‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Mar 7th 2023)
Another week, another episode of AEW: Dark which this week features just seven matches (thankfully). Anyway, on with the review…
Match #1: Skye Blue def. Mylo
My Thoughts: We haven’t seen Mylo on AEW programming since September last year and unlike that appearance, where she was thoroughly squashed in a tag match against the Renegade Twins, here she manages to play a brilliant heel to Skye Blue’s babyface. And it’s something I’d be happy to see more of, maybe have the duo run this match back in the future?
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Brian Cage def. Bad Dude Tito
My Thoughts: It’s not often Brian Cage gets an opponent of his size and stature or an opponent who can hold his own against him, but that’s exactly what Bad Dude Tito did – even managing to get a 2-count on Cage at one point. This was a much better match than Cage’s more recent AEW appearances for that fact alone!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Lance Archer def. Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas
My Thoughts: Lance Archer in a handicap match is never really Lance Archer in a handicap match is it? He took down Chhun and Rosas with ease, pretty much playing with them for the entirety of this match!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: Konosuke Takeshita def. Jack Cartwheel
My Thoughts: Jack Cartwheel got far too much time on the offence and showboating in the one for my liking even though that meant this match felt a LOT more competitive. Takeshita is booked as a badass in most matches yet against a cartwheeling opponent he struggled. Commentary tried to say Takeshita looked more vicious but if that was the case he’d have ended this one earlier.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Big Bill def. Julius Coleman
My Thoughts: Another match where AEW have managed to find an opponent to match the size of the AEW wrestler. In this case, Julius Coleman looked the part but couldn’t keep up with Big Bill’s size, strength and viciousness. Making this one a rather brief quasi-squash match.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Willow Nightingale def. Zoe Dubois
My Thoughts: Literally EVERY show, EVERY match, Willow Nightingale always gets a massive pop and this one was no different. She ended up making quick work of Zoe Dubois after letting her get some early offence in. Athena comes out post-match to further her feud with Nightingale – which is apparently leading to an ROH title match in the future for Nightingale.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: AR Fox def. Ryan Nemeth
My Thoughts: I’m not a fan of Ryan Nemeth but even I have to concede that he was great in his heel role in this match against AR Fox. The crowd were definitely against him, which means he was doing things right, which made AR Fox’s win feel even bigger than it was. Definitely a match where the live crowd added a lot to the match.
