Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 6.15.21

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

Ethan Page (13-2) vs. Danny Limelight (3-7)

Good to have Danny Limelight back on AEW Dark. He’s an excellent worker and someone that would be a great full-time addition to the roster. Scorpio Sky is on commentary for this one. Initially, I wasn’t sure about this team of Sky and Page, but they’ve won me over. They’ve also won Taz over, who is just gushing at the awesomeness of the duo. Limelight did a great tightrope walk into a flipping neckbreaker, once again showing off his versatility. Apparently Page didn’t enjoy it, as he hit the Ego’s Edge for the win at 4:20.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Dante Martin (8-3) vs. Sonny Kiss (8-8)

Excalibur notes that Joey Janela is nowhere to be found, which obviously means he’s at THE NIP FACTORY. Nice singles matchup here for two talents who have primarily worked tag matches over the past year or so. And by the way, if you didn’t watch last week’s match between Dante and Matt Sydal, that’s worth your time. It was fantastic. Some great counters and lots of athleticism in this match, including a ridiculous springboard moonsault press from Dante. From there, Dante hit the flipover stunner, and Kiss sold it like an absolute pro as Dante got the pin for the victory at 5:12. Good stuff from these two.

Blake’s Rating: ***

Nyla Rose vs. Charlette Renegade (AEW debut)

Let’s see how this goes for Renegade. I’m not optimistic about her picking up a win in her debut. So, yeah, that was the right line of thinking. Nyla just destroyed Renegade from start to finish, and the Beast Bomb did the job at 1:03.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson (19-5) vs. Shane Mercer and KTB (AEW tag debut)

It’s been a while since one of the most underrated tag teams in the world has been in action, so this is a treat. What’s also a treat? JOHNNY HUNGEE on commentary. Add Ricky Starks to the mix and this would be the greatest four-man booth in commentary history. Mercer and KTB did a terrific job with their teamwork, and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Some effective double teams and such from them to really challenge Uno and Grayson. They even got a few near falls. But defeating Uno and Grayson is a different story, and Mercer and KTB could not do that as Grayson hit the Nightfall for the win at 6:50. This was highly entertaining and a nice showcase for all four men.

Blake’s Rating: ***

Wardlow (13-4) vs. Chandler Hopkins (0-2)

Wardlow is a beast. An absolute beast. Hopkins learned that first hand in this match, which was all about getting Wardlow warmed up for his MMA rules bout against Jake Hager on Friday’s edition of Dynamite. Wardlow locked in the guillotine choke and that was that at 1:35.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Dillon McQueen (0-2) vs. Cezar Bononi (3-5)

I’ve said it before, but it must be said again: Pretty Peter Avalon is a national treasure. We’ve got SLAPS to start the match, and we’ve also got PPA spraying McQueen with the water bottle so that he and Ryan Nemeth can seemingly give McQueen a makeover. Bononi dominated the action and hit the pumphandle toss for the easy victory at 1:58.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Frankie Kazarian (16-2) vs. Jake Tucker (AEW debut)

Frankie Kazarian, the Elite Hunter, has arrived. He’s also got a new theme, and it’s pretty sweet. Tucker was trained by Dr. Tom Prichard and Glen Jacobs, and my guess is he’ll learn even more in a match with a veteran like Kazarian. Excalibur with the line of the match: “Nobody home for Motherboy.” That’s in reference to Tucker’s gimmick as a motherlover. Kazarian hit a BRUTAL clothesline out of nowhere and locked in the submission for the win at 3:31.

Blake’s Rating: **

Valentina Rossi (AEW debut) vs. KiLynn King (12-4)

Rossi has charisma and personality, so that’s something that immediately stands out. Lots of back and forth early on, and they’re really giving Rossi some shine. However, King decimated her with a shotgun dropkick, and she dominated from there and hit the Kingdom Falls for the victory at 4:04.

Blake’s Rating: **

– Alex Marvez with Joey Janela. He’s back from THE NIP FACTORY! Janela teases a medical update and then says who cares. He then talks about THE NIP FACTORY. Kiss walks in pissed and shoves Janela, who does the greatest sell job in the history of wrestling. Janela blames Marvez for his issues, but Kiss isn’t buying it and leaves. Janela yells at Marvez before inviting him to THE NIP FACTORY. These Janela and Marvez segments have quickly become one of my favorite things about AEW Dark each week.

Chaos Project (10-13) vs. Gunn Club (3-0)

Taz hates the Gunn Club, but you already knew that. He also rants about how Hook is hard to deal with, inevitably setting up a future main event between the two. Luther does the SUCK IT sign to Colten, and it’s one of those things that has to be seen to be believed. Billy Gunn got revenge later in the match by telling Luther to eat shit, and I’m still laughing as you read this. Billy hit the Fameasser on Luther to earn the win at 6:11.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

Willow Nightingale (0-3) vs. Tay Conti (15-3)

Willow has had some solid performances thus far in her AEW appearances. But defeating Conti is going to be a challenge. Conti went to her submission offense, and Excalibur noted that Willow’s hair could prevent Conti from locking on one of her traditional moves. Again, it’s the little things, folks. Conti hit the DDTai for the victory at 3:41.

Blake’s Rating: **

Colt Cabana and Alan Angels vs. The Acclaimed

Max Caster told Cabana his new podcast sucks, to which Taz replied that it was a shoot. We had some shenanigans in this one, as Anthony Bowens brought the boombox into play and used it on Cabana’s knee with Bryce Remsburg’s back turned. Both teams went back and forth throughout, but Caster and Bowen regained the moment to hit the Mic Drop to add another win at 7:19.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

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7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The best way to describe this edition of AEW Dark is pure entertainment. There's just so much fun to be had with this show. From the hilarious commentary to Joey Janela's ridiculous backstage segments with Alex Marvez, it's simply an enjoyable hour or so of pro wrestling. There were the usual short matches, but Dante Martin vs. Sonny Kiss, and Evil Uno and Stu Grayson vs. Shane Mercer and KTB particularly stood out. Plus, we got John Silver on commentary, so that was an added bonus.