Will #ThatBitch stay undefeated?

Still undefeated and still AEW TBS Champion, Jade Cargill is looking to go 30-0! But will Marina Shafir prove to be a problem for the champion?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Owen Hart Memorial Men’s Tournament Qualifier: Adam Cole VS Tomohiro Ishii; Cole wins and advances to the tournament.
• Lance Archer w/ Jake the Snake Roberts VS Serpentico; Archer wins.
• Eddie Kingston VS Daniel Garcia; Kingston wins.
• AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill w/ Mark Sterling VS Marina Shafir; Cargill wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Owen Hart Memorial Men’s Tournament Qualifier: Adam Cole VS Tomohiro Ishii w/ Rocky Romero & Orange Cassidy!

The Panama City Playboy already promised a member of the Undisputed Elite will win this entire tournament, but it’ll help the odds if more members get in. Will the next entry into this inaugural tournament be Adam Cole BAYBAY? Or will the Stone Pitbull sink his teeth in on behalf of Chaos and NJPW?

The bell rings, the two tie up, and Cole headlocks. Ishii powers out, Cole rams shoulders but Ishii stays up. Cole runs and rams him again but Ishii still stays up. Ishii swings on Cole but he dodges to kick low, runs, but Ishii runs him over! Fans fire up and Cole bails out, and Ishii dares Cole to get back in. Cole gets in, circles with Ishii and then he kicks Ishii low. Cole throws forearms, kicks more, then throws more forearms. Cole stomps Ishii in a corner, the ref counts and Cole lets off so Pittsburgh can join in on an “ADAM COLE, BAYBAY!” But then Cole turns around and Ishii CHOPS him down!

Ishii follows Cole to ropes. Ishii whips Cole, Cole holds ropes and then bails out again. But Ishii pursues this time! Ishii ROCKS Cole, follows him around the way, and CHOPS him again. Cole goes around the way again, Ishii CHOPS him against the post! Ishii runs in again but Cole dodges, Ishii lariats the post! Cole refreshes the ring count to bring Ishii around and RAM him into railing. Cole puts Ishii in the ring, rains down rights on Ishii, then lets off to soak up cheers and jeers. Cole sits Ishii up to JAM a knee in his back and warp on a chinlock! Ishii endures and fans rally up. Ishii fights up but Cole cranks the hold!

Fans rally and duel, Ishii fights up and he throws body shots. Cole knees low, turns Ishii and hits a NECKBREAKER! Cole shakes out his arm, kicks at Ishii, but Ishii throws body shots and headbutts! Cole ROCKS Ishii with a forearm, then taunts him. “My world!” He SLAPS Ishii and Ishii gets to a corner. Cole talks more trash, pie faces Ishii, slaps him again, but Ishii just gets mad. Cole SLAPS him again, then fires forearms! Ishii doesn’t budge! Ishii leans into the forearms and he backs Cole down! Ishii then DECKS Cole with one shot! Fans fire up and Ishii brings Cole up to whip corner to corner. Cole reverses and ROCKS Ishii!

Cole runs, into a POWERSLAM! Fans fire up and Cassidy slowly rallies the fans. Ishii brings Cole up, reels him in, but Cole headlocks to block the suplex. Cole rains down elbows, but Ishii SAIDOS! Cover, TWO! Ishii gets up, he brings Cole up, reels him in, but Cole fights the powerbomb! Cole fireman’s carries but Ishii elbows free. Ishii waistlocks, Cole elbows but Ishii ducks and runs, then dodges a superkick! But Cole fireman’s carries and USHIGOROSHI! Cole gets back up, Rampage goes picture in picture as he runs to SHINING WIZARD! Cover, TWO! Ishii survives and Cole grows frustrated.

Cole gets to ropes and stands up. Cole shakes out the bad arm, then he drags Ishii up, only for Ishii to break free! But Cole ROCKS him first! Then BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives and Cole is furious! Cole gets to a corner, he hops up and takes aim, but Ishii ROCKS Cole first! Ishii climbs up after Cole but Cole hits back with forearms! Ishii RISING HEADBUTTS! Cole is stuck up top but Ishii falls to the floor! Rampage returns to single picture as Ishii rises up again. Ishii goes after Cole, for a STALLING SUPERPLEX! Cover, TWO! Cole survives now but Ishii stays cool. He sits Cole up, runs, but Cole ducks the sliding lariat!

Cole mule kicks then SUPERKICKS! Cole brings down the kneepad, sits Ishii up, and takes aim. Cole runs, but Ishii ducks the Boom! Ishii runs to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Cole survives and Ishii growls in frustration. Ishii says he’ll finish this and he brings Cole up. Suplex, but Cole knees free! Cole wrenches and BOOTS! But Ishii stays up to spin Cole, only for Cole to suplex! GHOSTBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives and fans say “This is Awesome!” Cole goes back to a corner, climbs up again, and he jumps, but Ishii gets under! Cole SUPERKICKS but Ishii roars! Ishii ROCKS Cole, Cole ROCKS Ishii, but Ishii HEADBUTTS Cole!

Cole ENZIGURIS! But then Ishii ENZIGURIS back! Both men are down and fans are fired up again! The standing count climbs, Ishii rolls away to a corner at 5 of 10. Cole manages to get himself up at 7, and Ishii also stands. Ishii roars, runs, but Cole boots the lariat away! Ishii blocks the superkick and HEADBUTTS! Cole SUPERKICKS after all! But Ishii LARIATS Cole down! Ishii fires up and the fans are with him! But then Jay White appears! And he RAMS Rocky into steel steps! Cassidy runs the Switchblade off but the ref and Ishii noticed what happened. The ref is busy checking on Rocky, Cole LOW BLOWS Ishii!

Cole runs, for the BOOM!! Cover, Cole wins!

Winner: Adam Cole, by pinfall (advances to the Owen Hart Men’s Tournament)

White applauds as Cole is now the third seed in the Owen Hart Cup! Will the Undisputed Elite and Bullet Club make sure that this is still THEIR era?

Security stops the Jericho Appreciation Society at the door.

Eddie Kingston said it himself on Dynamite, his match with Daniel Garcia is only going to involve himself and Garcia. That means Jake Hager, Matthew Menard, Angelo Parker and Chris Jericho himself aren’t even allowed inside the arena! Jericho says that isn’t real. Management knows who really runs this company. Management knows Jericho IS Rampage. Jericho is so over in Pittsburgh, the people can’t wait. Jericho makes more money in one night than this security guard does in a year. So just shut up and let them pass, ya dig? NOPE. Because more guards storm up!

The JAS gets riled up but Garcia says it’s fine, he’s already beat Kingston twice, he’ll just do it again. He’s a sports entertainer, he knows what to do. Jericho says he believes in Garcia. Garcia can go and kick that trash Kingston’s ass! Garcia tells the guards to move, and the rest of JAS says they’ll leave. But only because they want to. Hager could tear all these guys apart with a finger! And Jericho will file an HR complaint on their asses! The JAS play by the rules for now, but will they stick by this the whole night?

Lexi Nair interviews Hook again.

A big win on Dynamite for the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil, but Danhausen… Wait, Danhausen’s just made a mess of the hallway with potato chips! “Oh, is this how you like your powerful chips, huh?” Danhausen wants his match! Hook grabs Danhausen and shoves him up against a wall! “You wanted my attention? You got it now.” Hook speaks!! But will Danhausen regret pushing Hook this far?

Lance Archer w/ Jake the Snake Roberts VS Serpentico!

The Murderhawk Monster is the newest mercenary enlisted by MJF to fight Wardlow in his stead, but it isn’t even about money. Archer wants to tear up the War Pig, will he just use this serpent as an appetizer?

Archer storms down the ramp, and Serpentico DIVES! But Archer easily swats him away. Serpentico still thinks he staggered Archer, only to turn around into a HAYMAKER! And an APRON CHOKE SLAM! Archer gets in the ring, Shawn Spears is on commentary to say he’s worth every penny The Pinnacle spent. The bell rings and Archer hauls Serpentico up to suplex and TOSS Serpentico! Fans fire up, Archer runs in to CLOBBER Serpentico in the corner! Then Archer hoists Serpentico up, inverted crucifix, BLACKOUT BOMB!! Cover, Archer wins!

Winner: Lance Archer, by pinfall

Spears says that was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen! But Archer isn’t even done! He drags Serpentico back up for a CHOKE SLAM! And then he mocks the conducting of the orchestra, to CHOKE SLAM Serpentico again. If Wardlow has the Powerbomb Symphony, Archer is composing a Choke Slam Sonata! Oh, wait, he stops because he knows the fans wanted more. Archer is leaving the rest of this for Dynamite, who will have the better score between these two behemoths?

Tony Nese and Mark Sterling speak.

Smart Mark calls his newest client, “The hottest free agent signing in the history of AEW. You are looking at a premier athlete. You are looking at THE Premier Athlete!” Their goal is simple: take Nese to the top! Nese is undefeated, and still will be. Sterling just lines them up for Nese to knock OUT. Will Nese continue that streak and follow in the footsteps of Sterling’s other clients?

Eddie Kingston VS Daniel Garcia!

The Mad King promised on Dynamite that everything he does to the Garcia here on Rampage is an example of what he’ll do to Jericho. But will Kingston send a direct enough message to The Influencer? Or will Red Death take Kingston out once and for all?

The bell rings and the two circle. Kingston starts throwing palm strikes but Garcia guards. Garcia ends up cornered, he gets along the ropes but Kingston CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Garcia hurries away again, fans fire up and Kingston fires off more shots! Kingston sweeps a leg to then CHOP Garcia while he’s sitting down! Kingston goes corner to corner to BOOT WASH! Kingston gives shoutout to Otani, then he goes out to get Garcia with another CHOP! Kingston stands Garcia up to CHOP again, then he fist bumps some fans. Fans fire up, Kingston gets Garcia up to whip into steel steps!

Garcia writhes and crawls but Kingston just slams Garcia back against the steps! The fans fire up but Garcia YANKS Kingston into the steps! Kingston clutches his ribs and gets in the ring, but Garcia gets in to stomp away! Garcia circles like a shark then he KNEES Kingston in the side. Fans boo, Garcia drags Kingston around to KNEE him in the side again! And then he KNEES the other side! Cover, ONE! Garcia KICKS Kingston in the back, but Kingston gets up to CHOP! Kingston snapmares and KICKS Garcia right back! Garcia rams a shoulder into Kingston’s gut and then he wrenches an arm. Fans rally for Kingston as he endures the hammerlock.

Garcia KNEES Kingston in the side again, then wags his finger at fans cheering Kingston. But Kingston gives back palm strikes! Garcia BOOTS Kingston, but Kingston eggs him on! So Garcia fires off more boots and forearms! Kingston still eggs Garcia on, then he gets up to CHOP! Garcia kicks back, EuroUppers, but Kingston staggers to a corner. Garcia fires off forearms, climbs up, and he rains down rights! Garcia stops at five to BITE Kingston! The ref counts, Garcia stops at 4, but Kingston BITES him back, and on the ear! Garcia CLUBS away on Kingston and the ref is counting again. Kingston stops but Garcia kicks low!

The ref reprimands, Garcia brings up the ear, but the ref points out Garcia bit first. Kingston CHOPS from below, but Garcia BOOTS him down. Garcia DECKS Kingston and Kingston goes out of the ring. Garcia pursues to POST Kingston! Kingston slumps down the post, Garcia KICKS him in the back, and Rampage goes picture in picture.

Garcia whips Kingston into railing, and Kingston slumps down again. Garcia drags him up, bumps him off the apron, but Kingston CHOPS back! And CHOPS again! Garcia kicks low, puts Kingston on the apron and stomps away on him! The ref counts, Garcia kicks Kingston into the ring, then roars at the fans. Garcia gets back in the ring, pushes Kingston to center, and drops a SENTON! Cover, TWO! Garcia mockingly applauds, then he gets Kingston’s wrists. Kingston grabs Garcia’s face! The ref reprimands the claw, but Kingston stands up. Garcia hits a GUTBUSTER! Garcia runs and KNEES Kingston to ropes!

Garcia catches his breath while Kingston drags himself up the ropes. Kingston CHOPS and HEADBUTTS Garcia! Garcia stomps Kingston back down! Garcia whips but Kingston blocks, to then whip Garcia and knee him against ropes! Kingston whips, Garcia reverses to knee Kingston in return! Cover, TWO! Garcia grows frustrated but he sits Kingston up to chinlock. Kingston endures as Garcia twists him around, and Rampage goes to break.

Rampage returns and Garcia CHOPS Kingston! Even Garcia has to shake his hand out from that. Kingston CHOPS back, and Garcia sputters. Garcia CHOPS back and Kingston has to back away to a corner! Fans fire up and Kingston comes back to CHOP again! Garcia kicks low, fires off uppercuts, then runs, into a knee! Kingston reels Garcia in, but Garcia fights the clinch with elbow after elbow! Then he gets a COBRA TWIST! Kingston endures, even as Garcia CLUBS his ribs! Kingston slips out and wants to put Garcia in the twist, but Garcia slips around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Kingston flounders, Garcia covers, TWO!

Fans rally up but Garcia grows frustrated. “This is Awesome!” as Kingston drags himself to ropes. Garcia stomps a mudhole into Kingston, stands on him and stomps away! The ref counts, fans boo, and Garcia stops at 4. Garcia goes to the far corner as Kingston drags himself up. Garcia runs in but into a BOOT! And then an elbow! Kingston goes up to FLYING KNEE! Fans fire up as the straps are down and Kingston brings Garcia up! But Garcia trips Kingston and has both legs! BOSTON CRAB! Kingston endures, crawls forward, reaches, but Garcia turns him over to get a SHARPSHOOTER! Kingston lurches forward to the ROPEBREAK!

Garcia keeps the hold, the ref counts, but Garcia forces the ref to pull the hold apart! Garcia stands Kingston up, wrenches, but Kingston SLAPS Garcia! And SLAPS again! Garcia reels Kingston into another GUTBUSTER! Garcia wants the legs again but Kingston pokes him in the eye! Kingston gets up, ENZIGURI! Then EXPLODER! Cover, TWO!! Garcia survives but Kingston keeps his focus! Fans fire up and Kingston gets back up. Kingston drags Garcia up, but Garcia gets a leg! Kingston steps over, slips around, SAIDO!! And URAKEN!! Cover, Kingston wins!!

Winner: Eddie Kingston, by pinfall

The Mad King overcomes Red Death, but he makes sure to get a mic. He also takes off his belt and threatens to lash Garcia, only to drop the belt. “Look at the camera. Chris, I’m saving this whipping for you. This was just a message. Send it to your boss!” How will Jericho respond to this promise from Kingston?

Tony Schiavone interviews Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland.

Their match in New Orleans with Team Taz was incredible, and the Limitless One says, “I heard we were ‘so entertaining,’ Tony. But the reality is, Taz, a person that I’ve looked up to, I studied, he tarnished this battle when he got involved. And now him, his team, I want to annihilate them all. And I swear to…” Swerve has Keith calm down, and lets everyone know his man, Keith, is a little perturbed. There’s one of those big words Keith taught him. But anyway, “Calvin & Hobbs” went into battle in New Orleans. Real cute. But they’ll pay it back in blood. Team Taz won a battle, but the war is far from over.

Ricky Starks responds on commentary.

“The war? Are you kidding me? The war? Brother man, you broke ass Kenan & Kel. Let me tell you something about war. You don’t want smoke with Team Taz, because we finish the job each and every single time. Me and Hobbs, we got a check with your name written on it, and we plan to cash out, baby.” The Absolute has put Keith & Swerve on notice, but when and where will this war come to an end?

Tony Schiavone interviews Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker.

All three have qualified for the Owen Hart Memorial Women’s Tournament, and one of them could go all the way to win the cup. Britt says no, one of them will definitely go all the way, and that one is on Tony’s right side. AKA not Storm. Storm tells Britt to shut it. Other than being AEW Women’s World Champion, what has Britt even done? Has she even left Pittsburgh? Does Britt not know who Toni Storm is? What she’s done? Anything?! Apparently not. Hayter, see you in the first round. And Britt, maybe Storm sees you later. If she makes it that far. Britt and Hayter mutter about Storm, but will the Lightning From Down Under strike them both down?

FTR speaks.

In a shocker, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will face each other in an Owen Hart Men’s Tournament qualifier! Dax promises that this will be physical. Cash says FTR wanted to do this, because that is how much this means to them. They both know this will get heated, but they both want to pay respects to a man who gave everything to this business. It is something Cash never thought he’d be able to do. Dax and Cash are brothers in arms, but they both want to win this for their families and themselves. Who will fight that much harder to go on into the tournament?

Mark Henry interviews tonight’s main eventers.

He says that after tonight, Jade could be an undefeated 30-0. In the past weeks, she’s given very little consideration to her opponents, but doesn’t she feel that Marina deserves that tonight? Jade laughs and asks, “Who?” Sterling, handle this. Sterling is glad to. Originally, he was concerned about Marina’s blackbelt and MMA background, and then he thought, “I have a black belt, too. I bought it for $30 on Amazon.” Sterling says Jade is the hardest working professional wrestler on Earth. She takes every single match seriously. But what they really want to talk about is the celebration they’re going to have for number 30! Balloons will rain from the ceiling, and the plan is in place!

Marina speaks up now. “Plans, Mark? Problems don’t care about plans, Mark.” Jade says, “Problem? Problem? I’M the Problem in this division! You’re gonna have to solve me out, Merana or whatever your name is.” Well then, there’s been enough talk. It’s time for the main event! Will #ThatBitch solve this problem? Or will the streak and the reign all come to an end tonight?

AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill w/ Mark Sterling VS Marina Shafir!

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see the difference between 30-0 and 29-1 right before our eyes!

Shafir gets right in Jade’s face, and Jade says okay, free shot! Shafir squares up, but then Jade dodges that shot! Jade flexes, but Shafir KICKS her leg! Jade felt that and the two circle. Shaifr KICKS, gets around, and jumps on for a SLEEPER! Jade stays up, throws Shafir off, but Shafir is right up! Jade blocks the kick to trip Shafir! Jade eggs Shafir on, and Shafir runs at her, but  into a scoop! Jade carries Shafir around with ease to FALL AWAY SLAM! And kip up! Shafir staggers up and Jade runs in, to clothesline Shafir up and out! Jade taunts Shafir and then she goes out to RAM Shafir into railings, right in front of the Baddies Section!

Speaking of which, Red Velvet, Kiera Hogan and the other baddies start throwing popcorn at Shafir! Jade stands Shafir up, and she lets Velvet get her shots in! Ref Aubrey misses this as Sterling is distracting her! The baddies get away with it all and Jade CHOPS Shafir down. Kiera and Velvet copy the Young Bucks, kissing Jade on either side. But then Shafir puts Jade in the ring! Shafir gets in, Jade stomps her down! Jade kicks Shafir around, talks some trash, and starts to dribble. Jade DUNKS on Shafir! Then wrenches to a BIG back suplex! High stack, TWO! Jade gives Shafir some ground ‘n’ pound, and then flexes.

But Shafir throws Jade down! Shafir gets a leg, kicks it, but Jade kicks back. Shafir cartwheels through that to then KICK a leg out! Shafir clamps on with a GROVIT! Jade endures, throws body shots, then picks Shafir up! But Shafir body scissors! Jade powers through that and swings for a POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO!! Jade is frustrated and Rampage goes picture in picture.

Jade drags Shafir up by her hair, then bumps her off buckles. Jade then clinches to TOSS Shafir across the way! Jade grins, does push-ups, then runs in, into a KNEE! Jade kicks back, CLUBS Shafir then snapmares, to hook her up in a grounded cobra twist! Jade flexes then digs her knuckles into ribs. Jade CLUBS Shafir, digs knuckles in again, then drags Shafir up to whip to ropes. Jade CLOBBERS Shafir with an elbow, then stomps her down. Jade sits Shafir back up and clamps onto an arm. Jade gets the other arm and it’s back to the cobra twist. Shafir endures, even as Jade digs her knuckles right into ribs.

Shafir fights up but Jade clinches and whips again. Jade KNEES Shafir down now, but Shafir still gets up. Jade throws her down, covers, TWO! Jade is frustrated again that Shafir is still in this. Jade drags Shafir up, reels her in, and snap suplexes! Una Amiga as Jade gets up to snap suplex again! Jade then kips up, only needing Dos. Jade is mocking Shafir, talking trash, and pacing around. Shafir crawls, gets up, but Jade just stomps her again. Rampage returns to single picture as Jade hooks an arm. Shafir endures another stretch, and more knuckles in her side, to throw Jade down! And KICK her, too!

Shafir gets a leg, CLUBS away on the knee, and then trips Jade for a standing HEEL HOOK! Jade endures, kicks with the free leg  but Shafir traps that leg for the KNEEBAR! Jade endures, crawls, drags herself and Shafir around, ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Shafir lets go at 4. Jade drags herself to a corner, but Shafir goes out and gets that leg to SLAM it into the post! Sterling is upset but Shafir stalks Jade to KICK the leg out! Shafir stares Sterling down as he creeps closer. Sterling wants mercy but gets a SAYANAGI instead! The baddies fan Jade off but Shafir KICKS the leg again! Shafir refreshes the count before going back for more.

The baddies yell at Shafir but she tells them to shove it! But then Jade BOOTS Shafir down! Jade gets cocky now and she talks trash while she drags Shafir back up. Jade RAMS Shafir into apron, then again as she puts her in the ring. Jade then yanks Shafir back out, refreshing the count. Jade brings Shafir over, CHOKE SLAM through the table! Jade then drags Shafir from the wreckage, fireman’s carries and tosses her inside. Jade gets some more praise from her baddies before going into the ring. Jade looms over Shafir, cocky cover, TWO, and into the HEEL HOOK! Jade endures, scrambles, tries to fight free, but Shafir has her!

Jade kicks with her free leg, but Shafir shouts, “SOLVE ME, BITCH! SOLVE ME!!” Then Shafir YANKS the leg!! Jade kicks and kicks, and kicks and kicks and kicks! Shafir finally lets go but Sterling is still worried. Jade chicken wings, JADED!! Cover, Jade wins!

Winner: Jade Cargill, by pinfall (still AEW TBS Champion)

The Problem was tough, but Jade found a way to solve her! She’s still champion, still undefeated, and still #ThatBitch. Will anyone ever stop her?

My Thoughts:

A great episode for Rampage, but I’m a little surprised they advertised these interview segments. They were all expertly delivered, but they didn’t really do much to hype things up. We know Hayter VS Storm is coming and that Britt is cocky enough to think Toni is below them. Nese and Sterling just gave us a generic “Hype up the wrestler”  one but it was decent. And it was basically a given we were getting more out of Team Taz VS Swerve & Keith, so I don’t know if this needed to be done interview style. Why not in one of those cool vignette style interviews? They did that for FTR to hype up Cash VS Dax. That’s definitely going to be a show stealer, by the way. I feel like Dax takes it, though, he’s had more singles matches in AEW.

We got a much better set-up promo out of Danhausen and Hook. Danhausen pisses Hook off by destroying perfectly good classic flavor potato chips, and Hook finally speaks! Okay, maybe this was a bit of a waste given how much they built it up, but it does work that Hook only speaks when he’s angry. Hook VS Danhausen can’t really wait for Double or Nothing, I would love to have that as soon as next week’s Rampage. Great opening match out of Cole VS Ishii, but I should’ve known that Ishii was only going to lose because Cole cheats. It also establishes the bond between Undisputed Elite and Bullet Club is strong, so I can’t wait to see what breaks it.

Kingston VS Garcia was brutal and badass and awesome. Good promo from JAS to remind us of the ban put on anyone being anywhere near that match. Kingston winning makes all the sense, and him wanting to use his belt in the beating, I wonder if that means Leather Strap Match for Kingston and Jericho. Great squash match from Archer to Serpentico, though I’m curious as to where Luther was in all this. And Jade’s 30th match definitely felt how I expected this all to go. Having the baddies be an element was fine, they didn’t really cost Shafir.

But the flow of this match made it seem like Shafir should’ve won, and then AEW said, “No, Jade still needs to win.” Not the most satisfying finish there, but whatever. Jade’s definitely improved on this long win streak, she’ll be able to make that first loss a powerful moment.

My Score: 8.6/10