‘AEW: Dark’ Review (May 10th 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dark which comes from AEW Universal and features 11 matches this week. Once again we’ve got Taz and Excalibur on commentary… Let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Jay Lethal def. Jake Something
My Thoughts: It’s Jay Lethal. You should know my thoughts on him by now. As for his opponent, Jake Something was great in Impact so I had hoped he wouldn’t get jobbed out like this, even more so to someone like Jay Lethal. At least Jake was allowed to get some offence in and not just roll over like you’d expect Lethal to want his opponents to. And the post-match beatdown was unnecessary IMHO.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Alex Reynolds def. Jake Manning
My Thoughts: Man-Scout Jake Manning made some impact in this one, even though the outcome was never ever in doubt. Interesting to note that the first two matches on Dark this week featured people who’ve guest-starred on Ethan Page’s various vlogs! This one seemed to be something of a showcase for Manning even though Reynolds won.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Gunn Club def. Fly Def
My Thoughts: The ass boys are back in action on Dark and you have to LOVE how much the crowd loves to p*ss the duo off by calling them that. Good on them for actually playing into the love/hate relationship with their Danhausen-inspired name. It at least gives them something to make them interesting, because everything else they’ve done hasn’t worked (for me). Fly Def didn’t take their beating lying down, with the duo pulling off some great double-team offence – even if they got pinned immediately afterwards!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Capt. Shawn Dean def. Serpentico
My Thoughts: Serpentico in another singles match means we’re in for a good match because without Luther in the ring Serpentico ALWAYS shines. He’s up against one of my favourite AEW mainstays, Shawn Dean, who’s received something of a minor push recently – which I’m here for! Luther did interfere but that didn’t really detract from what happened in the ring – which was a cracking, well-balanced, well put together match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Brock Anderson & Lee Johnson def. The Brick City Boyz
My Thoughts: Lee Johnson looked really good in this match, he moved well and with purpose and pulled off some great moves. Anderson meanwhile did his powerhouse thing and got the pin. Kudos must go to The Brick City Boyz for making Anderson and Johnson look so good in this one.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Abadon def. Vicky Dreamboat
My Thoughts: The debuting Vicky Dreamboat didn’t stand a chance did she? Abadon has been on a roll and after her great match on this week’s Elevation against Emi Sakura you knew this one would see Abadon squash her opponent. But this was more of what I call the AEW quasi-squash, with Dreamboat even getting a two-count on Abadon before being taken out with a series of hard-hitting moves from AEW’s resident monster.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #7: Jora Johl def. Trip Jordy
My Thoughts: The fresh-faced Trip Jordy makes his AEW debut against a mean and angry Jora Johl (we know this because he cut a promo earlier in the show). Which meant he was essentially man-handled by Johl for the entire match, getting thrown all around the ring. Jordy did get a little bit of offence in but not enough to make any difference.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #8: Kiera Hogan def. Skye Blue
My Thoughts: I’ve got to say making Red Velvet and Kiera Hogan heels has done wonders for both of these AEW stars and nowhere is that more evident than in this match. Hogan and Velvet worked the match perfectly, giving Skye Blue the underdog position that makes her so good too. Speaking of Blue, she and Hogan seemed to be equally matched for most of this match, which wasn’t tremendous but was solid enough to make for a fun watch.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #9: The Factory (Aaron Solow & Nick Comoroto) def. Kevin Knight & The DKC
My Thoughts: Kevin Knight & The DKC from New Japan’s L.A. dojo make their AEW debut against The Factory, who seem to be the go-to guys on Dark and Elevation these days. The NJPW duo actually gave Solo and Comoroto a run for their money, even managing to down the big man numerous times in this match. Though they also got in ref Aubrey’s way at one point too – which looked kind of awkward. The post-match beatdown was well done, trying to cement a feud between AEW and NJPW before the Forbidden Door PPV.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #10: Rohit Raju def. Adam Priest
My Thoughts: This was sheer dominance from Rohit Raju, who brought out his evil streak in this match. Adam Priest tried to keep up but Raju’s experience won out in the end. Not sure if the slam onto the ropes by Raju on Priest was a botch or not but it certainly looked nasty – if I was Priest I’d be straight in the back checking on my junk after the match!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #11: The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Pres10 Vance) def. Cezar Bononi & Tiger Ruas
My Thoughts: We got a sneak attack earlier in the episode, after Alex Reynolds’ match, to set up this main event. Once again 10 and Evil Uno are teamed up (they did a double-team in the last Dark Order match) which suggests that they’re a new pairing going forward now Stu Grayson has left AEW. This match was given plenty of time, unlike a lot of Dark Order’s recent matches and we saw Evil Uno really get a chance to wrestle. Hell, even -1 managed to get involved in this match! In the end it was Pres10 Vance’s strength that got the win, though it was more of a challenge for the black and purple team than usual – which is a credit to Bononi and Ruas, who I actually REALLY love as a tag team!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Just a quick note… Is anyone else watching AEW Dark via YouTube’s Apple TV app? This week’s episode of AEW: Dark had ads (at least for me) in between every match, in the middle of every match AND even before/after the match intros too. If I wasn’t reviewing the show I really would have turned the episode off after the third or fourth match. Sort it out AEW!
