4/12/24 AEW Rampage Recap
The opening credits roll. Chris Jericho, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary from Charleston, West Virginia.
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Match #1 – Singles Match: Alex Reynolds (w/John Silver) vs. Orange Cassidy
Reynolds and Silver mock the Best Friends’ hug, and then Cassidy knocks Silver off the apron. Cassidy drops Reynolds with a spinning DDT, but Silver pulls Reynolds to the floor. Cassidy dives onto both of them through the ropes, and then delivers right hands to Reynolds. Cassidy throws Reynolds into the ring steps, and then delivers right hands to Silver. Cassidy throws Silver into the barricade, and then goes for the Orange Punch on Reynolds back in the ring. Reynolds ducks under and drops Cassidy with an elbow strike for a two count. Silver pulls Cassidy to the floor and delivers a brain buster behind the referee’s back. Reynolds gets Cassidy back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Cassidy kicks out. Reynolds delivers a right hand and a few back elbow strikes in the corner. Reynolds sends Cassidy into the opposite corner and goes for the cover, but Cassidy kicks out again.
Reynolds throws Cassidy to the outside, but gets him back to the apron. Cassidy delivers a few shots and gets a two count on a sunset flip. Reynolds comes back with another back elbow, and then delivers a neck-breaker in the ropes for a two count as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Reynolds kicks Cassidy in a face a few times, but Cassidy fires up and delivers an elbow strike. Cassidy sends Reynolds to the corner and stomps him on the mat. Cassidy drops Reynolds with a flying cross-body, and then sends Silver into the barricade with a dive through the ropes. Cassidy goes for a spinning DDT on Reynolds, but Reynolds rolls through and gets a two count. Reynolds delivers a knee strike and follows with a pile-driver for a two count. Reynolds charges, but Cassidy counters with a back elbow and a kick to the face. Cassidy goes up top, but Reynolds delivers a right hand and climbs as well. Cassidy fights back with body shots, and then drops Reynolds with a headbutt. Silver knocks Cassidy down on the turnbuckle, and then Reynolds follows with a kick to the face. Reynolds delivers an avalanche stunner and goes for the cover, but Cassidy kicks out at two.
Cassidy goes to the floor and Silver goes after him, but Cassidy drops him with Stundog Millionaire. Reynolds goes for a dive, but Cassidy moves and Reynolds takes out Silver. Cassidy drops Reynolds and Silver with Orange Punches on the outside, and then gets Reynolds back into the ring. Cassidy delivers another Orange Punch and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
-After the match, Renee Paquette interviews Cassidy. Renee asks Cassidy about what happened with Best Friends last week, but before he can answer Trent Beretta appears on the stage and walks to ringside. Chuck Taylor appears behind Cassidy, but gets in between Cassidy and Beretta as Beretta tries to get in the ring. Beretta backs away, and then Taylor leaves the ring without looking at Cassidy.
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Alex Marvez interviews Anna Jay backstage. Marvez asks Jay why her anger got the better of her on Dynamite on Wednesday. Jay says she is over everything going on that doesn’t involve wrestling. AZM walks up and talks about Toni Storm, and then she and Jay slap hands.
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Match #2 – AEW TBS Championship – Open House Rules Match: Julia Hart (c) vs. Leyla Hirsch
Hirsch’s chosen stipulation is that Brody King is banned from ringside.
They lock up and Hart backs Hirsch into the corner. Hirsch turns it around, but Hart trips her up and takes her down. They lock up again, and Hirsch goes behind to take Hart down. Hart rolls out of the ring and Hirsch charges, but Hart catches her with a forearm shot. Hart drives Hirsch’s throat into the bottom rope, and then applies a head scissors hold in the ropes. Hart clubs Hirsch in the back and follows with a few right hands in the corner. Hart follows with forearm shots, and then slams Hirsch into the turnbuckle. Hart stands on Hirsch’s chest, and then follows with more forearm shots in the corner. Hart sends Hirsch across and goes for a handspring elbow, but Hirsch catches her and slams her down. Hart rolls to the outside, but Hirsch takes her out with a dive and gets her back into the ring. Hart comes back with an up kick and gets an inside cradle for the three count.
Winner and still AEW TBS Champion: Julia Hart
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Don Callis is backstage with Kyle Fletcher and Powerhouse Hobbs. Callis says they will take on Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli tomorrow night on Collision. Callis says he doesn’t care if they win or lose, but he wants them to punish Danielson before his match with Will Ospreay at Dynasty. Callis says he wants Danielson in the dirt, and then the Callis Family will continue to roll on through 2024.
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Match #3 – Singles Match: Angelo Parker vs. Zak Knight (w/Harley Cameron and Saraya)
Parker attacks Knight during his entrance, but Saraya and Cameron get in between them. Knight slams Parker into the ring post and delivers a right hand. Knight delivers another right hand from the barricade and follows with more shots. Knight slams Parker’s head into the announcers’ table, and then delivers more shots. Knight bites Parker’s head and slams him into the timekeeper’s area. Knight gets into the ring, and Parker has been busted open. Parker gets into the ring, and the bell rings. Parker sends Knight into the corner and delivers a few shots. Knight turns it around with a chop and follows with more right hands. Knight grinds his finger’s into the wound on Parker’s head, and then delivers an uppercut. Knight slams Parker into the opposite corner as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Parker drops Knight with a bulldog. Parker follows with a flipping neck-breaker and delivers right hands to the back of Knight’s head. Parker drops Knight with a DDT and goes for the cover, but Cameron and Saraya get on the apron. The referee ejects both of them from ringside, and then Knight delivers a low-blow. Knight follows with a powerbomb and goes for the cover, but Parker kicks out. Knight delivers a headbutt and follows with a kick to the face. Knight tells Parker he will take good care of Ruby, and then Parker fires out with quick shots. Knight ducks one and drops Parker with a clothesline for a two count. Knight delivers a running elbow strike and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Zak Knight
-After the match, Cameron and Saraya come back to the ring to celebrate with Parker and mock Parker.
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Marvez is backstage with Kyle O’Reilly and Rocky Romero. O’Reilly says every time he and Romero share the ring, he gets better as a wrestler and would love to run it back. Romero says he faces Roderick Strong tomorrow night on Battle of the Belts and he plans on beating him, and then beating him again for the title later on. O’Reilly says he would face Romero after that then, and Romero agrees and walks away. Strong walks up with Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Wardlow. Strong says it sounds like O’Reilly thinks Romero can beat him, and sounds like he wants to be International Champion. O’Reilly says it would be cool to be the champion, and Strong says it would be great for O’Reilly to be the champion as long as it doesn’t involve him.
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The video package for tomorrow night’s tag team match featuring Danielson and Castagnoli versus Fletcher and Hobbs, as well as next Wednesday’s singles match between Castagnoli and Ospreay, airs.
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Match #4 – Singles Match: Jay White (w/Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) vs. Matt Sydal
Sydal backs White into the corner, but the Gunns distract him. White tries to come back with a few shots, but Sydal dodges and takes White down with a few quick kicks. White comes back with a few chops, but Sydal drops him with a hurricanrana. Sydal drops White with a standing leg-drop, and then connects with a corkscrew senton. Sydal sends White to the apron with a hurricanrana, and then follows with a dropkick. Sydal delivers a meteora from the apron and gets White back into the ring. White comes back and drops Sydal throat-first on the top rope. Sydal goes to the floor, but White delivers a chop and slams Sydal on the apron as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, White has Sydal in a rear chin-lock, but Sydal comes back with a knee strike. Sydal delivers a few quick kicks and drops him with a Question Mark Kick for a two count. Sydal goes up top, but White charges to cut him off. Sydal comes off the ropes and drops White with a DDT for a two count. Sydal goes for a side-headlock take down, but White blocks it. Sydal gets a roll-up for a two count, but White comes back with a uranage for a two count. White picks Sydal up, but Sydal counters with a back elbow. Sydal goes for a roundhouse kick, but White blocks and goes for Bladerunner. Sydal counters with a kick and goes up top, but White counters the meteora and delivers Bladerunner for the pin fall.
Winner: Jay White
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Announced for tomorrow night’s Collision:
-Trios Tag Team Match: Action Andretti, Dante Martin, and Matt Sydal vs. The House of Black
-Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kyle Fletcher and Powerhouse Hobbs
-AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Toni Storm vs. AZM
-Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lee Moriarty
Announced for tomorrow night’s Battle of the Belts X:
-FTW Championship Match: Hook (c) vs. Shane Taylor
-ROH Women’s World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Red Velvet
-AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero
