AEW Dark Results – 2022.07.19
Let’s see what Dark has to offer, with matches from not one, but TWO Dark tapings from Orlando. One from last month and one from last Saturday.
A commercial for ROH Death Before Dishonor aired before the show.
Jora Johl (w/ Private Party) defeated Luke Sampson (3:54)
Andrade’s video package brough Private Party to the ring, even though they all but broke away from Andrade on Rampage last week. Taz and Excalibur tried to explain that away on commentary, along with Isiah Kassidy’s radically different hair style from Friday. Johl delivered a powerslam, a vertical suplex and a fallaway slam to Sampson. Sampson mounted a brief comeback, but got distracted by Private Party and walked into a Johl pump kick. Johl got the victory. 0 for 1.
Lee Moriarty defeated Ren Jones (5:07)
Lee Moriarty might have the best arm drags in the business right now. Jones got a near fall after a crossbody in the corner. He went for a pump handle slam, but Moriarty countered with a hiptoss. Moriarty hit Jones with a Yakuza kick and a running elbow strike. Moriarty hit a modified belly to belly suplex, and locked in the Border City Stretch for the submission. This was fun. 1 for 2.
– Lexi Nair interviewed Fuego del Sol about his match with QT Marshall. Fuego promised to burn the whole Factory to the ground. I hope QT has insurance.
Serena Deeb defeated Viva Van (3:53)
Lots of matwork to start, then Deeb did all kinds of vicious things to Van. She rolled her out of the corner via a sunset flip, the Deeb continued to roll so she was sitting on Van’s head, then tied up her arms. Deeb used a catapult to send Van into the bottom rope throat first, then hit the Detox to get the pinfall. After the match, Deeb locked on the Serenity Lock. Deeb looked good going into her title match on Saturday. 2 for 3.
Marina Shafir defeated Amber Nova (2:12)
Shafir worked over Nova’s leg, shrugged off an enziguri from Nova and kept working on the leg. Nova finally escaped with a series of elbows but her knee was shot. Shafir locked in a leglock with a head and arm choke and Nova tapped out. That submission hold is called “Greedy,” I guess because she’s literally grabbing everything. 2 for 4.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry (7:18)
Takeshita hit an Undertaker-like flying clothesline which knocked Henry to the floor. Takeshita followed with a tope con hilo. Takeshita got a superplex for a near fall. Henry countered a blue thunder bomb with a cradle, but Taakeshita countered with a crossface. Takeshita and Henry exchanged strikes in mid-ring, and Takeshita finally got him with a lariat. Henry got a cross arm breaker, but Takeshita countered that into a powerbomb for a near fall. Takeshita hit a flying knee to get a pinfall. 3 for 5. This Takeshita guy is pretty good at wrestling. Hot take, I know.
ROH World Champion Johnathan Gresham defeated Jordan Oasis (3:17)
Tully Blanchard isn’t with Gresham, but this was taped after Gresham’s heel turn. I guess Tully doesn’t work the YouTube shows.
After a back and forth match, Gresham attacked Oasis’s leg and started smashing it against the mat. The ref called for a submission. I’m sure Gresham is a nice guy, but he’s doing less than nothing for me in this role, as I’m literally falling asleep here. 3 for 6.
ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defeated Bryce Donovan
Yuta worked over Donovan’s leg in an Indian Death Lock. Donovan escaped and got a near fall with a side slam. Yuta got the pin with a German Suplex. 3 for 7. I really wasn’t feeling this one either. This show is becoming a hard sell for Death Before Dishonor.
Speaking of hard sells, Tony Schiavone interviewed Wheeler Yuta after the match about his title defense at the pay-view-view this Saturday.
Danhausen defeated Jake Something (3:52)
Something just left Impact and already has two losses on his AEW record. Crowd was very much into Danhausen. Something hit a forearm for a near fall. Something continued with a clothesline and a Thez Press. Danhausen came back with a release German suplex, then got a near fall with a Northern Lights Suplex. Danhausen with for a rana, but Something countered with a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Something set up a suplex, but Danhausen reversed it to a small package and got the three count. 4 for 8. The crowd reacted hugely to Danhausen and the match worked.
Charlotte & Robyn Renegade defeated Avery Breaux & Valentina Rossi (4:06)
There were a lot of timing issues here, and it was a pretty sloppy match. The Renegades mistimed a double elbow drop while they were holding each other’s hands. Since they’re identical twins, the Renegades did some illegal switching behind the referee’s back. One of the sisters held up Breaux while the other hit the slingblade, and the Renegades got the victory. This was bad. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviewed the Renegade Sisters about their chicanery. Their promos weren’t any better than their wrestling. 4 for 9.
ROH World Champion Mercedes Martinez defeated J-ROD (4:33)
J-ROD hit a handspring elbow and a bulldog out of the corner for a near fall. Mercedes came back with a death valley driver and a pair of rolling suplexes. Mercedes hit a rolling neckbreaker off the ropes and locked on the Brass City Sleeper for the tap out. 5 for 10.
Serena Deeb came out after the match to gaze at Martienz and her belt from the entrance stage.
The Varsity Blondes defeated Terrence & Terrell Hughes (3:16)
This match makes sense here as it gave the Blondes a chance to look dominant before they get murdered by Luchasaurus on Wednesday. The Blondes won with a spinning backfist/spinning elbow combination. 5 for 11.
QT Marshall (w/ Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto) defeated Fuego Del Sol (10:44)
Fuego ran the ropes to set up a plancha, but Marshall floored him with a hard back elbow and took control. Marshall dominated with a top rope back elbow and a handspring gamengiri. Marshall went for the Lionsault but Fuego got out of the way. Fuego hit a couple of hot moves, but Marshall caught him coming off the ropes with a uranage into a backbreaker into a flatliner for a near fall. Marshall went for the Diamond Cutter, but Fuego escaped and sent Marshall to the floor with a rana. Fuego followed up with an Asai moonsault. Solo and Comoroto tried to interfere, but Del Sol handled them both. Back in the ring, Del Sol hit a poisoned rana. Del Sol locked in a bridging chinlock, but Comoronto pulled Marshall to the ropes for the break. Dante Martin and Matt Sydal ran in to take out the Factory. Marshall hit Del Sol with a low blow behind the ref’s back, then delivered a piledriver for a near fall. Del Sol hit his own low blow, then a tornado DDT both in and out of the ring. Fuego hit a sky twister press and went for a cover, but when Del Sol pulled back to hook the leg, inadvertently put Marshall’s foot on the ropes. Del Sol tried for a shooting star press off the top, but Marshall caught him with a Diamond Cutter. Marshall then hit a second diamond cutter and got the win. Really good match. 6 for 12.
This was a pretty good episode of Dark, but it went too long. Oh wait, there are more matches. Why?
Jay Lethal defeated Logan Cruz (2:17)
Cruz is one of Jay Lethal’s students. This is Jay’s warm-up match before the pay-per-view. Cruz tried to shake hands, but Lethal responded with a slap and a superkick, then followed him to the floor with a tope suicida. Lethal was predictably brutal with his student, finishing him off with a figure four. 6 for 13.
After the match, Tony Schivone interviewed Lethal about Christopher Daniels. This just went on and on and on and can we end this show already?
Daniel Garcia defeated Alan “5” Angels in a Pure Rules match (9:44)
This was taped on June 11th, when Angels was still with the company. The Pure Rules are three rope breaks, no closed fist (one warning) and a 20 count outside of the ring.
Angels lost his first rope break within the first 30 seconds, and then threatened Garcia with punches in the corner before he realized it would cost him his one warning. After that, it seemed like a normal match. Garcia locked in a Boston crab and Angels had to use his second rope break. Garcia twisted Angels ankles in the ropes. Angles hit an enziguri that sent Garcia to the floor, then followed him out with a tope suicida. Angels got a near fall with a Northern Lights suplex. Garcia came back with a backdrop driver and a Northern Lights bomb for a near fall. Angels and Garcia exchanged a million slaps, and Garica floored Angels with a clothesline. Angels came back with a piledriver for a near fall. Angels went for a frog splash, but Garcia got his knees up. Garcia locked in a sleeper, and Angels used his last rope break. Garcia then immediately locked the sleeper on again. Angles tried to escape by climbing the ropes, but he passed out in the ropes (tired of this show?) and Garcia got the win via knockout. It was a good idea to get the Pure Rules over in a match here, but I can’t imagine anyone stuck through it this late in the show. 7 for 14.
After the match, Garcia locked Angels in the sharpshooter, and Wheeler Yuta ran in to make the same. Yuta and Garcia brawled to end the show.
This show was way too long. We do not need two hours of squashes. The show felt like a drag compared to last week. 7/14 = failing grade for this week. You failed me, AEW!
Seriously though, keep Dark to an hour.