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The majority of the tag teams in AEW competed in this week's show's massive Battle Royal for the chance to face the winners of FTR vs. Adam Cole and MJF.
The Kingdom was one tag team that wasn't competing in the Battle Royal, but Mike Bennett and Matt Taven had their own battle to focus on.
In addition, two past AEW women's champions met each other when Kip Sabian fought the acrobatic Komander (FINALLY!!!) and Nyla Rose battled Hikaru Shida.
Let's look at what transpired in this week's AEW Rampage episode.
Tag Team Eliminator Battle Royal
All of the participants in the tag team fight royal surrounded the ring as Rampage got underway. There were eight teams in all.
After reestablishing their business relationship at the most recent Bling Eliminator Tag Tournament, Brian Cage and Big Bill were back together.
It was interesting to see Ethan Page and Brother Zay selected even though the majority of the other teams were regulars on AEW TV.
The final contest pitted Big Bill and Cage against The Butcher and The Blade. They formed pairs and got into a fight. Cage and Big Bill were the only survivors after the battle.
There isn't much of a middle ground when it comes to Battle Royales. Either they're interesting or boring, usually. Unfortunately, this fight felt quite unremarkable for the duration of it until the last few seconds.
To me it was missing AEW staples like Best Friends and The Young Bucks, which may have been on purpose for a push for someone else, but it just lacked creditability.
Komander vs. Kip Sabian
FINALLY! I have waited MONTHS to be able to comment on a Kip Sabian match! He is MY BOY! British homegrown talent who DESERVES to have a title around him as he is the Forgotten Pillar!
Anyway…
For this bout against Sabian, who had Penelope Ford in his corner to make things even, Alex Abrahantes was back at Komander's side.
Early on, Sabian tried to exert authority by tying down the high-flyer and making light of him, but Komander responded in kind to prove he wasn't scared by Sabian by doing the same to him a moment later.
Sabian demonstrated his agility with a flip off the top rope, but when it comes to aerial tricks, Komander stands head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
Before the masked superstar hit a shooting star press from the top rope to win, Sabian hit a cannonball followed by a running shooting star press for a tight two-count shorty.
The similarities and differences between these two stars were highlighted in an exciting and intense contest. Keeping outside distractions to a minimal allowed the attention to remain on showcasing Komander and Sabian's abilities.
Still think the wrong man went over though…
The Kingdom vs. Myung-Jae Lee and Hayden Backlund
This week, Hayden Backlund and Myung-Jae Lee, two jobbers, were the targets of Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.
The Kingdom won the match in less time than it took for them to arrive, and the match was done in under a minute.
Why?
Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida
As soon as Shida entered the ring, Rose started attacking her, so the referee immediately rang the bell to begin the match.
When The Native Beast considered using Shida's kendo stick, she almost got herself disqualified but changed her mind and flung it out of the ring.
Shida and Rose frequently exchanged the upper hand during the battle since Shida is always a fighter and never allows an opponent to control her for an extended period of time.
Shida used the Katana knee strike to win after defeating Marina Shafir with her kendo stick and dodging a Beast Bomb.
These two have shared the ring in AEW more than 20 times, so they are familiar with each other's advantages and how to play to them. This was a strong way to wrap up the programme and give Shida a significant victory as she pursues the women's title.
Excalibur informed us that Tony Khan has formally booked Storm vs. Shida to take place at Dynamite 200 for the title as The Outcasts emerged to ridicule Shida from the apron during the show's closing moments.
Solid show, apart from the Kingdom match (Why?)
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