5 ways to make AEW Rampage must-see television
AEW Rampage is a weekly one-hour program that airs every Friday on TNT and is positioned as the company's secondary show behind Dynamite.
Since debuting on August 13, 2021, the show has played host to several huge moments, including Christian Cage winning the IMPACT World Championship and CM Punk returning to pro wrestling after a seven-year hiatus.
While Rampage was initially surrounded by hype, viewership took a harsh plummet the week after Punk’s debut. Since then, the ratings have gradually declined before leveling out at around half a million or so viewers per week. Unfortunately, the importance of the show seems to have declined as well.
Since Rampage is often pre-taped, most of the company's noteworthy events take place on its flagship Wednesday program. It doesn't help that the show airs at 10pm EST on Friday nights - a so-called "death slot" when more casual fans can't be bothered to tune in.
Rampage has now been around for nearly half a year, and besides a few outliers, it hasn’t quite been must-see TV for AEW fans. In this article, we'll explore five things AEW can do to ensure the show has some longevity going forward.
#5. Make AEW Rampage focus on straightforward matches with less filler
Thank you to everyone who watches Friday Night #AEWRampage! I know firsthand that there’s a lot of amazing competition on tv tonight, but I feel great knowing that Rampage will be one of our best 1 hour episodes of wrestling we’ve ever done!
@ 10pm ET/9pm CT on @TNTdrama TONIGHT! https://t.co/613EPppjXE
During the initial promotion for Rampage, former EVP Cody Rhodes said in a media call that the show will be focused on matches:
"One, I think you'll see that it's more centered around the match itself. Being that it's a one-hour program. I think you'll see a little bit more fight-forward focus."
The one-hour format does help streamline the program, but there are still too many filler segments between matches. AEW would be better served to focus on competitive bouts and save the squashes for its Youtube shows. There also shouldn't be long promo segments or meandering backstage interviews.
The pre-match vignette with Mark Henry and the main event competitors should be the only exception, as it has become a unique staple of the program. Other than that, keep the action in the ring and make Rampage an action-packed hour of television that showcases what AEW does best: high quality matches.
#4. Focus on up-and-coming stars such as Hook
Rampage could be a tremendous way to give underutilized or rising stars some much-needed screentime. A show that isn't dominated by the company's main players could be just what the doctor ordered. The AEW roster is especially stacked right now and not everyone will be able to appear on Dynamite.
The whole point of a secondary show should be to supplement the company's primary content and give deserving stars platform to get over or forge a connection with the audience.
So far, AEW has managed to achieve this to a certain extent with Hook. The son of ECW veteran Taz made his debut on Rampage and has impressed audiences with his grappling abilities and ice-cool persona. Wrestling exclusively on Fridays has helped make Rampage a weekly destination for Hook fans.
This formula worked incredibly well for WWE Smackdown in 2002 with the iconic SmackDown Six. Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Edge, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, and Chavo Guerrero became the centerpieces of the "B show," giving it a strong core to build around. This also created a lane for those wrestlers to develop into bigger stars.
Tony Khan should be looking to give some names a home where they can grow as performers as Rampage grows as a brand. This could be where the likes of Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page and The Gunn Club thrive and carve their niche in the company.
#3. Change up the look and presentation of AEW Rampage
Here's a chance to make Friday Night Rampage a distinct entity within AEW. At the height of the brand split between Raw and SmackDown in WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era, both shows felt unique and had their own separate identities.
Small tweaks such as different color themes, separate commentary teams, entrance stages, and rosters helped to distinguish the brands. While there is no need for a brand split in AEW, Rampage should feel like its own show and create its own appeal, separate from Dynamite.
While Excalibur does a commendable job as the lead commentator on both shows, he should stay on Dynamite with Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross. Taz can be the voice of Rampage while Chris Jericho and Ricky Starks remain as color commentators. Mark Henry as the backstage interviewer works for now as well.
It's also an interesting dynamic to have Starks commentate and wrestle on the show. As one of the promotion's rising stars, his presence should be strongly associated with the program like The Rock was with the blue brand.
Other minor changes that could be employed include filming from the opposite hard cam, employing unique camera cuts, changing the ring ropes to orange, and employing the lightning motif around the entrance and stage.
#2. Highlight the AEW Women's division
#AndStill!!! Your TBS Champion @Jade_Cargill!
#AEWRampage https://t.co/6arOWL9zRI
It would make even more sense for AEW to use Rampage to put a spotlight on its talented but underutilized women's division, especially now that they have two women's championships to contend with.
The lack of a concerted effort to highlight women's wrestling has arguably been the company's biggest weakness. It's an issue that has drastically improved with time, but more can be done to highlight its growing female roster. Giving the women more time and main event opportunities would be a big step towards fixing that.
During an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio in 2021, Kenny Omega expressed interest in seeing the division get its due on Fridays:
"The content I think we're lacking is in our women's division. I would love to see Rampage be a home to more women's wrestling, I want people to see and appreciate and enjoy the talent we have to offer. I hope we get to show some of these matches that perhaps aren't seen by those people."
The former AEW World Champion went on to express his hope that Rampage would offer more time to underutilized talent:
"We have a lot of great talent on Dark and people maybe don't want to watch our YouTube channel. Maybe they just want to watch Dynamite and want to see a television product. I get that. I think the extra hour with Rampage, rather than give them more Chris Jericho, more Kenny Omega, more MJF, and the guys you know you're going to see on Dynamite; I'd rather give them all of the extremely talented individuals that maybe you don't see that week." (H/T: Inside the Ropes)
Omega's proclamation did come true to a certain extent. Jade Cargill built up her winning streak on Rampage and has become a dominant TBS Champion. Britt Baker main-evented the first episode of Rampage when she defended the Women's Championship in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Tony Khan should make it a point to feature at least one women's match on Friday nights each week to help build some of its underutilized stars such as Ruby Soho, Kris Statlander, Anna Jay, Hikaru and Serena Deeb.
Current champions such as Cargill and Thunder Rosa should also appear regularly on the show and defend their titles in heavily-promoted main events. It would be a fantastic and impactful way to differentiate the program from Dynamite.
#1. Make the TNT Championship the main title on AEW Rampage
Speaking of title belts, AEW Rampage appears on TNT. So it would make sense to have the show revolve around its namesake championship. Past champions such as Cody Rhodes, Darby Allin and Miro have done a great job of making the title feel equal to the World Championship.
The best way to elevate the TNT Championship even further is to cement it as the top prize on Friday nights. Keep feuds and matches for the title exclusive on Rampage or pay-per-views. Now that Scorpio Sky has defeated Sammy Guevara to become a two-time champion, he should, in theory, be the top guy on the show.
After all, the mantle isn't meant to be merely a midcard prize. So why not allow the reigning flag-bearer to consistently headline the weekly show? This way, Dynamite can be used to highlight the World Title and Tag Team Championships while Rampage can revolve around the TNT Championship and Women's titles.