DYNAMITE was indeed all about the boom when Adam Cole returned to in-ring competition for the first time since June 2022, and topped a very game Daniel Garcia! It was an celebratory, emotional cap to a wild night of action in which The Blackpool Combat Club laid waste to everything in their path throughout the night, including Kenny Omega, after Bryan Danielson made a surprising return to AEW considering he told us all after REVOLUTION 2023 that he was heading home for awhile!
In addition, Orange Cassidy defeated The Butcher to retain the AEW International Championship, The Outcasts' Ruby Soho bested former ally Willow Nightingale which in turn led to AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter and Riho having to fend off the post-victory attack perpetrated by The Outcasts. It was an intriguing moment considering Hayter and Riho will square off for the title next week in Long Island, but let's just say that if the champ comes at Riho they way she threw that lariat at Toni Storm, the original Women's World Champ is in for a rough night!
After an unforgettable DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE returns to its regular time this Friday on TNT at 10:00pm ET/9:00pm CT, and the best spot to prepare for the night's festivities is the official AEW YouTube channel to get ready for the night with highlights from DYNAMITE, as well as the most recent episodes of AEW DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone, and so much more!
ONE-ON-ONE...
Sammy Guevara vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Sammy Guevara, along with Darby Allin and “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry, made it clear MJF that he has designs on the AEW World Championship around Max's waist. As one of AEW's young pillars, one of the men who has long been looked at as the future of this company, Guevara is hungry to take that next step in his career and achieve the potential that got him into All Elite Wrestling in the first place. He's sat under the learning tree of Chris Jericho virtually since day one, he's a 3-Time TNT Champion, he's challenged for both the World Tag Team and World Trios Championship, he's been Inner Circle, and he's currently runs with The Jericho Appreciation Society, but the one thing he's never challenged for is that AEW World Championship. Thus path to contention starts this Friday night on RAMPAGE for Sammy Guevara, unfortunately for him it begins with one of the hardest-hitting individuals on the AEW roster in Konosuke Takeshita!
Takeshita himself has plenty of reasons to want to fight MJF once again, but he need only concern himself with “The Spanish God” on Friday, and whatever J.A.S. members are lurking around ringside, be it Tay Melo, Parker, Menard, Garcia, whoever. Just as Sammy would do for them, so too would they do whatever is needed to make sure Guevara achieves victory and begins to validate (at least to MJF) his push for an AEW World Championship bout.
TAG TEAM BOUT...
The Kings of the Black Throne(Brody King & Malakai Black) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta)
They may stand as the reigning AEW World Trios Champions, but this week on RAMPAGE, two-thirds of The House of Black will be in tag team competition, taking on the Best Friends duo of Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta!
One of AEW's most experienced teams, Chuckie T and Trent are entering into The House for the very first time, and that is quite a scary place to be. Still, if The Best Friends can survive their experience with Malakai Black and Brody King, it may put them in a prime position to challenge for the World Trios Championship as well!
Or, at the physical expense of Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta, this could be The House of Black demonstrating their dominance here in All Elite Wrestling...
SINGLES MATCH...
Marina Shafir vs. Taya Valkyrie
Taya's pursuit of a TBS Championship bout is in full effect following two consecutive AEW victories over Ava Lawless and Leila Grey the last two weeks on RAMPAGE, but this Friday the competition amps up to another level and it just may be a serious problem.
Marina Shafir is unlike any other individual in AEW, not just the Women's Division, but the entire company. Her background in mixed martial arts creates a pro wrestling style quite difficult to prepare for, one that knows how to press the fight when needed, and to react rather than attack when necessary.
Now Taya has a great deal more experience than Marina in the pro wrestling realm, so this should be one interesting style battle! If Taya wants to get that shot at ending Jade Cargill's championship reign and undefeated streak, she's going to need to survive this fight and continue pressing forward until she's an undeniable contender!
HEAD-TO-HEAD...
“Rock Hard” Juice Robinson vs. Action Andretti
Juice Robinson has set his sights on “Absolute” Ricky Starks for a fight in Long Island next Wednesday night, and to get his point across, he's taking aim at Ricky's ally during the battles with The Jericho Appreciation Society, the upset-minded Action Andretti!
In the mind of Juice, Andretti is being used as a message, but in Action's head, this is yet another opportunity to take someone down a peg or two, and take the fall on Robinson like he did with Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia. Eventually someone will learn that taking aim at Andretti to get to Starks isn't the smartest play, and Juice Robinson may be the next in line to find that out!
EVERYTHING WILL BE...RIGHT?
What will be the end result of all this drama within The Firm? The situation continues to unfold, and it looks like by Wednesday night there will be a contract in the hands of “All Ego” Ethan Page! Will he get a chance to redeem himself for the Troy, OH HOUSE RULES loss to HOOK?
This week RAMPAGE is back on Friday night, starting at 10:00pm ET/9:00pm CT on TNT, and at AEWPlus.com for our international audience! Four action-packed matches are on tap for the AEW faithful, including Guevara vs. Takeshita, The Kings of The Black Throne vs. Best Friends, Taya vs. Marina, and Juice Robinson taking on Action Andretti ahead of his clash with Ricky Starks! So prior to the night beginning, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel to experience highlights from DYNAMITE, as well as the latest episodes of AEW DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone!
And don't forget, starting at 7pm ET/4pm PT, Ring of Honor presents SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 on Bleacher Report and Fite+, featuring the ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defending his title against Eddie Kingston, five teams competing in the Reach for The Sky Ladder Match to crown new ROH World Tag Team Champions, Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH World TV Championship, and plenty more!