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This week's AEW Dark kicked off with an update regarding new entrants for the upcoming Women's Casino Battle Royale at All Out.
The AEW Dark match card tonight featured 11 bouts, and Kris Statlander got the in-ring proceedings underway following the usual introductions from Taz and Excalibur.
Kris Statlander vs. Selene Grey (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
The AEW debutant started strong with a hammerlock, and she blocked the 'boop' a few times and continued with her offense.
Santander's strength was on full display as she caught Grey in mid-air and delivered a lengthy delayed vertical suplex.
Kris got the inside hook on her opponent and got the job done with the Fisherman's Buster.
Result: Kris Statlander def. Selene Grey on AEW Dark
Grade: C
AEW's resident alien looks more than ready to take on Britt Baker at All Out in her quest to become the new women's champion.
A really well-made video package aired next that previewed CM Punk's scheduled All Out match against Darby Allin.
"The Bad Boy" Joey Janela vs. Robert Anthony (AEW Dark)
Joey Janela didn't allow his opponent a moment to soak in the atmosphere as he attacked him in the corner.
Robert Anthony got back with a high boot, followed by a flipping dive on Janela. That was unexpected! Anthony rolled Janela back in the ring and got applause from fans for his delayed vertical suplex.
Anthony kept working on Janela and looked sharp in his movement. Janela, however, regained control of the match with a sunset flip. The Bad Boy lit Anthony's chest up with a series of chops.
While Janela landed his thrust kick, he also missed a top-rope elbow drop as Anthony got his knees up in time.
Anthony began his comeback with two clotheslines before trapping his opponent in the modified Romero Special for a near fall.
Joey Janela fought out of the fireman's carry to deliver a brainbuster, a kick to the back, and the Death Valley Driver for the three-count. It was a clinical sequence from Janela to get the win, but he didn't seem done with his opponent.
Result: Joey Janela def. Robert Anthony on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
Just as Janela was about to unleash a post-match beatdown on Anthony, a mysterious woman entered the ring and had a brief staredown with the Bad Boy.
It turned out that she was Janela's aide as Joey tossed a lifeless Robert Anthony towards the woman. The incredibly jacked lady showed freakish power to hoist Anthony up for a huge powerbomb.
The shocking post-match segment ended with Janela celebrating with his new partner!
The identity of the new AEW face was later revealed to be Kayla Rossi - an FBB PRO who has been training at the Nightmare Factory to become a pro wrestler.
AEW introduced Kayla Rossi in the strongest possible way by booking her to powerbomb a male wrestler, and it will be interesting to see how she fares under the guidance of Joey Janela on television.
Special props also go out to Robert Anthony for an engaging showing on AEW Dark.
Emi Sakura vs. Laynie Luck on AEW Dark
Laynie Luck was back in the AEW ring, fresh off her debut on this week's Dark: Elevation episode. Emi Sakura expectedly got some love and respect from the crowd during her entrance.
Laynie was crafty with her moves early on, but Emi Sakura was a veteran, and it didn't take long for the Japanese star to outsmart her opponent. Sakura pulled off her own Romero Special before popping the crowd with a few chops on Laynie.
Laynie Luck had some fight in her as she chopped Sakura with a dropkick, followed by driving her knees into the Joshi legend's face. Sakura responded with a flatliner and a running crossbody in the corner.
She followed it with a double underhook (butterfly hold) backbreaker and a modified senton from the middle turnbuckle for another AEW win. Sakura is still undefeated since returning to Tony Khan's promotion in August.
Result: Emi Sakura def. Laynie Luck on AEW Dark
Grade: B-
Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) vs. GPA & Mat Fitchett (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark
Scorpio Sky started the match with a snapmare and rake of the boot on GPA. Ethan Page entered and executed a backbreaker on his opponent.
Men of the Year worked incredibly well together as they stomped a hole in GPA with a barrage of kicks. GPA finally created some separation with a jawbreaker. He landed an enziguri on Ethan Page and made the tag to Mat Fitchett.
Fitchett came in hot and took on both his opponents with a sequence of running kicks. He caught Sky with a backflipping kick on the apron and got a solid pop from the fans. Page, however, trucked Fitchett down with a shoulder tackle.
Scorpio Sky added to the punishment with a cutter on Fitchett. He knocked GPA off the apron and tagged Ethan Page, who hit the Ego's Edge for the win.
Result: Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) def. GPA & Mat Fitchett on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Frankie Kazarian vs. Serpentico on AEW Dark
Serpentico was without Luther as he approached the ring to take on "The Elite Hunter" Frankie Kazarian on AEW Dark.
Kaz got a great reception from the crowd, and he began with a mat return on Serpentico. Frankie used all his experience and dominated the early stages of the contest.
After a brief stroll outside, Kazarian got a two-count from a back suplex in the ring. The Chaos Project member stayed in the match with a Tiaras, followed by some ground-and-pound offense.
Serpentico looked lost as he frantically searched for Luther, and Kazarian capitalized with a sharp leg drop. Serpentico reacted with an enziguri from the outside, followed by a double-footed stomp.
Frankie was able to take a few hits, though, as he fathered momentum with a few clotheslines and a high forearm shot. A springboard leg drop followed a good ol' body slam from Kazarian.
Serpentico impressed Taz by kicking out after taking a big cutter. He played possum and tried to land a cheap shot on Frankie, but the former SCU member was one step ahead and responded with a monstrous lariat. Kaz finished the bout by forcing Serpentico to tap out to the chicken wing crossface. Both men put on a solid effort and had fans invested throughout the match.
Result: Frankie Kazarian def. Serpentico on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
"Legit" Leyla Hirsch vs. Blair Onyx (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Blair Onyx made her AEW debut tonight against one of the fastest-rising stars in women's wrestling, Leyla Hirsch. Onyx hails from Russia and is a student of Seth Rollins from the WWE Superstar's highly-rated Black and Brave Wrestling Academy.
Onyx tried to catch her opponent off guard with a creepy spider crawl. Leyla, however, looked least intimidated as she engaged in a brawl with the AEW debutant.
Hirsch used her agility to catch Blair Onyx in the Cross Armbreaker to add another effortless submission victory to her AEW record.
Result: "Legit" Leyla Hirsch def. Blair Onyx on AEW Dark
Grade: C
2point0 vs. Travis Titan & Jason Hotch (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark
Matt Lee and Jeff Parker have been impressive additions to AEW's stacked tag team division. 2point0 didn't afford their opponents any room as the blindsided attack caught Titan and Hotch by surprise.
Jason Hotch tagged out after a big shoulder tackle. 2.0 welcomed Travis Titan with a German suplex, and he was then subjected to an extended sequence that ended with an assisted elbow drop from Parker.
Hotch found himself isolated in the ring, and 2point0 hit the Hotshot on the top rope to finish the AEW Dark match.
Result: 2point0 def. Travis Titan & Jason Hotch on AEW Dark
Grade: B
The Bunny (w/ The Blade) vs. Sierra (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
The Bunny attacked Sierra's back, and she looked in the mood to wrap things up quickly tonight.
Sierra, though, had other ideas as she fought back with a big palm strike. Bunny punctured her opponent's momentum with an organized attack to Sierra's throat. The H.F.O. member got the pinfall win with her 'Down the Rabbit Hole' finisher.
Result: The Bunny def. Sierra on AEW Dark
Grade: C
Tay Conti vs. Heather Reckless on AEW Dark
Heather Reckless assaulted Tay Conti during the babyface's entrance and got a chorus of boos from the fans inside the United Center.
The Brazilian star recuperated and made Heather Reckless pay for the earlier cheap shot. Conti flattened Reckless with a well-executed gutbuster.
The former NXT superstar landed two running pump kicks, followed by her "DDTay" finisher to pick up another routine win on AEW Dark.
Result: Tay Conti def. Heather Reckless on AEW Dark
Grade: C
AEW Dark Co-Main Event: QT Marshall (w/ The Factory) vs. Dark Order's Evil Uno
Evil Uno came out without the customary Dark Order backup on AEW Dark. The apparent divide between the faction members continues to be a big developing storyline on AEW programming.
As expected, QT Marshall got the early advantage with the help of his Factory stablemates, who distracted Uno from the ringside area.
Evil Uno took QT down with the Tiaras, followed by three chops. Marshall was getting a lot of heat from the Chicago fans as they booed him for every attack and firmly got behind Uno.
The Dark Order member used referee Paul Turner to execute a smooth neckbreaker on QT. Aaron Solow grabbed Uno's boot, and Marshall exploited the opening with a pop-up back elbow.
He mocked Evil Uno and continued to garner tremendous amounts of heat. A loud 'QT sucks' chant kicked off. Talk about nuclear heat!
Uno started his comeback with some crowd-favorite offense. He then landed jabs and planted Marshall with the German suplex.
The rolling elbow strike from Uno found its mark, and so did the follow-up Flatliner. The Dark Order member got a two-count for his efforts. A massive 'Uno' chant echoed around the arena as both men were together on the top turnbuckle.
QT got Evil Uno down the hard way with a big-time suplex. Evil Uno almost got the win with a sneaky crucifix pin, but his opponent kicked out at the last second.
Marshall delivered a superkick followed by a perfect Liger Bomb. Uno kicked out of the pinfall this time around, and QT looked shocked.
Uno then blocked the Cutter, landed a high boot, and jumped up to the top. Nick Comoroto pulled Marshall out of the ring, but Evil Uno dived onto the Factory members outside.
Uno took Solow out with a ripcord flatliner on the floor. However, he didn't see Comoroto charging in as The Factory's muscleman decked him with a clubbing punch.
Evil Uno survived a few seconds back in the ring but couldn't evade QT Marshall's match-ending Diamond Cutter.
Result: QT Marshall def. Dark Order's Evil Uno on AEW Dark
Grade: A
AEW Dark Main Event: Matt Sydal vs. PAC (w/ The Lucha Brothers)
Andrade El Idolo and his gang came out before tonight's main event, and he got a great reception from the crowd. They joined the AEW Dark commentary table, and Chavo Guerrero also put on a headset next to Excalibur and Taz.
Matt Sydal came next before PAC walked out to one of the biggest pops of the night on AEW Dark. As always, "The Bastard" was flanked by The Lucha Brothers.
From a stylistic standpoint, Sydal vs. PAC was a dream match of sorts, and both men began with a predictably fast sequence.
Sydal got the early advantage with a deep arm drag and a leaping Sole Butt. PAC looked to be in a lot of trouble as Sydal executed a standing Mariposa.
El Idolo wasn't impressed as PAC tipped the scales in his favor by crashing Matt Sydal into the barricade. The former WWE star broke the ten-count and continued the ringside assault.
Andrade left the commentary team and went to confront PAC on the ramp. The Hispanic star threw his glasses at the latter's face but didn't engage in a brawl as he retreated and allowed his All Out opponent to resume the match.
PAC and Sydal exchanged chopping shots in the ring, and a leg lariat got The Bastard down.
The action featured several swift reversals, which was expected from the two agile performers. Sydal almost pulled off an upset with a massive Meteora from the top rope.
PAC recovered and then got his head spiked into the mat by Sydal. PAC then flipped over and initially didn't seem like he was selling the move but eventually gave in to Sydal's pinfall attempt. The entire spot looked brilliant and awkward at the same time.
Penta urged the crowd to get behind PAC, who created some space from the apron. PAC then launched himself onto Sydal with a big Asai moonsault, and he continued to keep his eyes on Andrade.
Matt kicked out of a pinfall in the ring at two after taking a massive Liger bomb. Matt Sydal evaded the Black Arrow and rocked his opponent with a Poisonrana, followed by a roundhouse kick.
However, PAC reversed the lightning spiral and locked in the Brutalizer out of nowhere, forcing Sydal to tap out in the process on AEW Dark.
Result: PAC def. Matt Sydal on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
PAC ended the latest AEW Dark with a firm statement to Andrade ahead of their match at AEW All Out.
You can check out AEW Dark Episode #105 above, and feel free to share your reviews in the comments section below.
