AEW frenzy (January 27, 2023) It emanated from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The show featured Hangman Page beating Wheeler Utah in a statement to Jon Moxley, Jimmy Hayter and Emi Sakura taking part in a bumpy main event, and much more.

Let’s jump right in with a summary of the show followed by feedback.

Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Chris Jericho were on commentary. Ring announcer duties were taken over by Justin Roberts.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

Utah was aggressive from the start by hitting the Executioner when the Cowboys weren’t looking. Executioner held him in place with a high impact attack, like a powerbomb to the apron, superplexes, Death Valley Driver’s avalanche, and German suplexes.

Uta answered Executioner’s German suplexes with a triple mix German suplex. Yuta also had a great German suplex sequence with a transition of one on the apron to one on the floor.

The match progressed as a grouchy affair. Utah’s best shot for the win came on a flying splash. Exit Executioner in a second and change. Clashes broke out in the center of the ring. Yuta decided to bite the executioner, so the referee stepped in to force a break. This freed the Executioner to perform a Buckshot Lariat strategic attack. Instead of a pin, Hangman sent Jon Moxley a message with Death Rider on Yuta. At least that was the intent. The executioner’s move looked more like a hidden double hook than a death knell.

The Executioner defeated Wheeler Utah Page.

Ricky Starks and Action Andretti commented afterwards dynamite Regarding losing to Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. A baseball bat was hitting them. Andretti ensured he could beat Sami. The Starks put Jericho down with Rochambeau, and once again, it wasn’t Jericho who got the job done. It is always a JAS helper. The Starks would do anything to get Jericho’s hand back.

Eddie Kingston is tired of fighting his own demons. Quit holding him back. It’s time for the real Kingston to come out now. If Ortiz doesn’t like being hit with a chair, do something. Kingston understands the “black house” now. He’s ready to go home. They just have to accept it.

Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, and Satnam Singh vs. Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Danhausen

Sonjay Dutt and Orange Cassidy were ringside. Danhausen brought in a ukulele to match Jarrett’s guitar. Deadly stole a small musical instrument, so that Singh could break it into pieces. The match had a strong wrestling team of Best Friends with Lethal and Jarrett playing the good villains. The real attraction was Danhausen getting into the ring against Singh. The Giant felt no pain from Danhausen’s muscular attack, so Best Friends switched strategy to shower Singh with quick fire strikes. All four friends in the crew to pull Singh’s throat hit the ropes one by one after another for a quadruple blow.

That was the beginning of the strange end. Cassidy slammed Dot with the Superman Punch. Danhausen was using a guitar as a weapon, which the referee removed. Jarrett benefited from Wallop Danhausen with a stolen Golden Globe. Singh climbed onto Danhausen’s chest for the easy pin.

Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh defeated Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor and Danhausen.

Ruby Soho took issue with Dr. Brett Baker DMD about highlighting. Suho didn’t need or want Baker’s help to beat Tony Storm. Becker chirped that teams are forming in the women’s division and that Suho needs to pick a team.

Will Hobbs vs. Tony Maude

Hobbes beats Maud to end the torture stroke.

Will Hobbs defeated Tony Maude.

Top Flight showed why they are the coolest tag team in the game. They fall short against the best in the company, but luck changes with a win over the Young Bucks. Top Flight has placed a call-up to AR Fox challenging the Elite for the Trios titles.

Dustin Rhodes has had a rough month in his personal life. Returning to wrestling is a method of psychological treatment. Swerve interrupted Strickland to criticize aging veterans who steal the limelight. Swerve insulted the Rhodes family. Dustin’s patience was tested. The referees intervened to prevent a physical altercation.

Hype pack for the main event. Jimmy Hayter is going to hit Emi Sakura hard. Mark Henry concluded his signature sentence, “Time for the main event!”

Red Velvet stepped into Jade Cargill. Velvet would be the 1 at 49-1 to give Jade her first loss.

Elimination for the AEW Women’s World Championship: Jamie Hayter (C) vs. Emi Sakura

Dr. Brett Baker DMD, Rebel, Mei Suruga and Baliyan Akki were ringside. Sakura had an early grip on physical competition. Hayter exploded for three successive explosions.

Down the stretch, Sakura ran into Hayter in deep trouble. Sakura scored on a double vertical underhook backbreaker, stabbed Hayter into a cruciform pin, and landed on a moonsault. None of that was enough to keep Hayter down. Sakura slaps hard across the face and head. Hayter ran for the crushing lariat. Sakura dodged a ripcord lariat to confront the background driver. Hayter emerged to make a devastating run and finished with a ripcord slap for the victory.

Jimmy Hayter defeated Emi Sakura.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta was exactly the kind of combat I wanted to unlock frenzy. He tickled his salivary glands for a good time. Executioner and Yuta beat each other in a dramatic way. This match showed why there are weight classes in professional fighting. I feel if Yuuta had more flesh on his body, his strength would increase. The blows were hard for the executioner to bear. And on the flip side, Hangman had more power to crush Yuta when it mattered most. The executioner seemed preoccupied at times as he stared at the crowd. It was funny to see Utah take advantage of offense, like kick off. The Executioner finally put it together to finish Bianca to usher in the Cowboy Fight Club era.

Jimmy Hayter vs. Amy Sakura was an unexpected delight. The match was thrown together without a spark. Sakura didn’t even get a chance to speak. On paper, there was no intrigue. As soon as the opening bell rang, they put up the match. The body was lively. Sakura was so effective down the stretch that it made me wonder if she could overcome the upset as she lifted a series of near falls with very little time left in the program. Hayter’s massive gifts closed that door. This was a very good main event. It would have been great given the different story circumstances. Imagine if there was so little hope in believing that Sakura could actually win. That would have increased the drama tenfold.

Quick thoughts on the rest of the show. Eddie Kingston looked fake. He may have a trick up his sleeve for the House of Black. Best friends looked sharp as a tag team. AEW needs a stronger heel roster in the tag department with so many fan-favorite babyface duos out there at the moment. I love how AEW treats Satnam Singh as a true giant in the ring. She keeps his magic alive until he’s ready for regular duty. DMD Brett Baker’s takeover showed why AEW needed three sides to its homegrown talent story. Robby Suho and Hikaru Shida should not want to choose neither Becker nor Saraya as allies at this moment. Let pure Babyfaces thrive as their own unit. Dustin Rhodes vs Swerve Strickland is a great matchmaking smash for fast beef. Rhodes is beloved by AEW fans, and it will provide effective heel heat for the Swerve to shine when Dustin gets dirty.

b grade

The opener and main event were bonafide slugfests. The rest of the show continued to make up storylines with effective promotional scenes.

Share your thoughts about frenzy. How do you rate it? What are your favorite moments from the show?