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Excalibur and Taz welcomed the viewers to another stacked episode of AEW Dark which featured 100+ minutes of wrestling and some huge names in action.
So without any further delay, here are the results and highlights of the latest AEW Dark episode:
Lance Archer vs. Zicky Dice (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Lance Archer tossed his opponent around on his way to the ring. Justin Roberts cut short his introductions, and the match got underway in a predictable fashion.
The Murderhawk Monster clobbered his helpless opponent with short-arm clotheslines and vicious running strikes in the corner. Archer dropped Dice with a chokeslam in the middle of the ring before hitting the Blackout for the win. Outlandish Zicky Dice surely had a forgettable AEW debut.
Result: Lance Archer def. Zicky Dice on AEW Dark
Grade: C
Matt Hardy brokered a deal with TH2 to beat up Christian Cage, and we must say that Big Money Matt was offering good money for the job.
Abadon vs. Willow Nightingale on AEW Dark
Willow offered a handshake, but Abadon scared her away with a loud scream. Abadon executed a Lou Thesz press and unleashed rights and lefts.
It was all one-way traffic until Willow evaded a running strike and followed up with a cannonball in the corner. Abadon rose up but was taken down with a clever ankle pick from Nightingale.
Willow had a modified crossface on Abadon, who literally bit her way out of the submission move. AEW's "Dead Girl" began to set the stage for the finish with a crossbody and a leg DDT.
Result: Abadon def. Willow Nightingale on AEW Dark
Grade: C+
Cezar Bononi (w/ The Wingmen) vs. Cyrus on AEW Dark
Cezar Bononi finally had an opponent that matched his size! Cyrus was built like a mountain, and he even had fierce eyes. Both big men engaged in a monstrous lock-up, followed by a shoulder tackle exchange.
As expected, the match was hard-hitting as both men stood and traded blows. Ryan Nemeth tried to help his teammate, but he just ran into Cyrus, who barely moved an inch near ringside.
Cezar continued with his attempts to get Cyrus down to the mat with a big boot and a series of clotheslines. Bononi showed massive strength by getting Cyrus up for a few seconds.
The Brazilian went to the top and executed a diving crossbody. Cyrus fought back by dropping Bononi with a simple slam. Cyrus proceeded to the top turnbuckle for the moonsault press, but Cezar rolled out of the way.
Bononi got Cyrus over his head and planted him in the center of the ring with a massive slam for the win.
Result: Cezar Bononi def. Cyrus on AEW Dark
Grade: B
TH2's Angelico vs. Matthew Justice (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Matthew Justice looked to end the AEW Dark match by rolling up Angelico quickly. Justice was all over the TH2 member, but all it took was one slip-up for Angelico to take control.
Matthew soared through the air but crashed throat-first into the barricade. The bump looked incredibly painful, and Angelico rolled Justice back into the ring like a true ring general.
Angelico locked in the Navarro Especial and continued to keep up the pressure on his opponent. Matthew Justice was quite popular with the crowd as there were a few chants of his name.
Justice created a halt with a good counter in the corner. However, he missed a diving splash from the top and got kicked in the back of his head. Angelico finished the match with the Navarro Death Roll.
Result: Angelico def. Matthew Justice (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Dante Martin cut a promo ahead of his AEW Dark main event against Matt Sydal.
Tay Conti (w/ -1) vs. Natalia Markova on AEW Dark
Markova mocked Conti to begin the match. They transitioned to a collar and elbow tie-up. Conti invited Markova to engage in a hammerlock exchange, but Natalia reacted with a cheap shot to the midsection.
Conti hit a big back elbow in the corner, followed by an overhead throw and a round kick to the chin. Markova rolled out of the ring and got in a few punches on the outside.
She got a one-count in the ring, followed by a facebuster. Conti and Markova cracked each other with multiple punches before the Brazilian put together a series of clotheslines.
Conti delivered three drop Seoi-nages and a pump kick in the corner. She rocked Markova with a follow-up heel kick. Conti picked up the three-count after hitting the DD-Tay.
Result: Tay Conti def. Natalia Markova on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Chaos Project vs. JP & Tommy Daily (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark
Serpentico attacked Daily during their entrance. Luther then punished Tommy while Sepentico focused on JP on the outside.
Luther did encounter some trouble as Tommy brought some heavy shots to the party. Serpentico got the tag and he came in with a foot stomp on Tommy.
Luther got right back in and executed a clean snap suplex for a two-count. Luther used Serpentico as a weapon to inflict more pain on poor Tommy. This was followed by Luther scoop slamming Serpentico onto Tommy before driving his partner towards JP.
As always, Serpentico looked more beaten than Chaos Project's opponents. Tommy executed a back body drop before making the hot tag to JP, who made the most of the time on the apron.
JP delivered a perfect handspring back elbow for a near fall on Serpentico. Luther, though, got the tag after dumping Tommy out of the ring. Chaos Project finally hit the Creeping Death for the win.
Result: Chaos Project def. JP & Tommy Daily on AEW Dark
Grade: B-
Alex Marvez interviewed Joey Janela next, and he asked The Bad Boy about his injury status.
Marko Stunt (w/ Jurassic Express) vs. Ariel Dominguez (2021 AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Marko Stunt was quick to note that he was the taller amongst the two men in the AEW Dark match before they locked up.
Dominguez and Stunt engaged in a show of power, and the best way to do it was a battle of shoulder tackles. The fans already chanted, 'this is awesome!' Stunt was proud of a scoop slam that sent Ariel outside.
Stunt, however, lost focus and got sent into the barricade. He got back with a chop and a kick to the midsection. Back in the ring, Stunt got a two-count from a roll-up.
Ariel responded with a dropkick and a kip-up. Then, he strutted around the ring, giving Stunt some time to recuperate.
Marko executed a delayed vertical suplex, and he hyped the crowd for the finishing sequences. However, he missed the running splash, and Ariel followed suit.
Stunt executed a guillotine elbow drop, followed by a big-time clothesline and a rope-assisted cutter for the win.
Result: Marko Stunt def. Ariel Dominguez on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Sonny Kiss vs. Aaron Solow (w/ The Factory) on AEW Dark
Joey Janela was nowhere to be seen, and Sonny Kiss looked visibly upset before the match began.
Kiss, though, kicked off the match on the front foot with a series of leg-based moves. A diving crossbody got Sonny a two-count. Solow laid in the right hands to begin dominating the matchup.
Solow executed a snap suplex as QT Marshall watched on from ringside. Kiss reversed the sit-out facebuster with a back body drop, followed by a corkscrew elbow strike.
Kiss delivered a jawbreaker and swept Solow off his legs to land a standing moonsault press for a near fall. QT Marshall gave the stink eyes to Kiss, and Solow took advantage by executing the sit-out facebuster, aka the Pedigree.
Result: Aaron Solow def. Sonny Kiss on AEW Dark
Grade: C
The Factory members attacked Sonny Kiss after the match, and Joey Janela didn't come out to make the save.
Nyla Rose (w/ Vickie Guerrero) vs. Missa Kate on AEW Dark
Missa Kate showed a lot of fight and determination throughout the brief squash match, but we all knew the Native Beast was in for an easy payday.
Nyla Rose focused on Kate's back with two backbreakers and a fallaway slam. The former AEW Women's Champion hit a big ol' Beast Bomb to make quick work of her opponent.
Result: Nyla Rose def. Missa Kate on AEW Dark
Grade: D
QT Marshall (w/ The Factory) vs. Bear Bronson on AEW Dark
Bear Bronson overpowered QT Marshall in the early goings of the AEW Dark contest. The lock-ups favored Bronson as he used his massive shoulders to knock QT off his feet.
Bronson sinched in the right-hand punches, but he ate a big dropkick. Bear responded with a dropkick and a backdrop.
Bronson sent QT over the top as the leader of The Factory spilled over near the ringside area. Bear Bronson followed through with a massive tope suicida, but QT drove him into the steel ring post to take the driver's seat in the match.
QT hit the crossface shots in the middle of the ring, followed by a back elbow to the nose bridge. Marshall landed a huge powerslam before going to the top for a diving headbutt. Bronson kicked out at two.
QT's trash talk spurned Bronson to make his comeback as he strung together a few punches and a spinebuster. Finally, Bronson got a near fall with a spinning side slam.
Bronson landed four savage clotheslines, but QT caught him and hit a backbreaker-flatliner combo before popping up with a kip-up. Bronson countered the Diamond Cutter and a sunset flip by casually sitting on QT's chest.
Bronson delivered a backdrop suplex and diving senton for another near fall. QT escaped a sit-out piledriver and hit a step-up enziguri, a thrust kick, and the finishing Diamond Cutter for the three-count.
Result: QT Marshall def. Bear Bronson on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
Bronson's stock as a singles competitor continues to rise as he put on another solid performance tonight.
Thunder Rosa vs. Megan Bayne on AEW Dark
Thunder Rosa wasted no time in going for a Cazadora heel hook combination. Bayne quickly grabbed onto the ropes to break the hold.
The former NWA Women's Champion stuck to her submission gameplan by going for a crossface lock. She kept Bayne down and chopped away with the leg kicks.
Bayne reacted by trapping Rosa's body in a scissor hold for a few seconds. Rosa escaped a power move and chopped Bayne's left leg yet again. She followed it with a two-footed dropkick.
Rosa kept attacking Bayne's ankle and knee for an opening. She followed that up by executing her trademark double knee strike in the corner. After multiple attempts, Rosa finally got the win with a modified ankle lock on AEW Dark.
Result: Thunder Rosa def. Megan Bayne on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Dark Order's Stu Grayson, Preston Vance & Colt Cabana (w/ -1) vs. Dan Barry, Kit Sackett & Justin Law on AEW Dark
Preston Vance and Kit Sackett got the match rolling with a standard collar and elbow lock-up. Justin Law came in and tasted some success over Stu Grayson with a few dropkicks.
Grayson floated behind a suplex and clutched Law for an overhead throw. Dan Barry got a piece of the action and got taken down with a Tiaras from Colt Cabana.
Cabana hit a big-time elbow to Barry's forehead before Grayson got in and landed a running kick. Stu went over the top with a senton.
Barry blocked the uranage and flattened Grayson with an inverted side suplex. Vance got the hot tag while Law entered the ring from the opposite corner.
The Dark Order built up towards the finish as Grayson got the tag once again, and he hit the Nightfall on Justin Law for the three-count on AEW Dark.
Result: Dark Order's Stu Grayson, Preston Vance & Colt Cabana def. Dan Barry, Kit Sackett & Justin Law on AEW Dark
Grade: C
AEW Dark Co-Main Event: Big Swole & KiLynn King (w/ Red Velvet) vs. Sea Stars
Ashley Vox started the AEW Dark match against a familiar foe in KiLynn King. King decked Vox with a clothesline before tagging in Big Swole.
Swole missed her elbow drop but didn't miss the mark with the rolling knee shot. Swole got a two-count with a low-angle uppercut.
Big Swole got a little complacent as Sea Stars exploited an opening and took control of the proceedings. Delmi Exo grounded Swole for a few seconds before Vox got back to deliver a leaping dropkick in the corner.
Vox and Swole canceled each other out with dual headbutts. King and Delmo got the tags, and KiLynn got the better of the exchange.
King landed a chopping roundhouse kick and a modified exploder suplex. Vox broke up the pin but was stunned by a rolling elbow strike. King finished the AEW Dark match with the Kingdom Falls finisher.
Result: Big Swole & KiLynn King def. Sea Stars on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Tony Schiavone interviewed The Factory backstage next on AEW Dark before the final match of the evening.
AEW Dark Main Event: Matt Sydal (w/ Mike Sydal) vs. Top Flight's Dante Martin
The AEW Dark main event was a high-profile contest on paper, and both high-flyers delivered the goods when it came down to business. Brace yourself; this one's really good!
Matt Sydal took Dante's back to begin the match, but the quick mat exchange that ensued was a treat to watch. Both men were fluid and fast with their movements, and they expertly countered each other. The back-and-forth action was technical and involved some tight hammerlocks and takedowns.
Sydal got a one-count with a head roll, but Dante responded with a flying mare. The action shifted to the outside, and Martin laid out Sydal with a step-up Tiaras.
Dante rolled Sydal back into the ring and executed three deep arm drags. Sydal reversed the Irish whip but got caught in a sunset flip. Sydal smartly grabbed Dante's leg from the pinfall and locked in an inverted Indian deathlock in the center of the ring.
Dante used a bridge to break up the hold, and he gathered pace on the feet. Sydal fired back with a straight kick to the face.
Matt followed it with a painful-looking bow-and-arrow stretch. Sydal miscalculated the stomp and landed on Dante's hands for a two-count.
Sydal followed up his hammer throw with a back elbow in the corner. Dante looked rocked as he got dropped with a clothesline.
Sydal threw his knee and shin right into Dante's head in the corner. That looked brutal and pretty similar to a Shining Wizard! Matt then transitioned from the Russian leg sweep into a leg capture stretch muffler. He went for a grounded cobra clutch before settling for a crossface.
Dante fought back with punches and kicks to the midsection. Sydal escaped from the fireman's carry position and sliced Dante with the standing Mariposa.
Dante rolled through to reverse the pinfall and slowly got up to his feet. He landed the body shots and rallied for a comeback. The Top Flight member hit a toe kick and a follow-up facebuster.
Dante got to a vertical base, and the crowd got behind the youngster! Martin executed a front flip Stunner! Holy s***!
Fans were awestruck as Sydal kicked out at two-and-a-half. The move deservedly got a "that was awesome" chant. A commonguri rocked Sydal and Martin delivered a double springboard moonsault for another near fall.
Sydal reversed a fireman's carry move into a Michinoku Driver. Martin dug deep to kick out of the pinfall. What an AEW Dark match!
Both men evaded knee strikes and were met in the center by a nasty collision. The referee began the ten count, and once they got back up, it was all about the kicks.
Sydal mixed it up with the chops, but Martin hoisted him up for the lungblower. Matt somehow managed to kick out and stay alive in the AEW Dark match.
Dante proceeded to the top but missed the move as Sydal got up. Matt went on to catch Martin with a leg lariat in mid-air.
Sydal now went up to the second turnbuckle, but Martin followed him. Sydal knocked Dante down with a back fist before coming down with a Meteora for yet another near fall.
Matt called for the finish, and he waited for Dante to get back up. He rolled through for a high-stack pin, but Dante kicked out.
Dante blocked a Lightning Spiral with a flattened pinfall attempt. Sydal responded with a right-foot roundhouse, followed by a massive Lightning Spiral for the win.
Result: Matt Sydal def. Dante Martin on AEW Dark
Grade: A+
Sydal and Martin hugged it out after the AEW Dark battle in what was easily one of the best matches of the entire week across any promotion. Solid effort from both men here on AEW Dark.
Check out the full AEW Dark episode above.
