AEW Rampage (August 23, 2024) came from the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The show featured Hikaru Shida with a killer promo, Mina Shirakawa in action, a brawl in Texas, and more.

Let’s start right away with a summary, followed by reactions.

Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness provided commentary. Arkady Aura acted as ring announcer.

Conglomeration defeated Brian Cage, Johnny TV and The Beast Mortos. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly and Tomohiro Ishii huddled together in the ring, while Roderick Strong was close to tears as he commented that his friend was still hanging out with Dat Boy. Taya Valkyrie interrupted the babyface flow a few times, but couldn’t prevent the outcome. O’Reilly hit Johnny with an armbar and won. Strong was happy with his buddy’s success.

Roderick Strong defeated Fuego del Sol. Son of Fuego’s father, Fuego 2, was on the rise, but Strong stopped him with a brutal backbreaker on the turnbuckles. Strong finished the match with a backbreaker in the ring. Kyle O’Reilly provided commentary for the match. Afterwards, Kyle and Roddy crossed paths on the stage. Strong shook his hand, but O’Reilly walked away.

Mina Shirakawa defeated Robyn Renegade. Mina was bold, so Robyn responded boldly. Robyn was in control on the home stretch, but her confidence was her undoing. Robyn shouted that her opponent was finished. Lifting for a finisher, Mina countered and rolled into a figure four for the win.

Hikaru Shida was not happy about Kamille’s interference, which prevented her from winning the TBS Championship. The injustice was overshadowed by the hype surrounding Everything included. Shida vowed to become champion again. She will not fade into the background. Shida pondered if it is time for her to show what it really means to be the ace of the division. Killer promo with strong aggressiveness.

Gates of Agony defeated Iron Savages. Big guys beat meat. Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona were too strong. Their dominance ended with a teamwork slam that Kaun used to pin Bronson.

Hype video for the Top Flight crew and Lio Rush taking over the trio department.

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

Von Erichs defeated The Outrunners. Dustin Rhodes joined his championship teammates at ringside. Ross and Marshall took care of an Iron Claw victory. Kingdom and Cage of Agony then attacked the ROH Trio Champions. Sammy Guevara led the Conglomeration to the rescue.

Grade: C-

If you’re not a fan of specific wrestlers in action, you can safely skip this episode. It was just a bunch of random matches. Hit the fast forward button. Be sure to watch Hikaru Shida’s promo and you’ll be good to go.

I’d love to offer reaction notes, but there wasn’t much to say about this episode. It felt like the definition of a throwaway show. The wrestlers worked hard regardless. A few quick thoughts. The opener was the best of the bunch with the typical trio madness. All the tough encounters were fun. I’d like to see Fuego del Sol get another chance to develop, possibly in ROH. He’s a pretty good promo character and it looks like he’s been working in the gym to strengthen his physique. Mina Shirakawa is always a bundle of charismatic energy. Hikaru Shida demands attention with her passion. I’m all in to see what happens next with her character. The Texas Brawl at the end of the show was gentle.

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