AEW Dark 2022.07.12

AEW Dark Results
Episode 152 — 2022.07.12

It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means. Time for AEW Dark, with matches from Orlando Florida, Tokyo Japan and Sheffield, England.

I used to do the Wednesday Night Commotion threads, but with the new thread posters Scott asked me if there was anything else I’d like to contribute. So I decided to do this.

Flying all over the world for commentary were Taz and Excalibur.

I’ll be stealing Scott’s point system to decide if I like the show or not. Unless he tells me I can’t.

Miyu Yamashita defeated Thunder Rosa in an AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match (13:40)

This match took place last Saturday as a part of a Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling show. Excalibur ran through all of the accomplishments of Yamashita because he’s like JR when he gets a football player’s résumé with that stuff.

Both Rosa and Yamashita got the streamer treatment from the Tokyo fans. Aja Kong was shown on commentary, which irritated Excalibur and Taz because they made the trip to Tokyo and they didn’t get any screen time!

Lots of matwork early on to start. Both women exchanged crisp arm drags and cradle attempts. Yamashita laid in some stiff kicks, but Rosa came back with the Dustin Rhodes dropdown uppercut. Yamashita and Rosa exchanged kicks to the spine, going back and forth. Rosa got sick of that and hit a kick to the gut, slammed Yamashita and hit a series of elbows to Yamashita’s jaw.

Rosa worked a chinlock, but Yamashita escaped and hit a series of kicks to the back and chest of Rosa. Yamashita worked Rosa over in the corner with more kicks to the legs and body. Rosa came back with a tijeras that sent Yamashita to the floor.

Rosa took the fight to the floor, and Yamashita caught Rosa with a punt from the apron. Back in the ring, Yamashita tied up Rosa with a head and arm choke. Rosa had to get to the ropes to force the break. Rosa ducked a high roundhouse kick and caught Yamashita with a stunner. Rosa hit a charging lariat in the corner and dropkicked Yamashita against the ropes twice. Rosa got a near fall after a northern lights suplex.

Rosa hit a double stomp for a near fall. She went to the top, but Yamashita caught her with a roundhouse kick, then tossed Rosa to the mat. Rosa put in her mouthpiece and blocked a roundhouse kick from Yamashita. Rosa hit a death valley driver for two. Rosa went for the Fire Thunder Driver, but Yamashita escaped and hit a spinning kick for a very close near fall. Yamashita hit a German suplex for another near fall. Yamashita went for another death valley driver, but Rosa countered that with a small package, which Yamashita reversed to get the three count.

After the match, Rosa and Yamashita shook hands. As a result of this match, Yamashita will get an AEW World title match with Rosa. This was great. 1 for 1.

The next few matches are from the last set of Orlando Dark tapings.

Private Party defeated Bear Country (10:42)

Bear Bronson is losing weight, and Taz is afraid he’s not going to be a bear anymore. “What does that mean, he’s going to be an otter?”

Bronson dominated Isiah Kassidy. Tags were made on both sides and Marq Quen wanted nothing to do with the much larger Bear Boulder. Taz and Excalibur shared different theories on what exactly Quen did to his face. Boulder pressed-slammed Quen out of a leapfrog attempt and battered him with forearms in the corner. Quen caught Bear Bronson with the silly string DDT for a near fall. Private Party worked over Bronson in the corner but most of the entertainment from this match is Taz and Excalibur riffing on commentary.

This match became one long boring heat sequence on Bear Bronson, until he got the tag to Bear Boulder. Boulder caught both members of Private Party flying off the ropes and hit them both with a fallaway slam. Quen cut off a double cannon ball attempt from Bear Country, then ran into a side slam from Bronson.

Bear Country set up their finish, a splash where Bronson sits on top of Boulder shoulders. But once he was in position, Kassidy came off the top with a springboard cutter onto Bronson. Kassidy took out Boulder with a tope con hilo, and Quen came off the top rope with the shooting star press for the pin. This was pretty boring even though I really like Bear Country. They shouldn’t be selling, they should be throwing goofs around. But the finish was good enough. 2 for 2.

Capt. Shawn Dean defeated Conan Lycan (4:44)

Lycan is making his AEW debut. Dean had some nice Steamboat-esque arm drags and a dropkick. Lycan went for a spinning uranage but then changed his mind and turned it into a flatliner instead, but it ended up just looking clumsy. Lycan worked a chinlock for Dean to elbow his way out of. Dean hit a spinning DDT and a running shoulder block for a near fall. Taz was going nuts on commentary, talking about how Dean was in Top Gun and was cut by the Jaguars. I’m not sure any of that’s true. But it’s entertaining at any rate.

Lycan went for a 450, but missed, and Dean came out of the corner with a shotgun dropkick, then followed with a splash off the top rope for the pin. 3 for 3.

– Lexi Nair interviewed Rohit Raju about his match tonight. He’s a walking bag of money! His mother called him son “because he shined like one.” This was a pretty decent promo.

Matt “Daddy Magic” Menard & Angelo “Cool Hand” Parker defeated Jake St. Patrick & Sage Scott (0:39)

Menard and Parker jumped both guys before the bell, and took one of the enhancement guys out with a double implant DDT to get the definitive win. Shorter is better sometimes, but nothing to really rate. 3 for 4.

Willow Nightingale defeated Mila Moore (2:59)

Nightingale weighed in “at just the right amount.” Willow cartwheeled out of a cross-corner whip and hit an enziguri, then took Moore down with an ugly-looking sideslam. Moore got a near fall after an inverted back stabber. Moore slapped Nightingale, which fired her up. A pounce, a cannonball in the corner and a sit out doctor bomb got Nightingale the win. Good effort from Willow, who celebrated while Taz ranted about the Braves. 4 for 5.

Rohit Raju defeated Baron Black (4:08)

The crowd was behind Black. Raju is from Impact, where he was an X-Division champion. This felt like a basic tryout match. Raju countered a cross face attempt into a cradle. Raju got a cannonball in the corner, then came off the top with a double stomp for the win. I wasn’t feeling this one. 4 for 6.

Angélico vs. Logan Laroux (4:00)

Angélico has new, slower music that allows him to dance even more ridiculously to the ring. I love it. Angélico outwrestled Laroux, only losing the advantage when he tried to brawl with him. Laroux got pin attempts after a flying forearm and a spear, but Angélico easily kicked out. Laroux went for a dropkick off the top, but Angélico sidestepped and got the Navarro Death Lock for the tap out. 5 for 7.

Dante Martin (with Matt Sydal) defeated Nick Comoroto (with QT Marshall & Aaron Solo) (7:53)

Marshall cut a pre-match promo about Matt Sydal, which gave Comoroto an opening to sneak attack Martin. Martin hit a pair of gamengiris and sent Comoroto to the floor with a dropkick. Martin went for a tope, but Comoroto caught and threw him around the ring apron and entrance stage. Comoroto press-slammed Martin back into the ring, and followed him in with a slingshot splash for two. Comoroto whipped Martin into the buckles and caught him with a side back breaker while Taz compaired Comoroto and Martin to different kind of airplanes and boats. Solo hit a cheap shot on Martin behind the ref’s back.. Taz had a conniption on commentary because Martin wore The Factory’s colors to the ring. Comoroto blocked Martin’s high sunself flip and tossed Martin into the corner, then beeled him out of the corner.

Martin counted a side-slam attempt with a head scissors, but Comoroto cut off Dante’s comeback with a knee to the gut. Martin came off the top with a crossbody, hit Aaron Solo on the outside with a slam, then came off the top with a springboard dropkick for a near fall. Comoroto caught Martin with a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker for a near fall. Comoroto went for the move a second time, but Martin rolled through and rolled up Comoroto for the pin. 6 for 8.

After the match, Marshall and Solo attacked Sydal and Martin. Fuego Del Sol ran in with a chair to make the save.

The main event came from this weekend’s RevPro show in Sheffield, England.

PAC defeated Shota Umino to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship (18:41)

This is PAC’s first title defense. Taz and Excalibur flew in to provide special commentary for this match, and I appreciate the dedication. According to the chyron, this is Umino’s AEW singles debut.

Umino surprised PAC with a back elbow that sent him to the floor. Umino made the mistake of following PAC outside, where he threw the young Japanese star into the barricade. Back in the ring, PAC dominated. Umino picked up PAC for a slam, but instead of slamming him on his back, he dumped him face first. The fight went to the floor again, and Umino whipped PC into the barricades around ringside to the delight of the crowd. Back in the ring, Umino hit a slingshot DDT for a near fall.

PAC rolled to the floor to avoid Umino. Back in the ring, PAC dug his thumbs into Umio’s eyes to take control. PAC worked a side headlock on the mat. PAC was absolutely vicious and methodical with stiff-looking kicks to the head. Umino came back with a back elbow and uppercuts. Umino suplexed PAC and locked in a submission targeting PAC’s arms, but PAC got a rope break.

The match went to the floor again, and Umino hit a running shotgun dropkick on PAC. Umino hit a top rope dropkick and then got a fisherman’s suplex for a near fall. PAC came back with a spinning hook kick and then a running boot. PAC hit his own top rope dropkick for a near fall. The crowd chants/sings “He’s a B*****d, yes he is” at PAC. I guess they don’t care if AEW can monetize the show.

PAC and Umino exchanged forearms in the center of the ring. Umino won the exchange, but PAC sidestepped him on a charge and hit the snap German suplex. PAC hit a thrust kick, but Umino came back with the Strong Zero. Both guys struggled to get to their feet, and when they finally did, Umino ran into a superkick. PAC went to the top, but Umino dropkicked the top rope and crotched PAC on the top rope. Umino hit a spinning DDT then rolled that into a brainbuster attempt for a near fall. Umino went for a Death Rider, but PAC countered. Umino got a very close near fall off a crucifix attempt. PAC went for his own crucifix then transitioned into the Brtualizer. Umino fought for a bit, but soon dropped to the mat and had to tap out. Great match. 7 for 9.

Final Thoughts:

This was a pretty great episode of Dark. The matches from Tokyo and Sheffield gave the show a different feel and both are well worth checking out. The matches from the Orlando tapes were fine, but I probably could have done without one or two of them. At 1 hour 49 minutes, this show is a little longer than I would like, but it’s worth checking out.