wrestling / TV Reports
Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 3.22.22
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...It’s Tuesday Night so you know what that means! It’s time for AEW Dark. We’ve got a lengthy card ahead of ourselves and not much star power on it in terms of who is competing but there are plenty of awesome superstars like Hobbs, Lethal, The Acclaimed, The Butcher & Blade among others appearing. We’ll also see Blake Christian make his AEW debut against Rohit Raju.
JD Drake W/ The Wingmen vs. Jay Lethal.
The Wingmen on the outside trying to distract lethal and eventually Avalon succeeds but Lethal avoids him momentarily. The numbers get to Lethal as he gets jumped by The Wingmen. Drake sends Lethal to the inside and maintains control shortly until Lethal is able to fight back. Lethal goes for the Lethal injection but it’s countered the first time only for Lethal to hit it on the second attempt for the victory.
Rating: **1/2
Review: This was a solid opener with two really talented superstars. The victor was never in question but that’s how it goes.
Post match: Lethal cuts a promo in favor of Ring of Honor ahead of his upcoming Supercard of Honor match.
Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean vs. The Butcher & The Blade
Early on The Butcher & Blade work over Bravo until he can finally make the tag to Shawn Dean who gets some momentum going briefly. The Butcher & Blade quickly cut off that momentum taking the victory with the combination powerbomb in 2:10.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was a quick squash match that allowed The Butcher & Blade to look good but we also saw Shawn Dean get a momentum of true offense in before it got put to a stop relatively quickly.
Anthony Ogogo vs. Ray Jaz
Gogo talks a lot of trash to Jaz while he beats down Jaz not really taking much offense from his opponent. Instead Ogogo banters with the fans while he toys with Jaz dropping him with a lifting forearm and taking the knockout victory.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was a short squash but pretty much what should’ve been expected for Ogogo. He’s growing on me and i’d really like to see him in a longer match but for now this was a solid showing for the former Boxer turned wrestler.
Nyla Rose vs. Kaci Lennox
Nyla wastes absolutely no time picking up the victory over Kaci. Kaci showed a short bit of fire but it’s very short lived as Nyla sets her up on the ropes for the legdrop and covers for the victory.
Rating: N/A
Review: Really short squash so hard to get too much of a judgement on it. Right as I was about to praise Kaci she lost so it’s hard to tell what the upside is for someone like her but I think she could be an interesting addition to the consistent AEW Dark roster if given the chance.
Blake Christian vs. Rohit Raju
It’s always awesome to see someone like Blake get an opportunity in AEW. Either guy could win this one as Raju’s been around for a while as an enhancement guy but Blake’s relatively new entirely. Blake with the fire early but Raju shows some skill during his time on offense as well. Blake with a split legged moonsault nearly takes the victory but runs into a flatliner from Raju who nearly takes the win himself. Raju bounces off the ropes into a Spanish fly and Blake follows with a 450 splash for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: This was another short match which I expect at this point as they’re trying to fit 14 matches on one show. I’m excited to see Blake in AEW and taking the victory in the process. Not sure if he’s signed or what the future holds but he’s dope and I hope they bring him on board for an extended run.
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray
Bowens doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this one only tagging Caster in to hit the elbow drop for the victory. Mittens getting a ton of camera time for his post match celebrations. Alanis and Gray both have interesting looks and are both guys i’m unfamiliar with so good for them getting a shot here. The Acclaimed pick up the win with ease and pose post match.
Rating: N/A
Review: The Acclaimed are a wonderful team and easily one of the best parts of Dark week to week. This was a short squash so nothing crazy but Bowens is awesome in ring and Caster is super charismatic so they kill it every time.
Valentina Rossi vs. AQA
The last few times we’ve seen AQA have been up and down so hopefully se gets a good chance to shine here. AQA with a series of slingblades and follows with a neckbreaker for the victory of Rossi who has been on Dark somewhat frequently over recent weeks.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was not bad from AQA but she’s clearly green and has room to improve. I think she’ll be great in a year but for now we’re going to have ups and downs with her.
Karam vs. Tony Nese
Karam is a big dude but that’s a good chance to show that Nese is no slouch either. Last time we saw Karam I believe I was pretty impressed and his aggression and fire in this match with Nese are another example of that. Nese with a german suplex into the corner and follows with the running knee strike in the corner for the victory in 2:30.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Lots of really average short squash matches tonight as we look to showcase as many superstars as possible during this set of tapings. I can’t blame them for it but so far nothing has stood out as anything special because most of the matches have been a similar formula.
Abadon vs. Angelica Risk
Risk has appeared for AEW a number of times all on the losing side so this should be an easy win for Abadon. Abadon is a great example of how important Dark is as it’s allowed her to really flesh out her character into something more complete than it was before. Abadon with the Black Dahlia leghook DDT for the victory in 1:10.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was probably the first squash of the night to really stand out because Abadon has a lot about her that stands out. She’s really improved and come into her own, i’m still not sure her gimmick and everything all works but it’s been improved a ton and could be a big part of AEW for a bit if given the chance.
Colten Gunn & Austin Gunn vs. Victor Chase and JCruz
Cruz and Chase join along with the crowd to chant Ass Boys before the match and get jumped by the Gunn Club early for doing so. Colten with the Colt-45 and cover and Cruz for the victory in :40.
Rating: N/A
Review: These two are the first team i’d nominate to run at ROH and see how they do in an extended match. They’re a good heel duo but they’re typically winning squash matches and i’d like to see how they do in a lengthier match up this was way to short to have much of an opinion on.
Mercedes Martinez vs. Gemma Jewels
The match starts off slow early and it’s clear Jewels has very little experience before we get too far into it. I can’t understand why AEW doesn’t have a better consistent cast of female enhancement talent. I get that there is a need to give younger fresher talent an opportunity but I do find it odd they can’t seem to bring in better opponents for the women. Mercedes with the submission victory in 1:30.
Rating; N/A
Review: Mercedes is great so she can work with anyone but I think it’d do way more for the women’s division to have two or three really great matches on Dark rather than getting four or five women in on squash matches that are all super similar.
The Varsity Blondes vs. Sotheara Chhun & Tony Vincita
Pre match the Blonds toss their coats at Julia and she gets blasted in the face with them because of course she has the eye patch on. Vincita and Chhun try to get some offense in and finally are able to after they catch Pillman on the top rope. They attempt a double suplex on Pillman but he blasts through his opponents to make the tag to Garrison. Garrison has a bit of an edge to him showing a more aggressive side. I like the Blonds but in a world of awesome tag teams I do find it hard to have them up there with the better teams in AEW just yet. They nail Vincita with some combination strikes and Pillman picks up the victory following a jacknife suplex in 3:10.
Rating: ***
Review: Not a bad match and as noted post match they’re consistently a top team in AEW. Julia’s story has been going on long enough for me and i’d love to see a payoff sooner than later and at least hope the build is worth it. The Blonds were fine in this match but really haven’t done anything to stand out to me as a top team in the company, they do stack up easy victories to get ranked but honestly have never done much with it.
Post match: The Blonds cut a promo stating they’re one of the best teams and ready to chase tag team gold.
Marina Shafir vs. Leila Gray
Shafir is a true bad ass and the only squash match I look forward to week after week in the women’s division. The future of this division is great as so many interesting talents are being trained up but for now I do wish there were more options for enhancement talent. Leila’s been solid in her appearances so i’m not complaining here just in general. Leila getting a couple of moments of offense in but Shafir is never in much danger and locks in the submission for the victory in 1:20.
Rating; N/A
Review: These are the squash matches i’d like to see from the women in AEW but they lose their substance when every match is this short. Shafir is a great talent and someone i’ve enjoyed. Her run of dominance reminds me a lot of what Impact is doing with Masha Slamovich.
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Fuego Del Sol.
Hobbs wastes no time getting the jump on Fuego but Fuego’s a speedy fella and gets some offense in early. He runs into the brick wall that is Powerhouse Hobbs aka shutdown jones and this may be the end of his momentum in this one. The size differential in this one is great, power Fuego having to try and overcome the goliath that is Powerhouse Hobbs. Taz talking trash to Swerve via commentary letting him know to keep an eye out on his guys. I love how Taz can continue feuds for his guys whenever he’s on commentary but does it in a decent way that doesn’t usually take away from the match. Outside the ring Fuego sends Hobbs into the ring post and the momentum shifts a bit in favor of the resident AEW Luchador. Fuego to the top and actually nails the tornado DDT or at least a variation of it. He connected but Hobbs was able to get the kickout. Fuego goes for another but Fuego is to his feet quick and drops Fuego with a spine buster. Fuego locks in the torture rack and picks up the submission victory in 3:50.
Rating: ***
Review: This was likely one of the best matches of the night but on a card full of short matches I’m not too sure that means much. Hobbs and Fuego are both awesome and it’s not like I wanted this to run long it’s just easy to stand out as match of the night when the rest of the card was incredibly average at best.
