AEW Rampage Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from June 2
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Rampage lineup.AEW
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of AEW Rampage on June 2.
After weeks of shifting timeslots and days, Rampage was back in its usual spot on Friday at 10 PM EST. This week, management booked a huge show for us.
Four titles were on the line, and the wildest part is that they were all belts from other promotions. Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and AAA were all represented.
Among those matches, Willow Nightingale put her newly won NJPW Strong Women's Championship on the line against Emi Sakura.
Let's take a look at what went down during Friday's episode of Rampage.
Vikingo vs. Komander vs. Dralistico
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- This was the closest thing to a pure lucha libre match we have seen in AEW.
- In a match like this, Dralistico's springboard senton bomb barely stood out.
- Vikingo makes a front flip into a hurricanrana look easy.
- This match was giving flashbacks to some of the WCW cruiserweight matches we used to see in the 90s.
- There are too many awesome spots to list. You just need to see this to believe it.
Rampage opened with Dralistico, Komander and Vikingo in the ring and ready to go. As soon as the bell rang, we immediately saw some lucha libre action when all three men engaged in a sequence of counters and reversals.
Dralistico scored the first major takedown with a dive over the top rope that took out both opponents.
If somebody was trying to write a full play-by-play of this match, it might take longer to read than it would to watch the bout because they packed in so many wild maneuvers.
While a contest like this is full of highlights, it's also not going to be everybody's cup of tea. You have to suspend logic and disbelief to some degree, and that's just not something everyone can do in pro wrestling.
This match contained some of the best high-flying action you can possibly find, so if that is your jam, then this bout is going to make you very happy.
After a 12-minute sprint, VIkingo retained his AAA Mega Championship by pinning Dralistico.
Winner: Vikingo
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Action Andretti
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- The thing that makes ZSJ so good isn't that he knows a million holds. It's the little things he does during and between each hold that makes him so good. He fills in all of the empty space between moves.
- Andretti's twisting splash was a cool spot.
- The way Sabre stomped on Andretti's elbow looked brutal.
- The way Sabre almost won by choking Andretti out while he had him on his shoulders was awesome.
The NJPR TV title match.AEW
Action Andretti received one of his biggest opportunities to date when he stepped into the ring with Zack Sabre Jr. to fight for the NJPW TV Championship.
The first match was a battle between three high-flyers, but this bout was more of a clash of styles. Andretti also favored an aerial style, but ZSJ is widely known to be one of the best technicians in the world.
Sabre took control almost immediately and worked to ground his opponent, but whenever Andretti was able to create some space, he picked up the pace and took to the air.
Once Sabre began focusing almost all of his offense on his opponent's left arm, it was just a matter of time. Andretti rallied late in the match and got in some great offense, but ZSJ eventually put him away with a modified armbar.
This was a fun match that managed to follow another exciting performance by being a completely different type of fight. Even with a predictable winner, they managed to make it a fun ride from start to finish. This was easily the best singles bout Andretti has had yet.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura
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- Hearing Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman rapping to Willow's theme has become so common on ROH that it feels weird to hear her music and not hear one of them rapping.
- Sakura needs to bring back the Freddie Mercury look. It was always kind of funny when she would wear that jumpsuit and fake mustache.
- Willow is an underrated striker. Her chops always look and sound painful.
- Willow's pounce isn't always pretty, but it always looks convincing and that's what matters.
The NJPW Strong Women's Championship match.AEW
Willow Nightingale put her recently won NJPW Strong Women's Championship on the line this week against a true veteran of the business, Emi Sakura.
The challenger showed no fear and went right after the champion, but Willow was ready for her. She brought Sakura from corner to corner while delivering chops to the body.
Even though Willow has a significant size and power advantage, Sakura never really felt like an underdog. Her experience and style allowed her to be the aggressor more than once during this bout.
They got a decent amount of time, which is rare for the third match on Rampage. Whenever AEW books four bouts on Rampage, the third tends to be short or an outright squash. These women were given two full segments to work, so they had plenty of time to make this feel competitive.
Unlike the previous two contests, there was no aerial offense in this one. Both women favored a hard-hitting style, so we got more strikes and slam than anything else.
After an enjoyable back-and-forth fight, Willow retained her title with a massive powerbomb.
Winner: Willow Nightingale
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lee Moriarty
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- The pure rules system is such a fun departure from standard match rules. It doesn't feel overly complicated yet still makes a pure rules bout feel totally different from a regular match.
- BJ Whitmer, Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn served as the judges.
- Shibata's entrance music just hits differently. The simplicity of his presentation is part of his charm.
The ROH Pure Championship match.AEW
Katsuyori Shibata hasn't appeared much since winning the Pure Championship from Wheeler Yuta at Supercard of Honor, so it was great to see him show up on Rampage to defend the title against Lee Moriarty.
Shibata made Moriarty use his first of three rope breaks almost exactly a minute into the match, so Taigastyle started to show some more aggression as soon as he was back to his feet.
Even though Shibata had the edge in experience, both men using such similar styles and being so close in size made them feel like the most evenly matched opponents on the card.
On a night with four title matches, each performance managed to stand out for totally different reasons. The first match was a lucha libre spectacle, the second was a battle of aerial offense vs. technical ability, the third was two women trying to knock each other out, and this fourth match was a technical showcase.
Shibata made Moriarty use all three of his rope breaks, but he ended up winning with a pin instead of a submission. After it was over, Daniel Garcia came to have a standoff with the champion to end the show.
From an in-ring perspective. this was probably the best episode of Rampage we have seen in several months.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
