wrestling / TV Reports
Cazer’s AEW Dark Review 7.19.2022
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...Oh boy we’ve got a big show on our hands tonight and i’m not talking Paul Wight. Tony Khan loves to make AEW Dark a completely erratic show with no easy to see structure so that means we’re back to 14 matches. 14 matches and yet the one the internet was talking about seems to be omitted for tonight. Must be for next week. Even though it’s a thicc card the match ups are pretty interesting and there are enough fresh faces mixed in with our familiar grouping that it should make for a solid episode of Dark. They’re clearly building to the ROH PPV a fair bit on Dark making these episodes have a bit of a more important feel than previous weeks.
Luke Sampson vs. Jora Johl
Not a bad back and forth showcase for Johl and Sampson to an extent. Johl has gotten a fair amount of time on AEW Dark and never really connected with me what so ever. Johl with a pump kick and pin to Luke for the victory.
Rating: **1/4
Review: Nothing bad but nothing too impressive from either guy, they are both serviceable for their positions but I can’t really see Johl becoming more than an AEW Dark guy who shows up to Dynamite for Squash matches.
Lee Moriarty vs. Ren Jones
Not familiar with Ren Jones at all, Lee’s coming in after a tough loss to the current ROH champion and he looks to regain some momentum. Jones showing some promise early with a burst of offense catching Moriarty slipping. Lee was able to comeback and win with a submission victory showing his versatile as always.
Rating: **3/4
Review: Pretty short match between Ren and Lee, Lee coming off a loss was caught off guard vs. Ren but was able to regroup and pick up the victory. Lee is easily my favorite of the new guard to come into AEW so i’ll enjoy him slowly working his way back towards a championship opportunity.
– Fuego cuts a promo about QT Marshall saying he’s fired up for his match with QT tonight. These two have a longstanding feud brought to us by The Sammy Guevara vlog when it was good.
Serena Deeb vs. Viva Van
Not much to this as Deeb takes control very early and locks in a submission. Van holds strong and is able to fight out but runs right into more offense from Deeb. Van briefly gets some offense in but goes for a pin rather than staying on Deeb and it may cost her. Deeb with the slingshot into the bottom rope and she sets Van up for the detox and covers for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: Nice squash for Deeb as she didn’t take much offense from Van. Deeb is stacking wins as she preps for a match at the ROH Womens Championship against Mercedes Martinez.
Marina Shafir vs. Amber Nova
I wonder how they’ll work to make this match differ from the previous match as both Shafir and Deeb are known for winning in quick fashion on Dark. Nova wins my vote for best attire tonight. Despite her 0-4 record Nova got a bit of offense in here but after Shafir worked the knee over briefly she picked up the win with a knee bar in quick fashion.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Not much like the last match as Nova got a bit more offense in and Shafir won with a submission. Not a bad match, too short to really say one way or the other but a fine squash match.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Anthony Henry
Lets let these two go tonight, i love me some Takeshita. Nice hard hitting affair between two very talented superstars, Takeshita with a sweet sequence with a cool spear inside the ring then a big dive to the outside. Fun watching Henry work on defense trying to fight back against Takeshita after that, Henry is good and this is probably his best showing in AEW thus far. Nice moment where Henry went from a pinfall attempt right to the submission to sell the potential victory until Takeshita was able to fight back. Takeshita with a powerbomb then the running knee for the victory. It may have been more of like a running stomp or kick but it was sweet either way.
Rating: ***1/4
Review: I wouldn’t have minded if these two got another 5-10 minutes as this was a good bit of fun. It was fun watching both try to fight back as the other took control and really felt like a good back and forth match. Takeshita is so good and I hope he sticks around in AEW forever.
Jonathan Gresham vs. Jordan Oasis
Gresham appears without his championship must’ve left it at the outback. He’s pair up against a much larger opponent who wins my vote for worst attire of the night. Interesting to watch Gresham work here without Tully and as the smaller guy, not much of a heel feel at the moment. Oasis with a burst of energy and the crowd does get behind him so Gresham’s heel work is working a bit and he closes out well just smashing Jordan Oasis’ knee into the mat over and over.
Rating: **3/4
Review: This was fun for what it was even if Gresham didn’t have the ‘heel appeal’ to me much during this one. The finish solidified he’s a smarmy POS now.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Bryce Donovan
Not familiar with Donovan and this didn’t allow me to find out much more about him. I understand why you have him work a quick squash here to establish him ahead of his defense but i’d have rather he gotten a nice back and forth pure rules match in to get prepared instead. Donovan was fine when he got a bit of offense in but it was short-lived. Post match Yuta cuts a decent promo on Garcia, still waiting on him or Garcia to really impress on the mic.
Rating: **3/4
Review: Decent match, Yuta with the glorified squash to pick up the win.
Danhausen vs. Jake Something
Jake has changed his look up a little bit, still not sure where I stand on Jake but it’s nice to see Danhausen back in in ring action. He took a beating early but a burst of offense for the smaller competitor and a bit of cursing to Jake allows him to take control briefly. Jake with a powerbomb then does the coveted double cover, it never works, maybe AEW can bring that back. Danhausen with the roll up for the victory.
Rating: **
Review: This was great for what it was but it’s not like it was a technical masterpiece. Jake dominated and Danhausen used his creativity to steal the win, the crowd loves Danhausen.
Avery Breaux & Valentina Rossi vs. Charlette & Robyn Renegade
Kids love twins, my daughter just showed her first bit of genuine interest in AEW because of the Renegade sisters. It’s nice to see them pop up once in a while as they continue to grow as in ring competitors they’ve come quite a ways from where they were when they debuted. Not everything is clean here as they go for a combination handshake elbow drop and have the timing off a bit. Looks like Avery and Charlette had a mix up but Avery was able to make up for it and clean it up. Twin magic and they hit a double neckbreaker for the victory.
Rating: **1/4
Review: This was a solid little squash match, for the Renegades, they’re clearly still growing as in ring competitors but that’s part of what makes Dark fun and since they debuted as strictly jobbers to now getting more time it’s cool to see. They cut a decent promo after the match as Tony Schiavone calls them out for some reason. What’s this dudes problem showing up for an interview to call them out but lets everyone else cheat all they want.
ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez vs. J-Rod
Lots of women’s matches on this weeks episode as there should be. J-Rod not to be confused with the J-Rod who blew the home run derby last night. Julio why. I have never seen J-Rod before but she’s pretty impressive here hitting a springboard spinning elbow onto Mercedes and showing a bit of aggression. She’s also taller than a majority of AEW’s female roster which helps her immediately stand out. Martinez fights back to take control with a DVD. Martinez with the snap suplex, another then finishes with a twisting neckbreaker. Mercedes locks in a submission for the victory. Post match Deeb comes out for a stare down with Mercedes.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Mercedes is great and she did well here, her opponent also was pretty impressive given the amount of time this one got. As much as I wish ROH had it’s own stand alone show, if they made it clear Dark was the place to go for ROH content i’m sure it’d get more viewers.
The Varsity Blonds vs. Terrence & Terrell Hughes
The Blondes feel like a team that had some steam going only to lose it pretty quickly after being fed to the House of Black. Now they lost their girl and need to regroup. I am personally shocked Pillman has yet to turn his back on Griff. The Hughes brothers had a moment of offense and some momentum building but the blind tag from Griff and spinning forearm allowed the Blondes to win here. Not sure if they were pumped to win or a bit of bumping there because there’s tension but i’ll go with the former.
Rating: **
Review: This wasn’t bad but easily the most forgettable squash match on a show usually full of forgettable squash matches. The Blondes desparately need some sort of change.
Fuego Del Sol vs. QT Marshall
Not a bad back and forth between QT and Fuego, as both men split offense and had their moments to shine. QT dominated for a good portion and the heel tactics of his friends also assisted. In the end Fuego got some help from Sydal and Dante but it was too little too late as QT hit a low blow then the piledriver and covered Fuego, Fuego kicked out but got a bit of revenge hitting a low blow of his own on QT. Fuego with a twisting senton and covers QT but he over compensates and QT’s foot ends up on the ropes. Fuego with a shooting star into a diamond cutter, then another cutter for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: This match probably didn’t need to be the one to get this much time tonight, I get they’ve got a history but in humorous fashion this ended similarly to the last one, the planned ‘cool cutter’ looked like trash so QT had to hit a clean one right after. Imagine being Sydal watching this rendition of your awesome spot.
Jay Lethal vs. Logan Cruz
Lethal with a mic in hand and cuts a promo about his trainee Logan Cruz letting the fans know he was hand picked to participate in this warm up for Lethal. Lethal tells Cruz this will hurt him more than it hurts Logan. Logan offers a handshake but instead takes a slap from Lethal. Lethal not holding back for Logan really laying into him even dropping him with a dragonscrew outside of the ring then another off the top rope. Lethal with the figure four for the victory sending a message to Ric Flair in the process of this match. Post match Lethal cuts a promo on Samoa Joe and guarantees he will leave Death Before Dishonor the ROH TV Champion.
Rating: **1/2
Review: Not a whole lot to this match a traditional squash as Lethal laid into Logan and beat him with ease. Lethal is really good at making a match make sense even if it’s just a throwaway squash. Post match promo was solid. Best promo of the night by far.
Daniel Garcia vs. Alan Angels
Hell yeah Garcia with a main event spot against Alan Angels. Poor Angels having to get packed back into the Dark Order after being cast aside and ignored during the promo on Dynamite. He had a great match against Mike Bailey in Impact so I think returning so soon is interesting but I do think he’s on the right path. Garcia doing a great job in this pure rules match mocking Angels every change he can and forcing him to use a rope break early. I like how Garcia is better in this role than Tony Nese was. I am ready for the Garcia and Yuta era of ROH as Garcia is so great in matches like this. Something about him just screams pure wrestling. Angels not going down easy is actually really good to see for him as this isn’t just a typical squash but instead a fun back and forth between two good wrestlers. Daniel forces Angels to use up his rope breaks which then prompts Angels to climb up the ropes to try and escape the sleeper hold but Garcia just lays into him with elbows to pick up the TKO victory. Post match Garcia shakes the hand of Angels then locks in a sharp shooter, for some reason Angels starts to tap even though he’s supposed to be knocked out. Yuta makes the save and Garcia attempts a cheap shot but Yuta catches him and then dives onto Daniel post match. Not exactly the heat i’d like for this match to have, but one has to believe they’re going to deliver easily this Saturday.
Rating: ***1/2
Review: Easily the best match of the night between two very good competitors. I appreciate Angels coming back so quickly but I imagine this would’ve been better if he had built his name up even a bit more, however I think this does add a bit to his steam he’s been building so can’t fault him for it. Glad he’s still around.
