AEW Rampage Preview for March 18, 2022

Last week on Dynamite, fans witnessed the crowning of a new TNT Champion in Scorpio Sky, and just a few days ago, they watched as Thunder Rosa earned the AEW Women's World Title inside a Steel Cage with Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D! The defending champion gave as good as she got, proving she is indeed double tough, but Rosa was just too much for the Good Doctor. The Era of DMD is over, that of “La Mera Mera” is just beginning, and women are going to be lining up to take her off the throne. Plus, Adam Cole and reDRagon beat the AEW World Champion and World Tag Champs in trios action, MJF cost Wardlow the TNT Title, and The Hardys had their first televised match together in three years!

On Friday night Rampage comes to you from San Antonio at 11:30pm EST/10:30pm CST (or at the conclusion of NCAA Tournament action) and at AEWPlus.com for our international audience! “Limitless” Keith Lee locks up with The Acclaimed's Max Caster, Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch collide once more, The House Of Black is in action, and The Butcher aims for vengeance against Darby Allin!

Before Friday night's event gets started, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for Dynamite highlights, as well as the latest episodes of Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and the latest Control Center with Tony Schiavone!

ONE-ON-ONE... “Limitless” Keith Lee vs. “Platinum” Max Caster

There has been no rest for Keith Lee when it comes to the presence of Team Taz in his business. It feels as if they've insinuated themselves into every aspect of Keith's life in All Elite Wrestling. Starks and Hobbs made sure to let Lee know they had their eyes on him going into the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at Revolution 2022, and last Friday night on Rampage, after “Limitless” beat QT Marshall, Hobbs drove the big man hard into the mat with a massive spinebuster.

It's clear the members of Team Taz have targeted Keith Lee for having the audacity to simply exist in their world, they likely blame him for not winning the Ladder Match too, and it seems Starks and Hobbs are going to take every opportunity to send “Limitless” their message, to let him know their eyes are always watching. Well it looks like there are some eyes watching Team Taz as well...

Will the FTW Champion and Powerhouse insert themselves in “Limitless” business once again this Friday night? Does Swerve Strickland have his own plans for these individuals, or did he just want to send them all a message of his own? Tune in Friday night after the NCAA Tournament to find out!

TRIOS MATCH...

The House Of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black)

vs.

Bear Country (Bear Boulder & Bear Bronson) & Fuego Del Sol

During the Revolution 2022: Buy-In, this House Of Black trio looked utterly dominating against the rather unique unit of PAC, Penta Oscuro, and Erick Redbeard. From the moment they enter the arena, Brody, Buddy, and Black project this terrifying aura that can throw even the strongest will competitors off their game, and they will be back in action against this nascent trio of Bear Country and Fuego Del Sol.

This is a tall, tall task for Bronson, Boulder. and Fuego to overcome, and that would be the case even if it wasn't their first time teaming up like this. But given that this is the first dance for Bear Country and Fuego, the best they can do is pray because they are most certainly the prey of The HoB this Friday night.

GRUDGE REMATCH...

Red Velvet vs. Leyla Hirsch

At Dynamite: Beach Break 2022, Red Velvet felt the sting of defeat at the hands of Leyla Hirsch when she fell victim to a roll-up pinfall from “Legit”. As if being beaten by her former friend wasn't enough, Hirsch proceeded to attack Velvet after the match ended, and apply that vicious armbar she's been using to finish off foes since debuting in AEW.

Who knows what kind of damage could have been done if not for Kris Statlander's timely arrival, but that didn't save Statlander herself come the Revolution 2022: Buy-In when it was time for her fight with Leyla. Hirsch, with the assist of some excess ring equipment, found a way to defeat “The Galaxy's Greatest Alien” and solidify her spot at the top of the Women's Rankings following Thunder Rosa's championship loss on the pay-per-view proper.

Finding herself on the cusp of a title opportunity at St. Patrick's Day Slam 2022, Hirsch had to square off with Rosa to see which of the two women would get the shot at Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. It was a tremendous fight, but just as she did with Statlander, Hirsch tried to used that extra turnbuckle hook as a weapon against “La Mera Mera”. Unfortunately for “Legit”, Red Velvet was right there to make sure history didn't repeat itself here and stop Leyla from bringing the weapon into play.

Hirsch would end up on the losing end of the bout, and thus have to watch while Thunder Rosa dethroned Baker as the AEW Women's World Champion just days ago on Dynamite. This is clearly something that isn't going to sit well with Hirsch, and it's not like she's going accept responsibility for it herself. No, Hirsch just wants to look at Red Velvet as the reason she wasn't the one challenging Britt at St. Patrick's Day Slam 2022...

Well this Friday night, Hirsch will have her chance to even the score (at least in her perception) when she and Red Velvet go one-on-one once again! Will Friday night be Velvet's revenge or Hirsch's?

HEAD-TO-HEAD...

Darby Allin vs. The Butcher

The last time these two men went one-on-one was at The House Always Wins live event that took place on April 9, 2021. The Butcher won a battle royal earlier in the night to earn a shot at then-TNT Champion Darby Allin, and despite the massive size difference, the defending champion somehow found a way to retain his championship.

Unfortunately for The Butcher, the match would also prove his last until September as a broken hand stemming from the fight would keep him on the shelf for five months. Butcher talks about the subject in the video embedded above, specifically how there is nothing he wants more than revenge going into this fight. It's been almost a year, and this Friday night will mark the first time Darby and Butcher have been together in a match of any kind since that House Show event.

This time there is no title on the line, there is only revenge on the mind, revenge and the heated rivalry in which Allin is engaged The Butcher's benefactor Andrade El Idolo. It is a reasonable bet that Andrade and the rest of his AFO will have their eyes on this fight as it rages on, some of them will likely be at ringside with Butcher, but they must also realize Darby has a support unit of his own. Where Allin walks, so to walks “The Icon” Sting, and after the last week, it also seems The Hardys are trodding the very same path.

What that means is no one enters this fight alone, and that makes for a very combustible situation! Will The Butcher even the year-old score, or will fans see history repeating?

This Friday night on Rampage the action gets started at 11:30pm EST/10:30pm CST on TNT (or at the conclusion of NCAA Tournament action), as well as at AEWPlus.com for international audiences, and features Keith Lee in action, Darby Allin fighting The Butcher, Trios action with The HoB, and a grudge match between two women in Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch who used to be friends!