AEW Dark results: Ellering vs. Ford, SCU vs. Butcher & Blade
Match Recommendations:
The Butcher & The Blade vs. SCU (Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) | 11:38
Penelope Ford (w/Kip Sabian) vs. Rachael Ellering | 5:41
Show Recap:
Rey Fenix defeated Lee Johnson
Johnson carried an 0-9 AEW record into this one while Fenix has a record of 8-5 this year. Johnson held his own early in the match, but fell for Fenix’s handshake offer which allowed the masked man to take control.
Fenix has shown how ruthless he can be in other promotions, but this was the first time he’s shown it in AEW. Between brutal head kicks, chops, and unorthodox offense, Johnson didn’t stand a chance. In the end, Fenix hit the Black Fire Driver for the win.
Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) defeated Alex Chamberlain
Chamberlain made his AEW debut tonight while Spears looked to improve his 8-2 record this year. Spears worked over Chamberlin’s arm for the majority of the match. Halfway through, the referee once again checked Spears’ glove for any foreign objects, but it was clean. After a flurry of offense, Spears hit the C4 (death valley driver) for the win. After the match, Blanchard handed Spears a metal slug to load his glove which he then used to knock out Chamberlain.
Gunn Club (Billy & Austin Gunn) defeated M’Badu & Shawn Dean
This was another debut on tonight’s show as M’Badu was making his first AEW appearance. It was interesting that Dean and Badu made separate entrances which hasn’t been normal for these jobber teams.
Austin and Dean started off with Austin taking control almost immediately. M’Badu and Dean had a bit of momentum, but in the end, the Gunn Club’s experience would prevail as Austin hit a hip toss into a neckbreaker for the win.
Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford) defeated Michael Stevens
Stevens is a perfect example of a character that shouldn’t be showcased to a national audience. Comparing this match to baseball, Stevens is playing A ball while Sabian is in the majors. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stay focused as Taz and Tony Schiavone barely called the match. Sabian finally hit a neckbreaker to end this madness.
Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) defeated Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.
Private Party really showcased all of their moves during the match and looked much more comfortable than they have in the past. It’s honestly amazing to see how far Private Party has come in these ten months since their debut on the first episode of Dynamite. Garrison and Pillman Jr. worked over Kassidy, but he made the tag to Quen which allowed the two to take control and hit a top rope leg drop and splash for the win.
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt) defeated Corey Hollis, Pineapple Pete & Aaron Solow
Jurassic Express worked over Solow for the first part of the match which included their usual trio team moves. Hollis knocked Jungle Boy off the top rope which allowed Solow and his team of misfits to gain control. This six man tag match turned into chaos as no ten count was enforced, leading to every wrestler hitting their signature moves. Stunt finished everything with a top rope 450 for the win.
The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) w/Brandi Rhodes & Allie defeated The Hybrid 2 (Jack Evans & Angelico)
Rhodes and Marshall beat down Evans for the majority of the match, showcasing some new tag team maneuvers. The Hybrid 2 had minimal offense in this one and lost momentum when Evans allowed Marshall to make the hot tag to Rhodes who hit a spinning suplex for the win.
Penelope Ford (w/Kip Sabian) defeated Rachael Ellering
For the second time tonight, we got to see Ford and Sabian who have been very good of late. Ellering was making her AEW singles debut tonight after being released from WWE in May. At the time of her release, she was inactive due to a torn ACL which she suffered at an NXT live event in mid-2019. She made her tag team debut Monday in the Women’s Tag Team Cup.
This was a very competitive match. Ellering hit a spinebuster for a near fall, but after countering a leg drop, Ford hit a fisherman’s suplex for the win. This was a really fun match where Ellering looked great. I’d like to see her become a regular in the women’s division.
The Butcher & The Blade defeated SCU (Kazarian & Christopher Daniels)
Kazarian and Blade started off the match with reversing headlocks and solid technical wrestling. The ‘crowd’ tonight was very quiet which affected the show’s quality. When you can control your audience, I’m not sure why they are not forcing them to be louder.
Daniels and Kazarian’s experience as a team was on display as they executed quality tag team moves on Blade. Taz and Schiavone are still working out the wrinkles in their commentary as it feels like there’s at least five awkward moments between them per show. Daniels was going for the Best Moonsault Ever on Blade, but Butcher intercepted him and the two hit The Full Death for the win.