AEW Rampage recap & reactions (Dec. 16, 2022): Sammy Guevara ripped Jon Moxley’s ear

AEW Rampage (Dec. 16, 2022) emanated from Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, TX. The show featured Sammy Guevara ripping Jon Moxley’s ear, a wild Hangman Page sighting, Samoa Joe as the King of Television, wacky hijinks from Best Friends & Dustin Rhodes, and much more.

Let’s jump right in with a recap of the show followed by reactions.

Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary. Justin Roberts handled ring announcer duties.

Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Moxley

Rugged fisticuffs from both men led to Guevara ripping out Moxley’s earring. Let there be blood! Sammy bit the lobe and licked Mox’s blood. Tay Melo slapped Mox and relished the blood on her hands. As Sammy and Tay were kissing, Moxley attacked with a suicide dive.

The competitive bout progressed with Sammy landing a flipping senton onto Mox through a table.

Back in the ring, Sammy connected on a flying crossbody, but Moxley rolled it over upon impact and hit a piledriver. Kick out by Sammy, so Mox applied a bulldog choke. Sammy struggled before rolling it over to escape. Sammy flipped out of a Death Rider lift to surprise Mox with a Death Rider of his own. Guevara went high-flying for a flipping senton. 1, 2, upset? Nope. Moxley kicked out.

Sammy kept on the pressure for a Spanish Fly. Moxley absorbed the impact again to roll it over for a bulldog choke. Sammy passed out. Daniel Garcia watched the bout on a backstage monitor and shook his head at Sammy’s loss.

Jon Moxley defeated Sammy Guevara.

After the match, Moxley challenged Hangman Page to a round of fisticuffs. The cowboy obliged. Security tried feebly to break it up. Hangman launched for a buckshot lariat aiming at Moxley and walloped a random guard instead. Officials were able to separate the two madmen to close the segment.

Saraya is coming for the AEW Women’s World Championship. She will be watching closely when Jamie Hayter defends against Hikaru Shida. As for the tag match against Dr. Britt Baker DMD & Hayter, Saraya has a plethora of talent to choose from.

FTR had a bad week. Not just because they lost title matches. They felt that they let the fans down. The crowd support has lifted them throughout the year to make it the best of their career. FTR will close their year on a high note by whipping ass on the Gunn sons next week in a match on Dynamite.

Leila Grey snitched to Jade Cargill about Red Velvet showing attitude in their match last week. Jade ordered Velvet to get with it or get lost. Velvet flashed a snide expression behind Jade’s back. As for Bow Wow, Jade will be sending lawyer Mark Sterling next time he interjects in her business.

Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Skye Blue

Blue out-wrestled Baker on the mat early. Physical interference from Rebel and Jamie Hayter gave Baker the edge for a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner. Blue’s rally was cut short when a curb stomp put her down for the three-count.

Dr. Britt Baker DMD defeated Skye Blue.

Afterward, Baker applied the Lockjaw submission. Hikaru Shida ran in with a kendo stick to whack Rebel and Baker. The challenger shared a staredown with the champ.

10 had a sitdown interview with JR. Preston Vance didn’t view his betrayal of the Dark Order as turning his back on family. They aren’t his brothers. Mr. Brodie Lee handpicked 10, not them. The rest of the Dark order is not on his level. Los Ingobernables see Vance’s potential, much like Mr. Brodie did. In regard to -1, nobody should have to go through that situation of losing their father. However, Vance stated that -1 has turned into a snot-nosed spoiled brat in the past two years. It is time for -1 to grow up.

Wardlow vs. Exodus Prime

Power squash with 4 beats of the powerbomb symphony.

Wardlow defeated Exodus Prime.

Wardlow grabbed a microphone to call out Samoa Joe. Wardlow has waited long enough for a TNT Championship rematch. He wants to fight now. Joe answered on the big screen. The King of Television sets the condition for title fights. Joe will be a gracious king and give Wardlow his match on December 28 in Colorado. Amusing promo from Joe that is worth watching.

Mark Henry interviewed the main event participants. Kip Sabian doesn’t like how Orange Cassidy has received so many opportunities. News flash, slick. Butcher and Blade are ready to fight. Blade wants to slice and dice, split them open, and spill their guts. Enough talk. Henry didn’t give a chance for the babyface crew to speak, so Dustin Rhodes protested. The Best Friends mocked the trash talk. Henry closed with, “It’s time for the main event!”

Kip Sabian, Trent Seven, Butcher & Blade vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent, Chuck Taylor, & Dustin Rhodes

Penelope Ford, Bunny, and Danhausen were ringside. The bout began with a battle of Trents over who was the real Trent in AEW. The bad guys managed to isolate their attack on Cassidy. Hot tag to Rhodes to run wild in front of his home state Texas crowd. Rhodes unleashed power slams galore.

The action continued with a chaotic pace all around. When the referee was distracted, Bunny entered the ring plotting on Cassidy. OC flopped to the mat faking a low blow. Danhausen did the same to frame Penelope. Referee Bryce Remsburg ejected both ladies. Sabian responded by punching Danhausen in the groin.

Down the stretch, Rhodes hit a Dallas Destroyer on Sabian. He set up Sabian for the Shattered Dreams kick, but the ref wouldn’t allow it. Cassidy walked over for soft kicks to Sabian’s crotch. When the ref pulled OC away, that cleared the path for Rhodes to deliver his running kick. Cassidy landed a superman punch on Seven, and Rhodes finished with a running bulldog to win.

Orange Cassidy, Trent, Chuck Taylor, & Dustin Rhodes defeated Kip Sabian, Trent Seven, Butcher & Blade.

---

Jon Moxley versus Sammy Guevara was exactly the kind of fight I desire for Rampage. Sammy stepped up his aggression to show he can hang with sluggers. Moxley found a creative way to bleed this time with Sammy ripping his ear. The best spot had to be Moxley’s suicide dive onto the kissing couple. That creativity was definitely worth a chuckle. The finish was slick with counters. Sammy’s Death Rider added an element of surprise. If he would have scored an upset, I would have believed it. Even though Moxley won the match using professional wrestling, Sammy earned the moral victory to make the bout sports entertainment.

The injection of cowboy shit was hot. AEW is stoking the fires nicely for an eventual rematch between Moxley and Hangman Page. It’s getting to the point where I can’t wait for the official match announcement, let alone the match itself.

The main event was great fun for a comedy action blend. Lots of entertainment all throughout that bout. It was very productive in giving the people what they want. The bits worked well to tease then deliver for loud pops. This was also a smart use of Dustin Rhodes as a special attraction. He hit his signature moves to much delight from the home crowd. I love how Trent Seven took the running bulldog upside down on his head. It totally fit the vibe of the match.

Quick thoughts. Effective staredown scene for Hikaru Shida in the face of Jamie Hayter. I’m hyped for that bout. Preston Vance did well in his first feature speaking segment. He got his points across to establish motivation for his actions and poured gasoline on the fire by insulting -1. Vance should be hated by the crowd once he tangos with the Dark Order again. Samoa Joe’s promo was my favorite part of the show. His attitude as King of Television is so entertaining. I especially appreciate his varied vocabulary to match the king status. AEW likes the babyface happy endings, but give me more Joe. I hope he beats Wardlow, because it is too soon to end this King of TV character gimmick.

Grade: B

The opening fight was strong, and the main event closed as a crowd-pleaser. Promos were passionate and delivered with purpose. There were also plenty of laughs for an overall enjoyable show.

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