Nerdly » ‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Jan 4th 2021)

05th Jan2022

‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Jan 4th 2021)

by Phil Wheat

Welcome to this weeks review of AEW: Dark, which comes from Jacksonville, Florida this week rather than AEW Universal. Let’s get right into the action!

Match #1: Tony Nese def. Alan “5” Angels

My Thoughts: You know what I’ve come to realise? That over the course of 2021, Alan Angels character development has come along in spades… Yes he’s lost the mask now but he’s also stopped being the “walkover” wrestler – he was at one point, in my opinion, the kind of wrestler people would face for a quick win. Not any more. Yes he’s still not picking up all the wins (he should though) but he’s giving people a run for their money. Just as he did he with Tony Nese.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Anna Jay def. Dreamgirl Ellie

My Thoughts: A solid women’s match with Anna Jay taped up, with commentary selling that it’s from her streetfight on Rampage (was it though?). This match was back to more basic wrestling for Jay, with a decent opponent in Dreamgirl Ellie, who really looked aggressive here.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #3: The Gunn Club def. Rolando Perez, Austin Green & Donnie Primetime

My Thoughts: This thing was so unforgettable outside of seeing what a visualy odd team Rolando Perez, Austin Green and Donnie Primetime were. The Gunn Club ran through their usual moveset and teamwork but this match did nothing but pass the time.

My Score: 1.5 out of 5

Match #4: Marina Shafir def. Valentina Rossi

My Thoughts: Another dominant performance by Marina Shafir who, in my opinion, has looked better in her few AEW matches than in a lot of her previous appearances for NXT. There are a few folks who can benefit from short, dominant squash matches and Shafir is one of them. As per this weeks Elevation, Valentina Rossi also came out of this one looking remarkably good too!

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #5: Bobby Fish def. Ryzin

My Thoughts: This was two minutes of Boibby Fish kicking the sh*t out of Ryzin. Nothing more, nothingn less. Squash-tastic!

My Score: 1 out of 5

Match #6: Leyla Hirsch, Kris Statlander & Red Velvet def. Renne Michelle, Sofia Castillo & Marina Tucker

My Thoughts: The trio of Leyla Hirsch, Kris Statlander & Red Velvet outclassed their opponents who looked a little too green – and that’s even with the ongoing Leyla Hirsch / Kris Statlander story. Which is what this match was really all about. I’m here for the “feud” and I hope, against all hope, that Hirsch gets another shot at Statlander on Dynamite or Rampage AMND picks up the win.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #7: The Acclaimed def. Blanco Loco & Axton Ray

My Thoughts: This was another quasi-squash from AEW. This time with [really] one half of the enhancement talents, Axton Ray, putting in the work. Otherwise this one was all The Acclaimed. I’d actually like to see more of the team of Blanco Loco & Axton Ray in future if I’m honest.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #8: Jamie Hayter def. Madi Wrenkowski

My Thoughts: This was another women’s match that delivered. Wrenkowski didn’t roll over for Jamie Hayter, who had to eventually use her strength to overcome Wrenkowski. A small botch at the end of this one took nothing away from what had come before – if anything it made Hayter look stronger and more deadly IMHO.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #9: Dante Martin def. Chandler Hopkins

My Thoughts: Wow. This was a great match-up and one that was totally unexpected. These two seemingly were a perfect pairing, delivering one of the best matches on the card.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #10: Sammy Guevara def. Ho Ho Lun

My Thoughts: It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ho Ho Lun wrestle but I remeber him being pretty good in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament so I was expecting good things here too. Unfortunately this match turned out to be a quasi-squash, with Lun getting some nasty offence in before Sammy returned fire, hitting his own nasty move, the GTH, for the win.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #11: Powerhouse Hobbs def. Colt Cabana

My Thoughts: I went into this one expecting Hobbs to pummel Cabana but thats not exactly what we got. Instead this was a competitive match that saw Cabana put Hobbs over, making him look even stronger with this win. Loved the way Taz sold this match on commentary too.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #12: Brian Pillman def. JD Drake

My Thoughts: You’ve got one of my favourite AEW wrestlers, JD Drake, versus someone who is clearly one of Tony Khan’s favourite given that he’s been featured in so many matched over the past year! JD Drake did his usual thing of looking great whilst making his opponent look great, whilst Pillman did his usual “fight from uderneath” role. Bononi didn’t do much for the match on the outside apart from provide some heel action. A good main event but not a great one.