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Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 1.19.21

January 19, 2021 | Posted by Blake Lovell
AEW Dark
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Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 1.19.21  

Hey everyone! It’s Tuesday. You know what that means.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry Csonka’s daughters is still active. Please contribute and share if you can.

Let’s jump into this week’s episode of AEW Dark.

AEW Dark logo

Brandon Cutler (7-3-2) vs. Luchasaurus (30-10) with Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt

They hyped up this showdown on BTE this week, and that’s always nice. Before the match, Luchasaurus makes it clear that there are no dragons in AEW. There is only room for dinosaurs or dragons in a wrestling promotion. Not both. Cutler hit the diving elbow multiple times, but it wasn’t enough as Luchasaurus literally chokeslammed Cutler on his head and then hit the kick to the face for the win at 5:54. That Cutler landing was rough.

Blake’s Rating: **

Sammy Guevara (14-12) vs. El Australiano (0-1)

Sammy = STAR. I have to assume Australiano is also a star in Australia, even though he’s from Mexico. Australiano hit some high-flying moves that will probably leave a few bruises on Sammy. Australiano went for a sideways moonsault off the top that didn’t exactly hit its mark, but the effort was there. Sammy hit him with the GTH for the win at 5:51. Not having a crowd has been pretty noticeable in these first two matches.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

– After the match, Sammy asks for a zoom-in on his shoulder and makes a joke about having a chip on his shoulder. Lays or Doritos? Sammy says he’s carrying AEW, and he’s the best worker in the promotion. He’s coming for every single AEW title.

Nick Comoroto (0-6) vs. Scorpio Sky (11-4)

Comoroto’s entrance graphic may be top five in AEW. This dude would’ve been a hell of an opponent for Hulk Hogan in the late 80s. He’s wrestling in trunks instead of the pants, and it makes him look even more menacing. Comoroto controlled the majority of this match until Sky took advantage with a missile dropkick. Good back and forth after that, and Comoroto tried to hulk up but Sky hit the TKO for the victory at 7:12. This was a fun match, and Comoroto is a beast.

Blake’s Rating: ***

Marti Daniels (0-1) vs. Shanna (4-4)

Taz claims lots of crazy stuff happens in Salt Lake, but I cannot confirm nor deny that. This was pretty much a showcase for Shanna, and she hit the Tiger suplex and held it for the pin, but Daniels’ shoulders weren’t actually down. So, Shanna had to hit the Tiger suplex again for the win at 3:39. Neither looked too happy with that sequence.

Blake’s Rating: *1/2

The Butcher and The Blade (12-7) with The Bunny vs. Mike Verna and Baron Black (AEW tag team debut)

Butcher and Blade are two badasses who just want to destroy people, and I’m here for it. Bunny’s ridiculous laughing as they do it makes it even better. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the Black and Verna team. However, they weren’t getting their first win in this one, as Butcher and Blade hit the powerbomb neckbreaker for the victory at 6:44.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Gunn Club (6-0) vs. Ryzin, Adam Priest, and Vary Morales (AEW trios debut)

Another Taz favorite is his absolute hatred of the Gunn Club, including Billy trying to woo Aubrey Edwards. The audio sounded different to start this match, but then it sounded normal again. There have been a few weird audio tweaks on this particular show. Colten got the hot tag spot, and things escalated from there with Colten and Austin hitting a double team move for the win at around five minutes.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Jon Cruz and Danny Limelight (AEW tag team debut) vs. Santana and Ortiz (9-5)

Santana and Ortiz have a big match tomorrow night on Dynamite, and they came out with something to prove. This was your squash special, with Santana and Ortiz making quick work of Limelight and Cruz as they hit a double team move for the victory at 1:30.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

– Pretty Peter Avalon announces THE WALK OFF for next week, which will feature Pretty Peter vs. Lee Johnson. The rules include three pretty judges, one outfit, 10 steps down, pose, and 10 steps back. Seems reasonable enough.

Private Party (10-9) with Matt Hardy vs. Lee Johnson and Aaron Solow (0-2)

Matt continues to use underhanded tactics toward Private Party’s opponents, and both Marc Quen and Isiah Kassidy aren’t happy with him. That leads to Matt yelling about being embarrassed by them, with Excalibur and Taz pointing out how he’s distracting them. First win coming for Lee Johnson? Matt made sure that didn’t happen, as he punched Solow with Bryce Remsburg’s back turned and Kassidy got the pin at 6:51.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Big Swole (14-4) vs. Alex Gracia (1-7)

Gracia hit the area code special, and just once I want Excalibur or Taz to call it the 619 or the 314.5. Either one works. I think Gracia continues to add some nice elements to her in-ring game, and AEW is certainly giving her a lot of matches against top stars in the women’s division. But it was Swole punching Gracia IN THE FACE to earn the victory at 3:30.

Blake’s Rating: **

Zack Clayton (0-3) vs. Sonny Kiss (12-20)

Taz starts this match with an Adam Cole bay bay, so Cole to AEW is basically confirmed, right? This was all Kiss in this one, as Clayton barely got an offense before Kiss hit the split leg drop off the top for the quick win at 2:55.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

KC Navarro and AJ Kirsch (AEW tag team debut) vs. Top Flight (2-4)

Kirsch makes his AEW in-ring debut after joining Tesha Price ringside on last week’s show. Meanwhile, Top Flight have been doing their thing in AEW for a while now, and they’ve got all the potential in the world. Navarro and Kirsch both have charisma, so that made this entertaining. However, Top Flight kept soaring with Darius Martin using the roll through pin for the victory at 4:47.

Blake’s Rating: **3/4

Ivelisse and Diamante (9-2) vs. Tesha Price and Katalina Perez (AEW tag team debut)

Ivelisse and Diamante do not play around, and I wish AEW had a women’s tag team division just to get these two some more ring time. Price got a little shine after a hot tag, but it was Ivelisse kicking Perez IN THE FACE for the win at 4:35.

Blake’s Rating: **

Shawn Dean and Fuego Del Sol (0-1) vs. The Acclaimed (9-2)

How can you not love Fuego? The real money opponent for Kenny Omega is Fuego. I’d also argue that Fuego got the biggest pop of the night from the eight people in attendance. Fuego did his best, but he was no match for the Critically Acclaimed as that gave Max Caster and Anthony Bowens the victory at 4:20.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Lucha Brothers (6-4) with PAC vs. Chaos Project (7-5)

Two AEW Dark favorites right where they should be in the main event. Of course, that also means Luther is going to use Serpentico as a weapon, which is always entertaining. They worked a fun back and forth match, as both teams got their moves in. Fenix walked the tightrope to kick Luther off the apron, and that led to the package piledriver with Penta getting the pin on Serpentico for the win at 6:40.

Blake’s Rating: ***

For more of my thoughts on pro wrestling, subscribe to the 411 On Wrestling podcast and follow me on Twitter @wrestleblake. Thanks for reading!

6.0
The final score: review Average
The 411
This wasn't exactly the most noteworthy edition of AEW Dark. There was solid wrestling as always, but not having fans seemed to be something that stood out more on this show. However, Comoroto looked like an absolute monster, Matt Hardy and Private Party continued their storyline development, and the Lucha Brothers did their thing. Top Flight also showcased their skills as one of the best young tag teams in the business. Excalibur and Taz were great as usual, and their commentary consistently provides some quality laughter.
legend

article topics :

AEW, AEW Dark, Blake Lovell