Rampage recap and reactions: Muscles beat scissors

AEW Rampage (May 18, 2024) emanated from Moda Center in Portland, OR. The show featured Brian Cage clawing Anthony Bowens’ scissors, the return of Rush, armbars, and more.

AEW strut with a double-header of Collision and Rampage. This recap will cover the Rampage episode. For the Collision recap, click here.

Let’s jump right in with a recap followed by reactions.

Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, and Daddy Magic were on commentary. Bobby Cruise handled ring announcer duties.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Anthony Ogogo was ringside supporting Taiga Style. On the Border City Stretch from Moriarty, O’Reilly blocked by clasping his hands to execute an impressive suplex. The match escalated into a striking war. O’Reilly grabbed Moriarty for a hammerlock guillotine choke. Moriarty fired headbutts to break free, so O’Reilly switched to a triangle choke. Moriarty faded down. O’Reilly released to blast a knee strike and finished with an armbar. ARMBAR!

Kyle O’Reilly defeated Lee Moriarty.

Anthony Bowens is in the main event against Brian Cage. The Acclaimed wanted a tag team match, but nobody stepped up. Instead, they grabbed the first opportunity available. Bowens planned on taking The Machine to the junkyard.

Rush vs. Cody Chhun

El Toro Blanco made his return to squash with the Bull’s Horns dropkick in the corner to win. Rush wasn’t satisfied, so he continued the assault after the match.

Rush defeated Cody Chhun.

Bryan Danielson offered a medical update on FTR after the attack by Lance Archer and The Righteous to close Collision. They are feeling the pain. FTR won’t make it to Dynamite, however, Danielson will be there. He ordered the Elite to take their best shot. If they miss, they won’t like the consequences.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade

The Virtuosa focused on working for the armbar. Renegade put up a fight, but Purrazzo would not be denied. ARMBAR! After the match, Purrazzo rubbed it in with a double armbar. DOUBLE ARMBAR! Thunder Rosa made the save. As Thunder checked on Renegade, Purrazzo did a hit and run sneak attack. Thunder brought her rival back to the ring, but Purrazzo was able to escape to safety.

Deonna Purrazzo defeated Robyn Renegade.

Scorpio Sky has done things people dream about. He makes it look easy. A normal person would fail in his position. Scorpio is a star in the sky looking to lead the people higher. This was a backhanded motivational message.

Sonjay Dutt made a deal with the Young Bucks for some Elite blood money. Satnam Singh is coming to collect the price on Danielson’s head in a match on Dynamite.

Enough talk. It’s time for the main event.

Brian Cage vs. Anthony Bowens

Max Caster and Billy Gunn were present for the intro rap, but they departed for the match. Physical bout. Cage powerbombed Bowens into the ring post. Bowens rallied with a Fameasser. The Machine regained power on a deadlift suplex over the ropes back into the ring. Bowens rallied with fighting spirit, but the finish went down with shenanigans. Tussling for position resulted in cornering the referee. Cage delivered a mule kick as the official’s sight was blocked. The Machine crunched Bowens’ scissors with a Drill Claw to win.

Brian Cage defeated Anthony Bowens.

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Grade: B-

Very good opener and closer. The handful of promos tied a bow on the show.

Well, now we know that muscles beat scissors in Rock Paper Scissors. Brian Cage was a beast in the ring with impressive power against Anthony Bowens. The Scissor King held his own well for a competitive showing. Bowens relied on quickness to create opportunity. The Machine was too crafty in the end with that mule kick. This was the type of matchmaking that AEW needs more consistently. Generally, the majority of AEW matches have pretty obvious results. Heading into this match, I really didn’t know who would win. Cage needed the win to rebound after losing to Swerve Strickland on Dynamite, and Bowens had a case not to lose to build winning momentum for The Acclaimed. That feeling of uncertainty added extra interest in the outcome, as far as I’m concerned.

Kyle O’Reilly versus Lee Moriarty was a damn good match. This is one worth checking out. The sequences were very cool with skill and style. The finish was awesome. O’Reilly flowed with submissions, and Moriarty showed grit on defense.

Purrazzo was back to her armbar ways. The simplicity of the Virtuosa’s strategy is to be appreciated in its effectiveness. In Rush’s match, I was thinking that was a little too quick to soak in his return. When he beat up that poor jabrone afterward, I was thinking that’s the Rush we all wanted to see.

Share your thoughts about Rampage. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show?