6/23/23 AEW Rampage Recap

The opening credits roll. Chris Jericho, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary from Chicago, Illinois.

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Match #1 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match: CHAOS (Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, and YOH) vs. Swerve Strickland and United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher, and Will Ospreay) (w/Prince Nana)
All eight guys brawl in the ring, and it quickly empties. Ospreay and YOH are left in the ring, and Ospreay beats him down in the corner. YOH comes back, trips Ospreay up, and delivers a low dropkick. Taylor tags in, as does Strickland. Strickland delivers a kick to the midsection and sends Taylor to the corner. Taylor comes back with a back elbow and gets a roll-up for a two count. Taylor throws Strickland down and delivers a low dropkick. Beretta tags in, and he and Taylor double-team Strickland. Fletcher tags in, but Beretta delivers a few chops. Fletcher comes back with a back-body drop, but Beretta delivers a half-and-half suplex. Fletcher comes back with a scoop slam, but Beretta kicks him in the face as Romero tags in. Beretta and Romero double-team Fletcher, and then everyone gets in the ring and brawls again. CHAOS send Strickland and the Empire to the outside, but they come back in and trip up CHAOS before they can hug.
Fletcher and Romero get back into the ring and Fletcher slams him into the corner. Ospreay tags in and delivers a spinning back-breaker to Romero. Ospreay goes for the cover, but Romero kicks out. Cobb tags in, but Romero delivers a few forearm shots. Cobb delivers a body shot and a clothesline, and then connects with a standing moonsault and goes for the cover, but Romero kicks out as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Strickland has Romero in a rear chin-lock. Romero delivers elbows to the midsection, but Strickland backs him into the corner and delivers an elbow of his own. Strickland follows with a diving elbow strike, but Romero comes back with an enzuigiri. YOH and Ospreay tag in, and YOH delivers rights and lefts. Ospreay comes back with a chop and an enzuigiri. Ospreay goes for a springboard, but YOH dodges it and drops Ospreay with a flying forearm. YOH goes for the cover, but Fletcher breaks it up. CHAOS all get into the ring and quadruple-team Ospreay, and then share a hug. YOH delivers a superkick and a Michinoku Driver. YOH goes for the cover, but Strickland breaks it up. Strickland sends Romero to the outside and kicks him in the face. Cobb backs YOH into the corner, and then Fletcher and Ospreay kick him in the face. Cobb slams YOH down and Ospreay goes for the cover, but YOH kicks out. Ospreay delivers the Hidden Blade to YOH and gets the pin fall.
Winners: Swerve Strickland and United Empire

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The video package for the match between Toni Storm and Willow Nightingale at Forbidden Door airs.

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Adam Cole makes his way to the ring. Before he can talk, MJF interrupts. MJF, from the stage, thanks Cole for giving him the confidence to accept the match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door. MJF says to return the favor, he got Cole a match against Tom Lawlor at Forbidden Door. Lawlor and Royce Isaacs attack Cole from behind as MJF takes his time coming to the ring. MJF finally gets in the ring as Lawlor and Isaacs bail out. MJF says he almost had them and was close to saving Cole. MJF tells Cole to have fun at Forbidden Door and leaves the ring.

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Match #2 – Trios Tag Team Match: Daddy Ass Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) vs. Axel Rico, Darius Latrell, and Koda Hernandez
Gunn and The Acclaimed send Latrell and Hernandez to the outside and drop Rico in the ring before scissoring. Caster slams Rico down and Bowens delivers Scissor Me Timbers. Bowens slams Rico down with the Arrival and Caster delivers the Mic Drop for the pin fall.
Winners: Daddy Ass Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed
-After the match, Harley Cameron interrupts and she is joined by two guys dancing and wearing masks. Cameron gets into the ring and says she can make sure The Acclaimed have a hit that will go straight to number one. She begins singing and Gunn tells her she hurt his ears. Gunn says they have the greatest rapper in the world and says that is their thing. Cameron says she knows they are great rappers and then invites the two guys in the ring. She calls for her music and the guys begin dancing again. Cameron starts rapping as Gunn and The Acclaimed cover their ears. Cameron says they need a woman in their group and says she and Bowens could be the hottest couple on television. Bowens asks Cameron is she got kicked too many times in the head and tells her that he is gay. Gunn gives him a hug as the crowd cheers, and then Aaron Solo and QT Marshall come to the stage. Marshall says Cameron’s rap was incredible and says he preferred Caster’s rap in 2003 when the “You Can’t See Me Man” did it. One of the guys takes his masks off and reveals himself to be Johnny TV (John Morrison). He lays Gunn out wit a superkick as Bowens and Caster get laid out on the outside.

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The video package for the match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Swerve Strickland on tomorrow night’s Collision airs.

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Match #3 – Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament – Quarterfinal Match: Anna Jay A.S. (w/Angelo Parker and Matt Menard) vs. Skye Blue
Jay takes Blue to the corner and delivers a shot. Jay ducks to the outside and Blue gives chase. Parker and Menard distract her, and then Jay stomps her down as she gets back into the ring. Jay delivers a Hip Attack, but Blue comes back with a kick and takes Jay down. Blue gets a quick one count and then follows with a snap-mare. Blue smacks Jay in the face, but Jay comes back with a roundhouse kick that sends Blue to the floor. Jay drops Blue with a DDT on the floor and gets her back into the ring. Jay slams Blue’s face into the mat a few times and chokes her with her boot in the corner. Jay chokes Blue over the middle rope as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Jay slams Blue and goes for the cover but Blue kicks out. Blue comes back with forearm shots, but Jay deliver an elbow shot. Blue delivers a running knee strike and follows with an enzuigiri. Blue slams Jay’s face into the turnbuckle, but Jay sends her to the apron. Blue delivers an elbow strike and Parker gets on the apron. Blue shoves her down and Jay locks in the Queen Slayer. Blue shoves her away and delivers a roundhouse kick. Blue connects with a cross-body and goes for the cover, but Jay kicks out. Jay delivers the Jay Kick and follows with a Backstabber. Jay goes for the cover, but Blue kicks out. Jay slams Blue to the mat and goes for the cover, but Blue kicks out again. Jay locks in the Queen Slayer, but Blue counters and slams her into the corner. Blue delivers a thrust kick and follows with Code Blue for the pin fall.
Winner: Skye Blue

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The video package for the Eight-Man Tag Team Match between the teams of CM Punk, FTR, and Ricky Starks and Bullet Club Gold and The Gunns on tomorrow night’s Collision airs.

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Match #4 – Singles Match: DOUKI (w/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Jack Perry
They lock up and Perry applies a side-headlock. DOUKI sends him off the ropes, but Perry drops him with a shoulder tackle. DOUKI comes back with an pair of arm-drags, but Perry comes back with a chop and an arm-drag of his own. Perry delivers a dropkick and runs the ropes, but DOUKI ducks down and Perry goes to the floor. DOUKI drops Perry with a dive through the ropes and follows with a few chops. Perry comes back with shots of his own and then throws DOUKI into the barricade. Perry clubs DOUKI across the back and slams him onto the ring apron as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, DOUKI delivers a few elbows to Perry and follows with an enzuigiri. DOUKI slams Perry down  and delivers a double stomp. DOUKI slams Perry again and goes for the cover, but Perry kicks out. Perry comes back with a pump-handle gut-buster and follows with a Tiger Driver. Perry goes for the cover, but DOUKI kicks out. Perry moves the timekeeper’s table and goes to powerbomb DOUKI through it, but DOUKI gets free and delivers an enzuigiri. DOUKI goes up top, and then sends Perry through the table with a seated senton. DOUKI gets Perry back into the ring, but Perry delivers a superkick. Perry drops DOUKI with a running lariat, but DOUKI comes back with a brain buster. DOUKI goes for the cover, but Perry kicks out. Perry comes back with a back elbow shot, but DOUKI drops him with a leaping DDT. DOUKI goes for the cover, but Perry kicks out.
Perry counters a wheelbarrow slam and gets a roll-up for two. Perry delivers a superkick and a poison-rana, and then follows with a low sliding elbow strike. Perry locks in the Skull End and DOUKI taps out.
Winner: Jack Perry
-After the match, SANADA’s music hits, and the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion makes his way to the ring. SANADA and Perry get face-to-face and stare each other down. SANADA raises the title in the air and then leaves the ring as the show comes to a close.