'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Taz and Excalibur kicked off another action-packed episode of AEW Dark which featured a first-time-ever 3 strikes match to settle a heated feud.
The controversial Max Caster returned to AEW action and even went 'off script' in a tremendous pre-match segment with his Acclaimed partner Anthony Bowens.
However, the in-ring proceedings of the show were kicked off by 'The Murderhawk Monster' as he came out to a solid reception for his singles match.
Lance Archer vs. Jason Hotch on AEW Dark
Jason Hotch tried to catch Lance Archer off guard with a tope suicida during the latter's entrance. Archer stopped Hotch in his tracks and choke-slammed him over the apron.
Archer was loved in Chicago as he no-sold Hotch's chops and knocked his lights out with a big right punch followed by the Hella-coaster.
Archer toyed with his opponent and executed a brutal German suplex, followed by three running back elbows in the corner. He hoisted Hotch up and delivered the Blackout finisher for the three-count. A routine win in the book for 'The Murderhawk Monster!'
Result: Lance Archer def. Jason Hotch on AEW Dark
Grade: B
The Bunny (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Laynie Luck on AEW Dark
Laynie Luck had the crowd support as a distraction from Penelope Ford helped Bunny firmly grip the flow of the contest.
Ford continued to intervene by pulling Luck's hair from the ringside area. Bunny hit her mark with the sliding elbow strike in the corner. She landed a few chops but got caught in a roll-up for a two-count.
Laynie Luck fired back with a series of forearm shimmers, but she got taken off her feet with a running strike. Bunny scratched Laynie's back before driving her knees onto the chin of her opponent. Bunny delivered her 'Down the Rabbit Hole' finisher to Laynie Luck for the win on AEW Dark.
Result: The Bunny (w/ Penelope Ford) def. Laynie Luck on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Dark Order's Evil Uno (w/ Stu Grayson & Colt Cabana) vs. Dark Order's Alan "5" Angels (w/ John Silver & 10) on AEW Dark
The ongoing issues within the Dark Order reached a new level this week as Evil Uno and Alan Angels faced each other in a rare singles match featuring 2 faction members.
Evil Uno baited Angels into a sneaky roll-up by offering a handshake. Uno looked hesitant to fight as he rolled out of the ring to gather his thoughts. Uno finally got back in and chopped Alan in the corner.
Angels dropped Uno with a leg lariat followed by an enziguri as the crowd chanted, 'please don't fight.'
Alan got a two-count with a high crossbody and then landed four left-handed shots in the corner, but Uno escaped and connected with a big kick.
Angels and Uno traded blows in the middle of the ring as the fans continued to urge the Dark Order members to stop the fight. Angels, though, called for Uno to be aggressive and ate a few chops in the bargain.
Angels executed a takedown before landing a step-up enziguri back on his feet. He got a near fall following a swift DDT, but Uno slipped out of the subsequent fireman's carry and landed a toe kick.
Angels reversed a powerbomb attempt into a flatliner. He transitioned to the Koji clutch, but Uno reached out for the rope break.
Dark Order's "5" was relentless as he took Uno out with a moonsault on the outside. Alan lost his advantage, though, as he wasted time having a word with Colt Cabana near the ringside area.
Meanwhile, Uno snapped and ran through Angels with a heel kick followed by an unforgiving throw towards the steel steps. Evil Uno executed his 'Something Evil' finisher to get the win on AEW Dark.
Result: Evil Uno def. Alan "5" Angels on AEW Dark
Grade: A
The story of the match made it a thoroughly engaging contest as Evil Uno held himself back until the very end to unleash his ruthless side.
The Acclaimed vs. Capt. Shawn Dean & Robert Anthony on AEW Dark
Max Caster returned for the first time since he was taken off AEW TV due to his controversial rap. He started by noting that the AEW management approved his latest verse. Hilarious!
Caster read out a few unconvincing lines from a sheet of paper before Anthony Bowens intervened. Bowens was surprised that AEW had scripted their promos, and the Chicago crowd booed in support of The Acclaimed. The Acclaimed even took a shot at the Rhodes family.
Caster ripped up the script as Bowens called for the DJ to hit their music.
The Acclaimed restarted their entrance, and this time, Caster didn't disappoint as he came up with a diss verse directed at Shawn Dean and Robert Anthony. Fans in attendance chanted 'welcome back' as Bowens and Caster assaulted their opponents in the corner.
Bowens put together a multi-strike combo to flatten Anthony. He then dropped Shawn Dean with a facebuster before tagging Caster into the match. Max hit the Mic Drop from the top rope to complete a triumphant comeback to AEW action.
Result: The Acclaimed def. Capt. Shawn Dean & Robert Anthony on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Joey Janela vs. Lee Moriarty on AEW Dark
Joey Janela was flanked by Kayla Rossi, who first showed up on last week's AEW Dark. AEW is yet to reveal her name on TV as Excalibur continued to build her up as a mysterious figure.
Janela showboated after getting the early advantage, but Moriarty countered with some technical sequences inspired by Tigerstyle wrestling. Lee ate a back elbow on the apron followed by a right hand. Moriarty, however, twisted Janela with a hammerlock snap. Moriarty went for the follow-up Tope Suicida, but Joey caught him with a forearm in mid-air.
Back in the ring, Janela lit up Moriarty's chest with a big kick. ''Let's go, Lee,' chants echoed around the arena as Joey tried to choke his opponent out using the ropes.
Kayla Rossi attacked Moriarty while Janela had the referee distracted. Lee broke away from body scissors with a series of elbows, but Janela maintained control with a hammer throw.
Moriarty responded with a leg trip followed by an aggressive shoulder-whip. Janela landed on his head and made the maneuver look even more painful on the eye.
Lee kept up the pressure with a commonguri in the corner, followed by a double knee stomp. He got a near fall for his efforts as Janela stayed in the match. Moriarty went up to the top but absorbed a running palm strike from Janela, who joined his opponent on the turnbuckle.
Joey then executed a colossal suplex from the top, and the momentum sent Lee outside. The Bad Boy followed him with a tope suicida before rolling Lee back in.
Moriarty came right back with Missile Tope Suicida of his own to stun Janela. The crowd popped hard for that sequence as both men went on to exchange heavy forearm shots in the center of the ring. Janela finally dropped Lee to a single knee with a thrust kick, but Moriarty responded with an enziguri.
The back-and-forth contest resumed with Janela's release German suplex. Lee returned with a European uppercut but got wiped out with a left-handed clothesline from Janela. Moriarty was then sent crashing head-first into the mat with a classic piledriver.
Moriarty miraculously kicked out, much to Janela's surprise. Lee blocked the Death Valley driver and attacked Janela's injured shoulder before rocking him with a ripcord clothesline. Near fall!
Moriarty wasn't done as he effortlessly transitioned to the crossface. Janela crawled his way to the rope, and Kayla Rossi placed Joey's leg on the rope while referee Aubrey Edwards wasn't looking.
Moriarty kicked out of a roll-up but couldn't escape the Death Valley Driver as Janela eventually secured the three-count.
Result: Joey Janela def. Lee Moriarty on AEW Dark
Grade: A
The post-match segment saw Sonny Kiss hit the ring to exact some revenge against former partner Joey Janela. The Bad Boy exited the ring and retreated along with Kayla Rossi.
Dark Order's Colt Cabana & Stu Grayson (w/ Evil Uno) vs. Travis Titan & RSP on AEW Dark
Colt Cabana fired up the fans before the AEW Dark co-main event got underway. Stu Grayson dropped RSP with a leaping clothesline. Travis Titan, however, executed a blindsided attack and bailed out his partner.
The heels worked on Grayson in their corner as the Chicago audience chanted for Colt Cabana. Grayson ducked a double clothesline followed by a backflipping kick. Cabana finally received the hot tag, and he started with two overhand chops, followed by the jabs and the exclamation point on RSP's forehead.
Cabana soared through the air with a springboard moonsault press. Travis Titan took Cabana's flying apple in the corner before getting laid out with a guillotine elbow drop from Grayson.
Cabana got the tag, and he executed the Chicago Skyline on Travis Titan while Grayson took care of RSP with his Nightfall finisher on AEW Dark.
Result: Dark Order's Colt Cabana & Stu Grayson def. Travis Titan & RSP on AEW Dark
Grade: B
AEW Dark Main Event: Diamante vs. Big Swole (3 Strikes match)
The first-ever 3 strikes match in AEW seemed like the perfect stipulation to settle the heated rivalry between Diamante and Big Swole.
The 3 strikes referred to the different stages of the AEW match - pinfall, submission, and knockout - and the objective was to get two strikes.
Both women started hot as Swole landed a big-time pump kick. Diamante got back with a cazadora roll-up. Swole connected with a couple of elbow strikes followed by a flatliner for a one-count.
The game plan was to get the early pinfall, and both wrestlers worked towards the goal with some fast-paced offense. Big Swole connected with a headbutt and dropped Diamante with a blue thunder powerbomb. The Hispanic star landed hard on her head, and the referee briefly checked on her before continuing the match.
Diamante survived a pinfall, reversed Swole's Dirty Dancing finisher to trap her opponent in a roll-up. Diamante grabbed onto Swole's trunks to get the first strike. She rubbed salt into the wound by flashing a middle finger towards Swole.
First Strike - Diamante pins Big Swole to make it 1-0
Diamante came running through for the knee strike as she looked for the knockout. Swole recuperated quickly and took Diamante down with a double leg takedown.
An up-kick allowed Diamante to maintain control of the match. She delivered a shotgun dropkick in the corner for a two-count.
Diamante kept Swole on the mat with a straight jacket submission move and continued to wear her opponent down with a chin lock.
Big Swole finally found an opening and got a surprise submission strike over Diamante with a modified heel hook out of nowhere. The AEW commentators and fans didn't see that coming.
Second Strike - Big Swole submits Diamante to make it 1-1
It all came down to a knockout as both women looked to land a killer blow in the AEW grudge match. It should be noted that there were no DQs anymore, and Diamante immediately reached out for a kendo stick.
Diamante missed her shot, and Swole grabbed the stick to dish out some punishment. Diamante got back with a hurricanerana before sending Swole slamming into the barricade.
Diamante wrapped a chain around her fist and waited for Swole to get back to her feet. She faked the high shot and went for Swole's stomach.
Swole screeched in pain as Diamante tore at her flesh with the chain. Swole channeled her inner Hulk Hogan and fought through all the agony to kick the chain off Diamante's hand.
Both women struggled for control of the chain in a tug of war and their heads accidentally collided. A dazed Diamante rolled over to the outside as Swole followed her with a chain in her hand.
Diamante countered with an elbow strike and pushed Swole face-first into the ring post. Diamante introduced the handcuffs, but Swole had smartly hidden away the chain and was waiting for the opportune moment to unleash the weapon.
Swole caught an unsuspecting Diamante with her Dirty Dancing finisher with the added assistance of the chain. The referee checked on Diamante and called for the bell on AEW Dark.
Third Strike - Big Swole knocked out Diamante to make it 2-1
Result: Big Swole def. Diamante in the 3 strikes match on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
This week's AEW Dark featured significant developments in multiple storylines as almost every match had some purpose. You can check out the full episode above and don't forget to share your reviews in the comments section below.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
