AEW's return to Las Vegas after three long years has already been an unforgettable one, and it's only been one night! The finals of the Men's Owen Hart Tournament were set in an uber-physical clash between Samoa Joe and Kyle O'Reilly, Wardlow earned his fight with MJF at Double or Nothing 2022 after overcoming the odds in a Steel Cage, Punk and Page had themselves a face-off that turned physical, and one-half of the Women's Owen Hart Tournament final was also established with Dr. Baker's shady victory over Toni Storm!
This Friday evening, on the final stop before Double or Nothing 2022, Rampage is coming to you at 6:30pm EDT/5:30 CDT on TNT, and on AEWPlus.com for our international audience! When the night is over, the Women's Owen Hart will be set, The Young Bucks will have been in action, we will have seen if Bryan Danielson is suffering any ill effects, and find out just what Dan Lambert's new TNT Title for Scorpio Sky looks like! And with everything that took place on Wednesday, be sure to check out the official AEW YouTube channel and Twitter feed before Friday to get all the Dynamite highlights, as well as the latest episodes of Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and Control Center with Tony Schiavone!
OWEN HART FOUNDATION WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL MATCH...
Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho
These two women, these two friends, are rather familiar with one another at this point. In the ring, they united in trios action against Dr. Britt Baker's ilk last September, and they were opponents in the TBS Title Tournament back in December. As allies they were victorious, as opponents it was Soho who emerged with her hand raised to advance in those brackets.
Fast forward nearly six months and the two competitors find themselves in a similar situation; another tournament, another singles match, only this time the winner goes onto the finals to fight the Good Doctor, and Statlander, more so than Ruby, feels a changed woman.
The betrayals by both Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet over the last few months did something to Kris, brought about a change in her demeanor, something far beyond just her wardrobe. It's something Soho is keenly aware of, she said it herself that she only barely squeezed out a win last time, and it was in little sliver of doubt that Red Velvet tried to drive a little wedge in the above embedded tweet.
Soho may not have taken the bait from Red Velvet, but she knows she is in for a fight once again this Friday night. Now both of these women badly want to be the first Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner, but the added bonus of taking a piece out of Britt Baker in the finals to do it, well that serves as further fuel to the fire for Ruby and Stat.
Tune in Friday afternoon on TNT to see just which of these two athletes advances to the finals at Double or Nothing 2022!
ONE-ON-ONE...
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Matt Sydal
It's been a long time since these two men have been in singles competition against one another, and we are quite a distance removed from Roxbury Community College in Boston where that bout took place in 2007. Both men have grown, suffered injuries that could have...should have... ended careers, but each has come back stronger than ever, a greater threat than they were before.
Unfortunately Danielson suffered a scary moment last week on Rampage when his leg got wedged between the stage and the ring, and members of the Jericho Appreciation Society took advantage of the situation to continue assaulting the man. He was eventually freed thanks to the work of AEW's staff, medical, and crew, and was able to walk out under his own power, but Bryan was still kept out of action on Wednesday as a precaution.
Danielson is done being cautious; with Double or Nothing 2022 and Anarchy in the Arena just days away, he aims to prove he is ready for action by stepping into the ring with Matt Sydal! “The American Dragon” would certainly be allotted the time to rest before Sunday, but he feels the need to prove he's good to go, and to do so against a top shelf opponent.
Matt Sydal is a perfect candidate for just such a test; a world-traveled championship caliber athlete, Matt will absolutely push Bryan in this singles match. Let's all just hope that it's not Danielson stepping back in before his body is ready, and putting his participation at DoN '22 in jeopardy!
TAG TEAM ACTION...
The above were the words of The Hardys aimed at The Young Bucks as they head towards Sunday night's collision at Double or Nothing 2022. Well this Friday night, for the first time in two months, Matt and Nick Jackson will be in the ring on Rampage to send their message back to Matt and Jeff!
The Young Bucks are 3-1 on Rampage, undefeated in their two tag bouts, and will be looking for a strong statement win this week to make The Hardys aware of what's in store come Sunday night. The only question is what team will pull the short straw and step into the ring with the former AEW World Tag Team Champions? Or will this be a night that whoever it is turns the match into their moment and knocks the brothers Jackson down a peg before their pay-per-view clash?
SCORPIO SKY'S NEW TITLE...
The TNT Title has been through hell the last several weeks; it's been bounced from Sammy to Scorpio and back and around, it has it has been stolen, it has been smashed, and now the reigning 2-Time champion Scorpio Sky is left without a championship title around his waist.
Fortunately he and “All Ego” Ethan Page have an ally with some deep pockets in American Top Team's Dan Lambert, and it looks like he shall be providing the champ with a new belt to go with his new title reign.
Now as for the reason the belt got smashed, Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti's pursuit of a mixed tag match, that doesn't seem like something Lambert and The MOTY are likely to give no matter what “The Spanish God” does. Will anything change their stance, or will Sammy and Tay be left unfulfilled?
This Friday Rampage is coming to you LIVE from Las Vegas at 6:30 EDT/5:30pm CDT on TNT, as well as on AEWPlus.com for international audiences! It's the last stop before Double or Nothing 2022, and with it comes solidifying the last spot in the Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Scorpio Sky getting a new TNT Title, The Young Bucks getting one last rep in before their clash with The Hardys, and “The American Dragon” meeting Matt Sydal one-on-one for the first time in 15 years! Get ready for all the action over on the official AEW YouTube channel for Dynamite highlights, as well as the latest episodes of Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and the latest Control Center with Tony Schiavone!