AEW Rampage live results: Powerhouse Hobbs TNT title defense

For the second straight week, the TNT title will be on the line on a special Saturday edition of AEW Rampage.

Powerhouse Hobbs will look for the second defense of his TNT title when he faces Penta El Zero Miedo. Penta will be looking for revenge for Rey Fenix and Alex Abrahantes following the events of last week's Rampage.

In her second AEW match, Taya Valkyrie will take on Leila Grey. When Valkyrie debuted last week and confronted TBS Champion Jade Cargill, she delivered Cargill's own Jaded to Grey.

Brody King will face Jake Hager of the Jericho Appreciation Society after Daniel Garcia picked up a tainted win over King last Friday.

Former AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed will battle former ROH Tag Team Champions The Kingdom.

Ricky Starks threw out an open challenge for tonight to Juice Robinson after the Bullet Club member took him out on Dynamite.

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Taped from Independence, Missouri. 

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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were on commentary. 

Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ the cast of QTV) defeated Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) to retain the TNT Championship (10:33)

Hobbs and Penta exchanged strikes in the opening, and Penta knocked Hobbs to the floor with a dropkick. Penta tried to follow up with a tope, but Hobbs cut him off with a forearm. Harley (the woman from QTV) took video of the match on her phone while Hobbs threw Penta into the ringpost. Doesn’t she know she can DVR the show?

Hobbs tossed Penta about the ringside area, into the ring barricades. Back in the ring, Hobbs dropped a Bret Hart style elbow for a two. Penta tried to catch Hobbs with a kick, but Hobbs grabbed his foot and yanked him into a backbreaker. While Hobbs distracted Aubrey Edwards, Marshall tied Penta’s mask onto the bottom rope. He didn’t stay tied up for long though. Hobbs delivered a delayed vertical suplex for a near fall.

After a split screen break, Penta took Hobbs down with a sloppy slingblade, then caught Hobbs with a back stabber for a near fall. Hobbs gave Penta the Big Ending for a near fall. Harley was blatantly recording the whole match with her phone. Penta escaped Hobbs' attempt at the Town Business, kicked Hobbs to the floor and caught him with a tope con hilo. Penta dodged Hobbs and sent him into the steps Penta dropped down on Hobbs from the top rope with a pair of double foot stomps, one on the ring apron and one on the ring. All that only got Penta a two count.

Penta setup Hobbs for the Fear Factor, but Marshall got on the apron with a chair to distract him. Solo jumped in and attacked Penta, and Penta took him out with the Fear Factor. Hobbs decked Penta with the TNT title belt, then hit the Town Business for the pinfall.

After the match, Hobbs and Marshall tried to beat on Abrahantes some more, but Rey Fenix ran in with the hammer to chase them off.

Hobbs beating two-thirds of Death Triangle is a seriously good start to his TNT title reign.  Hopefully PAC is next. 

– Highlights from last week’s Dynamite led to a package on Kenny Omega’s match with Jeff Cobb for the IWGP United States Championship next week. 

– Ricky Starks came to the ring for a confrontation with Juice Robinson. Robinson came out to the ring but turned his back, and Starks tried to chase him down. Robinson got away from Starks because he didn’t want to fight in Missouri. Robinson wanted the match in New York City. The next date AEW has in New York is April 5th, and Starks/Robinson match was made official for that show in a later segment. 

– Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett ran down all the ways that AEW referees have screwed them out of titles they were cheating to win with their dastardly enforcement of the rules.

Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) defeated Jake Hager (w/ a hat that he likes) (6:15 aired)

Hager’s hat got a bigger pop than either wrestler.

Slugfest to start, while JR put over Hager’s MMA credentials. The fight went to the floor, where both guys threw each other into the ring barricades.

After a break, King caught Hager with a blackhole slam for a near fall. King went for a piledriver, but Hager countered with an ankle lock. King kicked free and caught Hager with an avalanche, but Hager ducked the cannonball. Hager tried for the Hager bomb, but King got his feet up into Hager’s face. King hit a discus lariat for a near fall.

Anna Jay ran in and attacked Julia Hart. This distracted King for a minute, but he still caught Hager with the “All Seeing Eye” (kind of an inverted/sit-out death valley driver) for the pinfall. 

It seems like the Jericho Appreciation Society and the House of Black feud will continue. 

– Swerve Strickland (and a rapper named Tek 9) promised to win the war with Keith Lee with help from a new “affiliate” he wouldn’t expect.

Taya Valkyrie defeated Leila Grey (w/ Jade Cargill & Mark Sterling) (1:15)

Sterling had the cease & desist order with him to keep Valkyrie from using the “Road to Valhalla” finishing move. Excalibur clarified on commentary that the cease & desist order is not a court order; just a threatening letter. Since I'm not a lawyer, I’ll take his word for it.

Valkyrie pinned Grey with the Road to Valhalla in short order. After the match, Sterling confronted Valkyrie with the cease & desist, and Valkyrie gave him the Road to Valhalla as well. I can’t wait to see Sterling in a neck brace for the next three months. 

Rundown of next week’s Dynamite:

Kenny Omega v. Jeff Cobb for the IWGP US Title Willow Nightingale v. Ruby SohoMatt Hardy v. Jack Perry Dalton Castle & The Boys v. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler YutaOrange Cassidy v. The Butcher for the AEW International Championship Adam Cole v. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard and Angelo Parker for the Jericho Appreciation Society joined the commentary team for the main event.

The Acclaimed (w/ Billy Gunn) defeated The Kingdom (w/ Maria Kanellis Bennett) (9:10)

Mike Bennett and Max Caster started out, and the Kingdom got the advantage after a distraction from Maria. Matt Taven hit a middle rope dropkick on Caster for a near fall. Acclaimed caught Bennett with a back-stabber/neckbreaker combination for a near fall. The Acclaimed gave Bennett the Scissor Me Timbers, then dumped Taven to the floor.

The Kingdom got the heat on Caster during the split-screen break. Taven caught Caster with a superkick and Bennet followed up with a spear for a near fall.

After the break, Taven hit a spin kick for a near fall on Caster. The Kingdom directed a crotch chop at Billy Gunn, which drew him onto the apron. Maria distracted Caster, and the Kingdom hit another double team on Caster. Maria tried to slip her team one of her boots to use as a weapon. Gunn chased Maria up the ramp, and Top Flight met her there to escort her to the back. “Maria didn’t have to leave!” complained JR. Gunn took out Bennett with a clothesline on the floor.

Meanwhile in the ring, the ref caught Taven with the boot, and Anthony Bowens got the hot tag. Bowens made the comeback on Taven and took out Bennett with a superkick. Bowen hit a rolling elbow on Taven, delivered the Arrival, and Caster followed up with the Mic Drop for the pinfall. Solid tag match.

Parker and Menard gave the Acclaimed a standing ovation upon the victory. During the match, they announced they’d be taking the Acclaimed out for a night on the town on Chris Jericho’s dime, so expect some skits on Dynamite. 

Final Thoughts: 

Pretty solid hour of Rampage.