While some people question the need for ROH when it is a sub-brand of AEW these days, here’s an even more pertinent question for tonight’s episode of AEW Rampage: Does there need to be a ROH Pure Championship?
We say yes. There’s something cool about a title having its own specific set of rules in a day and age when there are so many championships overall with very little to distinguish between them in many cases.
It’s even good when a heel has it, like Wheeler Yuta does right now, because we get to see how rulebreakers operate within the confine of, well, rules.
Just something to think about while we dive into this AEW Rampage.
AEW Rampage results:
- Mark Briscoe and The Hardys def. The Butcher, The Blade and Kip Sabian by pinfall
- Renee Paquette asks Sammy Guevara about his singles match against Ricky Starks, who he praises as a great talent but says he isn’t better than the best, while Chris Jericho promises to make Uncle Joe cry if Big Bill interferes
- Paquette speaks with Anna Jay ahead of her match against Hikaru Shida, and Anna says it’s time for this to be her year and that she needs to do this for herself; Harley Cameron stops by to say he wants to help everyone there, including Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang and Jake Hager, and she seems to say something suggestive to Coll Hand Ang
- Stokely Hathaway does the ring intros for the next match, not sus at all, especially since she praises Kris Statlander and disses Willow Nightingale
- Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale def. Kennedi Hardcastle and Notorious Mimi
- Private Party walks in on The Hardys’ convo with Paquette, which turns into something of a sarcastic show of respect
- Hikaru Shida def. Anna Jay by pinfall
- Sonjay Dutt gives a pep talk to Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, but there’s a bit of dissension in the room (also Karen Jarrett hilariously points out that she’s been there for a while and the team has no name); Dutt and Karen end up having to play peacemaker when tempers flare
- A Christian Cage highlight video (if you can call it that) is aired
- Wheeler Yuta def. Komander by pinfall to retain the ROH Pure Championship