, but Top Flight & Fox are pushed as serious contenders so no harm, no foul. Fun opener.

Lights go out! BRODY KING AND MALAKAI BLACK ARE ON THE ENTRANCE WAY!

Lights go out again and they’re gone!

Mark Henry is here with Orange Cassidy, speaking on Cassidy’s current win streak. Wheeler Yuta interrupts and challenges Cassidy for the AEW All-Atlantic title, saying Cassidy never taught Yuta anything. Cassidy tells us he wasn’t there to teach… he was there to be a best friend. Aww. Cassidy accepts the challenge.

Match #2. Danny Garcia vs. Ricky Starks

Fisticuffs to start. Elbow by Starks drops Garcia, who follows with some ground and pound. Starks goes Old School off the top. “Quite the Undertaking right there” – Chris Jericho. Garcia catches a charging Starks and connect with a dragon screw leg whip over the middle rope before sending Starks to the outside with a big knee. Garcia puts the boots to Starks on the outside before rolling him back in the ring, but Starks is struggling to fight back due to the bad knee. Garcia with a leg breaker as we head into commercial. Apparently during the break, Garcia hit a shin breaker on the steel steps, as well as a chop block and some dropkicks. Might have been nice to see that. Starks charges for a spear but collapses under his own knee. Starks is able to muster up a clothesline and a sit-out Blue Thunder Slam for a two count. Starks look for another leg whip but Starks holds on and stomps Garcia’s face. Garcia reverses a locks in the Dragontamer! Starks tries to get to the ropes but Guevara is here and pulls the ropes away. Action Andretti takes out Guevara and both men fight to the back. Garcia looks for the DragonTamer again, but Starks rolls him up for two. Starks hits the ropes and Garcia evades the first, but gets caught with a spear on the second go around. RoShamBo by Starks gets the win!

Winner: Ricky Starks

Rating: ***. I really, really enjoyed what I saw of this match, but I wish I saw more. The bulk of the beat down on Starks’ knee, the focal point of the match, took place during the commercial break, not even the PIP. Good, solid, clean wrestling match here, but we deserved more.

Match #3. AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Vertvixen

Hip toss by Jade to start as Vertvixen landed somewhat awkwardly. Pump kick by Jade. Jaded. Finito.

Winner and STILL AEW TBS Champion: Jade Cargill

Rating: NR. What it should have been, but Jade is going to need a legitimate challenger soon because the fans, and myself, are losing interest.

In the back with Mark Henry, Rhodes says you have to go to a dark place just to see the light. Swerve says the Rhodes family always play the victim. Oh, and Trench is missing?

Match #4. Dustin Rhodes vs. Swerve Strickland

Rhodes takes it to both Boudreaux and Swerve on the outside quickly. Rhodes mounts Swerve in the corner and delivers ten punches. Swerve avoids a powerslam but a release German suplex by Rhodes floors him. Rhodes looks for a second one but Swerve backs him up to the corner and hits an enziguiri. Running pump kick by Swerve off the apron to the floor. Swerve drives Rhodes’ head into the guard rail with a basement dropkick on the outside. Back in the ring with a diving European uppercut off the second rope to the back of Rhodess gets another two. Rhodes is busted wide open from the guard rail on the outside of the ring. Swerve now with some vicious boots to Rhodes’ face throughout the break. Swerve looks for a sleeper but Rhodes fights his way out… only to charge into a Rolling Thunder Flatliner. Swerve looking for the Swerve kick and nails it. One count! Rhodes calls Swerve on and goads him into a powerslam. Pair of lariats by Rhodes and a drop-down uppercut. Running Code Red by Rhodes! One, two, no! Both men exchange big boots and meet in the middle with a pair of cross body blocks. Both men make their way to the apron and Swerve lands a Death Valley Driver on the HARDEST PART OF THE RING. Long two count for Swerve. Swerve heads up top but Rhodes crotches him. Superplex by Rhodes and a big piledriver! 2.99999! Rhodes looks for Cross Rhodes and SPIKES him! Final Curtain by Rhodes but Boudreaxu pulls Rhodes out before he can get the three count causing the DQ.

Winner: Dustin Rhodes

Rating: ***3/4.

Boudreaux beats up Rhodes on the outside as Swerve has a chain. Boudreaux lays out all of the security before going under the ring and looking for the cinderblock. Boudreaux lays Rhodes head on the cinderblock as Swerve goes up top… but here’s Keith Lee! Lee appears behind Swerve and Boudreaux and takes both men out! Boudreaux dives in front of a spinning back fist to take a bullet for Swerve. Lee helps Rhodes up to send the crowd home happy, as both men are Texas natives.

Final Thoughts: Now THIS is more like it. Super-fast episode of Rampage tonight, with three really good pro wrestling matches. I mentioned this two weeks ago, but having The Elite on Rampage immediately brings more credibility to the show, and gives fans a reason to tune in. The trios match was a fun way to kick off the show, and the show only got better from there. Garcia and Starks had a no-frills pro wrestling match, and the main event delivered with the ageless Dustin Rhodes and the always entertaining Swerve… not to mention a big return in Keith Lee. Thumbs way up tonight. 8.25/10.