AEW Dark results: AR Fox vs. Slim J

This week’s AEW Dark lineup was taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month.

Angelico defeated Dante Casanova

This match started out with Excalibur and Taz cracking up over more inside jokes. Serpentico came out during the match and started an “SAP” chant to get the fans behind his new Spanish Announce Project trios. This was short as Angelico got the tap with a pretty brilliant submission that wasn’t the Navarro Death Roll. Luther joined the group afterward to celebrate.

– The newly engaged Lexy Nair talked to Brock & Arn Anderson. Brock cut a promo essentially saying Cody Rhodes and The Factory/Nightmare Family left them hanging with the bag in the corner. But the dog is fired up and ready to come out of that corner for your ass. Or something like that. Arn then shared some words and said it’s time to dump him out of the nest so I assume he’s not out there with him tonight.

The WorkHorsemen defeated The Hughes Brothers

Terrell and Terrence Hughes are the twin sons of D-Von Dudley and have had several matches on the Dark shows over the past few years. They looked to be trimmer than the last time I had seen them and with new gear.

JD Drake and Anthony Henry won a not great match after a backdrop into a backbreaker combo. This wasn’t my favorite WorkHorsemen match, but there’s always the promise of the next one.

– Matt Menard, who will face the aforementioned Brock Anderson later, did a promo with Nair saying that while the JAS will not be by his side, Anderson also being solo makes his nipples hard.

Fuego Del Sol defeated Lucky Ali

FDS came out with a mic to deliver a corny promo to fire up the fans and have them chant “Fuego” all match long. That led Excalibur to say that while he tries to remain impartial, he hopes Ali “beats the brakes” off FDS.

FDS was rolling early and then Ali got the advantage, putting on an elbow pad halfway through the match and trying to rip off FDS’ mask which prompted Tax to throw out an “Iron” Mike Sharpe reference. The pad never played into the match as FDS hit his tornado DDT for the win in an entertaining match where both guys worked hard and got the crowd to actually care.

Matt Menard defeated Brock Anderson

Taz and Excalibur were in their glory at the onset, pushing the idea of a Dark vs. Dark: Elevation announcer rivalry.

I don’t love Menard on commentary (actually, I don’t love any Dark or Dark: Elevation commentary), but he’s growing on me as a character. He’s one of these guys that is going to be able to wrestle until he’s well into his 50s if he wants.

Anderson still has just 41 matches in a two-year career and really should be out there pounding the indie pavement in 2023. The end came when he ran into an exposed buckle, leading to Menard rolling him up for the pin.

Evil Uno defeated Blake Li

Outside two August GamesCon matches in Germany, this was Uno’s first singles match in AEW since February. He has felt lost in the shuffle this year and I’m still not sure where Stu Grayson is since he briefly re-appeared backstage during the Toronto debut. Uno won a quick match after hitting Something Evil.

Red Velvet defeated Billie Starkz

This was Velvet’s first singles outing since June as she was out most of the second half of the year due to injury. Starkz is an 18-year-old getting a lot of indie work, including in a loss to “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Killer Kelly as she teamed with website’s Bryan Alvarez.

This was fairly short which was disappointing. Velvet won after hitting a spinning kick to the grounded Starkz who didn’t get to show much outside a tope and a failed senton atomico.

Iron Savages defeated Brandon Bullock & Jameson Ryan

Taz initially said JT Davidson was going to be out with the team and then he wasn’t, leading to Taz making up a story about a shirtless Davidson saying in catering that he was going to scout some other teams in Orlando tonight instead. 

I don’t understand if Tony Khan has a plan for the former Bear Country as they aren’t used that much, if at all. This ended after a backpack cannonball in the corner on both Bullock and Ryan.

Diamante defeated Mafiosa

Speaking of someone that I don’t understand if Khan has a plan for, may I present Diamante? She won with a Code Red in a short match, and Mafiosa is now 0-6 with the loss.

AR Fox defeated Slim J (w/ Sonny Kiss & Jeeves Kay)

Excalibur openly questioned whether Ari Daivari, leader of the Trustbusters, was really that rich since he was in the Three Kings $300,000 battle royal this past Friday with the Varsity Athletes. Daivari wasn’t out here tonight, so I’m not sure where that gimmick is going either given Parker Boudreaux’s new revealed faction last Wednesday.

This was a battle of veterans as Slim J has been at this since 2001 while Fox has been a pro since 2009. According to Cagematch, these two have battled twice in singles action before, once in 2009 and another time in 2017, with Slim J picking up both wins.

Tonight, however, was Fox’s night as he picked up the win after a 450 splash.