Battle of the Belts 3 is either in progress or already completed by the time you read this so on the eve of that show I won’t waste any more of your time. So let’s jump into the deep end of this week’s Rampage Power Rankings!
Honorable Mention: The Best Friends, Orange Cassidy and Dr. Danhausen. Lexy Nair was with Cassidy and Best Friends in trainers room. They talk about how none of them are in top 5 as singles or tag guys but they’re at their best when they stick together. As a trio. They put their hands in and Trent says “Trios on 3?” But another hand black gloved hand comes in. The mystery person clad in black scrubs pulls down their mask to reaveal none other than Dr. Danhausen. I love that Danhausen in almost anything and love him twice as much when Orange Cassidy is involved.
5. Nick Comoroto. Backstage QT Marshall offered Starks help with The Factory. Solow says he and Starks used to be a team but Starks said he doesn’t need anybodies help and stormed off. Comoroto was the star here. He just stood on the side but he now sports a much shorter trimmed beard, a track suit without a shirt on, a fedora like hat and gold chain while sucking on a lollipop. He looked like the love child of young Razor Ramon and Tony D’Angelo which is made even funnier because of the former “2 Dimes” from NXT 2.0 Cole Karter seemingly in The Factory. Let Mr. Freakbeast go be a star without these goobers around him!
4. Konosuke Takeshita. A fast rising personal favorite of mine Taleshita started his match with “The Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth at a thousand miles per hour. He ducked Nemeth’s clotheslines and hit a flying one of his own. He followed up with the traditional 10 count mounted corner punches. As Takeshita was really gaining steam he was tripped by Peter Avalon and Nemeth kneeed him. Takeshita came back with a Blue Thunder Bomb which he back rolled out of to the corner before delivering a thunderous driving flash knee for 3. Peter Avalon attacks after the bell and gets planted with a running jumping knee from Takeshita. This was a quick match but a good way to solidify Takeshita as a threat to Claudio Castagnoli’s ROH Title with Battle of the Belts 3 just a day later (or an hour later for the live crowd)
3. Madison Rayne. Tonight the 17 year vet and newly signed coach of the wonen’s division made her AEW in-ring debut taking on Leila Grey with Stokley Hathaway. Stoke comes down doing his shoulder bop, grooving to Grey’s Michael Jackson/The Weekend sounding funky entrance. Rayne tries 2 quick pin variations for 2 and then backslide for 2. Rayne dodged a corner attack going backwards through middle rope and hit a shoulder to Grey’s mid-section but Hathaway started jumping on the stairs like a maniac which let Grey knock her off apron. Rayne tweaked her knee when she hit the floor which I’m sure will come up in her TBS Title match. Grey suplexed Rayne on the floor then tossed Rayne into the barricade and back inside for a 2 count. Rayne hit a Northern Lights suplex for 2. Grey nailed a sit-out sideslam for 2 after being a bit slow going for the cover which commentary called out. Rayne avoids an X factor attempt from Grey and hits a Crossraynes for 3. Jade comes out and says good help is hard to find these days. She’s “that b*tch” and this is her show. She’s big on charity and has an open challenge for Dynamite that she invites Rayne to show up for. But she thinks she should take a couple days off first which cues Kiera Hogan who attempts to attack Rayne from behind only to get hit with a Crossraynes too. This didn’t light the world on fire but Rayne did look better here than I can recall her ever looking in TNA/Impact so I’m interested in what a match with she and Jade looks like. I’m sure she’s not winning but it could be a solid showing for both women.
2. Jon Moxley. The AEW World Champion took on one member of GCW’s Second Gear Crew and the winner of the Bunkhouse battle royal at Ric Flair’s Last Match; Mance Warner in a title eliminator. I’m shocked that Mancer is the first member of SGC to make AEW TV. Matthew Justice is in the group and looks like Roman Reigns with indy cred. Effy is in the group and maybe the most charismatic, unique act in all of indy wrestling. I’m not a huge AJ Gray guy but there’s no denying crowds love him and he’s also in the group. So it came down to Warner and Manders for my least likely to show up on TV and honestly I’d probably have put Manders over Warner because he’s got more of the traditional wrestler look to him. But regardless Mancer was here and he did his damndest to take it to Mox. Regal was on commentary and the others questioned Moxley having this match so close to the title defense v. Jericho. Mancer got a short video before the and said he doesn’t care what he has to go through because he’s going to get back up. He’s seen Mox and what he’s gone through with light tubes and barbed wire traveling up and down the roads and he respects that. They start by brawling on the ramp. The bell rings and they’re back outside. Mox suplexes Mance on a chair. Mancer crotches Mox on barricade and clotheslines him off it. Inside Mancer chops Mox in various corners but Mox reverses course and dropkicks Mance’s leg while stuck in the ropes. He dragon screws it and applies a figure 4. Back outside Mance whips Mox into the stairs and barricade. Mance suplexes Mox on to sideways chair and he hits at a weird angle with his back nearly shattering over the top of the chair. Excalibur brings up Warner breaking his leg last year on the indies and Regal says he knew that because he scouted him. Mancer DDTs him on the steps. Mance hits a spinebuster for 2 consecutive 2 counts and a 1. This was a little thing I wish wrestlers did more often. If you hit a big move why not try a second or even third cover? Mox flips Mance off and Mance stomps at him. Mox punches a chair into Mance’s face. Warner ducks outside and starts bleeding. Mox hits a tope suicida. Mox nails a corner clothesline and 2nd rope superplex followed by hammer and anvil elbows. He hit a running knee to Mance but Mancer stays up and lariats him. Tony questions if Jericho slipped Mance money to take out Mox? Moxley covers Warner for 2 then tries a kimura before switching to face stomps, hitting a pile driver, landing more face stomps and finally a bulldog choke that Mance passes out in despite battling to his feet. Excalibur mentions damage to Mox’s right arm but Mox isn’t selling it much when the match ends. I assume that right arm will come into play against Jericho though I just wish they’d have done more with it tonight to really hammer that home. Or done more with his back to make The Lion Tamer more threatening. Still this was a solid opener and I’ll never complain about companies using outside talent to keep matches fresh even if Mancer is my least favorite member of SGC.
1. Swerve In Our Glory. After weeks of dealing with Mark Sterling’s petition for “The People v. Swerve Strickland” and then dealing with a Josh Woods’ sneak attack last week Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee finally got a measure of revenge tonight when they took down Tony Nese and Josh “The Goods” Woods in a ” Friday Night Street Fight”. Lee said during the pre-match interview that when they’re done with them they’ll be nothing but a footnote on their way to becoming a properly ranked tag team and then went out and backed that talk up. Swerve went right after Woods outside and Lee after Nese as the bell rings. Commentary mentioned Woods’ cauliflower ear and being a big MMA fan that is something I love seeing on wrestlers because it makes them look more legitimate and intimidating. You know if you’re at a bar and see a guy with ears like that you’d rather stay on their good side. Woods had a stare down with Lee and is a rare wrestler that looks bigger in AEW than he did prior to it. In my mind I thought Woods was a tiny guy but going nose to nose with Lee he only looked a couple inches smaller. The gap wasn’t nearly what I expected. Swerve drop toeholds Nese into chair but Nese recovers and Fuji’s (Side note: The whole run of Wrestle House in Impact was my personal highlight of pandemic era wrestling and I’d buy a DVD of just those segments and matches) Keith Lee with protein powder but Swerve then kicks the powder into Tony’s face as he was celebrating and eating it raw. Nese got sent into steps and narrowly avoids Sweve chucking full tool box at him. Swerve sends Woods into steps as Lee gets water from a fan to clean his eyes. Nese comes off apron with toolbox to the head of Lee. Woods hits a nasty looking running twisting suplex to Swerve into the stairs. Nese sends Swerve into garbage can in the corner for 2 as Sterling sets up table outside. Woods t-bone suplexes Swerve on to a garbage can cover. Nese tries to send Swerve out but he stops it. Sterling grabs Lee’s foot on the outside which allowed Woods to hit him with can lid. Nese and Woods double team powerbomb Swerve off the apron. Woods chokes Swerve on the ropes. Lee broke the grip of Woods as he tried to German suplex Swerve off the apron. Lee tosses Nese into Woods. Sterling hit Lee while leaning against the ropes on the back with a chair. Lee no sells it and grabs the chair from a gloating Sterling. Woods pump kicks the chair into Lee. Nese and Woods double DDT Lee on to chair and stack cover him but Swerve flies in with 450 to break it up. Sterling shoves the table in the ring. Nese kneels and Swerve does “Whose house?” chant but Sterling nailed Swerve with a wrench to the back of the head. Woods puts Swerve on the table. Nese tries to dive off apron on to Lee when Lee moves and catches him with headbutt. Sterling rips off his jacket and climbs up to attack Swerve on the table but Lee sends him through the table as Swerve rolls off. Woods tries to pull Lee off ropes with a German suplex but Lee is able to hold on. That is intil Tony superkicks him sending Lee through 2 tables too the floor with a German suplex from Woods. Nese stacks chairs on floor near corner but Swerve back body dropped him on to the pile. Swerve hits the diving stomp off the top to win. Lee and Swerve celebrate to close the show. This was a good win for the resume of Swerve in Our Glory even if Woods and Nese haven’t really been established as a unit on TV for very long. It was a really fun match that was right up my alley and a solid introduction for Woods on AEW TV despite the loss. Sterling is comedy gold and Nese is…well…there. I’m excited to see what Battle of the Belts 3 has in store!
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