AEW Rampage New Year’s Smash Results
December 30, 2022
1STBank Center in Broomfield, CO
Results by: Jerome Wilen of Wrestleview.com
The show opens with an in memory to Don West before the official introduction. Excalibur, Paul Wight, Tony Schiavone and Kip Sabian.
All-Atlantic Championship Match: Orange Cassidy defends against Trent Beretta
Both men shake hands. Both men exchange arm drags. Cassidy has Trent in a headlock. Cassidy shoves Cassidy after a shoulder tackle. Both men attempt to take each other down with arm drags. Cassidy takes a spill to the outside. Chuck Taylor extends his hand to help Cassidy back in the ring. Cassidy then sends Trent to the outside. Trent picks up Cassidy and drops him to the floor as Cassidy lands hard. Cassidy enters the ring and then takes out Trent and Chuck Taylor on the outside. Trent pushes Cassidy into the guardrail. Trent attempts to hit Cassidy with a spear, but Cassidy moves out of the way and Trent smashes into the guardrail. Cassidy then follows up with a running dropkick as we go to a break.
-COMMERCIAL BREAK-
Back from break, both men are back in the ring. Trent nails Cassidy with a huge chop to the chest. Cassidy starts tapping Trent and winds up and nails Trent with a big chop and both men then exchange elbow strikes to the face. Cassidy then hits Trent with a big superkick as Trent has adrenaline flowing and hits Cassidy with big lariat. Cassidy comes back and drives down Trent and covers him – 1 -2 – NO! Trent kicks out! Cassidy attempts a beach break, but Trent counters and rolls Cassidy who counters with another roll as the ref counts – 1 – 2 – NO! Trent kicks out. Cassidy then drops Trent with a DDT. Cassidy then nails Trent with a diving DDT from the tope rope. Cassidy covers Trent as the ref counts, but Trent kicks out at two! Cassidy attempts an Orange Punch but its intercepted by Trent, but Cassidy is dropped with a twisting tombstone by Trent, who then covers Cassidy, but only gets a two count. The fans begin to chant this is awesome! Trent comes back with a piledriver and covers Cassidy for only a two count! Penelope Ford comes out and is up on the apron. She distracts Trent who is hit with a beach break, Cassidy covers him but only gets a two count. Cassidy then comes back with an Orange Punch on Trent and covers Trent for win to retain the title.
WINNER AND STILL AEW ALL-ATLANTIC CHAMPION: ORANGE CASSIDY
Post Match: Best Friends walk off as they tease possible dissension with Best Friends. Kip Sabian then heads to the ring with a smirk on his face.
Jerome’s thoughts: This was a fun match with all the near falls. The crowd was really engaged by this match.
We go to a backstage interview with Darby Allin talking about his time as TNT Champion. Sting tells Darby he will have to dig down deep inside and stop worrying about what everyone thinks, what his dad thinks and what Seattle thinks. Sting tells Darby to shut his mouth and just do it – win his title back.
Kip Sabain hits a big cannonball on Atiba? The name was not clear. Sabian climbs to the top rope and hits the jobber with a huge foot drop. Sabian has Orange Cassidy’s elbow pad as he hits his opponent with an Orange Punch for the win.
WINNER BY PINFALL: KIP SABIAN
Jerome’s thoughts: Looks like this match was done to begin a storyline with Kip, Penelope Ford, Cassidy and Best Friends.
We go to a backstage interview with Vance who wants to be known by Perro Peligroso going forward. He asks Lexy Nair that he was forced to do some stupid hand gesture and wear a stupid mask. He said he doesn’t have any remorse. He closed by saying that If he had realized all he needed to do to become a big star would be to insult a child (-1), he would have done that s— three years ago.
-COMMERCIAL BREAK-
Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Jon Moxley, who grabs the mic from Tony. Moxley says it has been a hell of a few years. Moxley says that two men stood above all the rest – Moxley and Hangman Page. Moxley said a showdown would come one day and there is only one top guy and one last man standing and it is Moxley. Moxley said he hit page so hard Page. Moxley said he went home and slept like a baby and that the BCC works harder and hits harder and the BCC doesn’t care about the safety of the athletes. Moxley said he has been hurt for ten years and tells Page see what he can do about the doctors and he will be waiting for him at the KIA Forum on January 11. He said this is a tough business and this is the major leagues. He then called Page a B—-.
We go to a backstage segment with Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt. Lethal said they are sick ofThe Acclaimed stupid songs. Jarrett says that he has more ring time than shower time for Max Caster as he has been in the business for 37 years. Jarrett said he is coming after The Acclaimed and he and Lethal will take the tag titles in Seattle.
Jerome’s thoughts: Great mic work from Dutt, Lethal and yes event Jarrett. Lethal showed great passionate anger as he walked off.
AEW TBS Champion Championship Match: Jade Cargill defends against Kiera Hogan
The bell rings and here we go. Both women lock up and Jade breaks the hold and trash talks Hogan. Jade picks up Hogan and suplexes her, but Hogan reverses it. Jade picks ups Hogan and slams her down with a huge choke slam as the fans cheer Jade. Hogan rolls to the outside as Jade goes after Hogan.
-COMMERCIAL BREAK-
Back from the break, Hogan is on the top rope. Hogan leaps down, but is caught by Jade who then drops Hogan. Hogan comes back and is nailed with a pump kick. Hogan rolls to the outside. The Baddies are holding Hogan on the outside. Red Velvet blocks Jade from hitting Hogan. Hogan rolls back in the ring and Jade follows, then nails Hogan with a thrust kick to the face. Hogan comes back and hits Jade with a bulldog. Hogan then kicks Jade twice to the face! Hogan then nails Jade with a sliding dropkick. Hogan goes to the top rope and comes down on Jade with a huge cross body. Hogan covers Jade for the pin, but NO! Jade kicks out. Jade comes back and hits Hogan with the Jaded and pins Hogan to retain the title.
WINNER AND STILL TBS CHAMPION: JADE GARGILL
Jerome’s thought’s: Good match. The fans were behind Jade for most of the match, but then got behind Hogan. It looks like the Baddies are probably done.
-COMMERCIAL BREAK-
Back from the break we go to Smart Mark Sterling, Tony Nese and Josh Woods. They said they talked to Tony Khan with an official match with Nese vs. Danielson in Seattle.
We go to the main event interview with Mark Henry as BCC and Swerve Strickland trash talk each other. Strickland says he got rid of Lee and sees that BCC is slim on their members. Yuta then says he doesn’t need the biggest tattoo rejects and can take the fight on himself.
Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta
The bell rings and here we go as the fans chant Yuta! Both men lock up with a lot of hand fighting going on. Both men then lock up again and Yuta gets Swerve in an armbar, but Swerve takes down Yuta to break the hold. Swerve had Yuta in a single leg crab, but Yuta breaks it and picks up Swerve for a slam. Yuta covers Swerve, but only gets a one count. Swerve went for a suplex, but Yuta counters with a single leg crab and has Swerve in a bow and arrow stretch. Yuta attempts to cover Swerve who kicks out at two. Swerve gets up and is met with a dropkick as Swerve rolls to the outside. Yuta, who is distracted by The Mogul Affiliates on the outside then goes to the apron and is hit to the face by a kick as he falls to the floor.
-COMMERCIAL BREAK-
Back from the break, Yuta picks up Swerve and drops with a back body drop, followed by another one. Yuta covers Swerve, but he kicks out at two! Yuta drops a huge elbow on Swerve from the top rope and covers him but Swerve kicks out at two! Swerve picks up Yuta and drops him with a big brain buster and then covers Yuta – 1 -2 NO! Yuta kicks out! Swerve hits Yuta with strikes to the chest. Swerve picks up Yuta as both men exchange pins attempts. Yuta picks up Swerve and drops him down and covers Swerve – 1 – 2 – NO! Swerve kicks out as the fans chant Yuta’s name. Yuta went after Swerve, but his knee gave out as Swerve hit Yuta’s knee with a drop kick. Swerve is on the top rope as Yuta climbs up and grabs Swerve and drops him with a big superplex as both men are down. Yuta then hits Swerve with elbows to the mouth. Swerve then nails Yuta with a huge kick and covers Yuta for only a two count. The ref then gets distracted by The Mogul Affiliates on the outside who low-blows Yuta and then follows up with a JML Driver on Yuta and gets the win. The Mogul Affiliates and Swerve celebrate in the ring as the show goes off the air with Excalibur says we will see everyone on Wednesday with the new era of Dynamite in Seattle on Wednesday.
Jerome’s thoughts: Overall this was not a bad show. All the matches but the squash match were good. Tony Khan did a good job on this episode to build up and the debut in Seattle with Dynamite and the new era. Tonight’s show had good storytelling for not only next week, but on January 11 in Los Angeles.