AEW Rampage tonight comes to us from the Panther Arena in Milwaukee, WI . After last week drawing 503,000 & a 0.17 in the 18-49 demo. The latter’s the best this year.

He’s baaaaaack. Apparently. In June.  Honestly, this seems less of a problem when Jeff Hardy’s been forgiven his fifty-sixth infraction.  Though the second Punk does a single thing wrong I’d be done with him.

Guess we’ll see.

*****

Aussie Open vs Best Friends, IWGP Tag Titles

Backstory: Jealous of their friend Cassidy’s title run, the Friends challenged the new IWGP champs

No Jericho on comms this week.

Beretta and Fletcher started us off with a headlock, quick tag to Davis who ran through Beretta via shoulder block.  Trent fired back with a nice tornado ddt off Fletcher’s chest as Excalibur listed every NJPW tag champ since time began.  Congrats.

Taylor took out both Aussies via glancing plancha then flung a rushing Fletcher into Davis in the corner as Trent bought two via cross body off the top.

Things going well until Fletcher swept Trent’s leg, thrust kick to Chuck, Davis hurled him outside, running both Friends into one another after Trent took his patented surgically-repaired neck bump against the apron.

Sporadic ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ shouts from the crowd.

A punt/senton combo got just one with a cocky cover; a delayed suplex saw Trent kick out at two as the ads arrived.

Slick combo moves from AO ended with a diving cutter/facebuster for another two.  Taylor took out Davis via ringsteps; Trent & Fletcher battled up top until Taylor joined the party for a stacked superplex.  A double team chokeslam to Davis followed before the stupid hug.

Who wants to win the titles right?

Very nice doomsday knee-strike from Trent before Fletcher knocked Chuck out via spinning tombstone.  The Aussies taking advantage, Davis snatching Trent up from the mat into a piledriver, Taylor wandering back in to eat a clothesline sandwich and Coreolis as the Aussies retained.

Fun opener with some big moves.  Crowd into this as the finish came.

Is it possible this is leading to six-man action given Cassidy’s clash with Ospreay last year?

Winner: Aussie Open

Footage from backstage.  Mark Briscoe wanted no part of teaming with Jarrett et al.  Smart man.  They kept saying this ‘wasn’t what he’d signed up for’, without bothering to explain why he had.

*****

Schiavone brought FTR to the ring.  They’re signed for another four years.  After that they’re ‘done with wrestling’.  They thanked the fans, offering to repay them for all the support.  A stereotypically rah-rah speech.

*****

Jeff Hardy with Matt, Isiah & Hook.  Matt reiterated that they’ll be free from the Firm oce they beat Ethan Page, Big Bill & Stokely Hathaway.  ‘At the Hardy Compound’.  ‘Delete’ x many.

Not another one…

Part of what I’d enjoyed about this feud was that Matt wasn’t doing the actual wrestling.

*****

Wardlow/Hobbs package.

Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh & Mark Briscoe vs Manscout Jake Manning & the Spanish Announce Project

Backstory: None

The heels’ music interrupted Briscoe’s entrance.  Jay Lethal is ‘using his friendship with Mark Briscoe’.  Sorry what?  So they’re legitimately friends?  Then how is Briscoe being ‘used’?

Jarrett kept cheating, Briscoe didn’t like it.  Singh walked in a straight line as JR understandably made fun of the name ‘Manscout’.  A Froggy Bow got the win.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh & Mark Briscoe

Recap of the Elite/BCC feud

Emi Sakura vs Taya Valkyrie

Backstory: None

Starting with stiff chops and overhand slaps in the corner, Taya knocked down Emi via shoulder block, lariat in the corner followed by running double-knees.  Sakura kicked out at two.

Sakura struggled to overpower the stronger Taya, who broke a full nelson into a lariat for another two.  Readying Road to Valhalla, Jade & Leila Grey appeared on the ramp.

The heels made their way to ringside, Sakura taking advantage to crush Valkyrie against the steps via running cross body.  A kick, kneestrike, blue thunder bomb brought two for Taya; Sakura fired back with a stiff flurry until being dropped via spear.

Then hauled up into Road to Valhalla for the win.

More disjointed storytelling.  Seems it’s still not actually banned.

Leila rushed in to eat another.  Jade and Taya threw hands until Leila attacked from behind, leaving her open for Jaded.  Emi Sakura must regret choosing wrestling talent over abs.

Winner: Taya Valkyrie

Jose the Assistant issued a challenge to Vikingo for the AAA title.  Who must’ve been watching.

*****

2.0 & Jake Hager performed a deliberately bad rap.  Over a nice beat tbf.  ‘I rap about this, I rap about that, one more thing… I like this hat!’

The Acclaimed forewent a rap battle for a real one, going after the JAS.  Six-man set up for Weds.

Jack Perry vs Shawn Spears

Backstory: None

The pre-match promo tried to position this as Perry vs MJF’s boy until Spears insisted he and MJF weren’t boys anymore.

And has dropped the I’m crazy, honest ‘spooky’ whistling entrance and basically gone back to his Perfect 10 character.

A handshake begat chain-wrestling, ending with a Spears rollup for one.  Upping the pace, a dropkick/kip-up saw Jungle Boy throw ten fingers, to some boos.  Both enticed the other to chase, ending with Perry hurling Spears to the barricade as Allin & Guevara were shown watching backstage.

Setting Perry atop the buckle, Spears readied a superplex, Perry repeatedly fought him off to launch a cross body.  The two wrestled in and out of pins until a Spears pumpkick/big boot caught Perry, who immediately fired back with a pair of thrust kicks then a rebound clothesline.

Both guys down.

Elevated to the apron, Perry threw an enziguri but was dragged in via draping ddt only to kickout at 2.5.  Spears sought C4, Perry rolled through for two of his own, popping up into a leaping flatliner for another.

But eating a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, after which Spears went for a magistral which Perry countered into a pin of his own for three.

Jungle Boy needs vastly more-convincing wins than this if he’s to compete for the AEW title.

They put across the parity between the three challenging Pillars, who’re all 2-0 since announcing going after the belt.

Good while it lasted; Spears new/old character a vast improvement on the ‘deranged’ chairman.

Winner: Jack Perry

_________________________________________________________________________

 Next Dynamite:

• Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker vs Storm and Soho
• Hobbs vs Wardlow, TNT Title
• Acclaimed & Billy Gunn vs 2.0 & Jake Hager
• Elite promo
• Jericho & Cole face-to-face
• Jay White vs Komander

Next Rampage (Airs Sat @ 10 Eastern):

• Vikingo vs Dralistico, AAA Mega Title

Thumbs Up/Down

• Nice opener
• Jake Hager made me laugh
• No interference!!!
• Good though short main event

 *****

• The Briscoe/Lethal storyline is stupid
• Yet still smarter than the Jade/Taya one
• Very predictable finishes

*****

Appreciate you reading.  Enjoy the weekend.