Best and Worst of AEW Rampage: Ex-WWE star suffers first singles loss since return; CM Punk's upcoming opponent destroys debuting star
Tonight's AEW Rampage turned out to be yet another ordinary episode featuring a blend of exciting and predictable matches. It is also one of the reasons behind the Friday night show's downfall in viewership.
But the audience seemed to have enjoyed every bit of it since it's easier to watch an hour-long edition of in-ring action. We'll now dive into the positive and negative takeaways from the show. If you disagree with the reviewer's opinion below, let us know in the comments section.
#3. Best: AEW star Adam Cole remains undefeated in singles competition
Adam Cole defeated Trent Beretta in one of the best opening matches in Rampage's short history. The two men pushed each other to their limits in an incredibly hard-hitting contest.
Cole snuck out a cheap victory after hitting a combination of a low blow and The Boom while the referee was distracted during an outside brawl between The Elite and Best Friends. It was evident that the former NXT Champion would emerge victorious, but the entire playout enthralled the audience.
With that said, Adam Cole handed Trent's first singles loss since his return while extending his winning streak to 8-0. The 32-year old star also secured his top position in the men's rankings.
Interestingly enough, Dave Meltzer noted that AEW is planning to book a potential match between Adam Cole and Hangman Page down the road. But before that, Cole has a big clash next week when he teams up with Dr. Britt Baker to take on Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander.
#2. Worst: Shawn Spears destroying Andrew Everett on AEW Rampage
Shawn Spears defeated Andrew Everett in a squash match tonight. Understandably, the company booked this bout to give the former WWE Superstar much-needed momentum ahead of his clash against CM Punk next week.
But Spears doesn't seem to be a believable opponent for Punk, considering his underutilized status over the past year. Handing him a squash victory against an underwhelming opponent wasn't a good idea to generate hype for his big match next week.
It is almost similar to what AEW star Wardlow did before facing Punk. The company could have avoided a similar booking pattern.
#1. Best/Worst: Jurassic Express retaining their tag team titles on AEW Rampage
The Jurassic Express defeated John Silver and Alex Reynolds of the Dark Order tonight to mark their first successful title defense. Both teams kept fans on the edge of their seats by laying their entire arsenal on display during the bout.
As exciting as the match was, a title change was totally out of the question. Moreover, it didn't seem like a good idea to pit two babyface teams against one another.
Several teams like The Acclaimed could have been a better option to make this tag team title match worthy of headlining the show.