Kingston defends Continental Crown on Rampage on TSN+

Eddie Kingston puts the AEW Continental Crown Championship on the line against Wheeler YUTA. Plus, the red-hot Swerve Strickland and Hikaru Shida are in action. You can catch AEW Rampage on Friday sat 10pm et/7pm pt streaming on TSN+.

AEW Continental Crown Championship match: ROH World Champion and New Japan Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (c) vs. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler YUTA - After back-to-back weeks of ROH Pure Championship defences on Rampage, Wheeler YUTA is in another championship match on Friday night, only this time it won't be his title that's on the line. Sick of what he believes is constant disrespect, YUTA has challenged AEW Triple Crown Champion Eddie Kingston to put one of his titles - the AEW Continental Crown Championship - up for grabs. Never one to back down from a fight, "The Mad King" has happily obliged. In order for Kingston to win the first annual Continental Classic tournament, he had to go through every other member of the Blackpool Combat Club, defeating all of his eternal rival Claudio Castagnoli, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and close friend Jon Moxley. Frequently before matches with BCC members, Kingston disparaged YUTA as the BCC's young boy, something that YUTA feels does a disservice to his accomplishments. In fairness, YUTA is the ROH Pure Champion and holds wins over the likes of Katsuyori Shibata, "Filthy" Tom Lawlor and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels in recent weeks. His skill is undeniable, but has his pride caused him to bite off more than he can chew in Kingston? YUTA and Kingston have met in singles competition once before with Kingston defeating YUTA to retain his New Japan Strong Openweight Championship on the Aug. 30 edition of Dynamite. Kingston is coming off of the first ever defence of the Continental Crown Championship this past Saturday night on Collision with a victory over Trent Beretta. Will YUTA be able to beat some respect into Kingston or will "The Mad King" be proven right?

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Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) vs. Matt Sydal - What many had assumed, Swerve Strickland confirmed on this past Wednesday's Dynamite when confronted AEW World Champion Samoa Joe to let him know that he was coming for his title. After a meteoric rise in 2023, it only made sense that Strickland would target AEW's top prize. But things might not be that simple just yet for the crown jewel of the Mogul Embassy. For a second straight week, "Hangman" Adam Page made it very clear that he wasn't done with him. Page and Strickland engaged in a bitter feud in the fall of last year that culminated in what was, perhaps, the most brutal Texas Death Match in wrestling history at Full Gear in November. While Strickland defeated the former AEW World Champion in both of their matches, it's quite obvious that Page considers their business unfinished. But where things get even more complicated for Swerve is that Page is also gunning for Joe and regaining his AEW World Championship. It appears as if Strickland's battle for his first world championship could be fought on two fronts. But before any of that can start in earnest, Strickland has a challenge on his hands on Friday night in the form of seasoned competitor, Matt Sydal. While Sydal isn't a former world champion, he's won his fair share of titles over a career that has spanned over two decades. Sydal is former TNA X-Division Champion, as well as an ROH World Tag Team Champion (with Christopher Daniels), a WWE World Tag Team Champion (with Kofi Kingston), an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Ricochet) and NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion (alongside Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima). Interestingly enough, the two have met once before and it was with a championship on the line. Back in 2018, Strickland successfully defended the DEFY Championship over Sydal in Seattle. Of course a lot has changed since then and Sydal will be looking to prove his even savvier a veteran. Can Sydal derail Swerve's momentum or will Strickland's march towards Joe and the AEW World Championship continue on apace?

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Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata - AEW fans have seen a lot more of Queen Aminata in recent weeks and she'll face her stiffest test to date on Friday night's Rampage when she takes on a former three-time AEW Women's World Champion in Hikaru Shida. Aminata is coming off of a big win in a four corners match on Thursday night's ROH on HonorClub, emerging victorious over Lady Frost, Diamante and Trish Adora. We last saw her on AEW TV on the Jan. 3 Dynamite when she fell to "The Glamour" Mariah May in her debut. Having wrestled all over the world and having taken on the likes of Nyla Rose, Willow Nightingale and Thunder Rosa, Aminata won't at all be intimidated by somebody of Shida's stature and will have something to prove on Friday night. Aminata has actually taken on Shida once before on the Nov. 25, 2022 edition of Rampage. In that match, Shida was ruthless, taking Aminata out in short order with a Falcon Arrow and the Katana. Aminata will undoubtedly want to show how much she's grown as a competitor since then and put up a greater fight against one of the very best that the AEW women's division has to offer. For Shida, somebody looking to get back into the title picture, her goal on Friday night is a straightforward one: no surprises. Go out there and get the job done without overlooking what Aminata is capable of. The last thing she can afford is to look past a hungry Aminata. Will Shida once again show her quality or will Aminata pick up the biggest victory of her AEW career?

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The Dark Order (Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver) (w/ "Negative One" Brodie Lee Jr.) vs. "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard, "Cool Hand Ange" Angelo Parker and Jake Hager - Was Wednesday night a bit of a wakeup call for the Dark Order? On Dynamite, there were a pair of eight-person tag matches in honour of the Dark Order's leader, the late Brodie Lee, that saw two of his proteges - and former Dark Order members - pick up wins. In one match, Preston Vance, now of La Faccion Ingobernable, teamed with Adam Copeland, Dustin Rhodes and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy to defeat Lance Archer and the ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champions the Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun). In the other, Anna Jay joined Thunder Rosa, Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale in a victory over TBS Champion Julia Hart, Skye Blue and the Outcasts (Saraya and Ruby Soho). Seeing their former stablemates channel the memory of their dearly departed leader to pick up big wins might be the motivation for Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver to break out of the doldrums and once again compete for victories. Recent months have not been kind for the Dark Order. Seemingly jaded by "Hangman" Adam Page's reunion with The Elite, the Dark Order became bitter and that was reflected in their inability to pick up wins. Watching all of Vance, Jay, Colt Cabana and Stu Grayson walk away from the group couldn't have helped matters, either. On Friday, the streamlined unit will have the chance to get back into the win column when they take on another three men going through flux in Matt Menard, Angelo Parker and Jake Hager. The latter trio is still dealing with the breakup of the Jericho Appreciation Society and now face the prospect of the defection of Daniel Garcia from their group. Perhaps their situation will provide the same kind of motivation that the Dark Order might have found in watch Vance and Jay on Wednesday night. With both trios needing a win, which three men will find one?