Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 10.25.22

We’re back for another episode of AEW Dark. We’re blessed with another taping in front of a live crowd, I imagine these could be winding down over the next week or so but I enjoy them whenever we get them and the last few weeks have been solid. I am curious to see what talent will get the focus when we go back to Orlando more frequently. Tonight we’ve got a nice slate of stars as talent like The Lucha Brothers, Riho, Lance Archer, Serena Deeb, Ricky Starks and others are featured. That alone makes it worth watching.

Lance Archer vs. Iseah Brown

Archer wasting absolutely no time in this match against Brown beating him down on his way to the ring. Archer teased tossing his shirt into the crowd but it was a rouse, he wont let them love him. Brown tries to attack Archer early but it’s super short lived. Archer kills Brown with a chokeslam from the apron to the inside of the ring. Brown tries to fight back but Archer is quick to send him into the corner and regain control. Archer works over Brown in the corner. Archer stomps to set up a chokeslam before yelling at the fans for joining in Brown ducks a chokeslam and heads to the corner. Archer dumps Brown to the outside, he sends Brown back into the ring and sets him up top and hits him with the blackout, Archer covers for the easy victory.
Rating: N/A
Review: It was your typical Lance Archer squash match, Brown was decent fodder for Archer. Glad to see him back more consistently even if it’s just on Dark.

Zack Clayton vs. Shane Saber

Back and forth early until Clayton drops Saber with a midflight dropkick. Clayton sends Saber to the mat and hits him with a knee to the back. Clayton continues to work over the smaller opponent dropping him with a clothesline on the apron and posing over his fallen opponent. Clayton with a knee drop to the back of the head of Saber and lays into him with elbow shots. Saber with a comeback attempt but he dives right into a fisherman’s buster from Clayton and Clayton covers for the quick and easy victory.
Rating: N/A
Review: It’s tough for me to call this, I have very little interest in Clayton so really it doesn’t do anything at all for me, but if he racks up a few jobber wins and beats a viable opponent then he might catch my attention so we’ll see where it goes.

Athena vs. Alexia Nicole

Nicole catches Athena off guard early and they get a nice little stare down, Nicole with a burst of offense to start and covers Athena for a one count. Nicole heads up top giving Athena plenty of time to recover, and she does taking Nicole out with a boot as she’s perched on the top ropes. Nicole runs right into a german suplex from Athena who follows with an immediate forearm. Nicole with a roll up attempt but Athena kicks out. Athena sets Nicole up for a modified lungblower and covers for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: Another squash match but this was actually very entertaining, I dig Athena playing up a more serious tone in this one but still showing some love for Nicole post match while maintaining a bit of snarkyness. This is probably my favorite Athena match thus far, they did well with this one.

Danhausen vs. James Stone

Slow start at first until Stone runs into Danhausen in the corner and he stomps a mudhole in his ass or whatever. Danhausen loses control quickly as Stone drops him and lays into him with strikes. Stone sends Danhausen into the corner but Danhausen counters with a german suplex out of the corner. Danhausen follows through into a submission attempt, it was a bit of a tough grab at first but Danhausen cleaned it up and locked in the submission victory.
Rating: **1/2
Review: It wasn’t much but Danhausen pops a crowd so much that the in ring content is pretty irrelevant really. The finish got a little messy but Danhausen cleaned it up well enough.

Aaron Solo vs. Serpentico

Solo to the outside early to avoid Serpentico and he tells Dasha to let the crowd know that QT is not here by his side. Quick action early as Serpentico drops Solo to the outside, he attempts a dive but Solo moves near the ramp and calls QT out to support him. That was short lived but a good way to piss the crowd off. Serpentico runs to Luther to hide and they hug before Luther sends Serpentico into Solo. Back in the ring and Serpentico hits Solo with a flatliner, covering for a two count. Serpentico up top but Solo dumps him off the top rope hitting the apron on his way down. QT gets a shot on the outside for good measure as the ref checks on Solo. Back in the ring and Serpentico ducks Solo hitting him with a kick sending him to the outside. Seprentico with a dive on Solo outside the ring. Luther gets involved hitting Solo with a suplex as the ref checks on Serpentico. Serpentico up top and hits a flip onto Solo and covers for two. QT drops Luther outside distracting Seprentico allowing Solo to hit the corkscrew kick and cover for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: This was technically sound but kind of weird, Serpentico takes a huge fall but is right back up and on offense pretty quick after. Outside of that it was good.

Riho vs. Jungle Kyona

Hot start early with some cool counters. Kyona catches Riho mid cross body and hits a fall away slam. Kyona with a dropkick to the back/neck of Riho and covers for a one count. Kyona with an irish whip to Riho but she counters with a rana. Riho with a tiger feint kick to Kyona and covers for two. Riho catches Kyona with an elbow strike and a northern lights suplex covering for two. Kyona catches Riho up top and hits a double stomp onto Kyona mid tree of woe. Riho goes for another but Kyona dodges and nails Riho with a big elbow strike. Riho counters into a guillotine but Kyona lifts her up and hits a suplex. Kyona with a sliding lariat and covers for two. Kyona catches Riho with a lariat in the corner and then attempts a muscle buster, Riho counters and hits a flying knee. Riho heads up top and hits a diving foot stomp and covers for two. Riho has busted her lip open and hits a running knee onto Kyona covering for the victory.
Rating: ***1/4
Review: That was a great match and a lot of fun only issue with it was it wasn’t a little longer with some build behind it. I’d love to see Riho a lot more and Kyona as well.

Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)

The Lucha Bros get in the face of the Workhorsemen before exchanging strikes, The Workhorsemen get the upper hand as Henry and Penta kick this off. Drake tags in and they nail Penta with some combination strikes before JD hits a neckbreaker and covers for two. Penta caught in the corner but he escapes and tags Fenix in. Henry takes Penta out outside of the ring and Drake drops Fenix covering for two. They attempt the tag team action on Fenix but he counters making a tag to Penta. They hit the a combination move on Henry, but Drake breaks up the pin. They send Drake to the outside and nail Drake with a combination spike piledriver. Penta covers for the victory.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Not a bad match but really confused why these two teams didn’t get way more time. The Workhorsemen are a big team on Dark recently and really should’ve gotten much more offense in here.

Emi Sakura & Serena Deeb vs. KC Spinelli & Taylor Rising

Deeb starts this off with Rising maintaining control and forcing her to make the tag to Spinelli. Emi tags in and immediately lays into Spinelli with a stiff strike and a backbreaker. Emi covers for one and locks Spinelli up in the ‘tea gimmick’. Spinelli was hardly locked up but they went for it anyways. Taylor with a tag and crossbody to Emi but Emi hits a neck breaker and then drops Spinelli off the apron. Emi with the we will chop you and then a diving crossbody in the corner. Deeb tags in and locks Rising in a submission but Spinelli in the ring to break it up and bring Taylor to the corner to make the tag. She forgets to at first before making the tag. Spinelli goes for something but Deeb drops her and locks in the serenity lock. Emi locks in the dragonsleeper on Spinelli and they get the double submission for the victory.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Not a bad womens tag match. I’d like to see more of Deeb and Emi in the future as a team.

Ricky Starks vs. Nick Comoroto

Starks is a superstar, Comoroto has gotten a few victories as of late and has changed up his look slightly. Comoroto flicks the toothpick at Ricky but he smacks it away like a superstar. Comoroto with a slap to Ricky but Ricky responds with a smack of his own. Ricky tries to leap frog Comoroto but he’s caught, Ricky counters and hits Nick with a splash and goes for his pose but Nick breaks it up. Ricky with a leaping strike to Nick that sends him outside. Nick drops Ricky and tosses him back into the ring laying into him with a series of shoulder blocks. Nick chokes away at RIcky on the ropes, as Bryce scolds him QT gets involved. Ricky sent back outside and Bryce back to scolding Nick allowing Solo to nail him with a strike. QT is easily the biggest heel on Dark. Back in the ring and Nick nails Ricky with an elbow drop and covers for two. Nick chokes at Ricky and sends him face first into the bottom turnbuckle. OUCH. Nick stomps at the face of Ricky and again QT chokes away at Starks. Comoroto with an elbow drop attempt but Ricky moves. Starks with a back elbow to Nick in the corner. Starks with a tornado DDT and kip up into his taunt great stuff. Solo grabs at the boot of Ricky but Ricky stomps at him. Ricky runs into a spinebuster from Comoroto and covers for two. Nick attempts the alabama slam but Starks with the roll up for two, Nick counters and gets a two count but Bryce catches him with the ropes. Starks runs but Nick catches him on the shoulders, Starks with a crucifix bomb. Starks off the ropes and hits a spear, then a boot to Solo, QT pulls him outside but Ricky with a superkick. Ricky runs right into an alabama slam from Nick and he covers for two. Bryce ejects the factory. Finally. Starks catches Comoroto with a sitout powerbomb and covers for the victory. Post match Starks with a spear to Comoroto to send a message.
Rating: ***
Review: This was a lot of fun, the result was never in question but Starks did a great job playing the face in peril and overcoming the odds for the victory. It’s crazy how much the crowd loves Starks.

Holy shit they tease the rematch between Cutler and Avalon for next week. I hope this is the beginning of a longer build.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This was a decent episode of Dark with some solid match ups. The talent that were featured were all really solid and it's nice to get a couple of episodes of Dark like this away from the studio setting. It just freshens things up and will make the return to Orlando better. I enjoyed a majority of this weeks episode and suggest checking out the main event and Riho vs. Jungle Kyona if nothing else.