Black, Strong in action on Rampage on TSN+
Malakai Black goes one-on-one with Christopher Daniels. Plus, Roderick Strong is in action and Daniel Garcia competes in a four-way elimination match. You can catch AEW Rampage on Friday sat 10pm et/7pm pt streaming on TSN+.
Malakai Black (w/ TBS Champion Julia Hart) vs. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels - It's not unfair to say that Malakai Black picks his spots. The mercurial head of the House of Black lurks in the shadows and only makes himself known when he wants to be. Last Saturday night's Collision was one such occasion. After TNT Champion Adam Copeland faced off with former associate Matt Cardona in a "Cope Open" open challenge match for his title, the lights went out and when they came back on, there was Black standing in the ring. Before Copeland could even react, he was jumped from behind by Buddy Matthews. The House of Black put the boots to the champion before they were run off by Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston. Now at the Apr. 21 Dynasty pay-per-view, it will be Copeland, Briscoe and Kingston taking on Black, Matthews and Brody King in trios action. Before that can happen, though, Black returns to singles competition with a stiff task in the former ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels. The match is just Black's second singles match of 2024. Last time out, Black defeated "The Bounty Hunter" Bryan Keith on the Feb. 24 edition of Collision, putting him away with his patented Black Mass spinning heel kick. The bout marks the first time the two men have ever met in one-on-one competition in AEW, but it's not their first singles match. In January of 2022, Black defeated Daniels at a Northeast Wrestling event in Poughkeepsie, NY. The two also met in tag action at the end of last year when the team of Black and Matthews defeated Daniels and Matt Sydal on the Dec. 2 Collision. Daniels is looking for his first televised singles victory of 2024. The last time we saw Daniels in singles action on Rampage, he fell to "The Alpha" Konosuke Takeshita on Jan. 26. Will Daniels pick up a big win or will Black send another message to Copeland?
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AEW International Championship Title Eliminator match: Roderick Strong (c) (w/ ROH World Tag Team Champions Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) vs. London Lightning - One of Eastern Ontario's top indie wrestlers makes his AEW debut on Friday night in a high-profile spot. Ottawa's London Lightning will face off with Roderick Strong in an AEW International Championship Title Eliminator match. Like with all Title Eliminators, Strong's championship is not on the line, but should Lightning pull off the upset, he earns himself a future shot at the title. Wrestling primarily in the Ottawa and Gatineau, Que. region, Lightning is only a three-year pro, but has managed to open the eyes of a number of promotions in both provinces. Over his short career, Lightning has taken on the likes of Evil Uno and Stu Grayson and he made his Ring of Honor debut back in March when he was defeated by Lee Johnson. A 24-year pro, the Undisputed Kingdom's Strong will be Lightning's stiffest test to date. Having won the International title from "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy at March's Revolution pay-per-view, Strong heads into Friday night's match undefeated in his last nine straight matches with wins over the likes of Bryan Keith, Jake Hager and Matt Sydal. His last loss came on the Dec. 13 edition of Dynamite when he fell to "Hangman" Adam Page. While "The Messiah of the Backbreaker" will be a heavy, heavy favourite on Friday night, it would be a mistake to overlook the challenge of the young and hungry Lightning. Can Strong keep rolling or will Lightning pull the upset for the biggest victory of his young career?
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"The Professor" Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora - Since returning to action at the end of January after a 14-month absence, Serena Deeb has been on a mission to once again claim her throne as the best technical wrestler in the AEW women's division. Deeb has been a buzzsaw in doing so, undefeated in three matches with wins over Robyn Renegade, Queen Aminata and Lady Frost. A former NWA Women's World Champion, Deeb is intent on putting herself right back in title contention and is taking down everybody who's been put in front of her thus far. On Friday night, the latest person to step in the ring will be The Infantry's Trish Adora. The two women have met just once before, but it was nearly two years ago and was a trios match. On the Oct. 11, 2022 edition of AEW Dark, Deeb teamed with Jamie Hayter and "The Superbad Girl" Penelope Ford to defeat Adora, Brittany Blake and Jordan Blade. While a more than capable competitor, Adora heads into Friday night's match on a run of futility. She's lost four straight singles matches in AEW, dropping bouts to Riho, Mariah May, a TBS Championship match to Julia Hart and, most recently, a match on this past Saturday night's Collision against Yuka Sakazaki. Taking on Deeb will be another stiff test, especially with the form she's in right now. Will Adora break her losing streak or will Deeb prove too tall a task for the Washington, DC native?
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Four-way elimination match: Daniel Garcia vs. "The Bounty Hunter" Bryan Keith vs. Action Andretti vs. Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes) - Four men with much to prove will battle it out in a four-way elimination match on Friday night as Daniel Garcia meets Bryan Keith, Action Andretti and Komander. As per the stipulations of the match, it will only be won when your three other competitors have been eliminated by pinfall or submission. The match is an incredibly interesting one. Not only are all four men jockeying for position in a competitive AEW men's division and trying to set themselves up for title contention, the match presents some potential styles clashes. On the one hand, you have the technical prowess of Garcia and Keith, while on the other, you have the aerial ability of Komander and Andretti. How this plays out will be fascinating to watch. There is also a need to modify your strategy when you're competing against three other men. Your energy level must be maintained when you consider that there's a chance that the match could be a long one and you're liable to incur quite a bit of wear and tear. Which of these four men will emerge victorious?