Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 2.22.22

It’s Two Two TUESDAY and You’ve probably heard that anywhere from 5-10 times today but what can I say, it works. We’re looking at a much shorter card for tonight’s episode of Dark and I’m all for it. Hopefully, we can get some longer matches and showcase some talent in longer bouts. Matt Sydal, 10, Skye Blue, and The Varsity Blonds are on the title for this week’s episode so not looking to be too star-studded but sometimes those are the best shows. I thought last week was a step down from what we usually get due to the length in the show and lack of star power so hopefully, fewer matches help. Let’s get to it.

Varsity Blonds vs. Marcus Kross & Guillermo Rosas

This is not the first time this team has mixed it up with Kross and a partner but Kross has let the hair go down and has a different partner this time around. Kross with the hair down and Taz says he looks different and encourages him to wear a mask. College Football Jones makes an appearance and commentary reminds us of Julia’s change since interacting with Malakai. Griff throws a nice big boot and I often forget how tall he is he really has a lot of untapped potential. The Blonds go for a tag team splash but Guillermo is able to avoid it. Kross and Garrison work well together and it’s a good opportunity for Kross to show his stuff but I think I understand why each is in the position they’re in within AEW Kross is much smaller and not a whole lot stands out, especially with the hair down. Kross with a decent double stomp into an elbow drop that was pretty neat so he proves me wrong shortly after I say that. Kross with a sunset flip into a rollup on Griff and it wasn’t 100% perfect but still an exciting move. Pillman with the hot tag and he looks like a much more confident and serious wrestler, his ring work has clearly improved over his time in AEW as well. Griff with an f5 like move to Rosas on the apron. Kross looking stronger than in most showings with a number of near falls but never too believable. We get a combination finish from the Blonds with Griff pinning Kross in 5:52. Post-match, Julia is a bit distant from the Blonds still glad they won but something is clearly off.
Rating: **1/2
Review: This was a solid opener with nothing to complain too hard about. Both teams brought it with Kross really getting the primary opportunity to showcase himself here for the jobbers. He made the best of his time and stood out a bit more than he has to me in recent weeks though it took a second to get going. Pillman’s a solid in-ring competitor and while everything hasn’t seemed to click yet it does seem that he’s improving and gaining confidence. 

Rohit Raju, Karam, Sotheara Chhun, & Caleb Tennity vs. The Wingmen

The Wingmen drop their opponents before the match even starts so they can do a four-way pink promise but their opponents send them to the outside and mock them. That’s rough getting mocked by jobbers. Cezar is pissed and sends everyone to the outside. I like the Wingmen but I’m feeling a potential upset. Rohit Raju a former Impact standout is making his AEW Dark debut here I believe, he’d absolutely be a good hand in this capacity. The Wingmen maintain control for a majority of the match with the victory coming after Nemeth hits a neck breaker and splash from Avalon for the pin on Sotheara Chhun in 2:29
Rating: N/A
Review: This was a way to get a win to the typical jobbers the Wingmen and pad their stats. Despite that, they still didn’t do all too well giving a fair bit to the jobbers early and even getting clowned before the match. Fortunately, they won, I enjoy most of them but I’m not a huge fan of Nemeth. 

– Chaos Project is backstage with Schiavone and says they’re going to show Sydal what they’re made of tonight, Luther does all of the talking for Serpentico even though Serpentico is the one working the match.

Skye Blue vs. Ruthie Jay

Skye typically doesn’t get long matches so I’d predict a 2-3 minute match here bud I’d love to see something more. Skye showing an attitude here after kicking Ruthie right in the face. Some of Skye’s acrobatic offense is cool but at times it can be a bit slowed down to ensure it connects, over time it’ll get smoother and be a lot cleaner I think. Skye’s great at getting the crowd interested and behind her. Skye with the flatliner for the victory in 2:49, Ruthie kicks just after the pinfall is counted.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was another short Skye Blue match, I think she’s going to be great down the line but as of now she’s got some work to do, it’s not anything overly bad you can just tell there’s growth happening and it gets cleaner every week. 

– They recap and showcase the Who We Are album AEW has recently released. They have Anthony Ogogo discussing how proud he is to be able to walk to the ring and listen to a song that discusses and represents who he is. Pretty cool stuff even though Ogogo is typically a heel this was really nice to see.

Nick Comoroto vs. Lamar Diggs

This is Diggs debut for AEW and he’s a big dude. Commentary is quick to bring up the current beef between QT and Team Taz/Hook. Ogogo is here at ringside which is interesting as I feel we don’t see him a whole lot. Diggs gets a short bit of offense in early but Nick quickly takes over and gets some help from the outside as well from QT. Nick shows some confidence, taunting Diggs and Diggs fights back but only for a moment. Nick is able to lift the BIG BOY up for a scoop slam. Nick asks the crowd how their guys doing now and gives us a chest pound and a bark. This dude is great but I feel like he’s a natural babyface based on what I’ve seen from him on some of the vlogs. Diggs with a burst of energy and sends Nick into the corner with a dropkick and tries to follow up but eats a spear from Nick. Nick pounds his head to remind us he’s crazy before lifting Diggs up he smashes him back into the corner and drops him with the Alabama Slam in 3:54.
Rating: **1/2
Review: A bit of a short big guy match, Diggs is big but still hard to take seriously as an opponent. Comoroto dominated for the most part and quickly put a stop to Diggs burst of energy so we got everything you would’ve expected to here just wasn’t anything over the top amazing. When it’s two big dudes like this you want to just see them beat the bricks off of each other, this was solid but not that. 

Ben Bishop vs. 10

10 and negative one have matching gear and Ten shared a new shirt that features Negative One on Twitter today. I enjoy their big brother relationship and how 10 has taken Negative One under his wing since the passing of Brodie. Ten removes his shirt and Negative One takes his off to a big pop. Ten gets in the face of Bishop and he tries to hit Negative One but the referee stops the shot and we get Negative One out of the ring. Ten is a big dude and Bishop stands taller than he does so he’s a big dude. Bishop talking a lot during the beginning of the match but it’s working. Taz reminds us how big this guy is every thirty seconds or so. Bishop giving 10 a run for his money early in this one. Bishop transforms into powerbomb jones but 10 counters as Bishop taunts. Ten dominates the second half of the match and picks up the win with the full nelson in 2:49.
Rating: N/A
Review: Bishop is a big dude and should be someone AEW wants to take a closer look at especially because I’d assume he’s relatively unknown but was solid in the short work we saw from him. Typically 10 dominates his matches but Bishop showed some promise early only to come up short after his taunting got the best of him. This was really well done despite how short it was. 

Fuego Del Sol vs. David Ali

The crowd is firmly behind Fuego as he’s become a consistent favorite for the AEW Dark crowd, it’s something I didn’t expect for Fuego early but is a good position for him. He’s less serious so you don’t mind seeing him take losses but in a match like this against Ali we’re going to get a solid showing and likely a victory for Fuego. Fuego calls for the tornado DDT but Ali sees it coming from a mile away and hits the fireman’s carry into a neck breaker. It also gives Fuego’s opponents a real chance to get some offense in and showcase themselves as he often doesn’t dominate a match from start to finish. Fuego calls for the tornado again but Ali rolls out of the ring to avoid it. Both men do well to not only look good at what they do but making each other look good. Fuego finally hits the tornado DDT when he doesn’t call for it. No pin right away and Fuego with a double stomp to the spine for the victory in 3:49.
Rating: **1/4
Review: This was nothing special but it did get the crowd going and kept them excited. Fuego’s finish didn’t hit correctly here but as I remember seeing it in the past it looks like it hurts so it’s probably for the best. Fuego’s solid for Dark but I’d almost rather see him in spots like last week putting over Bowens than picking up a three-minute win. 

Serpentico vs. Matt Sydal

We’re already to the main event and while this show has been moving quickly these two are gonna have to put on a banger for me to feel very excited about this show’s quality overall. Not to say it’s been bad but it’s lacking in star power and lengthy matches. These two are capable of making it interesting and putting on a solid match so let’s see. Chop exchange early and Sydal was going a bit light on Serpentico if I say so myself. Outside of the soft chop, Sydal’s looking great here as he always does especially against a capable opponent like Serpentico. Luther with the distraction gives Serpentico a chance to take some offense but Sydal’s quick to bounce back only to run right into a flatliner from Serpentico. The crowd pops for Serpentico and I think the Orlando crowd is fond of the tandem of Luther and Serpentico. Luther’s great on the outside even though I sometimes get tired of it, it typically gets a good response and is usually funny. Luther with the heelwork on the outside as Serpentico distracts Bryce. Taz mentions the Luther is stealing the show despite not wrestling and that’s often a fear I have with Luther’s matches his antics are great but sometimes it can take away from the match at hand, a critique I sometimes have with commentary on Dark as well. Sydal with the Meteora and roll up for a two count I thought Sydal might take it there. Serpentico with a roll through into a thrust kick, a bit slow but still decent. Serpentico with the cover for two but I’m not sold on it. Serpentico misses a senton and Sydal goes right into a crucifix. Sydal hits the lightning spiral for the victory in 6:27. Sydal’s family meets him at ringside and he celebrates for a moment to end the show.
Rating: **1/2
Review: It wasn’t anything out of this world and Serpentico was never taken seriously as a potential winner here but it was entertaining for what it was. Luther is fine on the outside but there’s always a feeling like he may be stealing the little shine Serpentico is gaining for himself but overall it’s a net positive for Serpentico. Sydal’s smooth and has gotten to a point where he doesn’t have to end it with a shooting star press. This match was fine but really not the level of most of the main events I’m used to from Dark. I think I’d have gone with the opener in the main event slot but neither were particularly great.

3 Wrestlers to Watch Following this weeks Dark.

The Varsity Blondes – They looked smooth in this week’s opener and continue to grow as a team, Garrison has the height and Pillman’s in-ring skill has also improved making them a pretty serviceable team but they desperately need a significant victory to be taken seriously. I’d also like to get to the point with the Julia Hart gimmick as it’s been going for a bit now.

Skye Blue – Skye’s someone you can tell they’re bringing along slowly, showcasing her selectively in big spots but keeping it limited while she continues to grow on Dark. She was not bad at all you can just tell she’s got some work to do on making things look smoother and I think that will come. As it stands she’s good at getting the Orlando crowd behind her and hopefully, that can translate when she starts traveling more consistently with the Dynamite crew.

Nick Comoroto – Nick’s a big dude with a ton of potential, I think he’s naturally an awkward big goofy guy who would fit better as a babyface for a variety of reasons. I think if he ever turns his back on QT and aligns himself with a popular babyface he could quickly catch on. I’m not sure that it’s something that’s in the cards but if it were I think it’d work wonders for Nick because he’s big but he’s good at a lot of traditional wrestling things that big guys might make look more clunky than he does.

J-j-Jobber of the Night!

Ben Bishop – I’m not sure how good Ben is as he only got a short amount of time to work tonight but he felt like a guy worth taking more of a look at down the line. Every week we get to see a couple of big guys especially as they try to showcase guys like Ten, Comoroto, Will Hobbs, and others so they have to have competitors that can match up. We typically see the serviceable talent but they don’t stand out much beyond the side. Bishop stood out based on his charisma, confidence, and seemingly decent in-ring skill. I’m not saying sign him to a deal but I’d be curious to see how he does going forward. I may have mentioned it recently with another big guy but he reminded me of a young Lance Archer who could really have some potential down the line.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

The wrestling was fine but it was genuinely nothing more. If there was ever an episode to skip it was this week's as we never got a match longer than 8 minutes, didn't really get any exciting squashes either just a variety of short to really short showcase matches. I don't want to pretend like this week's episode of Dark was bad but it was just so bland that I can't honestly give it a good rating as nothing good happened. It was nice to see these talents showcased and it was nice to have a shorter episode but it ended up feeling like nothing came of this week's show. I think we will see better shows in the coming weeks and will get back to the normal longer episodes of Dark, hopefully, that will include the occasional storyline coming back as well.