The fans inside Duluth's Gas South Arena were as hot as that flaming table for Wednesday night's DYNAMITE, and they are bringing that same passion to Friday night for an all-new edition of RAMPAGE! Two days ago Bryan Danielson just about tore the knee of of Alan Angels apart with his vicious heel hook, and we all found out the AEW World Title Match between “The American Dragon” and Hangman Page will take place at DYNAMITE: WINTER IS COMING on December 15th!
Plus, the final four of the TBS Women's Title Tournament was set with Ruby Soho's hard-fought victory over Kris Statlander and CM Punk was put to the test by Lee Moriarty, while Cody Rhodes' battle with Andrade El Idolo left a fiery impression on both men thanks to Brandy Rhodes returning to DYNAMITE!
Friday night's edition of RAMPAGE will see the TNT Title on the line when Sammy Guevara faces Tony Nese, Death Triangle of PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo battling FTR, and ahead of their TBS Title Semi-Final bout, Jade Cargill will be in action against one of Thunder Rosa's proteges, the hard-striking Janai Kai! It gets underway at 10pm EST/9pm CST on TNT, and at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences!
Before the action gets started on TNT, head over to the official AEW YouTube channel and subscribe for DYNAMITE highlights, as well as the latest episodes of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and ROAD TO! For the full Elite effect, be sure to also follow the official AEW Twitter account for breaking news, highlights AS THEY HAPPEN, divisional rankings, and more!
TNT TITLE MATCH...
“The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara(c) vs. “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese
Tony Nese first made his presence known in AEW on the October 23th edition of DYNAMITE as he was shown watching the event unfold from a ringside seat. Truly one of the hottest free agents in professional wrestling, “The Premier Athlete” competed in his first official bout as a member of the locker room on the November 2nd edition of AEW DARK (Watch Here) in a victory over Fuego Del Sol, and demonstrated to all just why he was such a prized addition to the roster.
Nese has since gone onto win his last three matches, including two of those this week on DARK: ELEVATION and AEW DARK, but made sure to leave an impression prior to those two victories. Unfortunately for TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, that impression was left on his head and those ribs still banged up from the FULL GEAR 2021 fight with The Men Of The Year and American Top Team.
Prior to Tony sneaking his shot in on “The Spanish God”, the defending TNT Champion accepted the title challenge from “The Premier Athlete”, continuing the open contract tradition initially established by Cody Rhodes when he became the first champion. This title fight will mark Guevara's fourth championship bout; the first came Bobby Fish making a social media challenge to Sammy shortly after he beat Miro to become champion while the second resulted from accepting Dan Lambert's challenge to beat Ethan Page. Successful in both of those, the third bout against Jay Lethal stemmed from another challenge the night of FULL GEAR 2021 following the aforementioned Street Fight that left Guevara banged up.
Despite the injuries, Sammy toughed out a thirteen minute victory over the highly-decorated Lethal, but it was a fight that likely only worsened the nagging injuries. Yet “The Spanish God” perseveres but now must answer the challenge of another fresh face while still coping with these damaged ribs, and although Nese is new to AEW, he is from from new to the sport of professional wrestling. Tony has been on the grind sixteen years and fought a great many of AEW's staples such as Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Trent, MJF, The Young Bucks, and SCU. Nese has been a champion, he has traveled the globe, and now looks to bring that successful track record to AEW with a victory over Sammy Guevara!
Can “The Spanish God” and his injuries sustain another assault on his championship reign, or will AEW see the crowning of the 7th TNT Champion on RAMPAGE?
TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH...
The Death Triangle (PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo) vs. AAA Tag Team Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood w/ Tully Blanchard)
Originally scheduled as a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match for the AEW World Tag Team Titles, the actions of Malakai Black and FTR have made several significant alterations to the planned championship bout. First off, Cash and Dax put Rey Fenix on the shelf temporarily, inadvertently costing themselves this AEW World Tag Team Title match, but possibly giving themselves an advantage if Fenix is cleared for their impending AAA Tag Team Title bout at Triplemania Regia II this Saturday night in Monterrey, Mexico.
Second, the actions of Malakai Black last week on DYNAMITE, spraying that black mist into the eye of PAC, have left the other third of Death Triangle at a disadvantage of his own, but that isn't stopping “The Bastard” from still lacing up his boots and looking to hurt FTR for what they did to Fenix. No championships on the line, just a good old fashioned grudge match between four of AEW's baddest combatants.
Of course there are a great deal of questions, just how PAC will function with only one good eye, how well he and Penta will coalesce as a tag team given their only bout as a pair was a loss to The Young Bucks, and if the external factors of Tully Blanchard or Malakai Black will rear their heads. However this tag team contest unfolds, it is absolutely going to be a dog fight once the bell rings.
ONE-ONE-ONE...
Jade Cargill vs. Janai Kai
***THUNDER ROSA ON COMMENTARY***
Jade Cargill and Thunder Rosa are destined for a match in the Semi-Finals of the TBS Women's Title Tournament; though a date has not been set for that meeting yet, shots have already been fired verbally, and this Friday night, Jade Cargill will attempt to send a physical message as well.
See Janai Kai is someone Thunder Rosa has taken a vested interest in since their July 31st battle for Rosa's Mission Pro Wrestling company in Texas, but even before that, Kai had been turning heads throughout 2021 following a fight with KZT at Josh Barnett's BLOODSPORT 6 event back in April. A Taekwondo Black Belt, a kickboxer; Kai is a tremendous striker and, with just three years of pro wrestling competition under that black belt, she has demonstrated an ability that belies her lack of years in the squared circle.
Now the same can be said for Jade Cargill who, having been competing as a pro wrestler for less than a year, has demonstrated an aptitude far beyond her own experience. Her natural athletic gifts, her strength and agility, they have led her to an undefeated record in AEW and the longest running undefeated streak in the Women's Division. Coincidentally enough, that record would likely still be held by Thunder Rosa who had won 25 straight matches prior to a Three Way Bout on the 10/1 RAMPAGE with Cargill and Nyla Rose in which Jade used a chair to wear out Rosa so she could pin her. That's not a method of victory that can just be forgotten about and moved on from like most others, that's the violent type of result that is held onto and used for motivation.
It is certainly something Thunder Rosa hasn't forgotten, and something she is looking forward to avenging when her TBS Title Semi-Final bout is scheduled, but in the meantime Rosa will have to settle for watching her protege step up her game against Cargill while offering her own thoughts on commentary. It's the opportunity of a lifetime for Janai, a chance to send a message for Jade, and a moment for Thunder Rosa to scout out her future opponent.
RAMPAGE kicks off at 10pm EST/9pm CST on TNT, and at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences, but prior to that, visit the official AEW YouTube channel for DYNAMITE highlights, the latest offerings of DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and ROAD TO!