Here’s how we rated this week’s live Rampage from the Cow Palace. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.

Show Highlight—

Keith Lee and Swerve. This match was agented perfectly in that they kept these two apart and when they did collide, they had the impeccable timing of two guys that have been working a program for years. The sequences and reversals were great. And as opposed to feeling annoyed that this storyline wasn’t getting blown off at Revolution, we got enough of a tease where it landed like this will be better served for the careers of both guys if they get to have their definitive culmination later.

What Worked—

Hometown Hobbs. It may just be the bias of the hometown crowd but judging by the reaction, maybe he’s AEW’s new babyface that needs to be pushed?
Takeshita has a storyline! Alright yes, the moment was slightly kneecapped by the ol’ AEW plot contrivance of THE BUSINESS CARD EXCHANGE OF OBVIOUS IMPORTANCE, but if this leads to Omega somehow breaking off from Don Callis and making Takeshita, I’m all fucking for it.
Starks jumping Jericho. A simple and effective means to go home before the PPV.

What Didn’t Work—

Why the 4-way tag? Wouldn’t this be better served as two individual tag matches—Top Flight vs. Aussie Open; BCC vs. Dark Order—heads for Rampage, tails for Zero Hour? Who is uninitiated to the 4-way tag that needs this is an amuse-bouche before Revolution on Sunday? The tag division recycled match gimmicks enough already this week.

Show Cringe—

Buried Alive stipulation. I dunno man, of all the odd goddamn gimmicks to plop onto a match…I mean, I’ll be very complimentary and eat a shit sandwich if they pull this off somehow but…weird.

AEW Rampage 3/3/2023

AEW Revolution 2023