It’s a three-episode stint for All Elite Wrestling in Chicago this week as they have AEW Rampage this week, taped at the Wintrust Arena. Home to the very first Revolution Pay-Per-View event, where Jon Moxley defeated Chris Jericho to become the second-ever AEW World Champion.
It also featured one of the greatest tag team matches ever, as Kenny Omega and Hangman Page defeated The Young Bucks in an instant classic to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships. It was also the breakout performance of Orange Cassidy as he engaged in his first high-profile match against PAC. The level of performance the two had, set the tone for what to expect from the future first and second AEW All-Atlantic Champions, now known as the AEW International Championship.
#AEWRampage is THIS FRIDAY at 10pm ET/9pm CT on @tntdrama!
• #CHAOS v #UnitedEmpire & @swerveconfident
• @annajay___ v @skyebyee
• #TheAcclaimed in action!
• #JungleBoy @boy_myth_legend v #NJPW’s @doukiperros
• Hear from @adamcolepro
• @the_mjf‘s first time on Rampage! pic.twitter.com/CZVmHpAMYD— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 22, 2023
Two Years In The Making
After nearly two years of AEW Rampage being on the air, the current AEW World Champion, MJF, will make his very first appearance on the show. On AEW Dynamite this week, Adam Cole confronted the World Champion and goaded him into accepting Hiroshi Tanahashi’s challenge for Forbidden Door, if he was going to deny him a rematch after their time limit draws two weeks ago on Dynamite.
While MJF accepted, an unexpected wrinkle was added by, of all people, the one guy both Adam Cole and MJF hate equally: Tony Schiavone. Who stood up and revealed that Adam Cole and MJF were drafted as a tag team for the upcoming Blind Eliminator Tournament for a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Now it seems MJF will address both this revelation and the match he has now accepted with the “Once In A Century” legend himself, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The Owen Hart Cup Begins
The participants have been announced. The brackets have been revealed and the stage is set. The second annual Owen Hart FoundationCup Tournament is set to begin tonight on Rampage with the women’s wing of the tournament.
First up, it’s Anna Jay A.S. of the Jericho Appreciation Society taking on a girl who’s been on an absolute roll of momentum in just a mere week: Skye Blue. The popular Chicago native first started making a hell of a splash in AEW starting with Rampage two weeks ago where she won a Four-Way Match to challenge Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Her appearance on Hey EW on YouTube the day after, she revealed she was kicked out of church…… For lighting another kid on fire. Seriously. As the absolutely bizarre anecdote made the news rounds. Further exposing her. After failing to defeat Toni Storm, she then proceeded to team up with Willow Nightingale to defeat The Outcasts in the debut of AEW Collision and front of her hometown for a massive reaction. Add to that a rather…… viral image, and suddenly, Skye Blue is one of AEW’s if not the most popular female on the roster. Can she convert that into victory in the Owen Hart Cup? Let’s see.
Just One Guy
:Jungle Boy” Jack Perry has an amazing opportunity awaiting at Forbidden Door. As he is set to challenge SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. However, what led SANADA to FINALLY capture said title, was him leaving Los Ingobernables De Japón to join Just Four Guys. Turning the group into……… Just Five Guys.
Before Jack Perry can face the leader, he’ll take on another member. That being DOUKI. The International Wrestling Revolution Group graduate from Naucalpan, Mexico, and Ultimo Dragon student and former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Jack Perry needs this win to prove worthy of challenging for one of the most prestigious titles in all of wrestling.
Atomicos Action
Like a good old-fashioned New Japan preliminary, we get a 4 on 4 stables match on Rampage before Forbidden Door as members of CHAOS take on the United Empire with a little extra hand. Representing the long-standing faction founded by Shinsuke Nakamura in 2009 are YOH, Rocky Romero, Chuck Taylor, and Trent Beretta. While Swerve Strickland, one day before facing off with Hiroshi Tanahashi on Collision, teams with United Empire members Kyle Fletcher, Jeff Cobb, and leader Will Ospreay.
All that, plus The Acclaimed in action, Adam Cole also set to appear and more tonight on AEW Rampage.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
