AEW Rampage - Best and Worst - Former WWE Champion's next opponent revealed; Sting's first singles bout teased for his one-year anniversary show?
AEW Rampage truly delivered tonight, as one would expect after the success of the recently concluded Full Gear pay-per-view.
If this week's Dynamite edition was anything to go by, the Friday night show also planted seeds for several feuds down the road. From an action-filled standpoint, the one-hour format never fails to impress. As many as three matches went down tonight. But management's bookings and storyline decisions felt underwhelming at times.
As part of our Sportskeeda Wrestling tradition, we'll get down to the positives and negatives from the show. If you disagree with any of the points mentioned below, do let us know in the comments section.
#3 Best: CM Punk to face QT Marshall in his native city of Chicago next week on AEW Dynamite
CM Punk has exclusively competed in singles competition and continues that trend this Wednesday against the Factory's QT Marshall.
CM Punk has a perfect 6-0 record since joining AEW.
#AEWRampage #AEWDynamite https://t.co/qEFwFVN7vn
Next week's AEW Dynamite Thanksgiving, which will emanate from Chicago, has gotten even bigger with the announcement of CM Punk's upcoming match. The Straight Edge Superstar will face QT Marshall, who issued the challenge in a backstage segment on Rampage tonight.
With stars like Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley on the shelf for the foreseeable future, a top-notch name like CM Punk will keep AEW on track if pushed more compellingly.
Though there isn't any history between Marshall and Punk, the prospect of seeing one of the most-hated heels against a red-hot babyface like CM Punk, especially in the latter's home turf, has sent fans into a frenzy.
With Punk most likely to win his upcoming bout, one could expect MJF to beat down the hometown hero, who humiliated him this past Wednesday. Though it could be a long shot, there are plenty of angles that can transpire from CM Punk vs. QT Marshall next week.
#2 Worst: Adam Cole once again leaving Bobby Fish to suffer on AEW Rampage
The @youngbucks and @AdamColePro held at bay by @Christian4Peeps and his steel chair...@theBobbyFish has no choice but to tap. What a big win for #JurassicExpress in a wild main event on #AEWRampage https://t.co/UFkbpwT477
When Bobby Fish reunited with his old friend Adam Cole a few weeks ago, fans were excited to see the two former Undisputed Era members kickstart a fruitful run together as part of The Elite.
Not only did the duo lose their first match back together against Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus tonight, but Cole, for the second time, left Fish to suffer an assault in the ring. It isn't the first time that something like this has happened.
AEW could have looked to book these men much better tonight by possibly giving them a win. Moreover, Bobby Fish continuously getting exposed by his friend suggests shoddy booking from management.
#1 Best/Worst: Sting possibly facing Billy Gun on Winter is Coming next month?
Sting vs Billy Gunn in 1996 would have been an awesome match. https://t.co/aAMyuhyf2H
One of the most surprising takeaways from this week's Rampage occurred during Darby Allin's match against Billy Gunn.
The latter brutalized Sting after suffering a loss against the former TNT Champion. With the company having announced next month's Winter is Coming special event, it looks like fans might get to see the two WWE Hall of Famers collide in a singles match.
Sting and Billy Gunn have a rich history together dating back to their time in the 1990s. It's worth recalling that Gunn was one of the reasons behind Sting's loss against Triple H at WrestleMania 31. The showdown between DX and the nWo during the match changed the outcome. All Elite Wrestling can dig into their history to nurture their upcoming storyline.
But for both men with a combined age of 120, possibly getting in the ring in a singles bout isn't the best idea. It could be a trainwreck of a match, quite similar to how Goldberg vs. The Undertaker ended. AEW can certainly choose a better opponent for Sting's first-anniversary show.