It's already been a huge week for All Elite Wrestling just based on DYNAMITE this past Wednesday! Adam Cole and MJF went to a 30-Minute Draw in their Eliminator bout, multiple matches were set for FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, Skye Blue failed to wrest the AEW Women's World Championship from Toni Storm, and Eddie Kingston's return to the fold following The BCC's battle with The Elite led to one of the most chaotic conclusions to DYNAMITE since the very first edition almost four years ago.
With so much already happening this week, Friday night brings RAMPAGE to the AEW faithful at 10:00PM ET/9:00pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international audiences! Fans around the world will get a little FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 preview when The United Empire battles CHAOS in a Trios match, and the main event brings a must-see clash between Konosuke Takeshita and Bandido...if only Don Callis wasn't around ringside. Plus, the most unique Trios match AEW has ever presented takes place when Mark & Papa Briscoe team up with Aubrey Edwards fight Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, and Karen Jarrett! Taya Valkyrie will also be in action as she has her eyes on that TBS Championship now around Kris Statlander's waist!
Before the night begins, be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest editions of ROAD TO, THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!
TRIOS MATCH...
United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher, & Will Ospreay) vs. CHAOS (Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, & Trent Beretta)
On Wednesday night, during that anarchy that broke out following The Elite's victory over The Blackpool Combat Club, Will Ospreay made a shocking return to All Elite Wrestling with the clear intent to lay Kenny Omega low as they approach their IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship rematch at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023. Successful in that mission, Ospreay was quickly slid into a match this Friday night on RAMPAGE, a bit of a preview of what could come on Sunday night June 25th in Toronto, a Trios battle pitting The United Empire of Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and Jeff Cobb against CHAOS representatives Rocky Romero, Chuck Taylor, and Trent Beretta.
Leading into last year's FORBIDDEN DOOR event, and on the PPV itself, Rocky and Trent got quite familiar with the United Empire, as Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan first laid them and FTR out on DYNAMITE, and then all three teams went to war on the pay-per-view with the IWGP Tag Titles at stake. FTR won that battle in Chicago last year, but this year Cash and Dax aren't part of the equation, instead we've got Chuck Taylor engaged in the fracas to make it a Trios bout, and Great-O-Khan replaced with both Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay.
Ospreay already made a statement on Wednesday night at Omega's expense, now his entire unit has the chance to do the same with Kazuchika Okada's CHAOS group. The United Empire has been quite the dominating group, will they continue in that fashion on Friday night? ONE-ON-ONE...
Taya Valkyrie vs. Trish Adora
Clearly the events that unfolded at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 after Taya lost in her TBS Championship bout with Jade Cargill have not sat well with the woman. She's been captured on camera watching any match Kris Statlander has, and not with a look of excitement or happiness on her face, but rather one of anger and irritation.
Well this Friday night, Taya will have an opportunity to vent some of that emotion when she goes one-on-one with Trish Adora in front of the latter's hometown crowd. Adora, a standout on the independent wrestling scene, has competed in AEW competition before, and just last night during ROH ON HONOR CLUB took on Athena in a ROH Women's World Championship Proving Ground match. She's fighter, an Army veteran, and is going to give Taya every ounce of fight she's got come bell time on RAMPAGE.
If a bout with Statlander is what Taya is looking for, and it certainly looks that way, than this is her chance to send a message to the reigning TBS Champion. That being said, it's also a huge opportunity for Adora to upset that apple cart and possibly work her own way into title contention. After all, Statlander has shown a willingness to take on any challenger who steps up, and a victory over an athlete the caliber of Taya Valkyrie could be all the boost Trish Adora needs to take that next step!
MIXED TRIOS MATCH...
Aubrey Edwards, Mark Briscoe & Papa Briscoe defeat Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett & Karen Jarrett (w/Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt)
Well this is by far the most unique Trios Match that has ever taken place in All Elite Wrestling, and it all stems from Jay Lethal's contingent being a lot of slimy, sketchy individuals. They clearly abused Mark Briscoe's relationship with Lethal to try and curry favor with the former 13-Time ROH World Tag Champion, especially when he served as the special guest referee at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 for the AEW World Tag Team Championship match.
But it took a whole new twist when Karen Jarrett got involved in the drama, and smashed one of her husband's signature guitars down on the skull of AEW official Aubrey Edwards. It wasn't inadvertent or accidental, it was as intentional as actions could be, of that there is no doubt, and Karen probably thought she'd face no repercussions for her actions as neither she nor Aubrey are professional wrestlers. Clearly she was wrong, and it's all thanks to Mark Briscoe pulling some strings to make sure that Edwards had her chance to right the wrongs!
So that's how we got to this Friday night and this Mixed Trios bout pitting The Jarretts and Jay Lethal against Mark Briscoe, Papa Briscoe, and Aubrey Edwards! As with any Mixed tag bout, the rules dictate the men fight the men, and the women the women, but you never know what's going to happen with the action gets going, especially when there's the kind of ill will built up by Karen's malicious actions.
Can Aubrey, with some help from the Briscoe family, get a measure of revenge against this Karen, or will The Jarretts and Lethal find a way to get the last laugh?
SINGLES MATCH...
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bandido
One is a former ROH World Champion, a man whose natural charisma has cause fans to rally behind since he first appeared in All Elite Wrestling, and who brings out the absolute best in his opponent. The other was once embraced by the fans, and then he turned to Don Callis for a boost to his career, and now he has become one of the most reviled men in the AEW locker room. That is how highly regarded Konosuke Takeshita was by the AEW fans, and how disappointed they are in his choice of mentors. Callis' presence was tolerated around Kenny Omega because of the respect fans had for Kenny, but now, they clearly feel free to express their disdain for his existence, and thus Takeshita inherits that rage as well.
But his choice of allies does not take away from the fact that Konosuke Takeshita is one of the most talented professional wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling today, and given the make-up of the locker room, that is saying quite a bit. As fast as he is strong, as agile as he is powerful, Takeshita has all the makings of a World Champion, and that is exactly what Callis is grooming him to become, while hopefully eliminating Kenny along the way. And while Takeshita was quite impressive in his 90 second demolition of Damon Ace last week on DYNAMITE, Bandido is a whole different ballgame.
A former ROH World Champion and former ROH World Six-Man Champion, Bandido has a strength that belies his size, and a skill level making him among the finest Luchadores on the planet today. His skill in the ring has led fans around the world to embrace Bandido, and this Friday night, when faced with someone so despised, that love will be stronger than ever! This is a moment for Takeshita to show the world that throwing his lot in with Don Callis was a boon rather than bane, especially if he wants to prove himself the better of Kenny Omega and the new “God of Professional Wrestling” that Callis believes Takeshita to be.
With FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 just around the corner, and the premiere of COLLISION tomorrow, this is one of the most historic periods in AEW's history. With that in mind, RAMPAGE comes to you this Friday night at 10:00pm ET/9:00pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for AEW's international fans, and it will features Takeshita versus Bandido, CHAOS colliding with United Empire, Taya Valkyrie in action, and the most unique Trios bout in AEW history!
Before the show begins, make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from this week's episode of DYNAMITE, as well as the latest editions of ROAD TO, THE CONTROL CENTER, and much, much more!