AEW Rampage
June 28, 2024 (Taped June 20)
PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Results
- Orange Cassidy def. The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd)
- Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong def. The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean)
- El Phantasmo def. AR Fox (TNT Championship Ladder Match Qualifier
- Shingo Takagi def. Dalton Castle
- Queen Aminata def. Skye Blue
OC gears up for Forbidden Door with a two-on-one win
Orange Cassidy opened the show in a two-versus-one match, facing both members of The Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd). This was booked for Cassidy as he gears up for a bout against Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door.
The Outrunners were able to get some moves in early, but Cassidy predictably overcame the odds and took out the duo. After connecting with an Orange Punch on both members of The Outrunners, Cassidy earned a pinfall win. He’ll be back on Saturday night to face TMDK’s Robbie Eagles and Shane Haste.
NJPW’s Gabe Kidd teams with Roderick Strong
The Forbidden Door was opened a couple of days early for a few of the matches tonight, starting with a tag contest. NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd fought alongside Undisputed Kingdon’s Roderick Strong, taking on Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean of The Infantry.
The Infantry had some good momentum when the match returned from a commercial break, including a solid sequence of moves after Bravo was given a hot tag. But this run was inevitably stopped, as Strong and Kidd were able to counter moves by the duo. It should be noted: Despite being a makeshift team, Kidd and Strong showed a lot of chemistry as a team. After ending their momentum, Kidd scored a piledriver for a pinfall win.
El Phantasmo secures TNT ladder match spot
Fighting for a spot in AEW’s TNT Championship ladder match this weekend, El Phantasmo and AR Fox faced off.
The match worked at a quick pace from the start, with both wrestlers not being shy to get to the top rope. The styles of Phantasmo and Fox complimented each other greatly. Fox had a near fall early in the match, scoring a 450 Splash for a pin attempt.
After escaping a move from Fox, Phantasmo came off the second rope for a Canadian Destroyer. He then scored a thrust kick and a Styles Clash to win the bout, securing him a spot on Sunday night’s Forbidden Door ladder match. While he has had a rough patch of luck in NJPW – including losing his partnership with Hikuleo – Phantasmo now has a big opportunity this weekend in America.
Shingo Takagi, Queen Aminata scores a singles wins
In the third and final NJPW showcase of the night, Shingo Takagi took on Dalton Castle.
This match had a significant amount of time to it, allowing Takagi to run up against some resistance from Castle before getting into the home stretch. The expected finishing sequence eventually arrived, with Takagi putting together many of his signature moves before ending the match with a Made In Japan. Takagi now has three different AEW wins ahead of his match on Sunday against Bryan Danielson.
The evening came to an end with a singles match between Queen Aminata and Skye Blue. This was notably Aminata’s first AEW TV appearance since February, with recent bouts taking place in ROH and on the U.S. independent scene.
Blue took to the sky (no pun intended) early in the match, delivering with a crossbody off the top to outside the ring before a commercial break. After the break, the duo were exchanging strikes in the ring.
Aminata came running off the ropes for a kick which earned her a two-count. She scored another hard kick, bringing the fight to the ring apron. From that position, she scored a clean German Suplex.
While trying to recover, Blue sat up against the steel stairs. This allowed Aminata to come charging at her, but the move backfired. Blue evaded the move, causing Aminata to crash and burn into the staircase. Blue then landed a hard suplex off the stairs to the floor.
Back in the ring, Aminata was able to earn a reversal that scored her a win. After stopping a Code Blue, Aminata landed a headbutt that floored Blue and put an end to the match. Aminata embraced Blue afterward but then ate a superkick to the head. Sore loser Blue put in a dragon sleeper, but had to let go after Red Velvet came charging to the ring for the save.
