wrestling / TV Reports

Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 7.27.21

July 27, 2021 | Posted by Blake Lovell
AEW Dark Dante Martin Image Credit: AEW/YouTube
6
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 7.27.21  

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.

Also, 411’s Steve Cook put together a great piece on Larry’s top seven columns. You should read it.

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

AEW Dark logo

– Evil Uno and Stu Grayson are backstage. Uno says they’ve asked for their match tonight to show The Elite why they’re the best tag team in AEW.

Red Velvet (11-2) vs. Alejandra Lion (AEW debut)

Straight outta your momma’s kitchen, folks. Excalibur notes that Lion could be CEASE AND DESIST JONES after Taz mentions she could be infringing on one of his earlier career gimmicks. Lion came out with some hard shots and got a near fall early on. Then she started digger her claws into Red Velvet’s back, and that likely wasn’t too pleasant. Lion’s boots remind me of The Berzerker, and I’m cool with that. Velvet quickly regained control and hit the Final Slice for the win at 2:38.

Blake’s Rating: NR

– Joey Janela is back, and apparently so is his team with Sonny Kiss. Janela says there’s no more trips to MOMMY MILKERS and blames Alex Marvez for the debauchery. They’re coming for the AEW Tag Team titles. That’s fine and all but WHAT ABOUT MOMMY MILKERS?!

Abadon (12-1) vs. Killa Kate (AEW debut)

We get a Social Media Jones mention early from Excalibur, and once again, he and Taz are on their game. The action goes outside early, or should I say Abadon dives off the apron to accomplish her goal of destroying Kate. Back inside and Kate goes for the triangle sleeper, but that doesn’t work. What does work is moving out of the way of Abadon, who hit the bottom turnbuckle going about 100 miles per hour. The fans then start chanting “eat her soul”, so that’s what Abadon does. She literally takes Kate’s soul and eats it on live television. Just disgusting. In all seriousness, Abadon hits her finisher to get the victory at 3:02.

Blake’s Rating: *1/2

– We see a recap of last week’s events between Diamante and Big Swole.

Diamante (13-8) vs. Big Swole (14-2)

GRUDGE MATCH on AEW Dark. I love it. Again, this is one of the advantages of AEW going back to the prior format with less matches. You can build them up week to week and at least get fans invested in some type of storyline. We’ve got dueling “Diamante” and “let’s go Swole” chants, so that’s fun. I’ve really enjoyed watching Diamante’s rise as a singles competitor since she was mostly used in the tag team with Ivelisse. Back and forth action in this one, with Diamante the aggressor for most of the match. Excalibur and Taz play up Diamante’s methodical approach, but Swole fights back to take control. Then they work to a spot in the corner, and that’s where Diamante blocks Swole’s offense and uses the ropes for leverage to steal the pin for the victory at 5:41. Not sure things ever kicked into full gear, but it’s a nice win for Diamante as this feud is likely set to continue.

Blake’s Rating: **

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson (21-5) vs. Zach Mason and Warren Johnson (AEW debut)

Huge pop for The Dark Order, who are officially OVER. I do like AEW using local workers for these types of matches, as it introduces us to some new competitors on AEW Dark. Mason and Johnson worked over Uno for a bit until he made the hot tag to Grayson, who then decided to give the crowd what they want by flying over the top with a tope con hilo onto his opponents. It was all Dark Order from there, and Grayson used a running knee strike for the win at 5:04. Still one of the most underrated tag teams in the world.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

– Video recap of the ongoing feud between The Acclaimed and The Varsity Blonds.

Dante Martin and Varsity Blonds (AEW trios debut) vs. Ryan Nemeth and The Acclaimed (AEW trios debut)

YO. For those with the Max Caster rap topic bingo card, this week’s version focused on the second amendment, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and Julia Hart. A lot of variety there. Not gonna lie, Nemeth has grown on me. He hasn’t had any 5-star classics or anything, but I enjoy the character work. We’ve got SHENANIGANS from the heels, and that’s a formula for success. However, Brian Pillman Jr. turned the tide with a high-flying move, which then allowed Griff Garrison to run wild. Martin then hit a ridiculous move that once again proved he might be the most athletic wrestler in AEW. He is incredible. And just as I say that, Martin uses an Irish whip from Nemeth to soar over the turnbuckle onto both The Acclaimed and Varsity Blonds on the outside. HOLY SHIT. What a spot. From there, Martin got the pin on Nemeth for the win at 7:40. The match was fine, but I can’t stop thinking about that move from Martin.

Blake’s Rating: ***

– After the match, Pillman grabs a mic and runs down Caster and Bowens and tells them to step back into the ring if they want a match.

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
Solid edition of AEW Dark, which is back to its previous format with a 45-minute runtime and a nice variety of storylines and matches. The most noteworthy one on this particular episode was undoubtedly the main event, as it made Dante Martin look like a star while pushing the feud between The Acclaimed and the Varsity Blonds. We also got another development in the storyline with Diamante and Big Swole. Meanwhile, Joey Janela is back, but Mommy Milkers isn't. Blame Alex Marvez.
legend

article topics :

AEW, AEW Dark, Blake Lovell