AEW Dark results: Lee Moriarty vs. Nick Comoroto

It’s Tuesday and you know what that means. These matches were taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. After the last two weeks of Dark tapings that took place before hot crowds for live Rampage episodes, being back in the studio is kind of depressing. 

Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds and John Silver (w/ -1) defeated Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo (5:12) 

Sliver thwarted a double suplex attempt, but wound up on the receiving end of a double thrust kick. Silver caught Dean with a standing sliced bread and got the tag to Reynolds who took out both guys. Reynolds used a cravat neckbreaker for a near fall. Silver and Reynolds caught Dean with a rapid series of moves that ended with Reynolds getting the jackknife cover for the victory. 

Riho defeated Karma Dean (3:21) 

For some reason, the fans were really into booing Dean. Riho tripped her up against the ropes and hit the tiger feint kick, followed by a northern lights suplex and bridge for a near fall. Riho hit the diving foot stomp for the pin.

2point0 and Daniel Garcia defeated Gabriel Hodder, Adrien Soriano and Matthew Omen (1:55)

The double team Hot Shot took out Soriano, and Garcia finished the job with a sit-out scorpion deathlock. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviewed the winners. Matt Lee challenged a bunch of wrestlers they have no chance of beating right now like CM Punk and Eddie Kingston. 

Kiera Hogan defeated Notorious Mimi (2:13) 

Hogan hit a leg drop on Mimi and that popped Taz (“Hogan with a leg drop?”). Hogan finished her with a roundhouse kick. 

Bear Country defeated Chad Lennex and Caine Carter (1:58) 

Bear Boulder pressed Lennex over his head and dropped him. Bear Bronson hit an inverted tombstone with Craton onto Lennex. Bronson bodyslammed both guys at once and Bear Country combined for the big splash out of the electric chair drop (please, call it the Bear Country Jamboree) to get the win in a very fun squash. 

Later, Lexi Nair interviewed the winners. Bear Boulder said it wasn’t enough for us to see Bear Country, we need to smell them and taste them, too. (Um, no thank you?) This was a pretty good promo and I want to see more of these guys. Just, maybe, not smell them. 

Anthony Greene defeated Jameson Ryan (1:50) 

Ryan does not look like he misses any days at the gym and spent a lot of the opening posing. This wasn’t much of a match though as Greene got the win with a crucifix driver. After the match, Schiavone interviewed Greene and let him know that he has a match on Dark next week against Adam Cole. 

Joey Janela (w/ Kayla Rossi) defeated Zack Clayton (5:39) 

Speaking of not missing days at the gym, Janela looked to be in a lot better shape here which the commentators attributed to his relationship with Rossi.  

Clayton got the advantage with a pair of dropkicks which brought Rossi up on the apron to distract Clayton. Clayton hit a delayed vertical suplex, but Rossi grabbed Clayton’s foot when he ran the ropes. This distraction allowed Janela to recover and come back with a charging forearm in the corner. He teased going coast-to-coast, but dropped down and choked Clayton instead.

After a thumb to the eye and a back suplex from Janela, Clayton came back with a powerslam and charging uppercuts in the corner. Janela came back with a superkick for a near fall. Janela dropped to the floor to grab the ring belt, which distracted referee Rick Knox. Behind the ref’s back, Rossi hit a standing moonsault on Clayton. Janela then came off the top with an elbow to get the pinfall.

Emi Sakura (w/ Lulu Pencil) defeated Valentina Rossi (4:01) 

Pencil led the crowd in a sing-a-long while Sakura got Rossi in a Rito Romero special. Rossi threw awkward punches. Her stance reminded me of that video of the WWE interviewer doing the crab walk to make sure he looked shorter than the talent. Rossi went for an inverted DDT, but Sakura countered with an eye rake. There was more singing from Sakura which meant singing from Taz, which meant bleeding in my ears. Sakura hit a spinning Vader bomb and the Queen’s Gambit (a double underhook into a backbreaker) for the pinfall. 

Matt Hardy (w/ Jora Johl) defeated Brick Aldridge (5:39) 

Hardy cut a promo on Aldridge before the match about his name. Hardy dumped him to the floor and Johl threw Aldridge into the ring post. Hardy hit a swinging neckbreaker and screamed “Say my name with reverence!” As far as catchphrases, I have heard worse. Aldridge hit a top rope headbutt on Hardy for a near fall. Aldridge fought out of a Side Effect and hit a shoulderbreaker. Aldridge missed a quebrada and then Hardy hit a Side Effect and the Twist of Fate for the victory. Aldridge looked okay here. 

The Acclaimed defeated Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson (w/ Arn Anderson) (8:43) 

Max Caster rapped about Johnson’s out-of-date hair and Anderson’s probably out-of-date lady friends. This was kind of a disappointment. 

Johnson hit Anthony Bowens with a fantastic dropkick. Caster caught Anderson on the floor and drove him into the ring apron, injuring his back. Back in the ring, Bowens attacked the back with forearms and a back suplex for a near fall. Caster distracted the ref, so Bowens could choke Anderson from the outside. Caster hit a side backbreaker to keep working on Anderson’s back. 

Caster distracted the ref to keep him from seeing Anderson get the tag to Johnson which allowed The Acclaimed to keep the heat on Anderson. Anderson hit the DDT on Bowens and caught Caster with a spinebuster, getting the tag to Johnson. Johnson his a flying neckbreaker on Bowens and an enziguri on Caster. Johnson hit a frog splash on Caster for a near fall, but Bowens broke up the pinfall.

Bowens passed the chain to Caster and distracted the ref with Johnson. Caster dropped Anderson with a gut punch with the chain to get the pinfall. This was an okay match, but I like the dynamic of the Johnson/Anderson team. 

Wardlow defeated Rolando Perez (1:50)

Perez looks smaller than Marko Stunt. Predictably, he got killed. Four power bombs and a GTS from a press slam position and it was over. Wardlow hit a pair of F10s after the pinfall for good measure.

Lee Moriarty defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) (9:30)

These two did a good job with the big man vs. little man formula. The story of the match was Moriarty trying to stay evasive and avoid Comoroto’s power while he targeted Comoroto’s left arm.  Comoroto caught Moriarty with a backbreaker for a near fall and dumped him to the floor so Solo could take some cheap shots. Moriarty tried to grab an arm ringer and one forearm from Comoroto put him down. Moriarty kept trying to work on Comoroto’s arm, but Comoroto kept overpowering him. 

Comoroto got a near fall after a vertical suplex. Moriarty tried a chop and Comoroto sent him face first into the middle ropes. Moriarty countered another suplex attempt with a knee to the head and staggered Comoroto with clotheslines. A flying uppercut sent Comoroto to the floor and Moriarty followed up with an attack on the arm. Moriarty stretched Comoroto’s arm against the ring post and then back in the ring, he hit a spinning shoulderbreaker takedown. Moriarty went for the kimura lock, but Comoroto powered out and into a powerslam for a near fall. 

The crowd was now behind Moriarty, chanting “Let’s go Lee!” Moriarty did more damage to the arm, but Comoroto caught him and tried to press him out of the corner. But, Moriarty went back to the armbar and while Comoroto was trying to defend, Moriarty rolled him up for the upset pinfall win in a good match.

Schiavone interviewed Moriarty after the match which was a good promo to end the show. 

Final Thoughts: 

Moriarty looked great here. The rest was standard Dark squashes that felt like they were trying to burn through the rest of the taping cycle from October.