‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Feb 22nd 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dark, which once again comes from AEW Universal in Orlando, Florida. This week’s show is another short one so let’s get right to it.
Match #1: Varsity Blonds def. Marcus Kross & Guillermo Rosas
My Thoughts: Julia Hart and Taz & Excalibur on commentary are STILL selling the Malakai Black black mist incident. How long is this going to be stretched out for? It was an interesting change-up for the bright and cheery Hart but now it’s getting stale. Anyway, as for the match, it was solid if nothing remarkable. Kross looked good here – well in terms of wrestling but he had lost the DBZ hair again this week!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: The Wingmen def. Rohit Raju, Karam, Sotheara Chhun, & Caleb Tennity
My Thoughts: This broke down early, as multi-man matches tend to do. However, once the bell ACTUALLY rang we got Rohit Raju, formerly of Impact Wrestling, taking all the punishment for his team before tagging in Sotheara Chhun to eat the pin. Meh.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Skye Blue def. Ruthie Jay
My Thoughts: Local talent (well she’s from Miami, if you can call that local) Ruthie Jay makes her AEW debut against fan-favourite Skye Blue who, as usual for the YouTube shows, picks up a decisive win. A short match, again as usual, but it’s good to see that AEW is dedicated to making Blue a star.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Nick Comoroto def. Lamar Diggs
My Thoughts: Comoroto gets himself an opponent who looks like he’s not going to be a walkover in wrestler Lamar Diggs, who makes his AEW debut in this episode of Dark. Diggs might have been a big guy but it didn’t stop him from essentially getting his arse kicked by Comoroto. I was hoping for a hoss fight but that’s not what we got. Still, a solid match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: 10 def. Ben Bishop
My Thoughts: It looked, on physicality alone, that Ben Bishop would be a challenge for 10, he had a similar build to 10 but… he had a massive height advantage. And that advantage worked for Bishop in the get-go as he man-handled 10 around. Eventually, a shoulder block from 10 turns the match around and he takes control, hitting a HUGE spinebuster and then the full-nelson submission for the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Fuego Del Sol def. David Ali
My Thoughts: Fuego Del Sol always goes down well with the AEW crowd and this match was no different. Plus it’s always nice to see Fuego pick up a win, no matter the opponent. Ali was a great foil for Fuego, with both men looking, in the end, impressive.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Matt Sydal def. Serpentico
My Thoughts: I’ve said it a couple of times now, but I prefer Serpentico when he’s out in the ring on his own. Luther just detracts from EVERYTHING Serpentico does or even tries to do. OK, have the pair as a tag team but Luther does not need to be kicking and screaming on the outside of the ring in a Serpentico singles match. Whilst the original pairing got Serpentico over, I think its not detracting from the guys obvious skills – which were on show in this match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
An underwhelming week for AEW: Dark. Everything was solid, everything was OK. But that’s all it was. But hey, at least we didn’t get any 10-man tags here, just a four-man and only ONE of them. Thank god. What’s happened with Dark and Elevation this week? We seem to have hit a low point for both shows… Here’s hoping it’s just a lull into Revolution which may provide a reset for AEW and some new storylines etc.
