AEW Dark Results - Released WWE star debuts to face Eddie Kingston, Big upset, Controversial end to main event, and more (5th October 2021)

The latest episode of AEW Dark emanated from Universal Studios in Florida, and the show kicked off with a massive 8-man tag team contest.

The match card featured 13 bouts featuring some of the biggest names in the company and a few familiar debutants.

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FTR, Shawn Spears & Wardlow vs. Austin Green, Dean Alexander, Baron Black & Aaron Frye on AEW Dark

Cash Wheeler got the in-ring proceedings underway with an ankle pick attempt on Baron Black. Wheeler enjoyed the advantage in the early grappling exchanges as he worked on Black's arm.

Black was technically sound and managed to reverse a shoulder lock. Dean Alexander got the tag and was sent into the opposing corner following a series of strikes from Wheeler.

Shawn Spears came in and got taken off his feet with a dropkick. Frye was up next, and he was unfortunately on the receiving end of some punishment as Dax Harwood connected with several nasty chops across the chest.

The pace of the match changed as Aaron Frye hit two dropkicks. Dax recuperated and tagged Wardlow into the contest. Frye retreated and tagged Austin Green in.

Green and Wardlow stood toe-to-toe as the commentators hyped up the behemothic clash. Green was taller than Wardlow, but the Pinnacle member outmatched him in terms of strength.

Both men engaged in a battle of shoulder blocks. Wardlow showed unreal power to pick Green up and slam him into the mat.

Black tried to sneak in a pinfall while Wardlow was celebrating his accomplishment. Baron was swatted into the mat as Harwood re-entered the and continued the onslaught.

Shawn Spears wasted a little time, and Black used it to hit a backstabber. Aaron Frye got the hot tag, and he started strong with a couple of dropkicks on Spears. Frye got a two-count with a springboard elbow drop.

Wheeler countered Frye's leapfrog by delivering a power slam. The heels hit a combination move on Frye and cleared the corner. Spears hit the C4 and got the three-count for his team.

Result: FTR, Shawn Spears & Wardlow def. Austin Green, Dean Alexander, Baron Black & Aaron Frye on AEW Dark

Grade: B+

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Abadon vs. Valentina Rossi on AEW Dark

Abadon sported a new hairstyle as she made her entrance in her eerie style.

She kicked Rossi in the guts to begin the match, but Valentina fired back with a few punches.

Abadon got back with some heavy-handed forearms and a back elbow before the action moved to the ringside area. Rossi ate a facebuster but still managed to get some offense in when the action resumed inside the ring.

Abadon, though, hit the ropes and executed a swinging neckbreaker. AEW's Dead Girl finished the AEW Dark match with her leg-hook DDT.

Result: Abadon def. Valentina Rossi on AEW Dark

Grade: C

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The Acclaimed vs. Michael Martinez & Vary Morales on AEW Dark

Max Caster dropped a verse filled with excellent references during The Acclaimed's entrance, and the fans loved it.

Vary Morales was pushed into the corner by Anthony Bowens at the start of the match. Vary used his quickness to outsmart Bowens, but the Acclaimed member blasted his opponent with a hard punch.

Caster came in and delivered a double Russian leg sweep before Bowens landed a running kick. Max kept Morales isolated in the corner.

Caster, however, missed a kick after losing his footing on the turnbuckle. Morales came off the top with a missile dropkick before tagging Martinez.

The big man took Bowens out with a big boot, followed by a Samoan Drop on Caster. Bowens came right back with a superkick. Caster laid Martinez out with a backdrop.

Bowens took Vary out of the picture with a twisting DDT. Anthony then set Martinez up for Caster's Mic Drop finisher from the top rope on AEW Dark.

Result: The Acclaimed def. Michael Martinez & Vary Morales on AEW Dark

Grade: B-

Sonny Kiss vs. Kal Herro on AEW Dark

Sonny Kiss and Kal Herro started the AEW Dark match with a collar and elbow tie-up. Herro looked confident as he took Sonny down. Kiss responded with an aggressive takedown and some follow-up ground and pound.

Sonny landed two clotheslines before connecting with an enziguri. Kiss then dropped Herro with a corkscrew kick and finished the match with a modified TKO.

Result: Sonny Kiss def. Kal Herro on AEW Dark

Grade: C

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Kris Statlander (w/ Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta) vs. Zeda Zhang on AEW Dark

Zhang took Statlander's back in the early stages. Both women got into an intense sequence as Zhang avoided Statlander's boop.

Kris connected with an uppercut before rolling through into a cover. She decked Zhang with a big boot followed by a delayed body slam.

Zeda fought back after avoiding a senton. She hit two snap suplexes and gathered some momentum with a curved kick across Statlander's jaw for a two-count.

Statlander reversed the kitchen sink pinfall attempt into a roll-up followed by a straight kick. Kris landed a running elbow strike in the corner and another knee for added damage.

Statlander had Zhang in the atomic chair position before smashing her face into the mat. AEW's Alien forced Zhang to tap out to the spider crab submission.

Result: Kris Statlander def. Zeda Zhang

Grade: B

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Madi Wrenkowski vs. Skye Blue on AEW Dark

Wrenkowski took Blue down with ease and taunted the crowd to begin the match. Skye Blue instantly responded with a quick roll-up and a few arm-drags.

Madi dropped Blue down with a running scissor kick. She ignored the pin and got distracted by the fans. Blue showed resiliency to break free from a dragon sleeper hold in the center of the ring.

Skye Blue delivered two big clotheslines to initiate her comeback. Blue went up to the top and got a two-count with a diving crossbody.

Skye eventually got the win with a thrust kick followed by a bridged Fisherwoman's suplex.

Result: Skye Blue def. Madi Wrenkowski on AEW Dark

Grade: B

Eddie Kingston vs. Anthony Henry (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark

Former WWE star Anthony Henry debuted on this week's AEW Dark. Henry went by the name Asher Hale in the WWE and worked a few matches in NXT and 205 Live. He was released from his contract earlier this year.

Eddie Kingston got a lot of love from the fans in attendance as he engaged in a striking back-and-forth with Henry. The boxing-influenced sequence was a unique way to start a match. Kingston also mixed things up with knee and palm strikes.

The AEW debutant smartly stopped Kingston in his tracks with the figure four dragon screw - a rare move - as noted by Taz.

Henry kept up the pressure by driving Kingston into the barricade on the outside. Eddie ate a few slaps and kicks and struggled to get to a vertical base.

Kingston moaned in pain as Henry worked on the injured left ankle. Kingston was getting tested by Henry, who methodically broke down the veteran.

Eddie chopped his way back into the match but absorbed a brutal kick to the chest. Henry did a tremendous job of keeping Kingston flat on his back.

Henry showed his technical understanding with a modified figure four with a bridge. He followed it with a series of round kicks, but they only spurned Eddie to get back to his feet.

Kingston landed machine gun chops in the corner. He caught Anthony and executed an exploder suplex across the ring. ''Let's go, Eddie,' chants echoed in the arena as Henry was baited into a striking contest.

Kingston delivered a belly-to-belly suplex for a two-count. Anthony Henry evaded Eddie's finisher and hit a kick to the side of the head. He transitioned to the crossface, followed by an ankle lock.

Kingston lunged towards the bottom rope to break the submission move. Henry blocked a backdrop and landed a knee lift. Eddie, however, hit back with a big boot kick followed by a classic DDT. 1...2...3 and a win for Kingston! Excellent match!

Result: Eddie Kingston def. Anthony Henry (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark

Grade: A

Anthony Henry looked incredible in his first AEW outing as he almost pulled off an upset win against Eddie Kingston tonight.

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Gunn Club vs. Hunter Knott, Rosario Grillo & Cameron Stewart on AEW Dark

Austin Gunn locked up with Cameron Stewart and took control of his opponent's left arm. Gunn punctured Stewart's enthusiasm with a hair pull and hammer throw in the corner.

Stewart reacted with a smooth arm drag, but Austin Gunn maintained the upper hand with a trip and a somersault cutter.

Billy Gunn got the tag and continued his team's dominance. Papa Gunn rocked Stewart with a vicious clothesline. Rosario Grillo was no match for Billy's size and power as the veteran quickly knocked him down to the mat.

Colten Gunn received the tag and sinched his boots into Grillo's jaw in the corner. Billy Gunn came right back in and put Grillo to sleep with a precise yet powerful right.

Grillo finally avoided contact and tagged Hunter Knott, who laid Austin out with a backdrop.

Billy and Colten broke up the pin and dumped two of their opponents outside the ring. Meanwhile, Austin Gunn executed a high-stack roll-up for the win.

Result: Gunn Club def. Hunter Knott, Rosario Grillo & Cameron Stewart on AEW Dark

Grade: B

Diamante vs. Santana Garrett (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark

The highly experienced Santana Garrett was one of many NXT stars released by WWE in 2021, and it was great to see her back in action in an AEW ring.

Diamante and Garrett have faced each other before, and they had a heated opening to the match. Diamante enjoyed the early advantage with a Russian side leg-sweep.

Diamante connected with a running chop followed by a few round kicks to Santana's back. She kept pace with a running splash for a two-count.

Diamante trapped Garrett in a body scissor, but the former WWE star managed to find a way out.

Santana finally created some space with a clever sequence followed by a roll-up. Diamante responded with an effective DDT.

Diamante missed the shotgun dropkick in the corner, and Santana used the time to get back to her feet. Garrett got in a big elbow strike before going to the top for a high crossbody.

Garrett decked Diamante with a southpaw clothesline before sending her into the corner. She, however, missed the backhand spring elbow as Diamante delivered the sliced bread for a hard-fought victory.

Result: Diamante def. Santana Garrett (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark

Grade: B+

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The Wingmen's Ryan Nemeth & "Pretty" Peter Avalon vs. Varsity Blonds (w/ Julia Hart) on AEW Dark

The Blonds got jumped from behind by the Wingmen before the AEW Dark match, but Garrison and Pillman worked like a well-oiled team to instantly take control.

They isolated Avalon and executed a dropkick-spinebuster combo. The Wingmen resorted to textbook heel tactics to catch Garrison off guard. Avalon and Nemeth made quick tags and wore Griff down in their corner.

Julia Hart urged the crowd to clap as Garrison worked his way out of Nemeth's front chancery. Griff hit the backdrop and made the hot tag to Pillman Jr.

Brian was all over Nemeth with a rolling discus clothesline. Avalon came in to save his partner, but Pillman took them both down with a diving crossbody.

Avalon, though, got a near fall with a pendulum DDT. Griff rolled back into the ring and caught Avalon with the rolling forearm strike. Pillman followed up with a flying clothesline to get another win for his team.

Result: Varsity Blonds def. The Wingmen's Ryan Nemeth & "Pretty" Peter Avalon on AEW Dark

Grade: B+

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Daniel Garcia (w/ 2point0) vs. Erik Lockhart on AEW Dark

Daniel Garcia effortlessly picked Erick Lockhart and slammed him down to assert his dominance early on. 2point0 looked impressed as Garcia punished his opponent with some unforgiving uppercuts and forearm strikes.

He stomped away in the corner, and it made for a painful visual.

Lockhart experienced a few decent seconds where he landed some offense, but it only further infuriated Garcia, who got the job done with the Scorpion Deathlock.

Result: Daniel Garcia def. Erik Lockhart on AEW Dark

Grade: C

Serpentico (w/ Luther) vs. Marko Stunt on AEW Dark

Marko Stunt started strong in the AEW Dark match with a furious combination of punches, kicks, and forearm shots. He wiped Serpentico out with a dive over the ropes before taking his shirt off and landing a superkick.

Marko mercilessly beat up Serpentico on the outside before rolling him back into the ring. Serpentico, however, stopped Stunt's momentum with a high-angle Michinoku Driver.

Luther's squeaky voice overpowered every other sound as Serpentico sent Stunt crashing into the turnbuckle with a hammer throw.

Luther ordered his partner to do the 'flying snake' from the top, and it turned out to be a horrible mistake as Stunt moved out of the way.

Marko executed a gutwrench suplex followed by a shotgun dropkick and tope suicida. Stunt and Serpentico battled on the outside as Luther also got involved.

The Original Death Dealer grabbed Serpentico, screamed "Snake Time," and sent him flying off the ramp in an attempt to assault Stunt. Hilarious!

Marko once again rolled out of the way and connected with an elbow drop back in the ring. He got a near fall with a massive Stan Hansen-inspired lariat.

Serpentico countered the sliced bread, and Luther attacked Stunt while the referee had his back turned. The distraction proved to be the deciding factor as Serpentico trapped Stunt in a pinning predicament for an upset victory.

Result: Serpentico def. Marko Stunt on AEW Dark

Grade: B+

While Stunt grabbed his head in sheer disbelief, Serpentico picked up his first singles win in AEW!

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AEW Dark Main Event: Orange Cassidy (w/ Kris Statlander, Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Nick Comoroto (w/ The Factory)

Cassidy got one of the loudest pops of the night for merely touching Comoroto's chest. The member of the Factory called for Cassidy to hit him. Orange unsurprisingly didn't oblige as he put his hands in the pocket. What followed was some trademark Cassidy offense!

Comoroto muscled his way back into the match and began to look like a true powerhouse. Comoroto executed a military press on the outside before mocking Cassidy.

Nick Comoroto's freakish strength was on full display as he delivered a huge suplex. Cassidy reversed a powerbomb and sent Comoroto face-first into the turnbuckle. Nick blocked the beach break and went for the powerbomb for the second time.

Cassidy countered yet again with a DDT, but Comoroto kicked out of the subsequent pinfall at one.

The match featured multiple reversals as Comoroto eventually hit the stampede power slam for a near fall. Cassidy had the crowd support as he dug deep and tried to create some space.

Cassidy took Comoroto out with a tope suicida while the situation between the Best Friends and The Factory got volatile near ringside.

Comoroto hammered Wheeler Yuta while QT Marshall looked to attack Cassidy while Aubrey Edwards was distracted. Kris Statlander flung her knee brace towards Marshall.

The referee finally turned around to see Marshall with the 'weapon,' and they began to argue in the corner. Meanwhile, Cassidy used the chaos to his gain and hit Comoroto with two Orange Punches and the Beach Break for the win.

Result: Orange Cassidy def. Nick Comoroto on AEW Dark

Grade: B+

Cassidy ended a wild main event with his arms raised. As expected, the 111th AEW Dark episode ended with a quintessential Best Friends hug!