Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 4.19.22

It’s Tuesday Night and that means we’re back for another episode of AEW Dark. I am actually super excited for this weeks show as it appears we’ve actually begun some level of consistency with this show. I don’t want to get too excited yet as next week we could easily be back to 17 matches all 5 minutes or less but this seems like a great way to do things. Last week I was a tad critical of the featured stars but with six matches that will happen, this week feels stacked especially for a fan like me. I am a huge fan of Swerve, Keith Lee, Toni Storm, Hobbs, Starks and others set for tonight’s show so it should be a good one. It’s worth noting that Danielle Kamela is featured on the graphics for tonight’s AEW Dark and is against Rache Chanel a relatively unknown competitor so she could be someone AEW plans to use more consistently going forward.

Toni Storm vs. Gigi Rey

We have the pleasure of listening to Jamie Hayter during this one. I’m glad they’re working hard to hype up the future match between Jamie and Toni. I am not too familiar with Rey, but she seems to be holding up really well with Toni. Toni really laying into Gigi with her forearm shots to the face. Toni does a wonderful job getting the crowd excited for this one, I love that this episode was taped at Battle of the Belts as we get a full crowd for once. Toni is great for this as she’s someone we’ve seen a bit of in AEW but certainly someone i’d like to see more of. It’s cool to see Excalibur and Jamie discuss Toni using one of Jamie’s moves during this match. Toni hits storm zero on Gigi for the victory in 3:10.
Rating: **1/2
Review: It was a bit short to give it a huge rating but this match was well done. Gigi was a solid opponent and Toni is really a great wrestler so it’s a pleasure to see her on Dark. I’m not sure if we’ll see her a lot on Dark as it’s more to help develop some of the ‘greener’ talent but i’d love it if she was.

Danielle Kamela vs. Raché Chanel

Danielle, formerly Vanessa Borne in WWE getting a big opportunity here to shine in front of a big audience that is relatively unsure of who she is. Kamela with an odd situation doing a weird handshake with Rache. Chanel getting a moment to get some offense in as well. Kamela set to face Britt so I now understand a bit more why they’re trying to build her up. Kamela with a unique neck breaker that even pops Eddie Kingston on commentary. Kamela with the cover for the victory in 2:10.
Rating: N/A
Review: This was short but fine for what it was. If it’s me I give Kamela a longer match to really show that she’s a threat to Britt. None the less I appreciate the effort at least making a ‘jobber’ for Britt look good going into their match.

Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Evil Uno & Stu Grayson

This is a pretty sweet tag team match as Uno and Grayson have a decent history of success in AEW. They are 25-7 and will be a significant victory for the team of Starks and Hobbs who continue to rise the ranks themselves. I love the banter between Taz and Kingston on commentary. Starks does his part to join in the banter hopping on the mic to say the crowd doesn’t compare to the crowd in Starks hometown of Louisiana on the previous night. Ricky is a real gem. It’s nice to see Starks and Hobbs against formidable opponents for once. Uno temporarily gets offense in on Starks before Hobbs tags in. Stu with the tag as well and tries to show his strength but gets BODIED by Powerhouse Hobbs. Hobbs is naturally a cocky big guy who has grown leaps and bounds since joining AEW, he took his opportunity and made the best of it. Taz and Eddie talking old school wrestling while discussing Hobbs and Starks is actually really fun to listen to, i’m sure many don’t know about the wrestlers they’re talking about but it still adds some legitimacy to Hobbs and Starks. Starks takes a rough shot to the head/neck area and commentary gets a bit more serious referencing his history of neck issues. Stu goes for another dive to the outside but Hobbs and Starks move allowing Hobbs to take Stu’s feet from under him and he lands ROUGH. Starks with a pinfall attempt but Stu kicks out so Ricky slaps the hell out of the back of his head and Kingston finds this hilarious. Stu finally with a bit of a comeback, Hobbs tags Starks in but Stu takes them both out with a double pele. Uno tags in and begins attacking the neck of Starks. Uno hits Starks with something evil on the inside, they hooked the crowd and I even bit a little bit. Starks barely kicks out, Stu and Uno with the tag team elbow drop. Stu with the cover but again Starks barely kicks out. Commentary does a great job hyping the history of Uno and Grayson. Hobbs tags in and drops Stu with a HUGE lariat, Hobbs with the bodyslam and cover on Uno for a nearfall. Starks tags in Hobbs tries to stop Uno from making a tag but he does. Another tag team move from the Dark Order, Grayson can’t cover right away but finally he does, Starks narrowly kicks out. Hobbs tries to drop Stu but Stu dodges and attempts a springboard onto Starks but he’s caught with a SICK spear from Starks. Starks covers for the victory in 8:48.
Rating: ***3/4
Review: This was EVERYTHING I need from a ‘big’ AEW Dark match. The main event damn sure better deliver otherwise it’s a travesty not ending with this. This was a lot of fun, they did a great job telling a story and giving us a nice lengthy match between two great teams. I love Starks and Hobbs winning and it was always expected to be honest. This wasn’t a bad loss for the Dark Order either as they looked great and almost stole the win.

Tony Nese vs. JD Griffey

Taz does a great job hyping up Hooks matches as a defensive dad and they’re building Tony vs Hook so this should be fun. Griffey is an MMA fighter or at least wrestles as one. Taz with the rare error calling Andrade vs. Darby a coffee match. Griffey gets to lay into Neese with a series of strikes but Nese drops him with a sitout driver and it’s nasty. Eddie seems concerned because it was a nasty shot. Nese hits the running nese on Griffey and nails him for the victory in 1:54.
Rating: N/A
Review: I hope i’m getting worked and that sitout driver just looked nasty as all hell because if not I wouldn’t be surprised if Griffey feels that for a long time to come. He looked awesome in this match and if he came out of it completely healthy just selling like a boss then he needs to be signed ASAP, however if it was another move gone wrong from Nese I may be a bit concerned as I feel like this happened once in the past as well. The match itself was very entertaining given the intensity and it was fun for the entire 2 minutes it got I just hope everyone is good coming out of it and if so they did a really great job.

Marina Shafir vs. Alejandra Lion

Lion clearly a local talent she gets a nice pop as the match starts. Shafir is clearly still relatively new to the crowd but I believe shes gained a bit of respect over the last few weeks. The crowd is firmly behind Lion as she gets a bit of offense in. This may be another questionable matchup as Shafir is meant to be a babyface I think but the crowd is clearly behind the hometown talent. Eddie is typically fun on commentary but I don’t love him getting on Taz for actually calling moves, Taz has his moments as well so i’d rather he not get caught up in this when actually trying. Shafir with a sweet body slam before doing the leg capture triangle for the victory in 2:00.
Rating; N/A
Review: This was pretty good, Shafir looks like a very legitimate strong superstar as she should due to the build. Lion was clearly well supported but it wasn’t pure domination and was relatively short so the crowd didn’t turn on Shafir and again the respect seems to clearly be there from the crowd to her.
Post match: Jade Cargill comes out wearing a Red Sox jersey and stands tall clearly unphased by Shafir. Mark Sterling has to hit the ramp to prevent her from hitting the ring and fighting Shafir, Shafir looks ready but Jade decides to wait for another day. This is being very well done and if they deliver a great match then AEW might have something special here.

Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto

I like this as the main event because it adds to the idea that Swerve and Keith are big deals in AEW, but i’m not sure i’m sold on a victory over Solo and Comoroto meaning much. If anything this should probably be short to establish the fact Keith and Swerve are dominant over Solo and Comoroto who really haven’t done much in AEW in terms of significant wins. That said they do have a history of main eventing Dark so it works. It’s amazing how quickly two guys like Keith and Swerve can leave WWE and immediately feel like big deals in AEW, the crowd gives them an awesome reaction as they make their entrances. Swerve gets a LOUD “Whose House Swerves House” chant to kick off the match, Comoroto calls for Keith before he can even wrestle Swerve. We got some BIG BOY action and the crowd gives Keith a LOUD bask in his glory chant. They swap to a different camera angle than we generally get behind the crowd for a moment, I like this and wouldn’t mind if they use Dark as a test spot for cool stuff like that. It’s awesome that they’ve kept Comoroto around and while he’s not exactly a winner he’s still a BIG dude that Keith can square off with. Comoroto tries to lift Swerve but he loses his grip and kind of botches but Swerve quickly adjusts and just reverses out of the move allowing Comoroto to simply tag out and keep the match moving. Comoroto and Solo get the numbers advantage on Swerve in the corner, Comoroto slams Swerve into the apron after QT distracts the ref on the other side. Solo with a suplex on Swerve, this is a pretty sweet match but commentary keeps distracting me with their comedy. The ref is distracted once again allowing QT to nail Swerve with a forearm. Comoroto and Solo lay into Swerve for a moment but he does a sick matrix like dodge allowing him to tag in Keith. Lee with some clotheslines to both Comoroto and Solo in opposing corners. He hypes up and hits them both with another few splashes, Comoroto tries to charge him but Keith dodges it and then sends Solo into Comoroto. QT tries to rake the leg of Keith this allows Comoroto and Solo to drop Keith with a series of moves. Again this is a wonderful match but commentary is making it hard to pay attention. Keith and Swerve regain control. Keith lifts Solo up for a spirit bomb then Swerve with a HUGE stomp at the same time, Swerve with the pin and MAN what a sick finish. They pick up the win in 8:40.
Rating: ***1/2
Review: This was another really awesome tag team match and the crowd was into it from start to finish thanks to Keith Lee and Swerve. Comoroto and Solo were fine opponents even though it was hard to believe they could win because the outside interference allowed the crowd to start buying it for a few spots. Keith and Swerve overcame the numbers and pretty much dominated a large majority of this match so all in all it was good, however I do prefer the enjoyment I get from a match like the one earlier where there could’ve actually been a more believable upset. This was no doubt the way to close the show based on crowd reaction alone so overall the pacing of the show was solid.

 

Top Three Names to watch following AEW Dark

1. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland – These two are no doubt going to be HUGE deals in AEW if they continue as they are currently. I’m not exactly sure what the ceiling is for either as both feel like such big deals in AEW. It’s wild what can change in a short time just based on presentation and consistency behind a set of characters on a wrestling show. I doubt we will see these guys very often on AEW Dark because they’re a bit ‘bigger’ than the typical studio episode of Dark, but man i’d love it if they were.

2. Toni Storm – Toni’s another superstar who feels like a bigger deal than we typically see on Dark and I honestly get it, the reaction she gets in front of bigger audiences like this really does a lot more for her than any match on a traditional episode of Dark will. I would love to see her from time to time but as a weekly superstar it wouldn’t make much sense and might diminish her more than anything. Her opponent was solid but it’s clear she’s going to be a big deal rather quickly.

3. Marina Shafir – I love Marina and she might be someone who has appeared on this list more than anyone else over the course of time i’ve covered AEW Dark. She certainly has an appeal to her that feels very legitimate (based on her background of course). So she’s easily someone to keep an eye on even if they’ve only built her up to give Jade a big win.

 

7.8

The final score: review Good

The 411

This weeks Dark was exceptional and really fun. I'm glad that AEW has seemingly decided on a set format for AEW Dark. I wish they had some hype videos like we got last week but I understand that won't always be a typical thing. I do think they could do more in that department but otherwise the format of the show is good. It can make for some eh shows when they aren't featuring top talent but this was a fantastic showing of really good talent likely because it was taped before Battle of the Belts, regardless hard to knock much about this weeks show as it was fun from top to bottom.