AEW Rampage Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 1

On the biggest wrestling weekend of the year, All Elite Wrestling wanted to stand out with a series of big matches on the April 1 edition of AEW Rampage.

Team Taz has been a thorn in the side of Keith Lee since he arrived in AEW. He would finally get his shot at Powerhouse Hobbs one on one.

The Young Bucks may be the best tag team in the world, but they were fighting one of the brightest young tag teams in AEW, Top Flight, on a winning streak since the return of Darius Martin.

In the second qualifier for the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament, The 22-year-old upstart Skye Blue would face one of AEW's top women Jamie Hayter.

House of Black has dominated the competition throughout AEW since reaching full strength, but Fuego del Sol challenged the group all the same. Dark Order's Evil Uno and Stu Grayson would join him in a trios match against Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews.

We would hear from Dan Lambert's crew including TNT champion Scorpio Sky and Paige VanZant as well as Kris Statlander following her recent evolution.

This show was jam-packed with top talent. This was certain to be an exciting hour of wrestling.

This match started fast as Nick Jackson and Dante Martin challenged each other's speed. Darius Martin tried to wear down Matt Jackson with technical offense for the action exploded down the stretch. Darius found himself caught in the grip of The Young Bucks for a BTE Trigger that won it.

This got messy in moments, but it was still a fun tag team sprint that especially showcased how exciting Dante and Nick are in the ring. The two may be tag team performers most of the time, but that could be a great singles matches on a future Rampage.

While it was a shame to see Top Flight lose this early, there is no shame in losing to AEW's most prestigious tag team. Top Flight will eventually beat The Young Bucks when the time is right, and they finally get to the AEW Tag Team Championships.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Dante sent Nick into Cutler before Darius sent Matt to the floor with a tiger feint kick that sent up a suicide dive on the outside.
• Nick cheap-shot Dante with a superkick outside then lured Darius into a superkick from Matt.
• Dante flipped clean over Nick and hit a superkick followed by a Darius Flatliner and Dante senton.

Kris Statlander told everyone that she had evolved, and we would all see a new side of her soon. Tony Schiavone tried to interview HOOK, but Danhausen interrupted to attempt another curse on The Handsome Devil. It still did not work.

Dan Lambert lost control of his troops as Ethan Page and Paige VanZant made fun of Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti's naked photo shoot with the TNT Championship. Guevara and Conti destroyed Lambert's card after he again refused to accept the match that they demanded.

AEW has not yet been able to sell Lambert angles at all. It is the most "sports entertainment" part of the company. VanZant may need to continue working with Lambert, but the established wrestlers can fend for themselves better.

The sooner Scorpio Sky gets away from Lambert and company, the better. His championship reign can be great, but it does not help when his voice is repeatedly taken from him for the sake of weak and often tasteless jokes.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Page insinuated that Fuego del Sol was taking the picture of Guevara and Conti while VanZant said it could have been Orange Cassidy.
• Sky did not speak at all in this segment.

House of Black refused to be faced by the confidence of Fuego del Sol. While Fuego got fired up late and got some help from Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, he was knocked out all the same by the Black Mass, taking the pinfall.

Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews continue to impress as a trio. Their chemistry in the ring is scary to watch unfold, and they are making the best recent case for AEW Trios Championships.

Fuego is a fiery underdog that still has not earned enough trust believe he can win, but he makes it exciting. Maybe he earned a spot in Dark Order. He could use that spotlight.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• House of Black's entrance was too good for even Rampage to skip through.
• Stu sent Matthews to the outside by ducking an attempted DDT then hit him with a running somersault plancha.
• Fuego tried to fight Black with a series of forearms, but Black shut him down with a pair of knees to the gut.
• Jericho was very into Fuego throughout the match, but the moment Black knocked him out, Jericho was ready to announce House of Black as the "Sports Entertainers of the Week".

Young Bucks announced they had accepted FTR's challenge for a match next week on AEW Dynamite.

Jamie Hayter kept her focus despite Skye Blue's attempts to increase the speed of the match. Hayter caught her with a ripcord lariat to take the win.

This was a good win for Hayter, who was challenged but never truly overwhelmed. She continued to build an impressive resume in 2022 that could lead to a great run in the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament. Even with Toni Storm, she's the early favorite.

Blue is still young and learning, but she has impressed with a growing spotlight. She may end up being one of the women to find a larger spotlight in Ring of Honor instead of AEW in the immediate future.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Hayter sent Blue hard into the low turnbuckle with an exploder suplex.
• Blue caught Hayter with a small package, crucifix bomb, and sunset flip only to walk into a backbreaker.
• Hayter held on off a superplex then planted Blue with a sheer-drop brainbuster.

Powerhouse Hobbs refused to be disrespected by Mark Henry in the pre-match interview, demanding the spotlight Keith Lee was gifted.

The two men beat each other down from the open bell, showcasing their strength and resilience. Hobbs showed that he could keep up with Lee, but he could not pull out the win. The Limitless One planted Hobbs with Big Bang Catastrophe for the victory.

After the match, Ricky Starks and Swerve Strickland fought outside. The FTW champion sent his rival through a table with the Roshambo. Team Taz then teamed up to beat down Lee. Hobbs speared him through a table.

This was the hoss fight that was promised. Hobbs and Lee made the most of the spectacle, focusing on big impact moves. There were certainly times where it seemed like Hobbs would win it.

In the end, this feud continues, and it is likely we will get a tag team match soon. Given the liberal usage of weapons, it will almost certainly be a Street Fight or a similar stipulation. Every match has been good so far, but that should be great.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Hobbs barely moved Lee with a series of shoulder blocks, and when he finally sent him into the ropes, Lee rebounded with an avalanche that sent him to the floor.
• Hobbs caught Lee with a big clothesline, and The Limitless One responded with a lariat of his own.
• Lee planted Hobbs with a headbutt, and Starks ran in to make the save. Lee knocked the chair out of Starks' hands but walked into a Hobbs spinebuster.