| AEW Rampage | |
|---|---|
 AEW Rampage logo (2024) | |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Created by | Tony Khan |
| Starring | AEW roster |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 177(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Tony Khan(Head of Creative) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company | All Elite Wrestling |
| Original release | |
| Network | TNT |
| Release | August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13) – December 27, 2024 (2024-12-27) |
| Related | |
AEW Rampage, also known asFriday Night Rampage or simplyRampage, is an Americanprofessional wrestlingtelevision program that was produced by the American promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), running from August 13, 2021, to December 27, 2024. It aired every Friday at 10 p.m.Eastern Time (ET) onTNT in the United States, although major sporting events occasionally moved it to an earlier or later time slot the same day or the next day (as a specialSaturday Night Rampage).
Rampage was AEW's second weekly television show, following the premiere ofDynamite, and the second professional wrestling program to air on TNT since thefinal episode ofWCW Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001. With the premiere ofCollision in June 2023 (which subsequently became AEW's secondary flagship program), and the cancellation of AEW'sYouTube shows (Dark andElevation),Rampage essentially succeeded the YouTube shows by focusing on younger and mid-to-low card talent. The series came to an end on December 27, 2024, as the program was not included in AEW's media rights deal withWarner Bros. Discovery that took effect on January 1, 2025.
Episodes ofRampage were typically taped after the live broadcast of the preceding episode ofDynamite. On occasion, some episodes were also taped afterCollision, while a select few episodes had aired live, notably those that aired back-to-back with theBattle of the Belts special.
The Americanprofessional wrestling promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) was officially announced and launched on January 1, 2019, and their weekly flagship television program,Dynamite, began airing onTNT that October.[1] On January 15, 2020, TNT's parent companyWarnerMedia (nowWarner Bros. Discovery) and AEW announced a US$175 million contract extension forDynamite 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, asAEW Rampage, which would begin airing on TNT on August 13 as a one-hour show on Fridays at 10pmEastern Time (ET). During AEW's marquee eventDouble or Nothing on May 30, formerWWE wrestlerMark Henry was announced to be a part of theRampage commentary team as an analyst.[4][5] On August 4,Dynamite andDark's commentatorsExcalibur andTaz and wrestlerChris Jericho, who had served as a guest commentator several times onDynamite, were announced to join Henry asRampage's four-man commentary team.[6] AEW President andChief Executive OfficerTony 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 wrestlerRicky Starks replaced Henry on the commentary team, with Henry subsequently just doing interviews on the show.[8]
In an interview withPWInsider, Khan stated that whileRampage would airlive for most episodes, some episodes they wouldpre-tape, depending on the city that the preceding episode ofDynamite was held in (although this would later shift to most episodes being taped in conjunction withDynamite with only a few airing live). He also said thatRampage would serve as the go-home show for AEW'spay-per-view (PPV) events, due to the show airing two days before those events.Rampage in turn replaced that role forDark as althoughDark normally aired 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 Warner had asked him if he would rather expand Wednesday'sDynamite to three hours, but he rejected the notion, stating that he did not want to runDynamite for that length as he highly preferred that third hour as a separate show on a different night. He also claimed thatRampage would not be a secondary show toDynamite, and that it would be its partner or its equivalent. He further said thatDynamite andRampage would be AEW's core properties, while theirYouTube shows,Dark andDark: Elevation, would be their peripheral properties, essentially theirdevelopmental programs.[10]
Rampage aired immediately following WWE's own Friday television program,SmackDown, which aired onFox and thenUSA Network beginning in September 2024. AlthoughDynamite hadrun against WWE'sNXT from October 2019 to April 2021, there was expectation that there would be no overlap betweenRampage andSmackDown in nearly the entire country[a] unlessSmackDown were to run over its scheduled endtime of 10pm ET, whenRampage began broadcasting.[11] ThroughoutRampage's 2.5 year broadcast history, this only occurred 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 withRampage for its first 30 minutes.SmackDown had also aired on Fox's sister channelFS1 due to theMLB playoffs airing on Fox, which also decreasedSmackDown's normal average viewership.[12] During the 30 minutes that the shows went head-to-head,Rampage beatSmackDown in the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, drawing 328,000 views toSmackDown's 285,000 views.[13]
It was initially announced that bothDynamite andRampage would be moving to TNT's sister channelTBS, also owned by WarnerMedia, in January 2022. However, on September 23, 2021, it was revealed thatRampage would remain on TNT while onlyDynamite would move to TBS.[14][15]
The May 6 and May 13, 2022, episodes ofRampage were moved to 5:30 p.m. ET in order to accommodateTNT's coverage of theNHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The May 20 episode was moved to 7 p.m. ET to make way forTNT's coverage of theNBA Western Conference finals.[16]
As a result of an amended broadcasting deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, AEW added a third weekly program on Saturday nights calledCollision, which premiered in June 2023 on TNT. The YouTube shows,Dark andElevation, were subsequently canceled to make way forCollision, which was positioned as AEW's second main program, whileRampage shifted to focusing on younger wrestlers, essentially becoming what the YouTube shows were for the company.[17][18]
Due to theNCAA March Madness coverage occurring on March 22, 2024, on TNT,Rampage instead aired live on March 20 immediately afterDynamite, with both programs airing on TBS. This would be the only time for the program to air on TBS.[19]
During the tapings on December 22, 2024, Tony Khan announced that the December 27 episode, which was theNew Year's Smash special, would be the final episode ofRampage as the program was not included in AEW's new media rights agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, which took effect on January 1, 2025.[20]
| Episode | Date | Venue | Location | Rating (18–49) | U.S. viewers (million) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debut episode | August 13, 2021 | Petersen Events Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 0.31[21] | 0.740[21] | Series debut.Rampage was the first weekly wrestling series to air Friday nights on aTurner network sinceWCW Power Hour in 1994. Second professional wrestling program to air onTNT sincethe final episode ofWCW Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001.
|
| The First Dance[23] | August 20, 2021 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois | 0.53[24] | 1.126[24] | AEW debut and professional wrestling return ofCM Punk, who made his first professional wrestling appearance since he walked out ofWWE after theRoyal Rumble event in January 2014.[25]
|
| Grand Slam | September 24, 2021 | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Queens, New York | 0.29[27] | 0.640[27] | Part 2 of the inauguralGrand Slam event that aired as a special two-hour episode ofRampage.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on September 22, 2021.Rampage's first stadium show.
|
| Halloween episode | October 29, 2021 | Agganis Arena | Boston, Massachusetts | 0.25[28] | 0.623[28] | Halloween-themed special episode,taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion October 27, 2021.
|
| Black Friday episode | November 26, 2021 | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | 0.18[29] | 0.431[29] | Taped immediately afterThanksgiving Eve Dynamite's conclusion on November 24, 2021. |
| Holiday Bash[30] | December 25, 2021 | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, North Carolina | 0.26[31] | 0.589[31] | Part 2 of the second annualHoliday Bash event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on December 22, 2021. Saturday airing ofRampage because ofTNT's continuous airing ofA Christmas Story onChristmas Eve.
|
| New Year's Smash | December 31, 2021 | Daily's Place | Jacksonville, Florida | 0.19[32] | 0.453[32] | Part 2 of the secondNew Year's Smash event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on December 29, 2021.
|
| Episode | Date | Venue | Location | Rating (18–49) | U.S. viewers (million) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Break | January 28, 2022 | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio | 0.25[33] | 0.601[33] | Part 2 of the second annualBeach Break event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on January 26, 2022.
|
| Slam Dunk | February 18, 2022 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | Nashville, Tennessee | 0.20[34] | 0.471[34] | Aired at 7pm ET due to theNBA All-Star Weekend.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on February 16, 2022.
|
| Road Rager | June 17, 2022 | Chaifetz Arena | St. Louis, Missouri | 0.12 | 0.369 | Part 2 of the second annualRoad Rager event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on June 15, 2022.
|
| Royal Rampage | July 1, 2022 | Little Caesars Arena | Detroit, Michigan | 0.16 | 0.486 | Inaugural Royal Rampage event,taped immediately afterDynamite: Blood & Guts's conclusion on June 29, 2022.
|
| Fyter Fest | July 15, 2022 | Enmarket Arena | Savannah, Georgia | 0.14 | 0.435 | Part 2 of the fourth annualFyter Fest event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on July 13, 2022.
|
| July 22, 2022 | Gas South Arena | Duluth, Georgia | 0.17 | 0.428 | Part 4 of the fourth annualFyter Fest event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on July 20, 2022. | |
| Fight for the Fallen | July 29, 2022 | DCU Center | Worcester, Massachusetts | 0.11 | 0.375 | Part 2 of the fourth annualFight for the Fallen event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on July 27, 2022. |
| Quake by the Lake | August 12, 2022 | Target Center | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 0.17 | 0.528 | Part 2 of the Quake by the Lake event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on August 10, 2022. |
| Grand Slam | September 23, 2022 | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Queens, New York | 0.17 | 0.522 | Part 2 of the second annualGrand Slam event that aired as a special two-hour episode ofRampage.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on September 21, 2022. |
| Black Friday episode | November 25, 2022 | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | 0.11 | 0.411 | Aired at 4pm ET due to anNHL Doubleheader onTNT.Taped immediately afterThanksgiving Eve Dynamite's conclusion on November 23, 2022. |
| Holiday Bash | December 23, 2022 | Freeman Coliseum | San Antonio,Texas | 0.18 | 0.566 | Part 2 of the third annualHoliday Bash event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on December 21, 2022. |
| New Year's Smash | December 30, 2022 | 1stBank Center | Broomfield, Colorado | 0.12 | 0.470 | Part 2 of the thirdNew Year's Smash event.Taped immediately afterDynamite's conclusion on December 28, 2022. |
In the United States,Rampage aired on Fridays on TNT at 10pm ET. The program was to move to TBS in January 2022,[35] but in September, AEW announced that whileDynamite would move to TBS,Rampage would remain on TNT.[36]
On September 25, 2019, AEW announced an international streaming deal withFITE TV primarily for regions outside of the United States and Canada via the "AEW Plus" package, which included live streaming and replay access ofDynamite insimulcast with its U.S. airing. This was expanded to includeRampage.[37]
On August 9, 2021,PWInsider reported thatTSN, which airedDynamite in Canada, would streamRampage online in simulcast with the U.S. through its website and TSN Direct service.[38]
On July 3, 2021,WarnerTV Serie (known as TNT Serie until September 24, 2021) announced a deal to airRampage on Monday nights inGermany.[39][40]
On July 6, 2021,Toonami (another Warner channel) announced a deal to airRampage inFrance.[41]
On August 27, 2021,Sky Sport (owned by Comcast, which held rights to rival wrestling promotion WWE in the United States) and AEW announced thatRampage would air on Mondays nights inItaly.[42]
On January 1, 2022, AEW announced thatRampage would be broadcast every Tuesday night onITV4 with repeats every Thursday night onITV1 in theUnited Kingdom.[43] It was also available to view on their streaming serviceITVX.
On February 10, 2022,Warner TV announced that they would airRampage inPoland.[44]
In Spain, AEW announced thatRampage would air onTNT starting on June 19, 2022.[45]
On October 22, 2020, AEW reached an agreement with the digital platformPluto TV, broadcasting its repeat events (including past pay-per-views) with commentators in Spanish fromLatin America. This would later includeRampage.[46]
On October 1, 2021,Rampage began airing onSpace, aWarnerMedia International channel inBrazil and on Space's Spanish feed, available throughoutLatin America on Saturdays.[47] On September 30, 2022, it was announced that AEW would stop airing on Space inLatin America on October 1, withBrazil following on December 30.[48][49]
Rampage began airing onTNT Africa on October 2, 2021, in Sub-Saharan Africa.[50] The show aired every Saturday morning at 10 AM CAT, one week after the U.S. broadcast.[51]
In India,Rampage aired onEurosport 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.[52] Eurosport was owned by Discovery Communications, which acquired WarnerMedia later in 2021 to become Warner Bros. Discovery.Rampage began airing onPremier Sports in the Philippines in October 2021[53] On April 8, 2022, it was announced that as part of the AEW andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) working relationship thatRampage would air in Japan onNJPW World.[54][55]
Rampage aired onESPN2 starting February 18, 2023, in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Northern Marianas, Tokelau, Tahiti, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Wallis, and Futuna.
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