‘AEW: Dark’ Review (Apr 4th 2023)
Another week, another episode of AEW: Dark which this week features seven matches – matching this week’s Elevation. Let’s see what went down…
Match #1: AR Fox def. Peter Avalon
My Thoughts: Well this was a surprisingly great opener. AR Fox has been a fantastic addition to the AEW roster – you just have to look at this match, where he and Peter Avalon worked brilliantly together to see that. Kudos to Avalon too, whose recently shed the more comedic aspects of his wrestling persona to great aplomb. A solid opening match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Willie Mack def. Serpentico
My Thoughts: Willie Mack should’ve ended this one fast and decisively but he didn’t, he actually sold Serpentico’s offence on his knee – even after the match ended. The sign of a true professional. As always Serpentico wrestled better in a singles match than he ever does in the tag/trios matches he’s a part of.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Leila Gray def. Ameera
My Thoughts: Like Skye Blue on Elevation, Leila Grey got a win under her belt against Ameera, in more of a squash match than Blue’s. It’s particularly good to see Gray get a spotlight in a singles match rather than just play Jade Cargill’s lackey.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: Tony Nese and Ari Daivari def. Jay Lucas & Terry Yaki
My Thoughts: So I take it Ari Daivari has replaced Josh Woods in the Varsity Athletes officially now? He’s been tagging with Nese but in what looked to be a temporary position. However he tagged with Nese officially in ROH and now in AEW – and when I say officially, he’s wearing the same gear! Why the preamble? Because, once again, the Varsity Athletes put on a boring match that seemed to bring the audience down more than ever.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #5: Lee Moriarty def. Invictus Khash
My Thoughts: We go from two good matches to a series of squash matches, this being the last one of the night and the most improbable IMHO. We’ve seen how good Invictus Khash has been in the past and thus he should’ve been a decent opponent for Lee Moriarty, or given him more competition. Hey, at least this was only an AEW quasi-squash and not total domination from Moriarty.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #6: Evil Uno def. Cezar Bononi
My Thoughts: Evil Uno is back in singles action once again, part of what – I hope – is a push for Dark Order and a return to the dominant force they haven’t been since the BTE skits turned them into something of a joke. It was great to see Cezar Bononi in action too, it feels like it’s been ages since he’s been on AEW programming; especially good to see him considering it looks like The Wingmen aren’t that big of a deal in AEW anymore.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #7: Toni Storm def. Kiera Hogan
My Thoughts: What a great match to close Dark… Toni Storm and Kiera Hogan put on a fantastic match, with Storm seemingly a great foil for Hogan, who has not always had the best matches in AEW – mainly down to the opponents she’s faced. Like Emi Sakura, Storm gave up a lot in this match to let Hogan shine. What this resulted in was a well-fought, highly-competitive, crowd-pleasing match.
