Rampage 02-21 review 20/08/2021

 

Rampage 02-21 review 20/08/2021

United Center. Chicago, Illinois.

It’s Friday, you know what that means! Episode 2 of AEW Rampage, let’s get into it! 

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I kinda knew this moment was coming. I’d heard the rumours circulating online, that Chick Magnet Punk, the great Cookie Monster, Charles Montgomery Punk was returning to wrestling and coming to All Elite Wrestling. That’s what brought me back to watching wrestling again, wanting to get some what caught up before he arrived.

I, like many people my age and slightly older, are massive fans of CM Punk. He struck us at the right age, he was cool, he had the look, he was alternative, he told it like it was. He made us believe wrestling was real. I still remember Money in the Bank 2011, watching it in the early hours of the morning round a friends house. We couldn’t believe what we had seen captivated by this man and the stories he told. He’s been gone for seven years. And tonight he returns. 

The CM Punk chants begin from the very first moment of the show, as the raucous crowd are hyped and excited to see what they all know, but perhaps can’t quite believe, is coming.

They let the silence hang for a bit as the chants grow. The static sounds, the opening riff of Cult of Personality hits and the crowd are absolutely losing their minds. And so am I! Goosebumps come over me as I watch. The camera pans the the crowd they can’t believe they are there to witness this. Even as I read this back to edit my spelling, it sends shivers down my spine. 

“Look in my eyes what do you see…” I see CM Punk stepping out of the curtain. Somehow the noise from the crowd gets even louder as they see their hero. He’s here. More shivers and goosebumps make themselves known to me. 

The commentators haven’t said a word, as Punk kneels down to take in the adulation from the crowd. The CM Punk chants are deafening, and are in time with the beat of the music.

“Only you can set me free” sings Living Colour as Punk rises to his feet. AEW and their fans have set him free, as he bellows his customary “It’s clobbering time!” and begins to make his way down the ramp. “CM Punk has arrived in All Elite Wrestling” Excalibur finally exclaims, breaking the commentator silence. What a moment!

The production is incredible they are getting all the right angles to make this moment what it needs to be. You can see a great behind the scenes look at all of the production behind this entrance here.

Punk is really taking his time, savouring the moment, hugging fans, leaping in to the crowd to be part of the people. Fans are in tears in the arena, I’m nearly in tears sat at home. 

His music ends, as the chants continue. He makes his way round the ring hugging people, I assume friends and family. 

He takes a microphone as we go to commercial break.

“You guys really know how to make a kid feel like Britt Baker in Pittsburgh” the first words spoken on AEW by the legendary CM Punk, putting the current AEW women’s champion over. 

He says he didn’t plan what he was going to say, he’s winging this. Says that he needed to feel it.

“That’s what I heard for 7 years, I heard you” as the CM Punk chants ring out. 

“If at all though my journey any of my personal choices or decision relating to my life made you feel disappointed or let down, let me just say, I understand. If you all tried to understand I was never going to get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally staying in the same place that got me sick in the first place. “ 

Shots fired! And more shivers down my spine. 

He takes off his jacket to reveal the “I was there” CM Punk shirt, I heard there were massive queues for it in the arena, and the website crashed when people tried to get the non I was there branded ones! 

“Can I tell you a story?” he says as he sits down in the ring reminding us all of the famous pipe bomb promo. 

“August 13 2005 I left professional wrestling, August 20 2021, I’m back” referencing his leaving Ring of Honor, apparently completely ignoring this tenure with WWE.

He talks up the great young talent in the back. He wants to work with the talent that has the passion he once had, and because there’s a coupe scores to settle too. 

He calls out Darby Allin directly. The camera pans to the roof of the United Center and there he is in the rafters with Sting. 

“You’re tough…there’s nothing more dangerous you can do than wrestle CM Punk, except wrestling CM Punk in Chicago!”

“I will see you, and I’ll see Sting, and I’ll see all of you September 5th at All Out! Live on Pay Per View! I’m back!” 

“On your way out of the United Center tonight grab yourself a free ice cream bar on me.”

And he meant it too, the United Center was giving out free ice cream bars. 

What a man. What a moment. What a promo! 

I obviously can’t do justice to his promo, go give it a watch yourself.

People don’t normally rate promos, but when it’s CM Punk's return after 7 years you gotta right?

He’s still got it! 

5 stars. 

***

Christian and Jurassic Express promo. Christian does all the work, he talks about beating Kenny at the PPV, and tells Jurassic to go and beat Private Party as we go to commercial. 

***

AEW World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament Semifinal

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) w/ Marko Stunt def Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) w/ Matt Hardy

The Young Bucks come out and sit at the top of the ramp to watch the match. Lucha Bros and The Varsity Blondes, the other half of this tournament are sat at ring side as well to keep an eye on the competition. 

Jungle Boy starts with a quick pace against Isiah Kassidy. Mark Quen tags in but there’s an amazing sequence from Jungle Boy who, while on the top rope, hops over a swipe from Kassidy, before kicking him away and hitting a top rope leg press springboard arm drag! Fantastic stuff! 

Double team distraction work from Private Party in Picture in Picture as they take control. 

I’m not the biggest fan of Private Party, they are fine, but Express are clearly the better team here. Private Party hit poetry in motion on the outside into the guardrail, learning from their manager Matt Hardy. 

Private Party continue their control with chin locks and corner dominance, working down Jungle Boy. They go for poetry in motion again but Jungle Boy springs out the corner and hits a drop kick to create separation as he gets the tag to the big man. Luchasaurus is taking them to task. 

Jurassic try for the superplex off the back of Luchasaurus, but Private Part reverses it in to a massive Canadian destroyer to Jungle Boy off the shoulders of Luchasaurus, what a move! It popped me big time!  

Quen then hits a shooting star press to the outside. Jurassic then come back with a tombstone thrown up into a cutter but it’s only for a two. 

Matt Hardy throws Stunt off the apron, Jungle Boy comes to the rescue but is rolled up big time with feet on the ropes and a big handful of tights, but it is only two. 

Private Party go for Gin and Juice but Jungle Boy counters to a tornado DDT. They then hit the Jurassic Express, a back suplex from Luchasaurus in to a sit out powerbomb from Jungle Boy.

Solid match, nothing spectacular overall. Felt like Jurassic Express were doing most of the work here. But it wasn’t sloppy in any way. A few really nice high spots like the Canadian destroyer and the tornado DDT boost it up for me, and I love the Jurassic Express finish too. 

3 stars. 

***

Don Callis and Kenny Omega backstage promo calling out Christian Cage, “you’re gunna wish you never came back” as we go to commercial. 

***

We get a pretape promo package for the match. Jade says Hogan messed with the wrong bitch. 

Jade Cargill w/Mark Sterling def Kiera Hogan

Already in the ring treatment for Kiera Hogan tips you off to exactly who is gunna win this one.

Jade looks like a million bucks and I’m sure at some point she will be the complete package. She’s still very green though, very limited match experience, but she can learn and develop over time. She is promising though, I’m hopeful. 

Keira starts strong getting Jade in the corner but Jade hits a big boot before hitting a glam slam for the win. 

Very difficult to rate this match. It’s possible the entrance and video package were longer than the entire match. 

I’ll give it 1.5  stars, nothing wrong with it but far too short to be entertaining in any way. Jade looks cool though. 

***

Mark Henry hosts a chat between Moxley and Daniel Garcia and 2.0 ahead of their match. Garcia says he beat Matt Sydal, and Fuego Del Sol, but to be the biggest he’s got to beat Jon Moxley. 2.0 says Daniel Garcia will be giving them a taste.

Moxley is such a brilliant promo, “Daniel Garcia has a better chance of getting me pregnant than submitting me in the ring tonight.” Such an intense guy, such a unique cadence, he doesn’t speak like a wrestler, he really feels like a guy who would kick your head off. 

Jon Moxley w/ Eddie Kingston def Daniel Garcia w/ 2.0 (Jeff Parker and Matt Lee)

Through the crowd Moxley comes. He feels like such a big deal, so dangerous, so real. 

This is gunna have to be a super short match though looking at the time left on the video. Garcia is given the already in the ring treatment, bless him. 

They start quick off the bat. I’m sure Punk used up more time than he should’ve done. But no one should mind, that’s what everyone is tuning in for today.

Moxley is ripping into Garcia with big kicks and strikes. Garcia picks the leg in a cool way working on the injured knee of Mox. He works on it more with kicks and strikes and leg and ankle holds wearing Mox down. But it feels like a weird pace for a match you know had to be really short. 

Mox hits a beautiful pair of German suplexes, with great go behinds, but Garcia picks the ankle again for an ankle lock. 

A huge clothesline from Mox out the corner as they trade blows in the centre of the ring, before Mox takes control with headbutts and a fall away vertical suplex. 

Mox grabs a bulldog choke from the sharpshooter applied by Garcia for the quick tap and the win. 

2.0 and Garcia jump Moxley after the match, it ends up as 3 on 2 with Kingston, but Darby and Sting come down to clear shop and even the odds.

Sting hits a double Stinger splash in the corner on 2.0 then a scorpion death drop. Darby then hits a coffin stop on both members of 2.0.

Moxley’s music plays out as the show comes to a close.

A sound match, again nothing mind blowing, with a blown move here or there from Garcia but Moxley’s power brings back the legitimacy. a feel good moment at the end with Sting and Darby helps the match overall

2 stars. 

***

A solid show overall, obviously carried massively by the historic moment of CM Punk’s return. A big thumbs up from me.

Jurassic and Private Party was the match of the night but of course the moment of the night goes to Punk. See you next week.