‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Aug 16th 2022)
Another week, another episode of AEW: Dark which emanates from AEW Universal once again. We’ve got Taz and Excalibur on commentary as usual so let’s get to the action!
Match #1: Ari Daivari def. Fuego Del Sol
My Thoughts: Loved this match. Fuego looked like a badass for once, taking it to Ari – who really took a beating in this match, the antithesis of how we’ve seen him recently in AEW. Eventually Ari cheated to get the win as all heels do. Surprisingly great match to open Dark.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Willow Nightingale def. Robyn Renegade
My Thoughts: What’s not to love about a match featuring Willow Nightingale? IMHO, she needs to be signed with a major promotion ASAP, she’s got the personality, the charisma and the skills and every crowd she wrestles in front of LOVES her! Plus the Renegade twins gimmick worked really well in this match too and it’s growing on me as well!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Brock Anderson def. Serpentico
My Thoughts: I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again. Serpentico is a great singles wrestler when he’s allowed to be. And in this match he even made the “green” Brock Anderson look his best in ages! Solid match that was given just enough time to tell its story too!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Abadon def. Mafiosa
My Thoughts: Abadon comes out and destroys Mafiosa in a squash match, as she should! I think, honestly, AEW needs to follow Impact’s lead and do what Scott D’Amore has been doing with Masha Slamovich with Abadon. It worked VERY well for her and I truly believe it will work for Abadon too. Despite being a squash match this was glorious!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Angelico def. Baliyan Akki
My Thoughts: Angelico seems to be floundering in AEW right now. Yes, he’s racking up winds in both single and tag team matches but there’s a spark missing. Hell, his former tag partner Jack Evans looks better in his current Impact appearances than Angelico and that’s something I thought I would NEVER say. Still a decent quasi-squash match, just one without any real excitement.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Emi Sakura def. Renee Michelle
My Thoughts: Emi Sakura gets to run wild in a singles match against the ever-reliable Renee Michelle. And that’s not a dig at Michelle, who manages to work well with any opponent AEW throws at her. But this was Emi Sakura’s match and she was in control the entire time, she even had the audience eating out the palm of her hand. I’d say, right now, Sakura is the very definition of a perfect tweener – she can play the heel but then audiences will get behind her too when the times right. Maybe time for her to get a bigger push in the women’s division?
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #7: Josh Woods def. Cobra
My Thoughts: So that’s two matches in a row (Monday’s Elevation and now Dark) where Josh Woods has been completely under-utilised. In fact in this match I’d say badly used full stop. A waste of his time and talent frankly.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #8: Rohit Raju def. Invictus Khash
My Thoughts: Rohit Raju has been doing some great work on AEW’s YouTube shows and that’s also the case here. The same can be said for Invictus Khash, who’s been a solid addition to AEW’s roster of enhancement talent and who’s also pulled of some great tag matches too. Together these two pulled off a surprisingly good match, even if the crowd felt a little flat.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #9: Skye Blue def. Charlette Renegade
My Thoughts: The other Renegade sister gets to headline her own match! And it’s pretty much a repeat of the previous match, only a bit slower and with less experienced talent.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #10: Bear Country def. Axel Rico & Victor Iniestra
My Thoughts: This was a well-fought, well-planned out quasi-squash match that made Bear Country look as good as they did when they debuted during the pandemic era. These guys haven’t been used much in AEW recently but this match proves why they should. A fantastic showcase for the Bear boys!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #11: Kayla Rossi def. Avery Breaux
My Thoughts: Where did AEW dig up Kayla Rossi? If I’m not mistaken we haven’t seen her since the Joey Janela days and that feels like an eternity ago! Apparently Rossi is big enough to have her own manager in the Diamond Shiek? Your guess is as good as mine… Anyway, this was a typical AEW quasi-squash but with some scary-looking moves from Rossi!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #12: Cezar Bononi def. Marcus Kross
My Thoughts: Another quasi-squash from Bononi, with some great work from Kross to make Bononi look good. Which was weird given how good Bononi looked against Takeshita on Monday!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #13: Powerhouse Hobbs def. Blake Christian
My Thoughts: I expected more from this match if I’m honest. Blake Christian has been doing some good work so to see him essentially get squashed by Hobbs was surprising. Though this was a TOTAL squash, more of your usual AEW quais-variety squash, with Christian a least getting a bit of offence in before being destroyed by Hobbs. Who, honestly, needs a similar run to that of Impact’s Masha Slamovich – just come in, decimate your opponent in seconds on NATIONAL TV, and keep doing that until the opponents get bigger and bigger, until eventually Hobbs can FORCE his way to a title belt match.
