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ALL ELITE WRESTLING RAMPAGE: December 3 report

-12/3/2022



Arena: Indiana Farmers Coliseum

City: Indianapolis, Indiana

Last Week’s Rating: 411,000 overall; 0.11 in 18-49 demo

Say what you will, Rampage has a very loyal audience.
Though an aging one – per Wrestlenomics – as it creeps
toward Raw in that category.

It’s Friday Night, and you know what that means… it’s time
for our Rampage Review!

…..

Cole Karter vs Darby Allin

Backstory: Genuinely forgotten ‘til they showed a clip but
Karter was the one playing Sting, costing Darby a match vs
Lethal

Sting knew what was up, heading backstage despite Darby
being outnumbered by Karter and Nick Comoroto. The latter
of whom got battered by a baseball bat courtesy of Allin
before the match even started.

He then absolutely obliterated Karter with his killer tope
and was generally bossing things until being crotched while
perched atop the buckle and powerbombed against the apron.

‘This crowd is stunned at this turnaround by Cole Karter’
explained Excalibur. They continued to be ‘stunned’ for the
entirety of Karter’s offense.

The NXT dropout then flung Darby to the corner and
powerbombed him again, then threw a dropkick. Next heading
outside to fling Allin into the ringsteps. Karter then
threw knees to the head. What sounded like a ‘You look
green’ chant kicked up.

After several minutes of Karter dominance, if I wasn’t
recapping this, I’d already have turned it off.

Back from break, Darby avoided a splash in the corner,
Karter replied with a knee to the face. Darby slipped
behind – chop-block, kick to the face – but was dropped
again as boredom began to turn to frustration among those in
attendance. Allin targeted the hand, Karter threw more
shots to the face, Darby fired up, hit a Code Red and bagged
a two.

Heading to the top, he was crotched once more and dropped
with a very sloppy avalanche Falcon Arrow which saw Darby’s
head land in Karter’s lap (Pac and Omega this was not).

Finally, Allin slipped behind, hit a Scorpion Deathdrop and
a Coffin Drop as one of the ‘four young pillars’ scraped a
win over an absolute nobody. Darby is far too giving.

WINNER: Darby Allin

Straight to Renee backstage with Keith Lee. Who noted it
was an ongoing negotiation with he and Swerve. Shane Taylor
then turned up (apparently an ROH guy) who accused Lee of
always abandoning family and challenged him to a tag match
vs him and ‘JD Griffey’ at Final Battle – for which he’d
need a partner – as a smiling Swerve slipped up behind
Keith. Lee asked ‘Can I even count on you dude?’ as
Strickland continued to grin.

…..

Footage of Ten turning on the Dark Order aired – Silver and
Reynolds said he’d made the biggest mistake of his life.

…..

From mid-ring Renee introduced the tag team champs – who
included a ‘this ain’t TNA’ line in their rap. Are they
sure?

Excalibur reminded us they’d promised to offer a shot to the
second-best team in the company (themselves being the best).
Bowens then recounted that Jarrett et al had interrupted
their scissoring on Wednesday. But that wouldn’t help them
‘cut the line’. Because there’s a team who’ve been waiting
a long time for a shot.

A loud ‘FTR’ chant played.

Before they could get to that, the Gunn Club came out. Then
Jarrett’s music played. Dutt shrieked that they deserved a
shot.

Billy Gunn interrupted to reiterate that they’d said they
want ‘the best’. Bringing FTR out to stroll right through
the heels right to the ring. They and the Acclaimed shook
hands to cement the deal.

Please God don’t have the Ass Boys cost FTR to setup a
bloody ROH match.

…..

We were shown a video recapping the apparent feud between
Shida, Penelope Ford and the Bunny. I was aware of one
brief interaction. That does not constitute a feud. At
least not a good one.

Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal vs Private Party

Backstory: None

When Jeff Jarrett is all over tv and Miro can’t even sniff
it, you have to ask questions about both the booking and
talent evaluation. Matt Hardy accompanied PP to the ring.

Lethal began things for the J’s, facing off vs Cassidy, who
hit an athletic armdrag but was quickly bundled into the
heels’ corner. Jarrett came in, as did Quen, he and Cassidy
hit a Whisper in the Wind for two. Quen was wrestling with
his upper torso completely covered.

Cassidy mimicked Jarrett’s, sorry Flair’s, sorry Fargo’s
strut. Jeff is nothing if not original.

To be fair – he does look damn good for his age.

Matt Hardy and Dutt bickered outside, Singh got involved,
distracting the ref and allowing the heels to take advantage
as the ads arrived.

Isiah then hit a springboard cutter on Jarrett, bagged a tag
to Quen who hit an athletic springboard cross body to
Lethal, then a dropkick before walloping Jarrett with a
dive. Silly String to Lethal was next. With Jay down, Quen
headed to the top but missed a 450, bagged a rollup but
Jarrett snuck in while Aubrey was distracted to hit a sort-
of combo Stroke/Lethal Injection (Jarrett just held Cassidy
in place).

Remember when Private Party beat the Young Bucks in their
very first tv match? How different the company’s approach
is these days.

WINNER: Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal

A clip aired of Renee talking with Saraya. She showed the
goosebumps on her arm recalling her return to the ring.

Renee is phenomenal. So natural.

The Brit talked about how much her brother being there meant
to her. ‘She helped me’ is what she said about Britt,
without explaining any further. And talked about what Full
Gear had done for the women as a whole with three matches on
the show and a new champion. And that’s what she wants to
be – the women’s champion.

Again she came off here as very humble, which is good. But
she definitely doesn’t have the aura she should and nearly
two weeks of barely being mentioned doesn’t help.

Athena vs Dani Mo

Backstory: None

Athena had Dani beat early but picked her up and then
threatened the ref. A roundhouse kick brushed Athena’s hair
as Excalibur awed at her ability to shake it off. An off-
the-shoulder drop across the knee, face-first, got the win.

She then flung Mo to the outside and beat her around
ringside and threatened to punch Aubrey when a bunch of refs
came down.

WINNER: Athena

A Juice Robinson promo – he issued a challenge for Final
Battle – for Samoa Joe’s ROH TV Title. They’re trying very,
very hard to make ROH big enough to get that tv deal.

…..

A brief recap of what MJF did to Regal on Weds.

…..

Darby Allin promo. Said hed been settling some personal
scores but now that was done he wanted his TNT title back.
He’s going to have Sting banned from ringside for the match
because he wants it to be just the two of them. After
singing ‘Joe’s gonna kill you’, he insisted that Joe would
have to do just that to beat him.

(Would have been much more effective if Darby had run
through his past two opponents rather than squeaking by.
Otherwise, good promo).

Orange Cassidy vs QT Marshall, Lumberjack Match, All-
Atlantic Title

Backstory: Cassidy continued his gimmick of breezily
accepting title challenges Wednesday

It’s the match nobody wanted for the title no-one cares
about! The crowd barely even chanted along with ‘It’s time
for the main event’.

(Excalibur revealed that Juice Robinson is officially signed
with AEW.)

The Best Friends and Danhausen were dressed like literal
lumberjacks and wanted to bring axes down to ringside. I
suppose this title becoming a comedy belt at least
differentiates it. After being quickly sent outside, QT
popped back in and returned the favor: Orange began the
kicks on all the heels.

But was caught by QT coming back in and hit with a tilt-a-
whirl, then another backbreaker before Marshall flung Orange
outside once more. Where Ethan Page demanded Matt Hardy
attack him but Hardy helped Orange back in. They were
filming these two arguing instead of showing the match as we
went to, mercifully, the show’s final break.

The armband was off with QT down as we came back but the
Factory ran into the ring, bringing the Best Friends in to
stereo clothesline them over the top then hit them with
synchronized dives.

QT hit an enziguri but ate a Stundog Millionaire before
blocking a tornado ddt. Preparing the Diamond Cutter off
the shoulders, Cassidy slipped behind, looking for Beach
Break but was hit with a right then hauled up for a
powerbomb which he turned into a hurracanrana. After this
time hitting the tornado ddt, both were down.

A kip up was greeted with a big cheer from the crowd. With
Orange Punch about to be served, the Factory dragged QT out
of harm’s way. Marshall was about to piledrive him on the
apron when Danhausen Cursed him – QT flipped him off – an
appropriate response.

But the distraction worked – letting Cassidy hit a Beach
Break on the apron. Orange then took out half the
lumberjacks with a dive before climbing atop the ropes where
Penelope Ford distracted him, allowing Kip Sabian to shove
him off the top into a Diamond Cutter.

Cassidy kicked out, QT setup another but ate an Orange Punch
then another Beach Break as Cassidy retained.

He then tope’d himself into Kip who began beating Cassidy up
the ramp as a brawl broke out among the lumberjacks – none
of whom the crowd could’ve possibly cared about.

Thankfully the lights went out and the House of Black
appeared. Malakai and Matthews beat up the many, many
people who should never appear on tv until Malakai stopped
the other two from hitting Dante’s Inferno to Ortiz. After
they hit it on Serpentico instead, Malakai kicked Ortiz on
the outside so not sure what that was about. They can’t
possibly be building dissension among the House already,
surely?

What a mess.

WINNER: Orange Cassidy

…..

Next Dynamite:

Jade Cargill and the Baddies vs Kiera Hogan, Skye Blue and
(I’m assuming Madison Rayne – Excalibur announced these at
warp speed)
the Acclaimed vs FTR, AEW Tag Titles
Darby Allin vs Samoa Joe, TNT Title
MJF Promo
Next Rampage:

Shida vs the Bunny, Regina Di WAVE Title (Yes, ANOTHER
title)

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