Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 12.28.21

It’s Tuesday Night and you know what that means! It’s time for some AEW Dark. We’re blessed with a late Christmas present in a 10 match card. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the longer shows but the 10 or less match episodes of Dark hit so nice. Last weeks recap style seemed easier to consume and was easier to produce so we’ll keep it simple going forward.

This week we’ve got a big blowoff of a feud that’s been in the works for probably a year? I haven’t kept up on everything AEW Dark related but I know when I first began watching Janela was beginning a partnership with Sonny, that’s since blown up and here we are. That said we’ve actually got a really good episode of Dark on tap tonight with some built up matches so i’m pretty excited.

Anna Jay w/ Tay Conti (10-5) vs. Reka Tehaka (0-11)

Reka is a pretty cool enhancement talent who has likely been impressive in the past. She got a bit of time to shine in this one but it was a really short match overall. Anna won in even quicker fashion than I anticipated picking up the submission victory in 1:15.
Rating: N/A
Review: Anna is still relatively green but you can see some growth in confidence and in ring ability which is all you can ask for from an enhancement match. I was genuinely surprised at how short this was and it makes me wonder how she’ll look in a longer capacity. 

– Schiavone is backstage with Wardlow and asks him what we can expect from him going forward. Spears interrupts before Wardlow can respond. He says MJF is impressed with his work lately but says that the excessive powerbombs are too much. Wardlow says that the chair is a bit excessive and says the account abili buddy thing isn’t working. Spears says he agrees and tonight he’ll stay in the back and Wardlow can do his thing. Wardlow’s World. Spears walks off and Wardlow says you can expect multiple powerbombs tonight.

The Blade (21-12) vs. Toa Liona (0-0)

Toa’s appeared in the past in tag team matches but this is his first singles match. The Blade attacks quick and aggressive to try and catch the big man off guard and you gotta appreciate it. Toa is a big dude and i’ve seen him do some work in Vegas at a local show, he’s pretty awesome and would be worth keeping an eye on. The Bunny slapped the taste out of Toa and Rick Knox had to just turn his head and pretend he didn’t see it. Poor guy is just no good at his job. The Blade picks up the victory with a loaded punch to Toa in 1:46.
Rating: N/A
Review: Another short match early. I would love to see Toa get signed on with AEW full time. He’s been ok in the ring but if you give him time to really develop on Dark he could be awesome within a year. The Blade feels so much more natural for a loaded glove gimmick than when Spears was doing it a while back.

Wardlow (27-3) vs. Casanova (0-0)

This match is literally just a powerbomb symphony. I can’t imagine it’ll be long before Wardlow is separated from Max. The crowd was still into it and this must’ve been the third time they saw it this taping cycle. Wardlow won in 1:02 after power bombing the life out of Casanova.
Rating: N/A
Review: Not a lot to review but this is everything I want from Wardlow at this point. I sometimes criticize AEW giving enhancement talent too much offense in 2 minute matches but you can’t have every match be this formula because it’d take away from Wardlow’s. 

– Anthony Greene is backstage with Tony Schiavone and he says he’s supposed to tell everyone who he is but he says he’s already shown everyone what he’s about. He says he’s taken on FTR and Adam Cole, now it’s Tony Neese and he will prove the Premiere Asswipe wrong. This was a pretty decent promo, i’ve had my issues with Greene in the past but i’m sure he’s going to look great vs. Neese.

Shawna Reed (0-3) vs. Diamante (20-13)

I am not very familiar with Shawna but she’s showing some good technical skill against Diamante who’s obviously great in her own right. Shawna gets a small chant going for her and i’m behind it she’s actually quite impressive thus far. She is a little awkward because she’s a bit taller than your typical female competitor but it helps her I think. Diamante wins in 2:07 with a dropkick in the corner.
Rating: **
Review; Surprised at another short match, I didn’t expect much from Shawna but she was actually pretty sweet. I hope to see more of her, Diamante is really awesome too so i’m not mad at her winning so quickly just surprised at how quick tonight’s show is.

Tony Neese (5-1) vs. Anthony Greene (1-3)

Neese was in the crowd watching HOOK’s match against Bear Bronson. It’s interesting to see them building to that match and one i’m intrigued in. Tazz put Neese on notice running through HOOK’s athletic accolades. Greene using some comedic relief early on before switching to a more serious side and putting the pressure on Neese. This is a fun back and forth with both guys getting to show their skill. Anthony Greene gets a nice chant for himself probably one of the loudest of the night. The running Kneese gives Tony the victory in 4:40.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Again surprised by the length. There wasn’t a ton of build up for this match but it could’ve gotten ten minutes and I wouldn’t be mad. They did well with the time they had and I anticipate HOOK vs. Neese soon so you have to have him win pretty quick so I get it, but still. 

KiLynn King (14-11) vs. The Bunny (27-18)

Excalibur teases King could be taking a big jump going forward with a win here. That’d be interesting to see if we actually get the upset. King is awesome and a win over The Bunny would definitely be significant. Tazz says the Butcher and The Bunny go across the midwest to various Butcher shops. The Bunny wins with her finish in 2:20.
Rating: **
Review: Not bad but I thought that we were going to get more of a lengthier back and forth instead it was pretty much all The Bunny and much shorter than I had

expected. 

The Acclaimed (21-5) vs. Bear Country (12-4)

I am hoping we can get our first 5+ minute match of the night. Bowens gets on the mic early so maybe we will. Both of these teams have been pretty great in their roles over the last year. Bear Country really could see a big 2022 regardless of the outcome here. It’s actually a testament to how well they’ve done this year that they feel like competent opponents vs the highly protected Acclaimed tag team. Bear Country have are full of charisma and it gets the crowd into their matches. They’re also two really good big dudes so it’s easy to appreciate them. Boulder and Bronson take some rough bumps into the steel steps and it gives The Acclaimed the advantage. The Panda Bear is a big baby face bear. I like the Tazz and Excalibur banter but in matches like this I could do without it. It’s tough though because the Bear banter is funny but it takes you out of it. Bowens tries to stop the hot tag but Boulder actually catches him and sends him into Bronson before making the tag it was a sweet sequence you don’t see often. Bear Country are both great but man Boulder was able to shine in this one despite limited action. Boulder tries for a backpack senton but he’s selling an injured knee. Bowens wins with a shot to the knee in 6:15.
Rating: **3/4
Review: Gosh this match had so much potential and really could’ve went another ten minutes considering tonight’s been so quick as it is. That said with the time they got they had a good match. It also leaves open the chance to do a longer program with these two teams which would be cool for Dark. Bear Country went from an intriguing team because of their name and masks to really being an awesome well rounded team. 

Skye Blue (2-7) vs. Ashley D’Amboise (0-12)

I went to get a piece of pizza and this one was over. Thank goodness it’s on youtube and I can run it back. Skye Blue hit a cross body, a superkick and an inverted flatliner to win in :30.
Rating: N/A
Pizza Rating: 2/5
Review: Skye Blue doesn’t get paid by the minute but sheesh this is a quick show huh. I don’t really have much to say, Skye Blue is pretty cool from what i’ve seen but I need to see her in a longer capacity before I can say. I would like to see her get set up for one of the mini programs they run on Dark to see how she does in a longer match. 

The Wingmen, Cesar & Peter Avalon (2-1) vs. Orange Cassidy (39-8-1) & Wheeler Yuta (15-13)

This one started early with the wingmen taking advantage early which they need to do if they want to win. I will say this better not go longer than the Bear Country match. Orange Cassidy tries to slow mo inside cradle Cesar and it popped me. Orange is so much fun especially on a smaller show like this. Cassidy goes for a top rope splash but his groin hurt so it looked pretty rough. Cesar is a tough dude he launched Yuta to another universe. Ryan Nemeth gets involved but Chuck Taylor makes the save. Orange hits the Orange Punch on Avalon for the victory in 5:00.
Rating: **3/4
Review: I said this one should be shorter than the earlier tag match because I appreciated the build to that match but this was a lot of fun. I wouldn’t have minded another minute or two but it was nice to see Cassidy catch fire and pick up the victory. 

Joey Janela (11-4) vs. Sonny Kiss (12-13)

I’m shocked that Janela has such an impressive win loss record. This could get wild. It does early with Sonny smacking Kayla with the garbage can causing Tazz to laugh out loud. I love that the crowd is immediately into this one. These two have been big parts of AEW Dark since it began and this feud has been built up for a long time. It’s had its ups and downs but this could be the peak. Sonny is showing some great athleticism and growth in this one. Its such a wild sight to see a couple of kids cheer on Sonny from the front row these smaller shows really make provide a fun atmosphere. Sonny with a moonsault off the steps but Joey moves and sheesh that looked like it hurt. Joey and Kayla double powerbomb Sonny on the stairs. Joey broke the piece of wood over his knee which really hurt the visual when he chopped Sonny with the wood shortly after. Sonny with a swinging DDT onto the chairs. The tornado DDT has been major in the year 2021. The crowd is firmly behind Sonny in this one. Joey is busted open by the chair and Sonny shows a more aggressive side wiping the blood across her tank top. Joey is doing a ton to make Sonny look great and Sonny is delivering as well so this is pretty awesome. Joey with a nasty brain buster on the outside and tells Kayla to get the tables. Joey set up a HUGE ladder before Sonny took back over. Kayla looks for a garbage can shot on Sonny but Sonny matrix ducks under that bad boy and kicks it back into Kayla’s face. Sonny’s such a badass. Sonny is climbing the ladder after setting both Joey and Kayla on the table. Sonny with a HUGE splash off the ladder. She definitely overshot it which was something I was worried about based on the set up. Sonny covers but fortunately Janela kicks out. It was a cool spot but I’d hate for this to end with a miscue. They make their way up onto the stage with another table set up off the edge of it. A fan tells Joey to powerbomb Sonny through it but Sonny fights back. Sonny goes for a powerbomb but Joey counters out and hits Sonny with a superkick. Joey calls for a public execution and hits a piledriver off the stage through the table. It was scary but i’ll be damned if that wasn’t clean. Joey rolls Sonny into the ring and covers Sonny for the win in 13:40.
Rating: ***1/4
Review: This is probably one of the best AEW Dark matches i’ve seen and the best i’ve seen since covering it for 411mania. It wasn’t an out of this world match but that finish actually surprised me and the match itself was really well done. Outside of Sonny overshooting the dive this was a solid match and Sonny overshooting wasn’t really a problem. Joey works better in an environment that allows chaos but basically every time he’s been given a chance to shine in those spots he’s done great. This wasn’t his best match in AEW but it may have been Sonny’s and I really think that was Joey’s intention going into this match, to make Sonny look great. Mission accomplished Joey. I am constantly surprised when Joey Janela does great in AEW because he’s had a bit of a rough road in the company, and I don’t blame either side for that. However as a fan of his it’s almost like being a fan of a mid level sports franchise you know they’ll win but they typically don’t win when it counts. Sonny’s record isn’t that great but Joey’s helped build up this match and this character and may have finished the feud the overall winner. If so, i’m impressed and excited for where he goes next. 

Top three names to watch following this week’s show.

1. Joey Janela – Janela’s now 12-4 and has an impressive AEW Dark main event victory over his former tag team partner. It will likely end the same way it does for my middling sports teams but for now I’m liking the direction Janela’s headed. 

2. Sonny Kiss – Despite losing Sonny had one of her best matches. This feud with Janela has actually helped both really start to find themselves in AEW. It took some time and I think it’s become more evident after they split but the entire pairing and split has been beneficial for both of them. Sonny has improved quite a bit and took a few crazy bumps. If this feud isn’t over I wont be mad at it because I want to see Sonny get a victory as well. Regardless keep an eye on Sonny because the future is bright. 

3. Skye Blue/Wardlow – Both won their matches in short order. Skye has been featured in the promo videos for the TBS tournament before it began and is someone they likely want to push going forward so im interested in how she’ll fare in a longer match or even a short program with someone who’s been with AEW longer. Wardlow has really started to feel like a potential big time baby face and his powerbomb symphony works. It’s only a matter of time before he splits away from MJF and becomes a big deal fairly quickly. 

Jobber of the Night: Shawna Reed – I didn’t expect much out of Shawna but she was really cool to watch in her match. She got some good offense in and looked smooth. I’m not sure if she will get a consistent role but even something like KiLynn King would be interesting for Shawna just to get a look at her potential. 

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This is a one match show and if you HATE Janela or Sonny Kiss then it's not for you. But if you're like me and love them both then you might have a bit of a bias rating. I honestly loved this episode and only have a few gripes. I wish that the Bear Country/Acclaimed match and the Neese/Green match in particular got more time. This episode of Dark had the potential to be one of the best with some squash matches but also a few matches with some build to them and a nice long featured match. Instead it was predominantly shorter matches with one exciting main event. That doesn't make it a bad show it just leaves room where it could've been better. It actually made me hope for something like that in the future with the Dark tapings building to a blowoff taping or episode of Dark that has a few squashes on the under card and a couple well built matches. This is a good show to jump into Dark and get to know some of the talent because it's short sweet and fun. I get it if you want longer matches and bigger stars but this is about what I expect from a good episode of Dark so i'm satisfied.