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AEW Dark opened with a recap from last Saturday's Dynamite, which had CM Punk confront Bobby Fish.
The former Undisputed Era member kicked off this week's Dark, with his bout being the first of nine matches scheduled to air on the show.
Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Sammy Guevara and a few other big names featured on Dark, and the results and highlights have been given below:
Bobby Fish vs. Invictus Khash on AEW Dark
Bobby Fish looked relaxed as he kicked Invictus Khash in the midsection to start the match. He lit up his opponent with a series of kicks and knee strikes.
The Running Knee attack in the corner was followed by a few more Muay Thai strikes. Fish got a round of applause for a perfect Dragonscrew out of the corner.
Fish kept pace with a running basement clothesline for a two-count. Khash stopped the onslaught for a brief second by catching Fish's leg and firing back with a Forearm shimmer.
Bobby, however, responded with a high Knee Strike. The veteran wrestler sent Khash crashing into the ropes with an Exploder Suplex. He finished the match with a simple but effective spin kick across the jaw of his opponent.
Result: Bobby Fish def. Invictus Khash on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Tony Schiavone interviewed Bobby Fish after the match, and he had a message for CM Punk, who he will face on tomorrow's Dynamite.
Riho vs. Xtina Kay on AEW Dark
Fans inside Universal Studios were firmly behind Riho as they chanted her name at the beginning of the match. The former AEW Women's Champion controlled her opponent's arm with a wrist lock and was on top during the early exchanges.
Xtina Kay relied on some trash talk to unsettle Riho, who got dropped with a shoulder tackle. The Japanese star got back with a swift dropkick. She trapped Kay's legs in a knee lock and increased the pain with a few downward kicks. Kay got some retribution with a slam to the mat. Xtina drove her shoulder blades into Riho's stomach in the corner and got some style points for a backflip, which was deemed unnecessary by Excalibur on commentary.
Kay got a two-count after executing a couple of scoop slams. Riho fought out of a headlock and used the crowd's support to begin her expected comeback.
Xtina attempted another backflip but paid the price this time as Riho caught her off balance. Riho hammered Xtina with a few elbows, followed by a dropkick.
The former Women's Champion missed her crossbody as Xtina caught her in mid-air. Riho escaped a powerslam and finally landed a crossbody. Kay kicked out at two-and-a-half, and the match continued.
Riho blocked a Suplex with a snap variation of the same move. She headed up to the top but found no one home for the double stomp. Kay delivered a massive Spinebuster, and the commentators started hyping up the possibility of an upset.
Xtina, however, got a little overzealous and failed with her standing moonsault press as Riho got her knees up.
Riho finally hit the Somato (Double knee strike) for the win.
Result: Riho def. Xtina Kay on AEW Dark
Grade: A
Xtina Kay had a strong showing tonight, and AEW faithful should expect to see more of the talented wrestler.
Sammy Guevara gets busted open ahead of his TNT Title match against Ethan Page
Sammy Guevara cut an in-ring promo ahead of his TNT title defense against Ethan Page on AEW Dark. The Spanish God called Page a failure and promised that his challenger would suffer another painful loss on Dynamite in their Championship match.
Ethan Page interrupted Guevara and cut a quintessential heel promo to get the boos from the crowd. Scorpio Sky unleashed a blindsided attack on Guevara and Page joined in to assist his partner.
The TNT Champion was busted open due to the attack, and it could have gotten worse with Ethan Page's Ego's Edge. However, Ortiz and Santana hit the ring and prevented Page from delivering his finisher. The heels exited the ring as The Inner Circle members helped Sammy to his feet.
Eddie Kingston vs. Jack Evans on AEW Dark
Jack Evans made his AEW Dark entrance with a freshly shaved head, and his haircut got a hilarious reaction from Taz. This was Evans' first match since losing his hair to Orange Cassidy on Rampage several weeks back.
Evans ran his mouth before the match began, and even Bryce Remsburg got some love from the fans. Eddie Kingston, of course, got some of the loudest cheers on the entire show.
The match finally got underway with a strong collar and elbow tie-up. Eddie missed a few shots and ate a spin kick from Evans, who followed through with a back elbow and a springboard single-leg dropkick.
Kingston leveled the playing field with a few hard chops, but Evans smartly twisted his opponent's arms. Jack continued to rely on his feet to inflict damage on Kingston.
Evans got a two-count with a Standing Sky Twister Press. The HFO member worked the crowd before going up to the top rope. Kingston caught Evans in mid-air and sent him flying across the ring with an Exploder Suplex.
Eddie hit Evans with three massive chops. He got a near fall with a DDT, and Kingston looked shocked that Evans managed to kick out.
Jack flipped out of the backdrop and hit a leg lariat. He showed off his power with a perfect Michinoku Driver for a two-count. Evans looked ten years younger in his new hairstyle, and he seemed to have even found a new gear in the ring.
Kingston surprised Evans with a back fist and followed up quickly with the backdrop driver. He then forced Jack to tap out to the Stretch Plum submission hold.
Result: Eddie Kingston def. Jack Evans on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
Dante Martin (w/ Lio Rush) vs. JDX on AEW Dark
Dante Martin and JDX started the AEW Dark match with an intricate exchange of arm holds. Martin stepped off the bottom rope to create space and hit the ropes to deliver an awesome dropkick.
JDX put the brakes on Dante with an enziguri and a back heel trip. Martin kicked out at one and got a thumbs up from Lio Rush. Dante used the bottom rope once again to execute a backflip and evade JDX's running attack.
Martin followed JDX on the outside and floored him with a slingshot plancha. Dante rolled his opponent back in the ring but missed a double-jump moonsault and got laid out with a flatliner. JDX got a two-count for his efforts, but he couldn't capitalize on the momentum.
Martin stunned JDX with the double-jump moonsault off the ropes to pick up yet another AEW win.
Result: Dante Martin def. JDX on AEW Dark
Grade: B
After the match, Lio Rush cut a promo and had a message for the Sydal Bros, who he and Dante are slated to face on Friday's Rampage.
Dante hesitantly fist-bumped Rush as the segment came to an end.
Tony Schiavone interviews Adam Cole
Adam Cole cut off Schiavone and grabbed the mic before he addressed the beatdown on Jungle Boy. Cole said that people like Jungle Boy, Christian Cage, and Luchasaurus needed to wake up and realize the true power of the Elite.
Adam Cole stated that the members of the Elite were the building blocks of AEW, and the locker room needed to acknowledge it.
Adam Cole showed complete disrespect towards Tony Schiavone as he finished his promo with another threat to Jungle Boy.
Jade Cargill and Smart Mark Sterling were involved in a backstage segment next with Tony Schiavone as they discussed the ongoing TBS title tournament.
Sterling cut a typical promo and listed down his client's accomplishments as part of the brief segment.
Tiger Ruas vs. DJ Brown on AEW Dark
Formerly known as Arturo Ruas in the WWE, Tiger competed in his second AEW match tonight against debutant DJ Brown.
Tiger Ruas gave Brown no time to soak in the atmosphere as he knocked his lights out with a Capoeira kick. That was it! The kick did the job as Tiger Ruas covered Brown for the three-count.
Result: Tiger Ruas def. DJ Brown
Grade: D
In his post-match promo, the Brazilian star said his opponent lacked the technique to keep up with him in the ring.
Ruas added that he was in the company to compete with the best fighters in the world and urged Tony Khan to book him against better competition. Tiger Ruas signed off by saying: 'My Technique is everything.'
Diamante vs. Skyler Moore on AEW Dark
Diamante sent Moore back against the ropes with a few vicious uppercuts. Skyler reacted by getting a two-count with a nice dropkick. Diamante turned the tables on Moore with some punches in the corner.
Skyler looked impressive as she scored another two-count with a roll-up. Diamante, though, hit her mark with a running uppercut.
She followed it with two left-handed short clotheslines. Diamante launched Moore over her head with a standing Sliced Bread. The Hispanic star locked in an overhook with the body scissors, leaving Moore no room to escape. Skyler tapped out and gave Diamante the victory.
Result: Diamante def. Skyler Moore
Grade: B
The newest face in All Elite Wrestling, Tony Nese had a message for the entire roster during a backstage interview with Tony Schiavone.
'The Premier Athlete' said he will make his debut during next week's Dark in a match against Fuego del Sol.
Dark Order's 10 (w/ Negative One) vs. Shayne Stetson
A loud '10' chant echoed around the arena as Preston Vance locked up with his opponent. Stetson slapped Vance across the face, and the Dark Order member bulldozed him with ease.
10 executed a spinebuster and trapped Shayne in the Full Nelson for another effortless win in the books.
Result: Dark Order's 10 def. Shayne Stetson
Grade: D
Preston Vance is scheduled to face Jon Moxley on this week's Dynamite in the World Title Eliminator tournament.
AEW Dark Co-Main Event: Too Fast Too Fuego (AEW Tag Team Debut) vs. Dean Alexander & Kidd Bandit (AEW Tag Team Debut)
Cody Rhodes finally made his debut as Fuego 2 on AEW Dark, and as expected, the Fuegos got a grand entrance. Fuego 2 twisted Alexander's arm and tagged Fuego 1 into the match.
The commentary team talked about Fuego Dos' tattoos being similar to Cody Rhodes and the entire exchange was comedic gold! Too Fast Too Fuego worked in tandem to deliver an assisted dropkick on Kidd Bandit.
Alexander swept Fuego Dos' leg, and Kidd Bandit took advantage of the situation with a giant Corkscrew kick in the corner. Dean Alexander received the tag, and he unloaded on Fuego 2 with heavy-handed rights.
Fuego 2 broke free from the chin lock but ate a dropkick. He kicked out at two and went on to create some separation with a powerbomb on Kidd Bandit. The crowd grew louder as Fuego 2 rolled over and made the hot tag to Fuego 1.
The original Fuego started with two flying cross chops followed by a running uppercut in the corner. He came running through for a mighty spear. AEW Universal was Fuego country as he went off the middle rope for a moonsault press, followed by a superkick.
Kidd Bandit broke the pin but got dumped out of the ring. Dean Alexander, however, used the distraction to recuperate and hit Fuego 1 with a Tombstone Piledriver. Fuego 2 re-entered the fray and kicked Alexander to the side of the head.
Amidst all the chaos, Bandit managed to catch Fuego 2 with a tope suicida on the outside. In the ring, Fuego 1 put Alexander to sleep with an incredible Tornado DDT and kicked off the new tag team's run on a winning note on AEW Dark.
Result: Too Fast Too Fuego def. Dean Alexander & Kidd Bandit on AEW Dark
Grade: A
It's safe to say that Cody Rhodes did a fine job as Fuego 2. As if it wasn't obvious enough, Too Fast Too Fuego are insanely popular already!
AEW Dark Main Event: Bryan Danielson (AEW Dark Debut) vs. Aaron Solo (w/ The Factory)
It was great to see Bryan Danielson back wrestling in front of a smaller yet energetic crowd at Universal Studios. It genuinely felt like a throwback to the American Dragon's days on the independent circuit.
Danielson used his technical prowess to manipulate Solo's arms in the early goings of the match. Bryan dropped Solo with a shoulder tackle, and he pandered to the crowd as his opponent rolled out of the ring. QT Marshall gave Aaron Solo a few pointers before the match resumed.
Solo and Bryan tied up in a Greco-roman Knuckle Lock. Danielson executed a suplex and worked his way into a few pinning predicaments. Danielson transitioned to the Cross-arm Breaker, but Solo stayed in the match with a few reversals.
The former WWE Superstar was putting on a technical masterclass as he hyperextended Solo's shoulder. He followed with a few knife-edged chops. Aaron got back into the match by sweeping Bryan's legs on the turnbuckle.
Solo distracted the referee while QT Marshall attacked Daniel Bryan from the outside. Aaron was in the driver's seat as he delivered a snap suplex and connected with a series of knee shots to the back.
Bryan countered the dropkick with a catapult, but Aaron 'countered the counter' with a double stomp. That was brilliant!
Marshall never missed an opportunity to assault Bryan from the outside, and every cheap shot got the fans angrier.
Danielson finally took Solo off his feet with an elbow strike across the jaw. The crowd went ballistic with the 'Yes' chants as Bryan hit the running kick in the corner.
Danielson fired off a combination of round kicks and chops before going up top for a hurricanrana.
Bryan caved Solo's chest in with three massive kicks, followed by the final blow to the head. Nick Comoroto and QT Marshall created another distraction, and Solo this time caught Bryan off guard with a corkscrew kick. The Factory's plan backfired as Danielson kicked out at two.
Solo had Bryan isolated in the corner, but the veteran gathered steam and took Comoroto out with a tope suicida. Bryan, unfortunately, missed his top-rope dive as Solo shut him down with a dropkick counter.
An upset could have been on the cards as Aaron looked for a double underhook facebuster, but Danielson countered with the LaBell Lock. Solo had no option but to tap out and hand Danielson a submission win.
Result: Bryan Danielson def. Aaron Solo on AEW Dark
Grade: A
Daniel Bryan celebrated with the fans to end an eventful AEW Dark episode. Don't forget to join us tomorrow for all the live updates from Dynamite, where the American Dragon will take on Eddie Kingston in a mouth-watering clash.
You can check out the latest AEW Dark episode above.
