“A friend in need is a pest,” the late, great Bobby Heenan was fond of saying. Loner Eddie Kingston probably sees things the same way but even he must have been thrilled that Chris Jericho saved him from what could have been a disastrous beatdown on Rampage.
After 2.0 and Daniel Garcia wouldn’t let poor Eddie finish his cake and then threw coffee in his face on Dynamite, you knew someone was going to pay the price. You never, ever get between a man and his piece of pie or cake. You just don’t do it.
Kingston, who really is the heart of AEW, made Garcia wrestle his match. It was a bout that was more of a back alley fist fight at times than a wrestling match between the ropes.
The only question I have is why is 2.0 allowed to be at ringside when Garcia wrestles but earlier in the evening Kris Statlander and Chuck Taylor had to split the scene when Orange Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta took on Adam Cole and Bobby Fish? As my good friend and lifelong Slammer Chris Gramlich likes to say…”Wrestling. Logic. Never the two shall meet.” They certainly don’t in this case.
Eddie begins the match by greeting Garcia with his fists. Garcia gets clobbered in a corner and choked over the ropes. Garcia bails to the floor. Eddie saunters over to a corner and takes a breather waiting for Garcia to return to the ring. Garcia tries to bring the fight to Eddie with a haymaker. Eddie launches into rapid fire punches driving Garcia back into a corner where some machine gun chops light up Garcia’s chest. Garcia swings at Kingston. Eddie just bites Garcia’s head.
Kingston unloads on Garcia. Courtesy: AEW.
Eddie’s knee is giving him some trouble after an attack by Garcia. Garcia whips Eddie across the ring. Eddie staggers, stumbles and falls to one knee. Eddie battles back with an exploder suplex on Garcia. Garcia counters with a knee bar stretching and damaging that weakened knee. A heel hook a few minutes later has Kingston reaching for the safety of the ropes again.
Garcia and Eddie get into a slugfest. Garcia starts making growling at the moon or something like David Naughton in American Werewolf in London for some bizarre reason. He looked like a real goof. A Saito Suplex and a spinning backfist pins Garcia. 2.0 swarms Eddie immediately punching and stomping his injured knee and shoulder.
Sitting at the announce desk, Chris Jericho does his best Popeye. That’s all he can stands and he can’t stands no more. He rushes down to the ring chasing off 2.0 and Garcia. Before they split the scene, Jericho kicks the crap out of Parker knocking him out of the ring. Kingston gets to his feet both grateful and a tad confused by Jericho interjecting himself and pulling his hide out of the fire.
To celebrate what could the beginning of a beautiful friendship, here are The Rolling Stones.
A smile relieves a heart that grieves.
AEW Rampage November 26, 2021 Results
Orange Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta versus Adam Cole and Bobby Fish
Adam Cole reminds Orange Cassidy he is in a wrestling ring not a comedy club. Courtesy: AEW.
Orange Cassidy is up to his usual goofy, stupid crappola dragging Cole and Fish down into his clown show nonsense and that’s the real shame when it comes to Cassidy. Brilliant wrestlers are forced to dumb themselves down into the walking, talking comedy routine that is Cassidy. Cassidy goes to put his hands in his pockets but Cole won’t let him, blocking him in various ways during various moves. Yuta displays some fantastic agility here. Polished up, he could really be something in the future but dude needs a personality. Jericho says Fish is like that miserable guy sitting at the end of the bar that nobody wants to talk to because he would probably punch you right in the mouth. Yuta ends up fighting off both Cole and Fish with an impressive double missile drop kick from the second rope. Cole crotches Yuta on the top rope while on the floor. He throws Cassidy into the ring steps twice. Fish’s crazy Avalanche Falcon Arrow from top rope on Yuta scores the pin for the Undisputed…I mean Fish and Cole.
Winners: Adam Cole and Bobby Fish
Rating: 7 / 10
Tony Schiavone interviews the ‘Premiere Athlete’ Tony Nese backstage. Nese wants to make his AEW debut by challenging Sammy Guevara for his title. According to Nese, if the other challengers would have done their homework they would have beaten Sammy. Sammy just happens to be walking by. He tells Nese he isn’t impressed by him because he has done nothing since joining AEW. Nese challenges Sammy for the title next week. Sammy accepts. Before Sammy can walk away, Nese clocks him in the face. As he holds Sammy on the ground with a knee to his ribs Nese says to Sammy as he points to the AEW TNT Championship: “The only reason you have THAT is because guys like me weren’t available yet.”
We switch to FTR. They demand The Lucha Brothers face them in a two-out-of-three-falls match next week.
AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Riho – Black Friday Deal Match
Riho takes Britt down with an arm wringer again and again flustering the champion. Baker breaks things up with an elbow to the jaw. Baker pulls Riho down to the mat by her hair. Riho escapes an attempted Lock Jaw by reaching for the ropes. Baker viciously stomps her in the ropes. As the official pulls Baker off of Riho, Jamie Hayter and Rebel choke out Riho which makes me wonder…Why the hell is Hayter allowed at ringside? AEW, we need a ruling on these entourages. Taz or Jericho says Riho needs to find herself some friends to even the odds. Funny that.
A cartwheel and two drop kicks from Riho has Baker ducking out of the ring. Riho splashes both Baker and Rebel on the floor. Riho hits a running elbow strike but gets caught as she attempts a second one. Baker just slams her head-first into a turnbuckle. Baker turns up the nastiness to eleven by ramming Riho’s skull into the buckle over and over.
Riho kicks out of an Air Raid Crash and a release German suplex gets her a two count on Baker. A double stomp from the top rope from Riho is met with another two count. Riho turns Baker’s spinning neckbreaker into a pinning combination. Riho has now earned herself a future AEW Women’s World Championship match.
Winner: Riho
Rating: 7 / 10
Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia
Winner: Eddie Kingston
Rating: 7.5 / 10
AEW Rampage November 26, 2021
Summary
This week’s Rampage was like mashed potatoes sitting on a bowl by themselves. Without the gravy they are still tasty but a little bland. The show was a fairly decent distraction but there were no ‘wow’ moments.
