AEW Rampage Results (7/8): Kingston Vs. Takeshita, Cassidy Vs. Nese, Jonathan Gresham
Welcome to our WrestlingINC.com live "AEW Rampage" viewing party. Tonight's episode was recorded Wednesday night at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.
Three matches are being promoted for tonight's show:
- Eddie Kingston vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- Orange Cassidy vs. Tony Nese
- Jonathan Gresham & Lee Moriarty vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Kaun)
- Mercedes Martinez & Serena Deeb in action
Our live coverage will begin at 10 PM ET.
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We're on the air! Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary.
Eddie Kingston vs. Konosuke Takeshita
They lock up to start but neither can gain an advantage and they break the lock-up. They lock up again and Kingston stakes Takeshita down with a headlock. Takeshita escapes and they find themselves in another stalemate.
Kingston offers a test of strength and Takeshita obliges. Neither man can find an advantage. Kingston finally breaks one of his grips and takes down Takeshita. Takeshita gets back to his feet and they trade holds in the center of the ring. Takeshita backs Kingston into the ropes to get a break.
Kingston hits a gut wrench suplex but is favoring his back. Kingston chops Takeshita. Takeshita replies with a forearm and both men trade a couple more strikes until Kingston hits a thumb to the eye. Kingston fires away with machine gun chops in the corner. Takeshita reverses and hits a series of forearm strikes. Kingston ends that with a headbutt.
Kingston grabs a rear chin lock in the center of the ring. Takeshita reaches the ropes to break the hold. Kingston misses a chop and Takeshita hits a flying clothesline. Takeshita hits a flying elbow strike into the corner and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a 2-count.
We go to a picture-in-picture break.
Back from the break, Kingston and Takeshita are trading strikes on the ring apron. Kingston tries for an exploder suplex but Takeshita escapes and hits a German suplex on the ring apron. Takeshita hangs on and wants another German on the floor but Kingston reverses and hits an exploder on the floor. Both men barely beat the referee's count back into the ring.
Takeshita and Kingston collide in the middle of the ring and trade more strikes. Kingston hits a big lariat for a 1-count. Kingston hits a sit-out Liger Bomb for a 2-count.
Kingston tries for the spinning back fist but Takeshita blocks it and Takeshita hits a brainbuster for a 2-count.
Kingston and Takeshita trade strikes from their knees in the middle of the ring. They fight to their feet and trade more strikes. Kingston collapses into Takeshita's arms but recovers and hits more strikes. He hits a suplex but Takeshita charges back. He misses the jumping knee and after another flurry of reversals, Kingston hits the spinning back fist and that gets the pin.
Eddie Kingston defeated Konosuke Takeshita via pinfall
We go to prerecorded comments from Athena and Kris Statlander. They claim Jade Cargill is ducking "real competition". They want an opportunity at the TBS Championship.
We go to a commercial break.
Back from the break, we get a highlight video featuring HOOK.
Back in the arena, Gates of Agony – Toa Liona and Kaun – make their entrance. Bobby Cruise is the ring announcer. Caprice Coleman has joined commentary.
Lee Moriarty makes his entrance. The Ring of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham then makes his entrance.
Gates of Agony (with Tully Blanchard) vs. Jonathan Gresham & Lee Moriarty
Gates of Agony attack before the bell. Kaun hits a senton on Moriarty for a quick 2-count. Kaun tags in Toa Liona for some double-team offense.
Liona floors Moriarty with a strike and chokes him on the middle rope. Kaun tags in for a big boot by Liona and Kaun hits a slingshot senton from the apron for a 2-count.
Moriarty fires up and crawls to his corner but Gresham gets sidetracked by Blanchard and isn't there for the tag. Liona hits a Samoan drop for a 2-count.
We go to a picture-in-picture break.
Gates of Agony controlled Moriarty during the break. Back from the break, Moriarty is fighting his way out of a hold by Liona. Liona misses a charge but Kaun tags in. Moriarty dropkicks him. Liona charges and Moriarty pulls down the top rope and he spills out to the floor. Moriarty crawls for the tag but Gresham pulls his hand back and steps down from the apron.
Moriarty keeps fighting as Gresham hugs Blanchard on the entrance ramp.
Back in the ring, Liona hits a discus lariat. Kaun hits a gutbuster and that gets the pin.
Gates of Agony defeated Lee Moriarty & Jonathan Gresham
We go to backstage comments from Eddie Kingston. He calls Konosuke Takeshita "the future". Kingston says he's earned the right to go after Chris Jericho. He says Jericho will pay for what happened to Ruby Soho, Santana, and Brian Danielson. Kingston says he wants Jericho with barbed wire everywhere.
Back in the arena, Serena Deeb makes her entrance. The Ring of Honor Women's Champion Mercedes Martinez makes her entrance.
Mercedes Martinez & Serena Deeb vs. Kayla Sparks & Christina Marie
Deeb starts off against Marie. Deeb takes her down and goes for an arm submission. She stomps on Marie's arm and hits a European uppercut. Deeb hits some back elbows in the corner and catapults her under the bottom rope.
Martinez makes a blind tag and hits a sliding knee strike on Marie. Deeb holds Marie in a camel clutch and Martinez hits another strike to Marie. Martinez hangs Marie over the top rope. Deeb makes a blind tag as Martinez is hitting a sliding forearm.
Deeb puts Marie in the Serenity Lock and Marie taps out.
Mercedes Martinez & Serena Deeb defeated Kayla Sparks & Christina Marie
Deeb keeps the hold on after the bell and Martinez has to tell her to release it. They jaw at each other and then Deeb attacks Martinez. Deeb puts Martinez in the Serenity Lock and Martinez is tapping. Deeb picks up the ROH Women's Championship belt.
Backstage, Tony Schiavone is with Gresham and Blanchard. Gresham says Moriarty is not his partner. He says he signed his contract in March and he'd been sitting at home until he got a call from Blanchard. Schiavone says Moriarty will get a shot at Gresham's ROH World Championship on next Friday's "Rampage". Blanchard says Tully Blanchard Enterprises is alive and well.
We go to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Mark Henry chats with the participants in tonight's main event. Mark Sterling reminds us that Orange Cassidy must sign his anti-Swerve Strickland petition if he loses. Danhausen steps into the frame as Cassidy's lawyer and rambles on about some stuff. Cassidy says he doesn't care.
Excalibur runs through the Fyter Fest card.
Backstage, Lexy Nair talks to Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal. Sydal says what Gresham did was dishonorable. Moriarty says next Friday will be a fight and he's taking Gresham's ROH World Championship.
Excalibur announces Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho will meet in a Barbed Wire Death Match on the July 20 episode of "Dynamite" with the Jericho Appreciation Society suspended in a shark cage.
Back in the arena, Tony Nese makes his entrance. Orange Cassidy makes his entrance. Best Friends are with him on stage but head to the back.
Orange Cassidy (with Danhausen) vs. Tony Nese (with Mark Sterling)
Cassidy teases putting his hands in his pockets but Nese cuts him off and takes him down with a headlock. Nese comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle to knock down Cassidy.
Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets while down on the mat. Nese tries to attack him but Cassidy rolls away. Cassidy connects with a dropkick – hands still in his pockets – and kips up.
Cassidy comes off the ropes but Nese is quickly into the ring to knock him down with a back elbow. Cassidy grabs a small package but can't hold down Nese. Some more pinning attempts also don't get a pin for Cassidy.
Cassidy hops to the apron and slams Nese's head into the turnbuckle. Cassidy climbs but gets cut off and Nese carries him out for a gutbuster and a 2-count.
Nese tosses Cassidy out to the floor. Sterling stomps on Cassidy. Danhausen walks over to chase him off as we go to a picture-in-picture break.
Nese was in control during the break. Back from the break, Nese has Cassidy grounded with a body scissor in the middle of the ring. Cassidy kicks out of it. Nese whips Cassidy hard into the corner. Cassidy tries for a tilt-a-whirl DDT but Nese reverses into a Northern Lights suplex with a bridge for a 2-count.
Nese beats down Cassidy in the corner. He lifts him to the top turnbuckle and goes up with him. Cassidy blocks the superplex attempt. Nese pounds on Cassidy with forearms but Cassidy fires back and they start to trade strikes on the top. They hit one another at the same time and Nese falls to the mat while Cassidy slumps over the top turnbuckle.
Sterling gets on the apron. Danhausen pulls him off but Nese hits him with a baseball slide dropkick. Cassidy catches Nese with a crossbody. Nese blocks another tilt-a-whirl by Cassidy by Cassidy hits a Stundog Millionaire and follows with a Michinoku Driver for a 2-count.
Cassidy goes for the Orange Punch but Nese avoids it and hits a series of strikes and a German suplex with a bridge for a 2-count.
Nese sets up Cassidy for a pump handle slam but Cassidy reverses it into a DDT. He winds up for another tilt-a-whirl DDT. Cassidy climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving DDT for a 2-count.
Sterling gets up on the apron again. Cassidy hits him with some light kicks. Sterling pretends he's hurt. Nese sneaks up from behind and hits a pump handle driver and that gets a 2-count.
Nese pulls down his knee pad but misses the running knee into the corner. Sterling slides into the ring. Danhausen stops him from hitting Cassidy and hits him with a low blow. Danhausen throws Sterling out of the ring and curses Nese. Cassidy hits the Orange Punch and that gets the pin.
Orange Cassidy defeated Tony Nese via pinfall
Cassidy and Danhausen celebrate in the ring.
That's our show!