AEW Rampage Live Coverage - May 6th, 2022

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AEW Rampage

This week on RAMPAGE, the cold-hearted, handsome devil HOOK will be in action. Riho faces Yuka Sakazaki in an Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Qualifier. Konosuke Takeshita vs Jay Lethal. Plus, Ruby Soho and Toni Storm team up to take on Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and Jamie Hayter in tag team action.


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– We’re underway! Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Taz, and Ricky Starks are on commentary.

Dr. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter (with Rebel) vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm

Everyone in this match has qualified for the upcoming Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament.

Storm and Hayter lock up to start. Hayter finds a headlock. Storm pushes her off but runs into a shoulder block. Storm comes off the ropes multiple times but can’t take down Hayter. A duck-under finally gets it done and Storm tags in Soho. Soho pulls Hayter out of her corner with a front headlock, but Hayter powers her across the ring and allows Baker to tag in.

A series of reversals leads to a sling blade by Baker and a 2-count on Soho. Soho tries a roll-up but can’t hold down Baker. Soho fights to the ropes and allows Storm to tag in and get a double team on Baker. Storm stomps away on Baker in the corner. She charges in but gets caught with a Flatliner into the turnbuckle by Baker. That gets a 2-count as we go to the picture-in-picture break.

Back from the break, Hayter is in control over Storm. Hayter whips Storm into the corner. Hayter tries another whip but Soho throws herself in front of the turnbuckle from the apron to save Storm and that gives Storm an opening to crawl to her corner for the tag.

Soho and Baker tag in and Soho runs wild with clotheslines and knee strikes. Soho hits a running boot on Baker in the corner. Baker goes for the Pittsburgh Sunrise but Soho cuts her off. Hayter gets in the ring but runs into a superkick from Storm. Storm picks up Baker and slams her on top of Baker. Baker recovers and hits an Air Raid Crash on Storm to cut off the rally.

Storm and Baker trade punches in the center of the ring. Storm gets the better of it but charges into a takedown by Baker who is looking for the Lockjaw. Storm rolls up Baker for a 2-count to escape.

Storm lifts Baker onto the top rope. Rebel is up on the ring apron and distracts the referee while Baker goes after Storm’s eyes and Hayter sneaks in an attack too. That only gets a 2-count. In the confusion, Storm rolls up Baker and gets the pin.

Winners: Toni Storm & Ruby Soho

– Back to the commentary desk, Excalibur says they have a phone call from Eddie Kingston. Kingston says his wife cried when she saw him come home after Jericho’s fireball attack on him. Kingston says all he cares about now making him feel that same fear and hurt and hangs up the phone.

– We go to backstage comments from Tony Nese and Mark Sterling. Nese wants to know why he has to force his way onto this show. Sterling says they want a match against Danhausen in Nese’s hometown of Long Island, New York.

Hook vs. JD Drake

Hook slips to a waist lock takedown to start. Drake gets to the ropes to break the hold.

Drake fires up with a chop and Hook backs away. Hook steps up to Drake. Drake winds up for a chop but Hook blocks it with his head and hurts Drake’s hand! Hook hits a suplex and the crowd goes wild. Hook goes for another but Drake reverses and tries for a reverse suplex but Hook floats right into Red Rum and gets the submission victory.

Winner: Hook

Danhausen enters with a microphone. He acknowledges the challenge from Tony Nese and has a proposal for Hook. He wants Hook to be in his corner for the match. He prods Hook for an answer but Hook doesn’t want to be rushed and shoves down Danhausen. Danhausen passes Hook a bag of chips with a bow on it and slinks away. Hook picks up the bag of chips and looks at it for a second, but then drops it and walks away.

– Backstage, Lexy Nair is with FTR. Cash Wheeler predicts Dax Harwood will win the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. Harwood says he’ll be damned if he lets Adam Cole beat him and possibly win the tournament.

Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Foundation Qualifying Match: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho

This is Riho’s first match since January 2022, when she suffered a broken collarbone during an AEW Women’s Championship match against then-titleholder Dr. Britt Baker on the first Battle of the Belts special.

Yuka Sakazaki’s last appearance in AEW was last July. She’s been very active in Japan’s Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling promotion since then. In fact, she’s currently one-half of the Princess Tag Team Champions. Riho is in black gear. Commentary speculates this could represent a change in attitude.

Riho and Sakazaki trade arm holds to start but it ends in a stalemate. Riho bridges out of a pinning attempt and hits a dropkick. Riho hits a running knee into the corner. Riho goes to the top rope and hits a cross body for a very close 2-count.

Sakazaki gets back to her feet. Riho charges into a boot in the corner and hits a dropkick to knock Riho to the floor. Sakazaki hits a cannonball senton from the second rope to the Riho on the floor as we go the picture-in-picture break.

Back from the break, Riho misses a double foot stomp from the top rope and Sakazaki slams her for a 2-count. Sakazaki springboards from the top rope but Riho gets her knees up. Riho hits a Dragon suplex. Riho charges with a knee but Sakazaki ducks and they trade multiple pinning combinations. Riho climbs to the top rope again. Sakazaki runs up the corner to the second rope. They trade forearms. Sakazaki pulls Riho down from the top rope with a Flatliner for a 2-count. Sakazaki lifts up Riho on her shoulders but Riho gets out and rolls her up for a 2-count.

They trade elbow strikes in the center of the ring. Sakazaki winds up for a big strike but Riho reverses into an inside cradle and gets the pin!

Winner: Riho

– We get a quick look at the tournament bracket.

– We go to backstage comments from Shawn Spears, who has some words for Wardlow.

– Back to the ring, Dan Lambert, TNT Champion Scorpio Sky, and Ethan Page are in the ring. Lambert tears down Baltimore. Lambert says he’d rather bring home crabs from a downtown streetwalker.

Page says the mixed tag team match they agreed to is now off because he doesn’t want his daughter to see Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti sucking face on TV. Frankie Kazarian enters the arena. He doesn’t care about anyone other than Sky. He says he’s Sky’s biggest threat and he wants a shot at the TNT Championship.

Page steps up to Kazarian and says SCU is dead. Sky interjects and says he wants to be a fighting champion and the days of the TNT Title being passed around backstage like Tay Conti are over. Sky tells Lambert to put the second TNT Championship belt in his trophy case where it belongs and then he agrees to give Kazarian his title match.

– Back from the break, Jungle Boy heads over to the commentary desk and starts a fight with Ricky Starks. Starks retreats down one of the tunnels. Jungle Boy goes back to the desk and holds up the FTW Championship belt.

– Mark Henry is speaking with the participants in tonight’s main event. Konosuke Takeshita says he’s not afraid. Jay Lethal points out to Samoa Joe that he’s the longest-reigning Ring of Honor World Television Champion.

Jay Lethal (with Sonjay Dutt & Satnam Singh) vs. Konosuke Takeshita

This is the first televised match in AEW for DDT Pro’s Konosuke Takeshita.

Waistlock takedown by Takeshita to start out. Lethal backs away to regroup.

Lethal tries an armbar, but Takeshita reverses and takes him down with a headlock. Lethal escapes and hits some chops followed by a low dropkick. Lethal showboats but that gives Takeshita a chance to get up and he meets Lethal with a chop and a series of dropkicks.

Now, Takeshita showboats a little. Lethal answers with some strikes. A whip into the ropes leads to a flying shoulder tackle by Takeshita that sends Lethal to the floor. Takeshita follows with a dive over the top rope to the floor. Singh gets in Takeshita’s face on the floor. That slows him down enough for Lethal to cut him off coming back into the ring. Lethal follows with a series of dives as we go to the picture-in-picture break.

Back from the break, both men are standing on the top rope. Takeshita lariats Lethal off the top rope! That gets a 2-count. Takeshita grabs a waist lock but Lethal slips out and locks on the Figure Four. Takeshita escapes and hits a brainbuster for a 2-count.

Takeshita hits a big forearm strike. He whips Lethal into the ropes but Lethal reverses and hits the Lethal Combination. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection but misses and Takeshita hits his Jumping Knee. Referee Rick Knox is distracted by Dutt at ringside. By the time he counts, Lethal has recovered and kicks out at 2.

Takeshita goes for another big lariat but Lethal avoids it and hits the Lethal Injection to get the pin!

Winner: Jay Lethal

Lethal and Dutt stomp on Takeshita after the match. But the post-match beatdown is interrupted by Best Friends. Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor go after Lethal and Dutt but Singh turns the side and chokes down both Beretta and Taylor.

Orange Cassidy gets up on the ring apron to get Singh’s attention. Cassidy hops down before Singh can get ahold of him and Samoa Joe’s music hits and here comes Joe. Security steps in to stop Joe from getting into the ring as the show goes off the air.