Reason Why JR Missed AEW Rampage Taping

Following the December 28 edition of "AEW Dynamite" — which saw The Elite defeat The Death Triangle and Samoa Joe retain the TNT Championship over Wardlow — AEW taped "AEW Rampage," which will air tonight on TNT as usual. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has been on commentary for "Rampage" nearly every week since late June. However, he was not part of the "Rampage" taping this past Wednesday.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the reason Ross was not on commentary for "Rampage" was due to his attending of the NCAA Cheez-It Bowl. The Oklahoma Sooners, whose theme song Ross uses when making his way to commentary, took on the Florida State Seminoles, with the Seminoles winning 35-32. This absence from TV looks to be a one-off event, as Ross is planned to be back at the announce desk for next week's "Rampage" in Portland. Due to JR getting the night off, the commentary team for tonight's "Rampage" will be Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and former WWE World Champion Paul Wight.

On "Rampage," Swerve Strickland will take on Wheeler Yuta, and two titles will be defended. Former "Baddie" Kiera Hogan looks to end Jade Cargill's nearly year-long reign with the TBS Championship, and Orange Cassidy defends his All-Atlantic Championship against Best Friends stablemate Trent Beretta. If Cassidy wins, this will mark his eighth successful defense of the title, while if Cargill wins, she will have defended the TBS Championship successfully 16 times — an AEW record. Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter, Darby Allin, and Sting are also advertised for tonight's show.