Lovell’s AEW Dark Review 9.7.21

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.

Lance Archer (20-3) vs. Jason Hotch

Archer chases Hotch from the back to the ring, then he chokeslams the poor guy on the apron. I’ve gotta say, Archer’s entrances are among the best things in our great sport. Archer just destroyed Hotch and hit the Blackout for the easy win at around a minute.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

The Bunny (20-11) vs. Laynie Luck (0-3)

Penelope Ford out with Bunny, which means we’re gonna get some shenanigans. What do you know, we got some shenanigans. Luck got in a few counters and tried to get a bit of offense going, but she was no match for a ferocious rabbit. Bunny hit her finisher for the victory at 2:12.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Evil Uno (20-7) vs. Alan “5” Angels (18-30)

Dark Order vs. Dark Order?! Save them, -1! Or maybe it’ll be Bray Wyatt. We get a “please don’t fight” chant from the crowd, which is not one you hear often in pro wrestling. Uno and Angels slug it out for a bit, and the crowd continues to be torn on how to react. PLEASE DON’T FIGHT. Think about the children, guys! This is not a knock on Uno or Angels, but this really is a weird match due to the lack of any crowd reaction. Then again, I suppose that’s kind of the point. It was Uno that earned the win at 6:09.

Blake’s Rating: **1/2

The Acclaimed (14-3) vs. Shawn Dean & Robert Anthony (AEW tag debut)

Max Caster is back, and he’s brought some raps with him. Luckily, he even informs us this one has been approved by AEW management! He proceeds to read lines about how great the Jaguars are and why everyone should watch Rhodes to the Top. Absolutely hilarious. They rip up the script and Caster takes a shot at Dean’s penis and, well, we’re off and running again, folks. Caster and Anthony Bowens hit the Mic Drop early and they get the victory at 58 seconds.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Joey Janela (7-3) vs. Lee Moriarty (0-1)

Kayla Rossi, who they still aren’t naming, is back with Janela after she assisted him last week. Nice to see Moriarty back on AEW Dark once again. Moriarty with a showcase of his skills right off the bat, but Rossi, who I’m convinced is one of the most powerful women in the world, eventually gets involved to swing the momentum in Janela’s favor. Moriarty continues to impress and we get a dueling chant for both men. They go up top, with Janela hitting a superplex and a tope suicida. Moriarty hits his own and now they’re exchanging strikes. Huge piledriver from Janela, but Moriarty kicks out at two and a half. This has been something. Moriarty then nearly gets the upset victory with a near fall before transitioning to the crossface. Rossi assists Janela by getting his foot to the ropes, which allows Janela regroup and hit the Death Valley Driver for the win at 8:34. After the match, Sonny Kiss FLIES into the ring and attacks Janela before he retreats. This was great stuff all the way around.

Blake’s Rating: ***1/2

Colt Cabana & Stu Grayson vs. Travis Titan & RSP (AEW tag debut)

We continue to see the cracks in the Dark Order with Cabana and Grayson teaming up. Of course, the fans love Cabana since he’s the hometown hero. It’s all Dark Order from start to finish, with Cabana and Grayson each hitting their finisher to allow Cabana to score the victory at 3:05.

Blake’s Rating: SQUASH

Big Swole (14-4) vs. Diamante (16-9) – Three Strikes Match

Gimmick match on AEW Dark? PAPA BLAKE IS PROUD. This has been a long-running feud on this show, so it’s great that AEW is running with this idea. The first strike is a pinfall, the second is submission, and the third is a knockout. Diamante with a nasty landing onto the back of her head, leading to Paul Turner having to momentarily stop things to check on her. It appears she’s fine, as she gets up and uses the tights to get the pin. Diamante leads 1-0. Diamante then gives Swole the finger and continues the onslaught. She stays on offense for a bit until Swole mounts a comeback and counters to force Diamante to tap. Tied at 1-1. HERE COMES THE KENDO STICK. They really go at each other on the outside, then Diamante grabs a chain and goes at Swole inside the ring. We’ve now worked to handcuffs, with Diamante trying to cuff Swole. However, Swole hits Dirty Dancing with the chain, and that knocks out Diamante to give Swole the win at 10:04. This was a physical match where the hatred between the two was obvious, so I can appreciate that.

Blake’s Rating: **3/4

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

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This edition of AEW Dark was pretty much a two-match show, but there's nothing wrong with that. Janela vs. Moriarty was very, very good, and there's no doubt the latter is worthy of an AEW contract should the company decide to pursue him. Meanwhile, Swole vs. Diamante was hard-hitting, which is what you expect from a blowoff match between two rivals. And again, the fact we're getting more feuds and gimmick matches on this show is a good thing. Gimmick Match Jones!