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AEW Dark
October 8, 2019

by Scrooge McSuck

- Featured on the All Elite Wrestling YouTube Channel, all the matches featured here were taped on October 2nd from the Capitol One Center in Washington D.C. Tony Schiavone is our studio host. My fiancé, who is familiar with Schiavone from his time in WCW, was happy to see him and the fact he's still got a little tummy on him. Should I be jealous?

- Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur are calling the action, unless otherwise noted.

Darby Allin vs. CIMA:

20-minute time limit. According to the AEW brass, wins and losses matter, even on AEW: Dark, so these aren't just meaningless fluff... for now. Allin is coming in with a time limit draw with Cody, taking the loss in a Six-Man Tag, and being on the losing end of a Triple Threat, while CIMA has a tag team victory over SCU and a solo loss to Kenny Omega. CIMA takes advantage of Allin in the corner, charging in with the double knees. Allin uses his speed to avoid some strikes and springboards off the top with an arm drag. He knocks CIMA off the apron with a dropkick and hits a series of topes, knocking CIMA into the guardrail. Back inside, CIMA counters the Coffin Drop with a variant of the Powerbomb. He tosses Allin neck-first into the turnbuckle and follows with a dropkick for two. Allin smacks himself to get hyped and escape a submission hold. Allin straddles CIMA on the top turnbuckle and traps him in the tree of woe. Allin with headbutts to the leg, followed by an avalanche. CIMA gets a knee up to counter another avalanche and comes off the ropes with a Tornado DDT for two. They trade strikes, with CIMA getting the better of the exchange. He dares Allin to give him his best shot. Allin with a flurry of strikes and a modified stunner for two. CIMA had it coming. Allin from the top rope with the Coffin Drop, this time meeting the knees. CIMA with a brutal back stabber and a Michinoku Driver for a near-fall. CIMA springs off the top with the Meteora to the back of the head for two. CIMA misses the knees from the top rope. Allin with a Code Red for two. Allin off the top and the Coffin Drop connects for three at 6:58. THE COFFIN DROP HIT! THE COFFIN DROP HIT! THE COFFIN DROP HIT! Good match to kick off the program. ***

The Best Friends & Private Party vs. The Lucha Bros & The Hybrid 2:

What a unique combination of teams. The Hybrid 2 is the new name for the team of the winless Jack Evans and Angelico. The Best Friends and Private Party come out with ORANGE CASSIDY, the newest ally of Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta. If this were WWE, there's no way they allow two Cassidy's, even if one is spelled with a “K”. Pentagon tries taunting with his signature “Cero Miedo”, but Evans stops him and calls the Lucha Bros the B-Team. Well, this foursome is not going to get along too well. The Hybrid 2 and Best Friends get cleared out and hit on the floor with topes from Fenix and Marq Quen. The Lucha Bros work Kassidy over, hitting him with a double Super-Kick. Taylor comes in to help but is quickly sent packing by Evans and Angelico. Kassidy fires back on Angelico with forearms. That comeback is cut short with more double-team offense. Kassidy with another teased comeback, this time fighting off the Lucha Bros. He sends Angelico into Evans with a hurricanrana and finally tags out to Taylor. He runs wild on Angelico with clotheslines and a standing Sliced Bread #2. Angelico counters a charge with a boot to the face, but here's Beretta with a clothesline and a DDT. Evans in, wiping out the Best Friends with a glancing springboard moonsault. I feel like he intended that to be something much more, but they were out of position. Everyone winds up outside the ring, where Orange Cassidy decides to get involved, standing in the faces of Evans an Angelico. Angelico responds properly with a right hand, pissing off the crowd. Back inside, Angelico with a knee to the face of Beretta, followed by an assisted 450 splash. Quen dropkicks Evans off the apron and hits a dramatic tornado DDT on Angelico. Roundhouse super-kick from Fenix, sending Quen to the floor, as the sequence of bodies being knocked out of the ring rolls on, culminating in the Best Friends finally getting to HUG. IT. OUT. They hit synchronized somersault planchas, and Orange Cassidy comes off the top with a hands-in-the-pockets dive onto the pile. Back inside, The Best Friends double-up on Pentagon. Fenix saves him from Strong Zero, hitting an assisted Code Red. They dump Beretta. Running kick to the face of Taylor, followed by a back stabber, and the Lucha Bros finish with a combo package piledriver/double stomp at 8:47. Post-match, The Hybrid 2 celebrate like they won the match themselves. I'm not the biggest fan of a bunch of guys thrown together for large tag team matches, with so much going on, and crammed into a tight window. This was fine, and when you have time to breath, can be appreciated, but there was too much going on at times. **1/2

- Private Party meets The Young Bucks THIS WEDNESDAY in a 1st Round Match to crown the 1st ever AEW Tag Team Championship Match. Tune in on Wednesday Night, on TNT!

Allie & Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Bea Priestley & Penelope Ford:

There's been an under-the-radar feud developed between Baker and Priestley, dating back to Fight For the Fallen, when they competed on opposite teams, then at All Out, Priestley, already eliminated, was responsible for Baker losing her opportunity to win the Casino Battle Royale. They're really going all-in with the doctor name. Allie and Priestley start, but not before Priestley takes a cheap shot at Baker on the apron. Allie with an arm drag and neck breaker, followed by a senton for a one-count. Baker in, and Priestley quickly tags out to Ford. Baker with a snap mare into a cradle for two. Rolling schoolboy for two. Ford sends Baker to the corner and hits the handspring back elbow. Ford with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Baker fires back with a rolling forearm. Allie back in with a running elbow and sliding forearm for two. Allie hits another sliding forearm but gets caught showboating on the outside with a running kick to the face from Priestley. Back inside, Priestley comes off the top with a double stomp across the arm. Allie fights out of the corner, but Priestley pulls Baker off the apron to prevent the tag. Ford misses the handspring elbow on the second try and gets swept off her feet. Allie with a rough looking short-rana, and both women are down and out. Both women tag, and finally Baker gets her hands on Priestley. Baker quickly hits a Thesz Press and unloads with rights. They trade forearms and Baker comes off the ropes with a sling-blade. Baker with a rolling cradle into a twisting neck breaker for two. Whip to the corner, Priestley springs off the top rope to avoid a charge and takes Baker down with a twisting back suplex for a near-fall. Allie with the blind tag. Baker with a butterfly suplex and Allie with a rolling cradle for two. Ford wipes out Allie, Baker wipes out Ford. Priestley with a high roundhouse kick to Baker. Allie with a Death Valley Driver on Priestley for two. Baker with a running neck breaker on Ford, COMPLETELY NO-SOLD. Baker ducks a clothesline and hits the DMD (DDT) for two. I made that up myself. Allie hits Priestley with a Spear, and Baker hits another ugly leg-sweep neck breaker. Baker rips off PAC's submission to audible boos and jams her fingers in Ford's mouth for the “verbal” submission at 10:13. Lacked crowd heat and some rough looking spots at times, decent at others. **1/4

- Recap of Chris Jericho assaulting Cody following the latter's hard-fought match with Sammy Guevara. Then, during the Main Event of The Elite vs. Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz, Jon Moxley took out Omega, leaving the Bucks to fall in a short-handed match. Following the match, heck broke loose, with the debut of Jake Hager seemingly aligned with Chris Jericho as well, taking out Cody and Dustin Rhodes.

- "The Chairman" Shawn Spears, with Tully Blanchard in his corner, meets Jon Moxley THIS WEDNESDAY on AEW Dynamite. ONLY ON TNT. In the Main Event, Dustin Rhodes and Hangman Adam Page take on Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara.

Jurassic Express vs. SCU:

Jurassic Express is the trio of Jungle Boy (Jack Perry, son of Luke), Luchasaurus, and Marko Stunt, a winless trio. SCU is the much more experienced trio of Christopher Daniels, Frank Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky. Jurassic Express meet The Lucha Bros, and SCU faces the Best Friends in the 1st Round of the Tournament. STUNT and Daniels start, with Daniels comically taking Stunt lightly. Gosh, he's REALLY small, even next to Daniels. Stunt grabs a side headlock but is wiped out with a shoulder tackle. Whip to the ropes and Stunt with a tilt-o-whirl into a small package for two. Crisscross and Stunt with more comedy. Please, kick his head into the 5th row. Daniels repays Stunt with his own taunting. Kazarian immediately sweeps the leg of Jungle Boy for a cradle. They go back and forth going for pinning combinations. Kazarian with a slam and springboard leg drop for two. Jungle Boy ducks under a double clothesline and tags in Luchasaurus. He nails Daniels with the Tail Whip (sweeping Super-Kick). Jungle Boy with a suplex into a cover for a one-count. Jungle Boy assists Stunt in hitting a splash, as well as hitting a leg drop himself. Combo kick and back stabber from Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, followed by a senton from Stunt for two. Scorpio Sky in, no-selling a body press attempt from Stunt. He knocks Jungle Boy to the floor with a dropkick. He avoids a chokeslam from Luchasaurus and unloads with a flurry of kicks. Assisted Tornado DDT for two. Luchasaurus pops up, NIPS UP, and unloads with kicks. He goozles Scorpio Sky and brings him back in the ring. Chokeslam and standing moonsault on Kazarian for two as Jungle Boy and Stunt wipe out Sky and Daniels with topes. Jurassic Express with a flurry of offense on Kazarian. Luchasaurus gets dumped. Jungle Boy gets worked over next in an extended sequence. Stunt with a surprise cradle on Kazarian for two. Kazarian counters a hurricanrana for a combo powerbomb and back stabber, and that's enough to keep Jurassic Express winless at 9:15. They really have something with Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, but damn, let them win a match occasionally. Good match, though the finish was a little too much with excessive triple-team work on both sides. ***

Final Thoughts: A good choice to keep most of this off the first episode of Dynamite, but that's not to say it's all worthless. The work was good for most of it, and everything was given the appropriate amount of time to play out (in the case of the women, a little too much with how little heat they had). With all match results meaning something, it'll be interesting to see the attention to detail for matches featured here, especially if it's a series that plays out for longer than a few weeks or months. Not mentioned on this show is that Darby Allin, by winning this match, earned a match against Jimmy Havoc to determine a challenger for Chris Jericho on the October 16th episode of Dynamite. Give the opener and closing matches a look, skip the others, unless you're a big Orange Cassidy fan.

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