ROH World Championship Match Set For 8/26 AEW Rampage, Trios Titles Tournament Match Also Announced
Claudio Castagnoli has issued an open challenge for the ROH World Championship, and a familiar face accepted it.
Claudio Castagnoli has issued an open challenge for the ROH World Championship, and a familiar face accepted it.
On the August 19 episode of AEW Rampage, the champion, alongside Wheeler Yuta, came to the ring. Castagnoli gave a shout-out to Ricky Steamboat, who was sitting in the crowd. He made it clear that he wanted to defend the gold, so he issued an open challenge for next week.
Dustin Rhodes answered the call, as he came to the ring. He noted that he has a lot of history with Castagnoli, and he has dreamed of holding a world title for a long time. Rhodes told him that he’d give him the best Dustin Rhodes he’s ever seen.
Castagnoli responded by telling him they have a lot in common, and he knows Rhodes’ hunger for a world title keeps him going. He made it clear that he hasn’t lost his fire, and if Rhodes will bring his best, the match is on. Rhodes gave him his word, and they shook on it.
It’s set! #ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. #TheNatural Dustin Rhodes for the title next Friday at #AEWRampage on TNT! pic.twitter.com/BdVruuRFpm
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 20, 2022
The broadcast team confirmed the match for the August 26 episode of AEW Rampage.
Castagnoli won the title by defeating Jonathan Gresham at ROH Death Before Dishonor on July 23. He successfully defended the gold against Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Battle of the Belts III on August 6. Meanwhile, Rhodes hasn’t wrestled since the Royal Rampage match on the July 1 episode of AEW Rampage.
Later in the show, the broadcast team announced that the House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) will face the Dark Order in a semifinal match in the AEW World Trios Championship Tournament. Matthews defeated Serpentico in a singles match on Friday night and brawled with Miro after the bell.
Fans can check out the full lineup for next Friday’s episode of Rampage below.
AEW Rampage (8/26)
- ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes
- AEW World Trios Championship Semifinal: House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) vs. Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and 10)
Catch up with our live coverage of AEW Rampage by clicking here. Check out the post-show review podcast for both Rampage and WWE SmackDown on our YouTube channel.
