AEW Rampage Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 17
Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of AEW Rampage on February 17.
This week's show featured two title matches. Not only did Jade Cargill defend the TBS Championship against VertVixen, but The Elite also put the Trios titles on the line against Top Flight and AR Fox.
We also saw Dustin Rhodes take on Swerve Strickland, and Ricky Starks battled The Jericho Appreciation Society's Daniel Garcia.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's show.
The Elite vs. Top Flight and AR Fox
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The opening bout was the Trios title match between The Elite and the team of AR Fox and Top Flight.
All six men were wearing shirts advertising NBA All-Star Weekend, with events airing immediately after Rampage was over. They also had some basketballs with them, so those were integrated into the match a couple of times.
This was a rematch from last week's Dynamite, so we already knew what kind of performance to expect from both teams. Since there was no first-time jitters, both teams took the opportunity to have some fun.
Trying to recap all of the action in a bout like this would be almost impossible. These are six guys who all work at a break-neck speed, so they packed a lot into the time they had. We saw a lot of teamwork on both sides, some high-flying spots and several creative counters.
Unfortunately, this match is not going to be for everybody. What it lacked in psychology and storytelling, it made up with exciting moves from both teams. After just over 10 minutes, The Elite scored the win when Omega pinned Fox.
Winners: The Elite
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Rampage usually starts with the competitors in the first bouts already in the ring to save time on entrances, but AEW paid good money for The Elite's entrance music, so it makes sense that these teams were given proper entrances.
- Fox had so many cool moments in this match that listing all of them would take way too long. Just go see this match. It's a lot of fun.
- The House of Black showing up for just a couple of seconds was good enough to make it clear that they were coming for the Trios titles. Sometimes, simple is better.
Daniel Garcia vs. Ricky Starks
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After we got a quick segment between Wheeler Yuta and Orange Cassidy to set up a future All-Atlantic Championship match, Garcia and Starks made their way to the ring for the next match.
After a bit of trash-talking, Mr. Absolute started unloading on Red Death. Starks had a bit of a size advantage, but for the most part, they were evenly matched.
It was kind of surprising to see this match in the middle of the show instead of being the main event or the opener, but they treated it like they were the most important bout on the card.
Both men were doing their best to make this feel personal and competitive. Action Andretti prevented Sammy Guevara from getting involved and chased him away from the ring as they fought.
The distraction allowed Starks to escape Garcia's submission and hit a huge spear before his own finishing move for the pin and the win. Guevara grabbed a mic and demanded a match with Andretti next week.
This was a quick but entertaining chapter in the ongoing feud between Starks and the JAS.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- It was a little surprising to see Garcia by himself, but it made sense for Starks to have a fair shot at winning after getting screwed over in his last match.
- Walking across the top rope while holding your opponent's arm for stability is one of those spots that looks cool but makes no sense. Why wouldn't Garcia just yank him down from the rope? The Undertaker made this spot famous, but it's not always easy to make it look logical.
- Garcia is never going to look right in those leather pants.
- Starks did a good job selling a leg injury, so his eventual win seemed hard-fought.
Jade Cargill vs. Vertvixen
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Cargill was looking to extend her undefeated streak to 53-0 when she battled VertVixen for the TBS Championship.
The match was over in less than two minutes and saw the champ retain her title. At this point, seeing her squash women this quickly has lost its charm. It's time to either test Cargill with some longer bouts or take the title off her and give it to someone else until she is ready to have more complicated matches.
Winner: Jade Cargill
Grade: D
Notable Moments and Observations
- Why does it feel like the TNT and TBS titles are almost exclusively defended on the opposite channels?
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Dustin Rhodes vs. Swerve Strickland
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Rhodes and Strickland talked some trash to each other backstage before heading to the ring for the main event. Swerve accused Rhodes of having something to do with why Trench was not there this week, but no explanation was given.
The man formerly known as Goldust was aggressive right out of the gate and immediately put Swerve on defense. He unloaded with rights and lefts until Strickland was able to turn the tables with a jab.
Once he had control, the former AEW tag champ began to show more malice. He hit a dropkick that sent Rhodes' head right into the barricade to bust him open.
This was the best match of the night, but only by a small margin. The best part about it was that it felt like they saved the shenanigans for the end and allowed both men to shine for the majority of the time they were given.
When it looked like The Natural was about to win, Parker Boudreaux pulled him out of the ring and threw him into the steps to cause a disqualification. Keith Lee made his return to save Rhodes from having his head crushed against a cinder block.
Winner: Dustin Rhodes by DQ
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- It's been a few weeks since we had one of the side-by-side interviews with Mark Henry before the main event. It was nice to see it return.
- The release German suplex Rhodes hit looked like he let it go just a split second too soon, but they still made it work.
- Rhodes wearing red face paint and gear made it hard to tell how much he was bleeding at first.
- Swerve hit a nice Code Red at one point. Rhodes sold it well.
- The way Swerve sold the Cross Rhodes was awesome.
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