AEW Dark results: Dark Order vs. Janela/Kiss vs. Chaos Project

The Big Takeaways:

“Pretty” Peter Avalon picked up his first AEW victory this week, Lance Archer continued his weekly destruction, Dr. Britt Baker gave us the second straight week of The Waiting Room, and the seeds were planted for a Sammy Guevara face turn on a marathon edition of Dark.

Show Recap:

Excalibur and Taz were joined on commentary by Anthony Ogogo and Ricky Starks at points throughout the show.

Big Swole defeated Vipress

This was Vipress’s AEW debut while Swole is currently the promotion’s top ranked women’s competitor. They wrestled around to start before Vipress took control by pulling Swole’s hair. Vipress hit a Northern Lights suplex and laid in strikes. Swole came back with a uranage and a headbutt before hitting a Tiger Driver and locking on the clover leaf for the submission.

Dark Order (Alex “3” Reynolds & John “4” Silver) defeated Lee Johnson & Aaron Solow

The rest of the Dark Order joined Reynolds and Silver for their entrance. Reynolds tried to get Solow to join the Dark Order at the start and Solow put up the hand sign. Reynolds celebrated but it was a ruse as he turned around into a clothesline. Johnson tagged in and hit a neckbreaker, but was driven into the opponents’ corner. 

Solow went for a dive, but Reynolds got a blind tag and cut him off with a kick. Dark Order beat Solow down with Silver puffing up and flexing the whole way. Solow eventually reached Johnson for the hot tag. 

Johnson hit clotheslines and a neckbreaker before kipping up. He hit a great tope con hilo on Silver before a blue thunder bomb on Reynolds got two. Reynolds escaped a double team, but Solow ran wild with clotheslines. The numbers advantage overwhelmed Solow and Dark Order pinned him with a German suplex into a jackknife cradle.

– Leva Bates was in a library. She had framed pictures with both Brandon Cutler and Peter Avalon, but pushed them onto the floor. She called them morons and dead weight and that it was time to start her own story.

Trent? (w/ Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy) defeated Michael Nakazawa

Just like with Matt Sydal after All Out, the story here was that Nakazawa oiled the ropes ahead of Trent’s singles match with Miro a couple weeks ago, leading to Trent’s slip on Dynamite.

This was mostly comedy. Nakazawa had obviously visible bottles of oil in his trunks, so Bryce Remsburg had to remove them himself. Trent was tired of the shenanigans and demanded a fight, so Nakazawa grabbed Trent’s nipples. Nakazawa hit a diving shoulder tackle and Trent regrouped with Cassidy and Taylor.

Back in the ring, Trent attacked with chops and knees. He headed to the top rope, but Nakazawa pulled him down. Trent hit a half-and-half, followed by a Northern Lights suplex for two. A big lariat from Trent got another two. 

With the official’s back turned, Nakazawa grabbed another bottle of oil and covered himself in it. Trent went for a tornado DDT but couldn’t get his grip on Nakazawa who, in turn, hit a Saito suplex. Nakazawa pulled out his underwear and went for the claw, but Trent hit a backdrop suplex. Trent hit three consecutive running knees to end it.

Red Velvet defeated Tesha Price

Velvet applied a couple cradles and nailed a flurry of offense at the bell. Price avoided a corner attack and drove Velvet into a cover before hitting a bulldog. Velvet fought back with clotheslines and transitioned a cazadora into a bulldog of her own. She hit double knees and a dropkick for the win. The finish was bizarre as it was clearly edited with a jump cut.

– Shawn Spears, with Tully Blanchard, was interviewed by Alex Marvez. Marvez asked about Spears’ controversial win over Scorpio Sky, which Spears took offense to. Spears said that he and Tully are here to exploit advantages in the system. Marvez asked what was next for Spears and Sky, and Spears said that there was nothing next, advising Sky that “nice guys finish last.”

– Lance Archer made his way out to the ring with Dark regular Ariel Dominguez on his shoulder and Jake Roberts trailing. Archer chokeslammed him as Roberts began to speak. Roberts said that he’s not a “good guy” or a “bad guy”, but just an honest prick. He and Archer traded listing their accomplishments. Archer dared anyone in AEW who is listening to get in his face and show him who they are.

These promos are getting diminishing returns as it’s now been weeks without any real direction for Archer.

Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) defeated VSK & Baron Black

Private Party controlled early on before Black rolled out with an escape to tag VSK. They continued their advantage with stereo dropkicks on both opponents. Black cut off a dive with an atomic drop. He and VSK isolated Kassidy with frequent tags.

A flapjack bought Kassidy enough time to tag in Quen, who ran wild. Private Party hit what I believe is a new finisher, a standing shooting star press into a lungblower for the win.

KiLynn King defeated Rache Chanel

This was a struggle. Both women went for cradles at the start. King offered a handshake, but Chanel denied it and used a lot of hair-based offense. King powered out of a hurricanrana attempt and they traded strikes. She hit clotheslines, a roundhouse kick, and a German suplex for two. Chanel fought back with a strike sequence for two. King caught a crossbody and hit Kingdom Falls for the win.

Sammy Guevara defeated Marko Stunt

This was tons of fun for what it was. Most people know that Guevara is really talented, but Stunt has looked fantastic in all of his recent Dark appearances.

Guevara got an easy takedown at the bell and taunted Stunt. Stunt slapped him and took him down with a springboard tornillo, following it up with a dragonrana on the floor. Back in the ring, Stunt hit a diving elbow for a near fall.

Stunt tried to continue his offense, but Guevara cut him off with a rising knee. Guevara kept up the beatdown and hit a ridiculous springboard 450 to Stunt on the floor. Guevara used a rana to take Guevara out of the ring before using the full length of the stage to hit a running cannonball. Up top, Guevara crushed Stunt with a forearm and hit the GTH for the pinfall.

Notably, Guevara showed Stunt a bit of respect after the match. He then grabbed a mic and cut a promo. He acknowledged Stunt’s effort and said that 2020 threw everything at him, but he’s still here as the best every single night in this ring. He said there is no bigger or brighter star than Sammy Guevara and soon, people will see that he’s not only the best, but also a champion. They’re teasing a Guevara face turn.

Penelope Ford (w/ Kip Sabian) defeated Dreamgirl Ellie

Ford was sent outside right away, but she stopped Ellie’s dive with a forearm. She and Sabian kissed while Ellie was tangled in the ropes. Ford hit a gutbuster for two. Ellie fired up with a German suplex bridge but was was sent into the corner. Ford hit both a handspring elbow and a handspring cutter, following it up with a fisherman’s suplex bridge for three.

Ivelisse & Diamanté defeated Lady Frost & Jenna

Jenna is the former Jennacide with a name change that is probably for the best. She stopped a Diamanté armdrag and she and Frost hit an assisted standing moonsault. Diamanté stopped the attack with a forearm before Ivelisse tagged in, hitting a series of kicks. Frost tried to fight back, but Ivelisse and Diamanté isolated her in their corner.

A flipping neckbreaker from Frost gave her the opening to tag in Jenna, who dropped both of her opponents with clotheslines. She followed it up with a double chokeslam, but Diamanté kicked out. Ivelisse kicked out Jenna’s legs, and Diamanté transitioned into a Code Red for the pinfall.

Brandon Cutler defeated Adam Priest

They wrestled around at the start before Cutler exploded out with a shoulder tackle. Priest chop blocked Cutler’s leg and hit a dragon screw. He continued to attack Cutler’s knee. Cutler came back with an enziguri, but Priest fought out of the TPK. Cutler then hit a springboard forearm followed by a slingshot elbow before nailing the TPK for his fourth straight win.

The Waiting Room with Dr. Britt Baker

Baker was introduced by Rebel. She’s proud of not just being a dentist and the face of the women’s division, but also a comedian. She told a joke, which got canned laughter, before congratulating Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette on their pregnancy. She hopes that Moxley doesn’t no show the delivery date like he no showed his contract signing on Dynamite.

Tay Conti was her first guest. She clarified that her name is pronounced like “tie.” Baker asked who her favorite women’s wrestler was. Conti listed many names, but not Baker which annoyed her. Baker asked what Conti’s relationship status is, but Conti said that it was none of her business. They got into a shouting match, but Rebel defused the situation by inviting out their next guest, The Acclaimed.

Caster rapped for a while with his typical boasts and taunts and that was it. This week’s edition of The Waiting Room was just as intentionally bad as last week’s, but at least it was a couple minutes shorter.

Gunn Club (Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated Cezar Bononi, KTB & Seth Gargis

The Gunn Club made their trios debut last week and it appears that Billy Gunn can use his last name again. Bononi is a former NXT signee, KTB is a fairly high profile independent wrestler, and Gargis made his AEW debut in this match.

Gunn Clubb isolated Gargis in the corner with frequent tags. Bononi and Billy tagged in and faced off. They’re similarly tall which led to a cool visual. Austin made a blind tag but was floored with a Bononi clothesline. KTB tagged in and kept up the offense with a diving headbutt before tagging in Gargis.

Eventually, Austin hit an enziguri and tagged in Colten. Colten hit splashes on KTB and Bononi before nailing a nice looking dropkick. With Gargis alone in the ring, Colten hit his version of the Fameasser (called the Colt .45) for his first pinfall victory.

Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy) defeated Panda Xpress (Super Panda & Ultimo Panda)

Excalibur, Taz, and Starks were hilarious here and completely out of their minds on commentary during this match. This broadcast team is the highlight of Dark every week.

There was comedy right away as Ultimo got blown up running the ropes. Jungle Boy hit his springboard armdrag before Super tagged in. Super tried to chop Luchasaurus, who chopped Super down and hit a release suplex. Ultimo tagged back in and Jungle Boy landed his assisted senton for two. 

Ultimo stopped the offense with a sitdown splash, but Jungle Boy avoided a double team and Luchasaurus ran wild. Panda Xpress cut him off, and Super hit a frog splash for two. Jurassic Express had enough, so Luchasaurus hit a cyclone kick and Jungle Boy hit a running elbow smash for the pin.

The Hybrid2 (Jack Evans & Angélico) defeated Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison

TH2 have a match with the newly signed Top Flight on this week’s Dynamite. They beat down Pillman early on with a neckbreaker/backbreaker combination. Angélico applied a brutal looking inverted figure four, but Pillman reached the ropes. Evans went for a top rope dive, but Pillman sprung up and hit a superplex. 

The hot tag to Garrison was his first action of the match. He ran wild and hit a facebuster. Evans tried to stop the action with a dive, but Garrison caught him and Pillman hit an assisted blockbuster. Evans landed an Asai moonsault to Garrison on the outside as Angélico locked on the Navarro Death Roll, forcing Pillman to submit. After the match, TH2 continued to attack their opponents, but Top Flight ran out to send them packing.

The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) defeated Alex Chamberlain and Damian Fenrir

Caster rapped during The Acclaimed’s entrance. Bowens laid in machine gun chops at the bell. Fenrir landed a couple armdrags before whiffing on a dropkick. Bowens pulled him off the apron and The Acclaimed beat him down on the outside before keeping up the attack with frequent tags and double teams.

The finish was odd. Bowens essentially scared Chamberlain off the apron before Caster hit a diving elbow drop to get the pin with Chamberlain making no effort to break it up.

Matt Sydal defeated Alan “5” Angels (w/ Preston “10” Vance)

Much of the Dark Order joined Angels for his entrance, but only Vance stayed at ringside. Sydal’s signing was announced last week. This was a solid back-and-forth match that got plenty of time.

Sydal called on his character from when he was in Impact, suggesting to Angels that he knows more than the Dark Order. Angels rejected the offer and demanded a fight. They performed chain wrestling, but neither man could establish an advantage. Sydal took Angels down with a hurricanrana, but Angels flattened him with a lariat.

Angels kept up the offense, but Sydal turned a suplex into a crossbody. Sydal hit his new sidewalk slam driver, but Angels escaped to the floor. Vance protected Angels and took a baseball slide before beating down Sydal while Angels distracted the official. 

We got a long heat segment with an extended beatdown of Sydal. Sydal came back with round kicks and a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. A fisherman’s buster got another two. Sydal went to the top rope, but Angels stopped him with a rising knee. Angels landed a Spanish Fly for a good near fall.

Sydal hit a Russian leg sweep and applied a cobra clutch, but Vance distracted the official. Angels downed Sydal with a hook kick and a second rope moonsault for another good near fall. Sydal turned the Wing Snapper into a cradle and hit a spinning fireman’s carry slam to pick up the win. 

“Pretty” Peter Avalon defeated Fuego Del Sol

Avalon has dropped the librarian gimmick and is now a slimeball playboy, and he has new music to match. Both men came into this match winless.

At the lockup, Avalon made his way to the ropes, saying “not the face!” Del Sol turned a tijeras into a roll up and they exchanged cradles before Del Sol missed a dropkick. Avalon clotheslined his opponent to the outside and posed on the ropes.

Back in the ring, Avalon landed a back suplex for two. Del Sol fought out of a superplex and hit a diving crossbody followed by a straitjacket neckbreaker for two. He went for his famed tornado DDT, but Avalon fought out and hit the Marti-knees for his first AEW win.

Dark Order (Stu Grayson & Evil Uno) defeated Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss and Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico)

This was a good, all action main event. The rules were two men in, one out. 

Dark Order attacked before the bell, but were sent outside. Janela and Kiss hit crossbodies on both teams outside. Chaos Project and Janela and Kiss were the first two legal teams, but Uno got a blind tag as the Dark Order beat down Kiss. Serpentico returned the favor with a blind tag of his own, continuing to attack Kiss.

Chaos Project kept up their signature offense, which involves Luther using Serpentico as a weapon. Uno grabbed yet another hot tag on Serpentico. The two teams exchanged which allowed Kiss to reach Janela for the hot tag.

Janela ran wild, dispatching each of his opponents. He nailed a Serpentico superplex onto both of the Dark Order. Janela and Kiss hit a Doomsday Device on Serpentico for a near fall.

Serpentico sent Janela outside and nailed a DDT on Kiss. He needed to tag out but Luther wasn’t there, so he was forced to tag in Dark Order who flattened Kiss with an assisted powerbomb. Grayson kicked Janela off the apron and Uno hit a senton atomico for a close two.

Luther made his way back in and used Serpentico to take control. Serpentico didn’t want to, but Luther convinced him to get tossed on to his opponents on the outside before Luther landed a cannonball. Chaos Project hit Creeping Death on Kiss, but Uno broke it up.

Dark Order made their way back into the match. Grayson caught a Janela crossbody, allowing Dark Order to hit the Fatality for the win. 

Final Thoughts:

Two hours and 48 minutes. That was the length of this week’s AEW Dark.

There are good moments interspersed here and there (the Spears promo, Guevara/Stunt, and the main event) but compared to the amount of pure filler, Dark continues to be a completely skippable show. Adding to my frustration is the addition of Baker’s new segment. While Dark is rarely exciting, it’s also rarely bad — a level which The Waiting Room has accomplished for two straight weeks.

I want to note that one of the show’s few saving graces is Excalibur and Taz on commentary. When Starks is added to the mix, the group is genuinely hilarious with multiple laugh out loud moments every show. Normally I wouldn’t like the commentators making the show about themselves, but when the show is as uninspired as Dark, I don’t mind it at all.