The action continued this week in Fresno, as Brian Cage clashed with Willie Mack, Daniel Garcia faced off against Action Andretti, and much more
AEW Rampage from Fresno attempted to replicate the wrestling action of this week's fantastic Wednesday performance and came awfully close to pulling it off. While the one-hour program wasn't quite as explosive as Dynamite, it lit some fires of its own.
The crowd in Fresno remained hot for the show, and they certainly weren't disappointed. While it's worth noting that Rampage has had its critics, it's been on an upswing recently. At least in terms of match quality and pacing of the show. No longer does it seem as if Tony Khan is trying to jam as many stories as he can into late-night, Friday shots.
Instead, the show has started to find its groove again as we roll into 2023. It may still be a few weeks away from the Revolution pay-per-view, but the company is already lining up a huge portion of that upcoming show. That's a good sign for those who are fans of long-term storytelling.
With all those wheels turning at once, here's a look at three things that stuck out in a very entertaining episode of AEW Rampage.
#1 - Ortiz and Eddie Kingston are two great performers stuck in what is quickly developing into a flat angle
While this story is just developing, the promo tonight between the two men definitely didn't help add any fuel to this flickering fire.
Ortiz came out - dressed casually out of character, and looking like a Latino version of Tiger Woods - to address Tony Schiavone. Eventually, and as always, Tony departed the scene, allowing the two former partners some time for closure
The last two remnants of the old LAX faction were left standing in the ring, and Ortiz briefly tapped into that history. He even mentioned Homicide. However, the nostalgia fell on mostly deaf ears. Although the faction is known to the AEW audience, they have no connection to the company, in general.
Instead, Ortiz and Kingston shared an awkward moment in the ring that saw The King eventually nail Ortiz with a chair. He then (oddly) just tucked the hardware under the ropes, tucked it under his arm, and walked away casually.