wrestling / TV Reports
Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 3.1.22
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...It’s Wednesday Night and you know what that means! It’s time for AEW Dark. Dark has been hit or miss lately as they continue to focus on up and coming superstars who are often solid in ring but have had some off moments over the last few weeks. Last week I ate my words, typically i’m a fan of the shorter episodes of Dark with less matches but we didn’t get much last week that had me excited and I think the shortened episode was a factor in that. Tonight we have a lengthier card so maybe it’ll be different. Let’s get to the action.
Lee Johnson vs. Darian Bengston
Bengston has been on a few episodes of dark, he has a unique look and interesting attire, he has a half a kilt on one half of his tights. The crowd is behind Darian I think as they chant for the ‘other guy’ while Lee in in control. Lee plays into a bit mentioning the ‘other guy’ as he sends him into the corner. Lee lays into Darian with some nice rights in the corner playing a bit of the heel here working with the crowd. Lee tries to float up and over in the corner but Darian caught him with a german suplex instead. Darian looks for a springboard moonsault press but Lee moves and hits a neckbreaker on Darian before calling him a deadman and finishing it with a fisherman’s neckbreaker.
Rating: N/A
Review: Johnson is a solid in ring competitor and I think after this match i’m convinced i’d rather see him as a heel. He’s a fine babyface but there’s not much to him as a character as a good guy, he played into the crowd cheering for Bengston early and it helped him stand out more than in the past. Bengston was cool and the crowd was playing along and helped give him some hype as well. I’d like to see him in a longer match to see how he can go because his unique look is cool.
– Sonny Kiss discusses their story and discusses how they got involved with the Who We Are Album. Sonny was responsible for writing their song and is really proud and excited about the result.
Ashton Starr vs. Sonny Kiss
The AEW Dark crowd is having fun with it this week, we’ve got a split chant between Sonny and Ashton but the crowd’s calling Ashton new guy. Neither superstar really taking the clear advantage in this one, Ashton gets a bit of offense in but it’s a bit clunky. At one point Ashton dumbs Sonny to the apron then turns his back on Sonny and Taz points out how pointless of a move that is. Sonny picks up the win in 2:23 with a corkscrew kick.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was not that great, Sonny and Ashton have loads of charisma and are loveable characters but their ring work lacks at times. This was one of those times and with the shorter match it felt like things never got a chance to gel and get going. Sonny has had ups and downs in AEW so it might’ve been more beneficial for this to be more of a squash instead Ashton got some offense in that never really felt that good.
The Acclaimed vs. B. Jack & Donovan Izzolena
I expect the acclaimed to make quick work of their opponents. Donovan has a weight belt on that says The Don. They just let anybody take Cody’s stuff now that he’s gone huh. The Acclaimed are really an awesome tag team who manage to stand out in a big tag division despite not being a team that long. Bowens picks up the victory after hitting a combination mic drop in 2:43. B. Jack hardly got involved jumping in as the illegal man and getting beat down by the Acclaimed quickly.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was the best squash of the night as The Acclaimed are just so entertaining themselves that they make their matches great regardless of length or who they face. B. Jack hardly got to do anything and Donovan was fine in his position but neither were necessarily standouts who I think we need to keep an eye on just yet.
Marina Shafir vs. Danielle Kamela
Marina has been a standout ever since getting involved in AEW and I hope they sign her and put her on TV sooner than later. Kamela is making her debut and i’m pretty unfamiliar with her but they grapple early and she is solid for sure. Both women show some promise here and Shafir picks up the victory after starting to take Kamela seriously. Shafir used a unique submission for the victory around 3:38.
Rating: **1/2
Review: It wasn’t long enough to be out of this world and my guess would be that Kamela is good but still growing in the ring so shorter is likely better in the long run. That said, I would like to see Kamela in a longer match to see how she does. I may be overcrediting her but the women they bring in for showcase matches can be hit or miss and Kamela held her own while Shafir still looked dominant.
Dante Martin vs. Jack Evans
I never expected Jack Evans to look like the grizzled vet especially after being a big fan of his very early as an indy wrestling fan over 15 years ago. Jack’s had some wild stuff go on in his life according to his twitter so i’m happy to see him well and back in an AEW ring. Evans uses his experience as a grizzled high flyer to keep Dante grounded and lay into Dante with a variety of strikes. It’s amazing how far Evans has come as an in ring performer, I haven’t watched any of his AAA work but he’s quite good. Dante starts to make a comeback but Evans distracts the ref and Jorah Johl grabs the leg of Dante. Dante gets into the face of Johl but turns around into a dive from Evans that COMPLETELY misses. Not sure who’s to blame here but these types of misses have been an issue for Evans. It wouldn’t have been bad if Dante didn’t sell it like death. Dante really taking a beating against Jack who tells the crowd they’ll never chant Dante’s name after he does his next move. That lead to a huricanrana from Dante but hey can’t hate Jack for the confidence. Dante showed some fire in his comeback screaming at Jack to get up. This is not quite the match you would’ve expected between these two as it’s very little high flying and the high flying we got was not good. Jack with a series of flips into another botch, strange that this is just much better when it’s grounded. Dante’s high flying is good but he’s taking a ton of damage. Dante hits his springboard moonsault onto Jack but he’s a bit close and lands pretty much face to face with Jack. Dante picks up the win in 7:49.
Rating: **1/4
Review: I went into this with high flying expectations. It started out pretty good but it didn’t take long to go below what I expected. They were great when this was grounded but both guys had their hiccups with the high flying in this one and for some reason just couldn’t click. Dante’s sky is the limit but this was definitely one of my least favorite matches from him.
The Wingmen get some promo time but Cesar struggles to remove the button on his shirt, he finally gets it. They all talk about how good they look and Avalon says that Springtime is around and it’s time for spring cleaning.
Abadon vs. Sahara Seven
Sahara says she did not sign up for this throwing up a cross with her fingers to stay away from Abadon. Sahara talking a lot of trash in this one and lets a huge scream out as Abadon sits right up from her offense. We get a redhot jones for Abadon from Taz. Seven got a bit of offense early but it was short lived. Funny bit in the corner as Bryce tells Abadon to get her out of the corner, she screams at him and he apologizes. Abadon hits three front facing curb stomps on Seven before hitting her with a variation of a DDT with her leg wrapped around the head of Seven for the victory in 2:28.
Rating: N/A
Review: There was some good to this but a fair bit of bad as well. I like Abadon but I didn’t love the triple curb stomp at the end because it just wasn’t that devastating and the only way to make it devastating probably hurts a lot so I get it but perhaps just don’t do it then? I also felt her finish was a bit strange but if she can make it look smooth then it’ll be good down the road. Overall this was short so nothing to complain heavily about but Seven was unimpressive and Abadon is still developing her character and ring work but I will say she was better in the ring than in the past.
Diamanté vs. Vipress
Diamante laying into Vipress early, Taz lets us know he’s going to be pounding down bourbons in vegas while he gambles thousands. Sounds amazing. Vipress gets some offense in laying into Diamante with some solid strikes. Diamante goes for the cazdora, they stall for a moment but they figure it out and Diamante turns it around into a stunner. She hits the code red for the victory in 1:53.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was really short so not a lot to say about it, Diamante is solid in ring, they stalled with the cazadora but figured it out, the stunned itself wasn’t exactly great but she followed it up quickly enough that it didn’t really matter. This match was fine but felt a bit flat like the one before.
Kiera Hogan vs. Kelsey Raegan
Kelsey is from Jacksonville and making her AEW debut. I always get nervous when it’s a debut from the area as I feel like the better in ring talent from Florida would’ve already popped up but i’ve been wrong before. Kiera gets the crowd into it early after showing some fire but Raegan takes over and slows that for a moment. Kiera with the nearfall after a legdrop to the back of the head. Hogan hits the roundhouse kick for the victory in 2:41.
Rating: N/A
Review: The finish was solid Hogan hit that kick right to the face. Kiera got the crowd into this and shows a ton of charisma, she’s good in the ring and entertaining outside of it as well so I’d love to see her get more opportunities in the future as she really is awesome and has a ton of potential.
Daniel Garcia vs. Josh Woods
I’ve fooled myself in the past getting excited for a matchup on dark and it just turns into a quick squash that underwhelms but this matchup could be awesome. Early grappling and Woods shows he might just have an advantage over Garcia. Woods faked a kick on Garcia then hit on him anyways. Early on in this one Woods looks like the guy who just wrestled Bryan Danielson not Garcia. Garcia finally takes control and reminds us why he’s a young talent on the rise in AEW. Woods is solid but most of his strikes look really weak. Taz yells at Excalibur for implying he’s a mentor for Team Taz. Taz admits that his commentary is missing out on the solid match at hand. Woods with a low angle belly to belly on Garcia and Taz is quick to critique and I’m inclined to trust the human suplex machine. Garcia hits a simple saito suplex and I was buying into the potential he might take the victory off that. Woods wrestling is so good but his strikes just don’t do it for me, his knee strike late in this one just felt like he was clearly holding back. Garcia uses the ropes to choke Woods up and get him off before hitting him with the Gotch Style piledriver for the victory in 6:50. Post match Garcia shakes the hand of the fallen Josh Woods.
Rating: ***
Review: This might just be match of the night. I am surprised at how much Woods got to take control of this match even though based on the size of both men it makes sense. Woods really did feel like the ‘AEW Guy’ early on and Garcia the ‘job guy’ but both men showed that they’re really good in the ring. Garcia picked up the victory despite spending probably 65% of the match on the defensive. Garcia’s future looks great and I like them using Woods so much, maybe it’s time to give him a squash win just to make the wins over him a bit more impressive.
– Shawn Dean tells the story behind his Who We Are song and how the project came about crediting lead AEW music producer Ruckus for his involvement in developing the idea.
Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Will Austin
Back and forth between Dean and Austin, Taz with another rant as he critiques talent calling their shot. I completely agree with Taz but Excalibur calls him Bridgeport Connecticut Taz, it pops Taz and me. Dean takes control and drops Austin with a dive off the top rope. Dean doesn’t go for the cover instead lifting Austin up and hitting him with the deal. Dean called his shot before he hit the finish and Taz makes note of it. Turns out Taz was wrong as Dean picks up the victory in 2:50 after calling his shot.
Rating: N/A
Review: There wasn’t a whole lot to this, just a match for Shawn Dean to get a victory so when others beat him it looks a bit more impressive as I suggested they do with Woods above. Dean is solid and technically has a win over MJF so who knows what the future holds for him, overall a solid win for Dean.
Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto vs. Wheeler Yuta & Orange Cassidy
Poor QT the announcer forgot the guys name. Yuta and Solo kick this one off early, commentary tells us about QT and Hook’s history on Rampage. It’s the main event of the night and Taz is telling us that Danhausen needs to curse Bryce Remsburg. Poor Bryce always taking heat from Taz. Yuta gets dropped by Comoroto and tries to tag in OC going so far as to tell him ‘please’ before OC finally tags in. Cassidy tags in and pokes fun at Comoroto before teasing a test of strength and instead putting his hands in his pockets. Comoroto takes the glasses off Cassidy but OC fights back and Comoroto bends over to put the glasses back on for Cassidy. Cassidy tags in Yuta and calls for a double team move and they hit a double team suplex on Solo. The comedy between Yuta and Cassidy really is great in this match. I get why Cassidy is used sparingly but man I want to see a full on run of him and Yuta as a team chasing the titles. QT distracts Cassidy and it’s just enough to prevent Yuta from making the tag. As big as Comoroto is nothing he does screams scary heel to me, he just seems like a nice guy. Comoroto and Solo getting a fair bit of offense in this one but nothing these guys can do can sell me on a potential victory over a team including OC. It’s interesting to see OC play the role of face in peril while Yuta gets the hot tag instead. Yuta shows some unique offense but i’m not sure I love it. Yuta goes to the top but QT Marshall gets involved, we might see an upset. Comoroto with a spear and Solo tags in, Solo hits a diving foot stomp but completely misses Cassidy. Solo covers anyways and gets a two count. Man, completely blown spot, they had me and lost it right there not sure who to blame but that’s rough. Solo having a hard time tonight grabbing the ropes to cheat early, they get to the spot and QT gets tossed turning Taz completely face on Bryce. Yuta sets Solo up for a germane, Cassidy hits the orange punch into the superman punch and Yuta german’s Solo into a pinfall for the victory in 14:08.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Right when this one was picking up it completely lost me. Solo is typically pretty good but this was not his night apparently because his weaknesses really showed. Comoroto got to get going and looked really good for a moment but it was shortlived and then overshadowed but Solos impossible to hide botch. The finishing sequence was solid. I wish Comoroto would leave The Factory already, he’s a solid powerhouse and typically has good matches so I’d really like to see more from him away from the pit of loss that is the Factory. Yuta was solid but he does a lot of extra stuff to be flashy but it doesn’t really lead to a maneuver looking more impactful, I think over time that’ll change and he’ll be more selective with it but for now it’s more flash than substance.
Top Three Names to Watch Following AEW Dark
Daniel Garcia – Garcia is a fantastic wrestler who already has a ton of hype behind him from the independent scene. He’s a unique situation on Dark where his wins don’t just feel like padding stats to feed other wrestlers but instead any series of wins could be the start of a true run for him. He just lost to Danielson recently and could always be involved with him again down the line. If that happens Garcia’s stock could start to really rise.
Lee Johnson – Lee got to show a mean side in his opening match and I think a heel turn for him would be really refreshing and might give a spark to both him and Brock Anderson. If Lee were to get mad about Cody leaving and leave the nightmare factory turning on Brock and Arn it could be really good stuff. I’m not sure Brock would have a lot of direction going out of it but Lee sure would. As of now Lee isn’t doing much but he has the potential to take that step at any moment.
The Acclaimed – They’re genuinely one of my favorite tag teams and they’re involved with Dark so much you’d think i’d get tired of it but I always appreciate whenever they’re on. They both have great charisma and solid in ring skill that leads to consistent success. They often come up short when facing top teams but they easily could take the next step and become tag champions and I don’t think anyone would be surprised. I mentioned it earlier but it’s shocking how they weren’t a team before AEW and are potentially a top 5/top 10 team in the company.
Jobber of the Night
Danielle Kamela – Kamela was solid in her showing tonight, it was short lived but still she was good and did well in her match with Shafir. Shafir is great as well and be a name to watch every week until she debuts on AEW TV. I hope Kamela gets an opportunity to shine more down the road as some of the female talent that comes in doesn’t feel ready for that position but Kamela took the opportunity and made the best of it.
