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Trent Beretta and Lance Archer engaged in combat, while Konosuke Takeshita and Naturally Limitless faced off against Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang.
The semifinal match between Athena and Willow Nightingale in the women's Owen Hart Cup Tournament, however, was the most crucial match of the evening.
Let's review what transpired in Friday's Rampage episode.
Naturally Limitless vs. Cool Hand Ang and Daddy Magic
When Rampage went on the air, Dustin Rhodes, Keith Lee, Daddy Magic, and Cool Hand Ang were already in the ring and prepared to start the match.
Right away, Lee and Rhodes assumed command and employed some double-team strategies to keep their opponents on the defensive.
Although the members of the Jericho Appreciation Society managed to turn the tables on them, Lee and Rhodes never seemed in danger of losing this match.
Matt Menard and Angelo Parker are a great tag team with more to offer than that, so it's unfortunate that it seems like the role AEW has given them is to make other people seem bad on television.
This was a respectable contest that served to give Lee and Rhodes the victory. How long AEW keeps this crew together will be an interesting question to answer. It appears that they are waiting until they have stronger arrangements for Lee performing alone before moving forward.
Taya Valkyrie vs. Izzy McQueen
This past week, Taya Valkyrie engaged in combat with Izzy McQueen. In less than a minute, La Wera Loca scored the winning goal.
Moving outside, Toni Storm and Saraya engaged in some crude conversation. At Battle of the Belts, Valkyrie dared Storm to accept a match for the AEW women's championship.
Even though the match was meaningless, it at least secured a title match for Saturday.
Lance Archer vs. Trent Beretta
The Best Friends' Beretta faced Archer, a wrestler with a history of start-and-stop runs in AEW, in the following bout.
If Beretta had ever watched a single Archer match, he would have witnessed the Murderhawk Monster assault Beretta as soon as he entered the ring.
Every time Beretta attempted to retaliate, the formidable opponent would defeat him. At one point, Roberts intentionally targeted Beretta with a cheap shot while Archer was occupying the referee.
After the commercial break, Beretta gained a little bit of momentum and delivered a piledriver for a two-count, but Archer eventually recovered and won the bout. Even though it took far longer than the Valkyrie-related squash, the outcome was the same.
When Archer fought Orange Cassidy for the international title, this provided him a strong victory and prepared him for a title opportunity at BOTB. To prevent more harm to Best Friends, OC agreed.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mentallo
Don Callis, who claimed to be Kenny Omega's friend and initial training partner, went to the ring with Takeshita for his battle against Mentallo, a wrestler wearing a mask.
Just before sicking Takeshita on him, Callis offered a commercial. Before Takeshita knocked Mentallo to the ground and pummelling him ruthlessly, he actually managed to land a few strikes. Takeshita won easily and within a short period of time.
Athena vs. Willow Nightingale
The battle between Athena and Willow, which should have taken place on Collision last week but was postponed until tonight owing to Willow's injury, served as the major event of this week's programme.
Make an effort to watch what Athena has been up to if you aren't already watching ROH. She has been the brand's top champion for a while, and thanks to her success, she is probably one of wrestling's best champions.
In addition to competing in the Owen Hart tournament, Athena wanted to exact revenge on some prior defeats in Ring of Honour. When Willow had the upper hand, The Fallen Goddess exhibited a more aggressive side, but as soon as she started to gain ground, you could sense the support of the crowd.
This was another competitive and enjoyable match to add to the record of ones these two have had because they have a solid rapport as rivals.
After a spirited contest, Willow was able to advance to the finals, where she will compete against Soho for the Owen Hart Cup on Collision.
See you tomorrow for a VERY special Collison and Battle of the Belts!
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