AEW Rampage | |
---|---|
Genre | Professional wrestling |
Created by | Tony Khan |
Presented by | Jim Ross Excalibur Tony Schiavone |
Starring | AEW roster |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 53 (as of August 5, 2022(list of episodes) | )
Production | |
Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company | All Elite Wrestling |
Release | |
Original network | TNT |
Picture format | HDTV 1080p |
Original release | August 13, 2021 present | –
Chronology | |
Related shows |
AEW Rampage, also known as Friday Night Rampage or simply Rampage, is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs every Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on TNT in the United States. It is AEW's second weekly television show, positioned behind their flagship show, Dynamite. AEW Rampage is the second professional wrestling program to air on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001.
History
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was officially announced and launched on January 1, 2019, and their weekly flagship television program, Dynamite, began airing on TNT that October.[1] On January 15, 2020, TNT's parent company WarnerMedia and AEW announced a US$175 million contract extension for Dynamite through 2023. As part of the new deal, it was also announced that AEW would be launching a second weekly television show.[2][3]
In May 2021, AEW revealed their second weekly television show, and fourth program overall, as AEW Rampage, which would begin airing on TNT on August 13 as a one-hour show on Fridays at 10pm Eastern Time (ET). During AEW's marquee event Double or Nothing on May 30, former WWE wrestler Mark Henry was announced to be a part of the Rampage commentary team as an analyst.[4][5] On August 4, Dynamite and Dark's commentators Excalibur and Taz and wrestler Chris Jericho, who has served as a guest commentator several times on Dynamite, were announced to join Henry as Rampage's four-man commentary team.[6] AEW President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Khan said that the commentary team would not always be all four men, as Henry would also have other roles on the show, such as doing interviews.[7] In September, AEW wrestler Ricky Starks replaced Henry on the commentary team, with Henry now just doing interviews on the show.[8]
In an interview with PWInsider, Khan stated that while Rampage would air live for most episodes, some episodes they would pre-tape, depending on the city that the preceding episode of Dynamite was held in. He also said that Rampage would serve as the go-home show for AEW's pay-per-views (PPV), due to the show airing two days before those events, in turn replacing Dark, as although Dark normally airs on Tuesdays, it would instead air on Fridays during the week of a PPV to serve as the go-home show.[9] Khan also said that WarnerMedia had asked him if he would rather expand Wednesday's Dynamite to three hours, but he rejected the notion, stating that he did not want to run Dynamite for that length as he really wanted that third hour as a separate show on a different night. He also claimed that Rampage would not be a secondary show to Dynamite, and that it would be its partner or its equivalent. He further said that Dynamite and Rampage would be AEW's core properties, while their YouTube shows, Dark and Elevation, would be their peripheral properties, essentially their developmental shows.[10]
Rampage airs immediately following WWE's own Friday television program, SmackDown, which airs on Fox. Although Dynamite had run against WWE's NXT from October 2019 to April 2021, there was expectation that there would be no overlap between Rampage and SmackDown in nearly the entire country[a] unless the latter were to run over its scheduled time, which ends at 10pm ET, when Rampage begins broadcasting.[11] To date, this has occurred only once, which was on October 15, 2021. That night, SmackDown aired a special episode titled "Supersized SmackDown", which extended its runtime to 10:30pm with the additional 30 minutes airing commercial free, therefore directly competing with Rampage for its first 30 minutes. SmackDown had also aired on Fox's sister channel FS1 due to the MLB playoffs airing on Fox, which also decreased SmackDown's normal average viewership.[12] During the 30 minutes that the shows went head-to-head, Rampage beat SmackDown in the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, drawing 328,000 views to SmackDown's 285,000 views.[13]
It was initially announced that both Dynamite and Rampage would be moving to TNT's sister channel TBS, also owned by WarnerMedia, in January 2022. However, on September 23, 2021, it was revealed that Rampage would remain on TNT while only Dynamite would move to TBS.[14][15]
The May 6 and May 13, 2022, episodes of Rampage were moved to 5:30pm ET in order to accommodate TNT's coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The May 20 episode was moved to 7pm ET to make way for TNT's coverage of the NBA Western Conference Finals.[16]
Special episodes
Episode | Date | Venue | Location | Rating (18–49) |
U.S. viewers (million) |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Debut episode | August 13, 2021 | Petersen Events Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 0.31[17] | 0.740[17] | Series debut; Rampage is the first weekly wrestling series to air Friday nights on a Turner network since WCW Power Hour in 1994. Second professional wrestling program to air on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001.
|
The First Dance[19] | August 20, 2021 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois | 0.53[20] | 1.126[20] | AEW debut of former WWE superstar CM Punk, who made his first professional wrestling appearance since he walked out from the company after the pay-per-view in January 2014.[21]
|
Grand Slam | September 24, 2021 | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Queens, New York | 0.29[23] | 0.640[23] | Part 2 of the first annual Grand Slam event that aired as a special two-hour episode of Rampage taped immediately after Dynamite concluded on September 22, 2021; Rampage's first stadium show.
|
Halloween episode | October 29, 2021 | Agganis Arena | Boston, Massachusetts | 0.25[24] | 0.623[24] | Halloween-themed special episode, second part of October 27, 2021 Dynamite taped immediately after conclusion.
|
Black Friday episode | November 26, 2021 | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | 0.18[25] | 0.431[25] | Part 2 of Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite on November 24, 2021. Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion. |
Holiday Bash[26] | December 25, 2021 | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, North Carolina | 0.26[27] | 0.589[27] | Part 2 of Christmas-themed AEW Dynamite on December 22, 2021. Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion: Holiday Bash concluded on December 22, 2021. Saturday airing of Rampage because of TNT's continuous airing of A Christmas Story starting on Christmas Eve.
|
New Year's Smash | December 31, 2021 | Daily's Place | Jacksonville, Florida | 0.19[28] | 0.453[28] | Part 2 of the second annual New Year's Smash event. Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on December 29, 2021.
|
Beach Break | January 28, 2022 | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio | 0.25[29] | 0.601[29] | Part 2 of the second annual Beach Break event. Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on January 26, 2022.
|
Slam Dunk | February 18, 2022 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | Nashville, Tennessee | 0.20[30] | 0.471[30] | Aired at 7pm EST due to NBA All-Star Weekend
Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on February 16, 2022.
|
Road Rager | June 17, 2022 | Chaifetz Arena | St. Louis, Missouri | Part 2 of the second annual Road Rager event.
Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on June 15, 2022.
| ||
Royal Rampage | July 1, 2022 | Little Caesars Arena | Detroit, Michigan | Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on June 29, 2022.
| ||
Fyter Fest | July 15, 2022 | Enmarket Arena | Savannah, Georgia | Fourth annual Fyter Fest event and the second part of a two-week special episode.
Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on July 13, 2022.
| ||
July 22, 2022 | Gas South Arena | Duluth, Georgia | Fourth annual Fyter Fest event and the fourth part of a two-week special episode.
Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on July 20, 2022. | |||
Fight for the Fallen | July 29, 2022 | DCU Center | Worcester, Massachusetts | Part 2 of the fourth annual Fight for the Fallen event.
Taped immediately after Dynamite conclusion on July 27, 2022. |
Roster
The wrestlers featured on AEW Rampage take part in scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters during scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match.
Commentators
Commentators | Dates |
---|---|
Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho, and Mark Henry | August 13, 2021 | – September 3, 2021
Excalibur, Jim Ross, Taz, and Mark Henry | August 20, 2021 |
Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Taz, and Mark Henry | September 10, 2021 |
Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho, and Ricky Starks | September 17, 2021 | – May 6, 2022
Excalibur, Taz, and Ricky Starks | September 24, 2021 October 15, 2021 November 5, 2021 December 3, 2021 December 17, 2021 – December 25, 2021 March 11, 2022 April 8, 2022 – April 22, 2022 May 27, 2022 | – October 1, 2021
Excalibur, Taz, and Chris Jericho | October 8, 2021 February 4, 2022 March 25, 2022 April 29, 2022 May 13, 2022 – May 20, 2022 June 3, 2022 June 17, 2022 – June 24, 2022 |
Excalibur and Taz | December 10, 2021 June 10, 2022 |
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Ricky Starks | December 31, 2021 |
Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone | July 1, 2022 | – present
Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Chris Jericho | July 15, 2022 July 29, 2022 |
Ring announcers
Ring announcers | Dates |
---|---|
Dasha Gonzalez | August 13, 2021 December 3, 2021 – December 10, 2021 June 17, 2022 – June 24, 2022 |
Justin Roberts | August 20, 2021 | – present
Broadcasting
In the United States, Rampage currently airs live on Fridays on TNT at 10pm ET. The program was to move to TBS in January 2022,[31] but in September, AEW announced that while Dynamite would move to TBS, Rampage would remain on TNT.[32]
On September 25, 2019, AEW announced an international streaming deal with FITE TV primarily for regions outside of the United States and Canada via the "AEW Plus" package, which includes live streaming and replay access of Dynamite in simulcast with its U.S. airing. This was expanded to include Rampage.[33]
Canada
On August 9, 2021, PWInsider reported that TSN, which airs Dynamite in Canada, would stream Rampage online in simulcast with the U.S through its website and TSN Direct service.[34]
Europe
On July 3, 2021, WarnerTV Serie (known as TNT Serie until 24 September 2021) announced a deal to air Rampage on Monday nights in Germany.[35][36]
On July 6, 2021, Toonami (another WarnerMedia channel) announced a deal to air Rampage in France.[37]
On August 27, 2021, Sky Sport (owned by Comcast, which holds rights to a rival wrestling promotion, WWE in the United States) and AEW announced that Rampage would air on Mondays nights in Italy.[38]
On January 1, 2022, AEW announced that Rampage would be broadcast every Tuesday night on ITV4 with repeats every Thursday night on ITV in the United Kingdom,[39] it's also available to view on their streaming service ITV Hub.
On February 10, 2022, Warner TV announced that they would air Rampage in Poland.[40]
In Spain, AEW announced that was going to air Rampage on TNT starting on June 19, 2022.[41]
Latin America
On October 22, 2020, AEW reached an agreement with the digital platform Pluto TV, broadcasting its repeat events (including past pay-per-view) with commentators in Spanish from Latin America.[42]
On October 1, 2021, Rampage began airing on Space, a WarnerMedia International channel in Brazil and on Space's Spanish feed, available throughout Latin America on Saturdays.[43]
Africa
Rampage began airing on TNT Africa on October 2, 2021, in Sub-Saharan Africa.[44] The show airs every Saturday morning at 10 AM CAT, one week after the U.S. broadcast.[45]
Asia
In India, Rampage airs on Eurosport starting on August 15, 2021, and later at the same time as the American airing from August 21, 2021, every Saturday 7:30 AM IST.[46] Eurosport is owned by Discovery Communications, which is set to acquire WarnerMedia later in 2021. Rampage began airing on Premier Sports in the Philippines in October 2021[47] On April 8, 2022, it was announced that as part of the AEW and NJPW working relationship that Rampage would air in Japan on NJPW World.[48][49]
See also
Notes
- ^ Honolulu Fox affiliate KHON-TV airs Smackdown at 7-9pm Hawaii time. TNT and TBS's West Coast feeds air Rampage at 8pm in Hawaii during Pacific Standard Time and 7pm in Hawaii during Pacific Daylight Time.
References
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- ^ Otterson, Joe (January 15, 2020). "AEW to Expand to Two Nights a Week With New TNT Deal". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 15, 2020). "AEW Dynamite extended through 2023, WarnerMedia adding second show". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ AEW Staff (June 1, 2021). "Wrestling Legend Mark Henry Signs Multi-Year Deal with AEW". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (June 2, 2021). "Tony Khan Says A 'Top Star' Will Be On Commentary For AEW Rampage". 411mania. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Crowley, Liam (August 4, 2021). "AEW Announces Rampage's Broadcast Team, Title Match For Debut Show". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Mutter, Eric (August 13, 2021). "Tony Khan Says AEW Rampage Will Not Always Have A Four Man Commentary Booth". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Lovell, Blake (September 20, 2021). "Ricky Starks Permanently Replacing Mark Henry On AEW Rampage Commentary". 411mania. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Shrivastava, Arpit (June 17, 2021). "Tony Khan discloses interesting details about AEW Rampage". Sportskeeda. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (May 19, 2021). "Tony Khan Reveals New Details About Move to TBS, Says He Was Offered a Third Hour of Dynamite". 411mania. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Casey, Connor (May 19, 2021). "Will AEW Rampage Conflict With WWE SmackDown on Friday Nights?". ComicBook. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (October 18, 2021). "SMACKDOWN VS. RAMPAGE - WHO WON?". PWInsider.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Fontaine, Paul (October 18, 2021). "WWE SMACKDOWN & RAMPAGE TIE IN DEMO, AEW WINS HEAD-TO-HEAD". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ Staszewski, Joseph (May 19, 2021). "AEW Dynamite moving to TBS in 2022, new show revealed". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ Joe Otterson (September 23, 2021). "'AEW: Dynamite' Sets January Date for TBS Move, 'Rampage' to Remain on TNT". Variety.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
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- ^ a b "AEW Rampage premiere episode tops 700k viewers". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
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- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (August 23, 2021). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.20.2021". ShowBuzz Daily. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ "CM Punk Returns To Wrestling On 8/20 AEW Rampage The First Dance, Faces Darby Allin At AEW All Out | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Jon Moxley, Jade Cargill, And Jurassic Express In Action On 8/20 AEW Rampage The First Dance | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Showbuzz Daily
- ^ a b "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 10.29.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (November 26, 2021). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 11.26.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ Nason, Josh (December 8, 2021). "AEW HOLIDAY BASH SET FOR BOTH DYNAMITE, CHRISTMAS NIGHT RAMPAGE". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Andrew Ravens (December 28, 2021). "AEW Rampage draws a great rating on Christmas night". Wrestling News. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 12.31.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ a b "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 1.28.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 22, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 2.18.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Salvador, Joesph (May 19, 2021). "New AEW Show 'Rampage' Coming to TNT on Friday Nights". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Nason, Josh (September 23, 2021). "AEW DYNAMITE MOVING TO TBS ON JANUARY 5, RAMPAGE STAYING ON TNT". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "AEW Plus Subscription Debuts Exclusively on FITE". FITE.TV. FITE. September 25, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "AEW RAMPAGE IN CANADA UPDATE". August 9, 2021.
- ^ Hoffman, Martin (July 3, 2021). "Neue AEW-Show auch in Deutschland". Sport1 (in German).
- ^ "AEW: Rampage kommt nach Deutschland auf TNT Serie" [AEW: Rampage comes to Germany on TNT Serie] (in German). August 11, 2021.
- ^ WarnerMedia France [@ToonamiFR] (July 6, 2021). "Nous sommes très heureux de vous annoncer que #AEWRampage sera bientôt diffusé sur Toonami en plus de #AEWDynamite ! 1h de catch supplémentaire chaque semaine avec @NorbertFeuillan et @AlainMist" [We are very happy to announce that #AEWRampage will soon be airing on Toonami in addition to #AEWDynamite! 1 hour of additional wrestling each week with @NorbertFeuillan and @AlainMist] (Tweet) (in French) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Il wrestling AEW raddoppia su Sky Sport: arriva anche Rampage" [AEW wrestling doubles on Sky Sport: Rampage also arrives]. Sky Sport (in Italian). August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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- ^ "AEW Dynamite and Rampage coming to NJPW World in Japan". F4wonline. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "AEW and New Japan announce new deal". Pwinsider. Retrieved April 8, 2022.