Well DYNAMITE was certainly a tremendous night marking AEW's debut in Winnipeg, MB! AEW World Champion was confronted by three very familiar faces as he attempted to celebrate...well...himself with this re-bar mitzvah. Darby Allin, Jack Perry, and Sammy Guevara, oft referred to as AEW's pillars, all want the same thing: a shot at Max's AEW World Championship. Whether or not they get it remains to be seen, but a very intriguing table has been set before MJF.
On top of that, in the aftermath of The House of Black retaining the AEW World Trios Championship over both The Elite and The J.A.S., The Blackpool Combat Club, Adam Page, and The Dark Order brawled out to the ring from backstage, and the night ended with Hangman Page standing in-between his BCC enemies, and his former Elite brethren. It was indeed quite a scene to close the curtain on DYNAMITE; what will the future bring there?
This Friday night, RAMPAGE comes to you on TNT at a special start time of 11:30pm ET/10:30pm CT, or at the conclusion of NCAA basketball action, so before the action gets started, visit 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, and ROAD TO..., plus the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone!
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP OPEN CHALLENGE...
Powerhouse Hobbs(c) vs. Rey Fenix
We got our first look at QTV this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, and it showed the world exactly what happened after REVOLUTION 2023 with Wardlow's car, his gear, and his TNT Championship belt. Aaron Solo and company did the damage, committed the larceny, and perhaps showing the footage live on television may not have been the best idea unless the intent is to enrage the former 2-Time TNT Champion that QT helped rob of his title. But that's an issue for another time; the one at hand is the TNT Open Challenge that Powerhouse Hobbs has written into The Book for its newest chapter, and the man whose name will be penned opposite Hobbs will be...
This will be Rey Fenix's first shot at the TNT Championship, his first opportunity at a singles title since challenging Orange Cassidy, alongside Luchasaurus, for the All-Atlantic Championship back in November. It will also mark the first time the former AEW World Tag Team Champion will lock horns with Powerhouse Hobbs in any fashion! One man is an example of speed and technique, the other of size and strength, put them together and this is why the saying “styles make fights” exists!
TAYA'S IN-RING DEBUT!
On Wednesday night, after Jade Cargill defeated Nicole Matthews in her TBS Championship Open Canadian Challenge, the undefeated woman again sent out the call for someone to step up to the plate and give her a challenge. Well that call was answered by none other than Taya Valkyrie, and this Friday night at ST. PATRICK'S DAY SLAM 2023, the multi-time World Champion will be in action for the very first time in an AEW ring!
A 12-year pro of the ring wars, Taya has held 10 different championships over the course of her career, the AAA Reina de Reinas on four occasions, and competed all around the world against many of the competitors who occupy the Women's locker room here in All Elite Wrestling. Clearly she has designs on adding another championship to her resume, and that road will begin Friday night on RAMPAGE!
TAG TEAM BOUT...
The J.A.S. (Angelo Parker & Matt Menard) vs. The Bollywood Boys (Gurv & Harv Sihra)
Angelo Parker and Matt Menard, on behalf of The Jericho Appreciation Society, have extended an olive branch to The Acclaimed on several occasions now. They want the former AEW World Tag Team Champions in The J.A.S. because, let's face it, they'd rather have them on their side then ever have to fight them. Anthony Bowens and Max Caster have less than zero interest in throwing their lot in with Jericho's ilk.
So now Menard and Parker plan to use this Friday night's tag team bout with The Bollywood Boys to send a message to The Acclaimed about what it means to be “a real tag team”. Caster and Bowens will certainly be paying attention, but as a duo who's had greater success in AEW then the men saying they'll “teach them how it's done”, it's doubtful The Acclaimed will be humbled before The J.A.S. And there is always the possibility that Gurv and Harv Sihra could upset the Parker and Menard and really blow a hole in The J.A.S' plans for The Acclaimed!
FACTIONS COLLIDE...
The House of Black's Brody King vs. The Jericho Appreciation Society's Daniel Garcia
On Wednesday night fans witnessed an amazing pro wrestling spectacle when The House of Black successfully defended their AEW World Trios Championship against BOTH The Elite and The Jericho Appreciation Society. With that victory Brody, Buddy, and Malakai squashed the Winnipeg homecoming for both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, and asserted themselves as the dominant trio in All Elite Wrestling.
One of the hardest problems to tackle for both The Elite and The J.A.S. throughout the match was Brody King, his massive size proven quite the problem to overcome, with even Don Callis having to acknowledge that Kenny and The Young Bucks didn't really have an answer for what King brings to the table.
Well Friday night, in the main event of RAMPAGE: ST. PATRICK'S DAY SLAM 2023, it will be up to “Red Death” Daniel Garcia to try and find a solution for the behemoth that is Brody King! Garcia is a relentless technician, once proclaiming himself the greatest technical sports-entertainer in the world, and able to get down on the mat to grapple with the best in the world, just ask Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta, but how does he counter the power and aggression of Brody?
We will all find out together when these representatives of The HoB and The J.A.S. lock horns in their very first singles match! The House already asserted their dominance over Jericho's lot in trios action, will their representative do the same in this singles collision, or will Daniel Garcia find a way to chop down the redwood that is Brody King?
RAMPAGE begins at a special start time of 11:30pm ET/10:30pm CT on TNT, or at the conclusion of NCAA Basketball, and at AEWPlus.com for our international audience! So before the action gets underway, visit the official AEW YouTube channel to get caught up on DYNAMITE highlights, as well as the latest episodes of AEW DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, and the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone!