AEW Rampage results: Punk vs. Garcia, Lucha Brothers, and more!

Tonight’s episode of AEW Rampage featured the return of CM Punk to the ring to take on Daniel Garcia, who attacked him weeks ago, The Lucha Brothers vs. The Acclaim, and Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks in a street fight.

The show opened a bit differently today with Mark Henry doing his split screen promo. 2point0 cut a promo about Punk being a fraud, and they claimed he quit wrestling because it didn’t revolve around him.

Punk said he didn’t come back to the world of the wrestling, but the world of wrestling came back to him. Punk said he wasn’t going to judge him by the people he hung out with, but on his wrestling ability, and he was going to make him pay for what he did in Chicago.

CM Punk vs. Daniel Garcia w/ 2point0 (Jeff Parker & Matt Lee)

Punk and Garcia did a test of strength and exchanged some technical wrestling, which Punk is quite underrated in, as he has always bene able to do it. Punk grabbed the leg of Garcia and locked on a heel hook, but Garcia immediately went to the ropes. Punk slammed Garcia a few times until Garcia floated over and shoved Punk into the corner with several stomps and strikes.

Punk countered one and went for the GTS, 2point0 pulled Garcia from the ring, and all 3 men attacked Punk’s knee, wrapping his leg around the ring post. Garcia did the old Bret Hart style figure four around the ring post to try and tear Punk’s knee apart. Garcia worked over the knee for the next few minutes, and he got some good heat.

Punk went for a sole butt, but Garcia caught it and went back to the knee again. Garcia shot for a single leg, and Punk nailed him with a knee, and started to make his comeback. Both men exchanged strikes, and Punk did a bionic elbow, then they exchanged some Mongolian chops. This was a fun exchange.

Punk hit the Pepsi Twist on Garcia for a 2 count. Punk called for Go to Sleep, but Garcia slipped out and countered into a sharpshooter, which he locked in deep. Matt Lee and Jeff Parker tried to get involved when Punk fought out, but Punk threw Garcia to the floor and hit a crossbody onto all 3 men on the floor.

Punk hit a springboard clothesline and then a piledriver before locking on the Anaconda Vice and he scored the submission over Garcia.

Result: CM Punk

Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was an excellent match. Punk and Garcia worked very well together, and it showed Punk working a style that was more like his ROH style than anything he’s done in WWE. I really enjoyed this match.

Lio Rush, Dante Martin, and Matt Sydal were backstage and Sydal accused Rush of being a junk bond salesman. Rush said that he wasn’t fake, and he was going to get a match for Sydal against CM Punk on Rampage next week.

Lio Rush, Dante Martin, and Matt Sydal were backstage and Sydal accused Rush of being a junk bond salesman. Rush said that he wasn’t fake, and he was going to get a match for Sydal against CM Punk on Rampage next week.

AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero M) w/ Alex Abrahantes (c) vs. The Acclaim (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens)

The Acclaimed attacked the Lucha Brothers right away, but they didn’t immediately get taken out of it. As Fenix tried to dive onto Bowens, he pulled his boombox up into the way, and Fenix ate it face first. The Acclaim got control over Penta here for a few minutes, and AEW had to mute the audio from the fans as they were chanting some swear words at Bill Simmons. Thankfully that didn’t last long.

Fenix was tagged in after a DDT from Penta, and Fenix ran wild, including hitting a double cutter on both Caster and Bowens. Penta shoved Caster of the ropes when he went for the mic drop, and Fenix and Penta hit the assisted Fear Factor for the pinfall.

Result: The Lucha Brothers

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Excalibur reminded us that the Lucha Brothers have not lost a tag match where they were teaming with each other once this year, as they are on quite the run right now. Very solid tag match here. It is quite remarkable how AEW has been able to give so many people forward momentum, and the Lucha Brothers are another example.

A recap video aired of Hangman Page winning the Casino Ladder Match on AEW Dynamite.

Jade Cargill w/ Smart Mark Sterling vs. Skye Blue

Cargill hit a fallaway slam and kicked up before hitting a pump kick on Blue. Blue hit some forearms, but Cargill caught her out of the wheelbarrow and hit Jaded for the pinfall.

Result: Jade Cargill

Cargill continued to beat on Blue after the match, but Thunder Rosa ran down to the ring to make the save, with the chair that Cargill used to hit her last week. It seems the feud between Cargill and Rosa’s feud is continuing.

AEW announced that there would be a World Title Eliminator tournament with the brackets being announced on AEW Saturday Dynamite on October 16th, so it will be interesting to see how Hangman Page is factored into this after winning the Casino Battle Royale.

Mark Henry did another split screen promo with Ricky Starks and Brian Cage. Starks insisted that there was a huge gap between him and Cage. Cage said he was going to stick it to Team Taz, and that the only thing Starks proved was that he was ducking Cage for weeks.

FTW Championship Match: Ricky Starks (Team Taz) w/ Hook & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Brian Cage in a Philly Street Fight

Starks grabbed a chair to start the match, but Cage stood on it and stopped Starks from picking it up. Cage hit a belly to belly on Starks and grabbed the chair. Cage nailed Starks with the chair, and continued to beat on him. Cage hit some chops on the outside, and sent Starks into the barricade.

Cage hit a back suplex on the apron and grabbed a garbage can, a pool cue, and a pipe. Starks grabbed the cue and hit Cage and then hit a tornado DDT on Cage. Starks hit Cage with a garbage can lid several times. Starks pulled Cage’s elbow over the ropes and hit him with the pipe.

Starks setup a chair in the corner, but walked into a fallaway slam from Cage. Starks grabbed a chain and punched Cage in the face with it before legdropping the garbage can lid into Cage’s face. Starks went to dropkick the garbage can into Cage, but Cage superkicked him and smashed the can into Starks’ head.

Cage hit a pumphandle into a faceslam on the can, but Starks kicked out. Cage went for the Drill Claw, but they SENT HOOK, who brought the FTW title into the ring, but ate a clothesline. Hobbs came out too, but he ate a superkick. Starks hit Cage with the FTW title, but Cage kicked out at 2.

Starks went for a spear, but Cage stepped aside and Starks crashed into the chair in the corner. Cage called for the Disqus lariat, but Hobbs broke it up, and Starks, covered in blood from something, hit a Roshambo for the 3 count.

Result: Ricky Starks

Rating: ***1/4 (3.25 stars)

This was a good match, and they gave Cage absolutely everything in this one, but the win. He had Starks beat, but with the interference, the heels were able to one up him. If it was a fair match without the interference, he would have won, which lets this feud continue, but will likely see him face Hobbs next.

Show Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was another good episode of Rampage, including opening with the great tag team match from Punk & Garcia. The pace of this show is great, with nothing overstaying its welcome, and always building to the next Dynamite.