A look at the results from the March 29 episode of AEW Rampage.
The latest stop on AEW’s Canada tour takes Tony Khan’s crew to Quebec City for Rampage. With shows on the schedule already featuring a heavy north-of-the-border flavor, the March 29 episode will prove no different, with local favorite “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard in action. The part-time AEW commentator faces Roderick Strong in an AEW International Championship match to earn his first-ever AEW title bout.
While this isn’t AEW’s strongest Rampage card, it still has veterans such as Dustin Rhodes and The Butcher competing. Rising star Mariah May receives another opportunity to showcase her in-ring prowess, as well.
Let’s see what this hour of action has in store.
AEW Rampage results from Quebec City:
Dustin Rhodes def. The Butcher by pinfall
Jay White and Austin and Colten Gunn show up at Daddy Ass’ house for dinner, and while they search for him and The Acclaimed, they destroy the house; White says if The Acclaimed want the version of Jay White who dominated the pro wrestling world, it’s who they will receive; Daddy Ass arrives while his sons and White are there, however, chasing them away
Deonna Purrazzo def. Rose by submission; it was easily Purrazzo’s most aggressive performance since joining AEW
A video package teases Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty
Toni Storm joins Mariah May in the ring and says she can’t compete due to a hamstring injury, so May will take her place against Nikita
Mariah May def. Nikita by pinfall
Zak Knight says in an interview backstage that he’s in Angelo Parker’s head; Parker attacks Knight by surprise and makes Saraya’s brother flee; Ruby Soho kisses Parker but walks away after accusing him of going back on his word looking for a fight
A promo package from The Righteous teases their match with Lance Archer against Katsuyori Shibata and the BCC for the Saturday, Mar. 30 episode of Collision
Roderick Strong def. “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard by pinfall in an AEW International Championship Elimination match; Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta save Menard from a post-match attack at the hands of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett; The Young Bucks intervene at the end of the brawl, hitting low blows and EVP Triggers on Cassidy and Beretta to close the show
AEW absolute nailed it with the farewell match it put together for Sting.
Tony Khan, despite being a three-time Wrestling Observer Best Booker award winner, has had his share of misses during AEW’s five-year lifespan.
The story surrounding the reveal of the so-called “Devil,” while being hampered by Adam Cole’s injury, dragged out far too long for even the most diehard of AEW’s fans. The women’s division has received more prominence in recent weeks, but when the bar is in hell, it’s not exactly a difficult task to clear it.
When it comes to Sting, however, Khan and his team have done a masterful job, one that culminated in the legendary wrestler’s final match on Sunday at the Revolution pay-per-view.
Landing someone the stature of Sting is obviously a coup for any wrestling promotion, but the pressure to do right by this legendary figure also comes with that.
Khan never asked Sting to do more than what he was capable of and never had him steamroll through talent on his way to yet another world championship. Instead, Khan aligned Sting with Darby Allin in an effort to give the latter the proverbial rub from an icon.
Together, the two went undefeated in AEW competition. That includes Sunday night, when Sting and Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW World Tag Team titles.
Sting winning his final match is not typical wrestling tradition, where it is almost the soon-to-be-retired wrestler’s duty to lose their final match in an effort to pass the torch to someone else. AEW rightfully broke from that tradition and had Sting and Allin win the match, which allowed the former to go out on top as a champion.
In doing so, Khan orchestrated possibly the greatest send-off in wrestling history. For as great as Ric Flair’s “retirement” was in 2008, it came after a loss to Shawn Michaels. There’s also the issue of Flair actually wrestling again, but that’s a different conversation.
Sunday night felt different. It didn’t feel like the end of a storied career as much as it felt like the celebration of one. There are very few wrestlers from Sting’s generation that can say they have experienced the same. Most of them were unceremoniously booted out of the business for one reason or another.
But the fact that Sting is still around and is in good enough health to even have a match at his age (he turns 65 later this month) — and not completely embarrass himself and AEW in the process — deserves to be celebrated.
More than 16,000 people packed into the Greensboro Coliseum Sunday to see their face painted hero have one last hurrah, and Sting was allowed to go out in a blaze of glory.
No, his final match wasn’t a 60-minute draw like Clash of the Champions or a world title match like Starrcade ‘97. Instead, it was Sting giving it his all alongside very talented performers who put their bodies through pain and destruction all in the name of delivering one final banger in Sting’s career.
The long running streak of fans having issues with watching an AEW pay-per-view through Bleacher Report continued on Sunday night, with many viewers, myself included, expressing their frustration over the lack of functionality with the streaming platform.
The tradition of me having issues with Bleacher Report for an AEW PPV is still going strong tonight.
I personally missed almost all of the first two matches on the show, as I was dealing with a number of technical issues, including not being unable to put in my credit card information to purchase the show.
Once I was eventually able to do that, I still endured a litany of streaming issues. So despite paying full price, I was able to see about 80% of the show.
Simply put, that is unacceptable, and something seriously needs to be done about it.
For as much praise as I’m willing to give Khan and AEW for its presentation of Sting for the last three-plus years, I have an equal amount of ire for the company when it comes to the pay-per-views.
My complaints are not new or uncommon. It has become a bit of a running joke amongst wrestling fans on social media. Although everyone gets a good laugh out of it, it is a serious issue for AEW that could potentially cost the company paying customers.
Full disclosure, AEW was close to losing my money Sunday night until Bleacher Report finally got its act together during the tail end of the Continental Crown title match between Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson.
But I am only one person. Chances are there is someone out there who was more than willing to part ways with $49.99 (plus tax) to watch Revolution, but decided not to because of issues with Bleacher Report.
And because of that, Khan and company need to address this issue as soon as humanly possible. This is not a backburner issue. This is urgent, as one of the company’s top priorities is to make its content as accessible as possible. If people can’t even pay to watch it, what are we even doing here?
For all of the complaints people levy against Peacock, at least it actually works when you turn it on. With Bleacher Report, I may have to start logging in the day before to ensure I see the opening match.
A look at the confirmed matches for AEW Revolution 2024.
After running a monthly pay-per-view for most of 2023, AEW won’t host a marquee event until Sunday, Mar. 3, when Revolution takes over the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Sting’s retirement match will headline AEW’s first PPV of 2024. It has been advertised months in advance, allowing anticipation to build up for his final in-ring showing. Only recently, after their victory against Powerhouse Hobbs and Konosuke Takeshita on the Jan. 10 episode of Dynamite, Sting and Darby Allin were confronted by the Young Bucks from the stage.
The following week on Dynamite, the Jacksons teased what’s to come in an interview where they name-dropped Sting and referred to him as the “last of a dying breed.” When asked if they will face the Icon in his final match, they replied that they will “pull some strings” as Executive Vice Presidents. It finally was made official on the Feb. 14 episode of Dynamite as Allin accepted the EVPs’ challenge.
Another confirmed match arose when Roderick Strong challenged Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship. The Undisputed Kingdom, formed at Worlds End, said they were after all the gold in AEW, so this is step one, with Strong vying for his first title since joining the company in 2023.
To top it all off, Samoa Joe will defend the AEW World Championship against Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page in a Triple Threat match. While Strickland and Page competed in a No. 1 contenders match to determine the Samoan Submission Machine’s opponent at Revolution, their battle went to a time-limit draw. Tony Khan chimed in moments later to give both men a chance at the title instead of one.
Check out the full card below.
Latest update: March 2, 2024, 9:45 p.m. ET.
AEW Revolution 2024 card:
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland – AEW World Championship match
“Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo – AEW Women’s World Championship match
Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Roderick Strong – AEW International Championship match
Sting and Darby Allin (c) vs. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson – AEW World Tag Team Championship match
Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Bryan Danielson – AEW Continental Crown Championship match, plus if Danielson loses, he has to shake Kingston’s hand
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay
Christian Cage (c) vs. Daniel Garcia – AEW TNT Championship match
Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Lance Archer vs. Chris Jericho vs. Hook vs. Brian Cage vs. Magnus vs. Dante Martin – All-Star 8-Man Scramble for future AEW World Championship match
FTR vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley)
A look at how to watch the AEW Revolution 2024 pay-per-view.
AEW Revolution marks both the inaugural pay-per-view of 2024 following a torrid pace of marquee events in 2023, and the final bout concluding Sting‘s legendary professional wrestling career. The show takes place at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday, March 3.
This is indeed the last in-ring performance of Sting’s career, initially jeopardized by an injury during his WWE tenure. Spending three years in AEW, often teaming up with Darby Allin, he’ll provide fans one final run in the ring.
At Revolution, the Icon and Allin will unite for the last time, defending the AEW World Tag Team Championship against the Young Bucks. Sting could exit as the champion, despite retiring once this match ends. Of course, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson may go over and win the belts as well, so it’s a matter of how AEW decides to conclude Sting’s illustrious career.
Questions also remain about Ric Flair’s involvement. Having hinted at aligning with the Young Bucks, what role will he play?
Samoa Joe will defend the AEW World Championship against Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page. Initially set for a one-on-one, Strickland and Page’s No. 1 contenders match ended in a time-limit draw, leading Tony Khan to make it into a triple threat bout.
As usual, fans will have some options when it comes to catching the action live. Here’s everything you need to know to watch on Sunday, March 3.
How to watch AEW Revolution 2024
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
On traditional cable and satellite providers
On Bleacher Report via their website or the Bleacher Report app
In select movie theaters, Dave & Buster’s, Tom’s Watch Bar and other restaurants; click or tap here to find a location near you
A look at the results from the Feb. 9 episode of AEW Rampage.
While “We want Cody” may have been the headline in the pro wrestling news this week, AEW continues its in-ring action with Rampage, maintaining the momentum from one of the best episodes of Dynamite ever.
This episode doesn’t shy away from featuring big names. With the Undisputed Kingdom fighting the Best Friends, the new-look Matthew and Nicholas Jackson in action, and the rare AEW women’s main event, the show deviates from its typical “C” show status. Let’s dive straight into the action from Phoenix.
AEW Rampage results:
Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett (with Adam Cole in a wheelchair and Wardlow at ringside) def. Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero by pinfall; Strong hit Heartache on Romero through a handful of chairs after the match
A video package recaps Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page from Dynamite
The Young Bucks def. Mondo Rox and Robbie Lit by pinfall; Matthew and Nicholas Jackson enter the venue, still wearing their blood-soaked suits from Dynamite, to a new video and music that had “Succession” vibes
After the match, Matthew and Nicholas say they’re exhausted by everyone’s disrespect; Nicholas demands everyone call them by their full names; Matthew congratulates Darby Allin and Sting for winning the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but he says Allin and Sting “are a little banged up” after their win and hopes they’re OK; Matthew says their goal is to win the titles back and it begins with a match on Wednesday’s Dynamite
A video package hypes Orange Cassidy vs. Tomohiro Ishii for the AEW International Championship that will take place on Saturday’s episode of Collision
Mistico def. Matt Sydal by pinfall; Star Jr. taunts Matt Menard after the match
Brian Cage says he’s looking for HOOK after his chair attack; Prince Nana sympathizes with Cage after his own chair shot; Cage says he’ll defeat any two people tomorrow on Collision
Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander (with Stokley Hathaway) def. Saraya and Ruby Soho (With Harley Cameron) by pinfall; Saraya accidentally hits Soho during the match, and when Saraya attempts a tag, Soho leaves the apron and walks away; Skye Blue creepily stares down Nightingale and Statlander after the match and Julia Hart joins her moments later to close the show
During a media call earlier this week, Tony Khan revealed that the plans behind Sunday’s pay-per-view began back on Oct. 1 of last year, when he heard that legendary wrestler and founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling Antonio Inoki had passed away at the age of 79.
Khan told the media that he took a mental note of the date and immediately began the ideation process of putting on a tribute show with New Japan to honor Inoki. The result is WrestleDream.
The last time AEW did something with a distinct NJPW flavor was the dual-branded Forbidden Door event back in June, which produced some of the best wrestling matches of the year. With a title like WrestleDream, I’d imagine we’ll see more of the same Sunday night.
Here are my predictions for the event:
Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
What is a better way to headline a supposed dream card than with a dream match between two of the best technical wrestlers in the world?
When matches like this come around, fans usually cheer for both participants because they are so happy to see the match become a reality. However, I believe that can take away from a match.
Danielson and Sabre should have no such issue as it emanates merely two hours away from the former’s hometown of Aberdeen, Wash. With Seattle being Danielson’s surrogate hometown for the evening, I’d imagine most of the fans in the building will be rooting for the hometown hero, which should elevate the match.
When it comes to picking a winner, that’s where things become difficult. Danielson has openly discussed the end of his full-time in-ring career being in the near future, which could lead to him looking for someone to pass the torch to as this generation’s best technical wrestler.
Sabre would certainly fit that bill.
However, because this match takes place in Danielson’s neck of the woods, I believe he will walk away with the victory, sending the fans in Seattle home happy.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page
The segment between these two on this week’s edition of Dynamite was fantastic, and it added to my own personal excitement to see this encounter.
While that was fun, this is another match that is proving tough to predict. Why? Because both guys need the win.
Sure, Page has been to the top of the mountain before and has been heavily featured in the past, but he hasn’t been involved in a lot of eventful angles lately. A win here could re-energize his momentum and get him back to the top of the card.
However, Strickland has never been given a main event-caliber push, and it was only until recently that he was a consistent presence on the weekly television shows. And some of that credit should go to the hysterically funny Prince Nana.
Not to mention, it has been a while since Strickland picked up a big win. In my opinion, he’s due.
The match itself should be a classic.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open
Another match, another potential classic for the world tag team titles.
While Aussie Open is a great team, I don’t see a reason to take the titles away from FTR at this point.
Winners: FTR
AEW TNT Championship (2-out-of-3 Falls): Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin
I may not hit on all of my predictions, but if there is one that you can take directly to the bank, it is that Allin will take chances with his body during the match — and some of them will be unnecessary.
I can easily see Cage doing something that would damn near incapacitate Allin, only for it to be used as a means to have the latter come back from behind and win the match.
Winner: Darby Allin
AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Julia Hart
As excited as I am to see the TBS title get some shine on a pay-per-view, I am just as disappointed in the fact that Statlander versus Hart is the only women’s match on this card.
When AEW and New Japan link up, in my eyes, it is a showcase of the best professional wrestling the world has to offer outside of WWE. There are enough great women’s wrestlers out there to warrant putting more than one match on a card of this magnitude. But guess how many women’s matches were on Forbidden Door?
One.
There are enough wrestlers in AEW’s women’s division that would warrant more than one match. But guess how many were on All In, the supposed biggest wrestling show of all time?
One.
Guess how many women’s matches were on All Out?
One.
And no, I’m not counting the pre-show matches. I’m talking about the proper pay-per-view that people pay their hard-earned money to watch.
Somehow, there’s never enough time for more.
Both Statlander and Hart are great wrestlers, and I love seeing the latter’s maturation into someone who has main event potential, but there are more talented wrestlers in AEW’s women’s division. They deserve to be put on this stage as well.
As far as a winner, I’m going with Statlander. I do believe that Hart will have a star-making performance in defeat.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Ring of Honor World & NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
On paper, this sounds like it should be a banger, but with Kingston recently revealing that he is dealing with a lower back injury that forced him to step away from independent wrestling, I’m not sure what to expect.
Kingston also revealed that he recently signed a four-year extension with AEW. AEW making such a commitment tells me that the promotion is firmly behind Kingston as the ROH champ.
Winner: Eddie Kingston
Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship: MJF (c) vs. The Righteous
As I wrote in a previous column, it would make total sense to have MJF lose to The Righteous and move on from tag team competition since his partner is sidelined with a broken ankle.
Winners: The Righteous
Chris Jericho & The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. The Don Callis Family (Will Ospreay, Sammy Guevara, & Konosuke Takeshita)
After all of the trouble the Callis family has caused over the last few weeks, my instinct is usually to take the good guys in this situation.
However, I feel like Guevara needs a chance to redeem himself after losing to Jericho at Grand Slam. Sure, he gained some measure of revenge by getting some of his heat back on Jericho after the match.
But I feel like in order for him to get the maximum amount of revenge, he needs to beat Jericho. Maybe that will happen in a one-on-one match one day in the future, but I would make it happen here, and further elevate The Don Callis Family in the process.
Winners: The Don Callis Family
No. 1 contender’s match for AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros. vs. The Gunns vs. Orange Cassidy and Hook
Since three of the four teams have already been heavily featured in the past, I’m going to call for the upset and go with the odd couple pairing of Cassidy and Hook to come out on top.
Winners: Orange Cassidy and Hook
Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta
Yuta is cool and all, but if Starks doesn’t pick up the win here then we have some serious problems.
Here’s what happened on the Grand Slam edition of AEW Rampage on Friday, Sept. 22.
FLUSHING, N.Y. — They might have held their breath for a moment or two, but the talent and staff of AEW filled Arthur Ashe Stadium for over four hours of pro wrestling on Wednesday night.
AEW struggled to sell tickets in the weeks leading up to the show, possibly due to prices, having run this venue at the same time of year before or other circumstances, once making Grand Slam unlikely to be a base hit. Even with a strong card, fans were not buying in.
To combat this, last week, AEW began a special “buy one, get one free” ticket offer to jumpstart sales. That helped, but so did MJF’s rigorous promotional tour across seemingly every local New York morning show — a tactic scarcely used in this pro wrestling’s company young existence.
AEW found a way to make Grand Slam 2023 work and can learn lessons from it. But quality wrestling pushed the negative attention aside, between two hours of Dynamite and an extensive Rampage taping.
Both before and after the main show, AEW recorded matches for its Friday night series that featured numerous top stars, title bouts and promos that would normally happen on Dynamite or Collision. AEW always touts Grand Slam as its longest Rampage show, extending it to two hours instead of the usual 60 minutes. So once Dynamite ended, the action was hardly finished.
How did the action shape up? Let’s take a look at the results of what happens on the Sept. 22 Grand Slam episode of Rampage.
AEW Grand Slam Rampage results from Arthur Ashe Stadium:
Santana def. Bear Boulder. Ortiz stepped out on the stage after the match, but Santana barely acknowledged him. It seems their real-life animosity will translate to a storyline.
Orange Cassidy, Hook and Kris Statlander def. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker and Anna Jay. A fun match that included a triple suplex spot that popped the crowd.
Darby Allin and Sting def. Luchasaurus and Christian Cage by pinfall after Nick Wayne distracted Christian. The crowd chanted “Who’s your daddy?” after the match.
Don Callis (with Konosuke Takeshita) cut a promo about why he recruited Sammy Guevara to work with him. Guevara eventually joined him in the ring to explain his reasoning for turning on Chris Jericho and aligning with Callis. It was difficult to hear most of what Callis and Guevara said because of the crowd booing.
As Guevara explained himself, Jericho interrupted and started brawling with Guevara and Takeshita. Kenny Omega made the save to a great reaction, but when Jericho went to shake his hand, Omega did not reciprocate.
Hangman Page and The Young Bucks def. Toa Liona, Kaun and Brian Cage to win the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship by pinfall, which pleasantly surprised the crowd. Swerve Strickland, who was very over with the New York fans, walked onto the stage during the match to stare down Page and distract him.
Julia Hart def. Skye Blue by submission. Willow Nightingale made the save for Skye when Julia would not release her submission hold.
Tony Khan came out to a mixed reaction (it was his third appearance of the night) to tease Grand Slam one day becoming an AEW pay-per-view. That likely wasn’t for television.
The Righteous def. Best Friends, The Kingdom and The Hardys by pinfall to become the No. 1 contender for the ROH Tag Team Championship. It will be interesting to see how Adam Cole’s injury impacts the eventual match.
The Acclaimed def. The Dark Order by pinfall to retain the AEW Trios Championship. They invited the Impractical Jokers into the ring after the match for a scissor party.
AEW Rampage live notes:
Kudos to a crowd that had already been there for three hours for making as much noise as they did when Sammy Guevara and Don Callis cut promos.
Julia Hart’s live entrance has some pretty neat aesthetics that stand out amongst most of the roster.
A special edition “Better Than You Bay Bay” shirt in New York Mets colors and font was sold at the merch shops.
Check out all the matches confirmed for AEW All In London, one of the biggest events in pro wrestling history.
Even in the home stretch to AEW All In London, Tony Khan suggested additions and changes would be made. That proved to be the case during AEW Dynamite this week, when one popular match was added to the show at Wembley Stadium and several alterations were made as well.
Billy Gunn made his return to assist The Acclaimed against the House of Black, and revealed that he has one more match in him. He’ll join his “sons” to take on the House for the AEW World Trios Championship in London.
A vicious assault by Blackpool Combat Club put Rey Fenix in an ambulance, taking him off the All In card. But the real surprise was who helped the BCC: a returning Santana and Ortiz, who will join them at All In to make the Stadium Stampede match a five-on-five affair.
Last but not least, Swerve Strickland unceremoniously fired AR Fox from the Mogul Embassy, meaning he needed a new partner for the Coffin match — and found one in Christian Cage.
Adam Cole and MJF will headline All In with their bromance-turned-competitive match, as MJF defends his AEW World Championship. Before that, however, they will join forces on the Zero Hour pre-show to challenge Aussie Open for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. It will be intriguing to see how this impacts their singles match later in the evening, especially if it creates tension that hints at a heel turn.
In two other tag team matches at All In, FTR will defend the AEW World Tag Team Championship against the Young Bucks, and Darby Allin and Sting will face off against Swerve Strickland and AR Fox in a Coffin match.
We’ll update this post if/when more matches are made official. For now, here’s what has been revealed for Wembley Stadium this month.
Latest update: Aug. 26, 2023, 2:00 p.m. ET.
AEW All In 2023 card:
Aussie Open (c) vs. MJF and Adam Cole – ROH World Tag Team Championship match (Zero Hour pre-show)
Jack Perry (c) vs. Hook – FTW Championship match (Zero Hour pre-show)
MJF (c) vs. Adam Cole – AEW World Championship match
CM Punk (c) vs. Samoa Joe – “Real World Championship” match
Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Toni Storm vs. Saraya vs. TBD – AEW Women’s World Championship match
FTR (c) vs. The Young Bucks – AEW World Tag Team Championship match
House of Black (c) vs. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn – AEW World Trios Championship
Darby Allin and Sting vs. Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage – Coffin match
The Golden Elite (Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson and Jay White) and Konosuke Takeshita
Chris Jericho vs. Will Ospreay
Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo and Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta), Mike Santana and Ortiz – Stadium Stampede match
