AEW Dark results: Ricky Starks vs. Nick Comoroto

This week’s AEW Dark was a hybrid of matches taped in Toronto nearly two weeks ago and Jacksonville, Florida, last Friday. I was in attendance live for the Toronto matches, so I added a few notes below.

Lance Archer defeated Iseah Brown (3:39)

Archer dragged an already beaten up Brown down to the ring during his entrance. He teased tossing his t-shirt into the crowd, but chucked it down instead.

Brown caught Archer off guard with a flying knee strike as the match started, but Archer squashed him after that and won easily after hitting the Blackout. The crowd was fairly quiet for the match. They didn’t show it on the broadcast, but after the match, Archer teased giving his shirt to a young fan in the front row but took it back.

Zack Clayton defeated Shane Saber (3:57)

Saber is an Ontario native, so the crowd did cheer for him a bit but this was another short, one-sided match that Clayton won with a fisherman’s buster. I must have been getting a beer because I don’t remember this at all live.

Athena defeated Alexia Nicole (2:51)

This was Nicole’s AEW debut. Another local, she was pretty recognizable to a bunch of the Toronto fans, enough of whom wanted her to win. In fact, Athena was booed when she cut off Nicole’s offense and she even apologized to the crowd for hitting a move. Athena got the win after a boot and lung blower/gut buster.

After the match, Athena held up Nicole’s hand to get cheered by the crowd. Nicole was gracious and left the ring so Athena could celebrate the win.

Danhausen defeated James Stone (2:18)

This was Stone’s AEW debut and was booed by virtue of not being Danhausen. He stomped a mudhole in Stone as soon as the match started. Stone cut him off with a clothesline, but Danhausen picked up a fairly decisive submission win with an octopus stretch.

Excalibur played it up like we saw a more aggressive side of Danhausen once the bell rang.

Aaron Solo (w/ QT Marshall) defeated Serpentico (w/ Luther) (5:13)

Luther wore a Canadian flag as a cape.

Solo had Dasha Gonzalez inform the crowd that QT Marshall would not be with him at ringside which the crowd cheered. Marshall entered anyway moments later and the crowd loudly booed. He was all over this Dark taping and got tons of heat. He was great at playing it up.

Serpentico hit a thrust kick, a low DDT, and a suicide dive. He distracted the referee as Luther gave Solo a vertical suplex outside the ring — a receipt for Marshall booting Serpentico a little earlier. Serpentico also hit a senton bomb for a near fall.

Marshall decked Luther from behind and the distraction allowed Solo to hit a corkscrew kick for the pinfall win, assisted by Marshall from the outside of the ring.

Riho defeated Jungle Kyona (5:20)

This was Kyona’s AEW debut, but Excalibur spoke about the history between these two in Japan.

Riho got a couple of two counts after a tiger feint kick and northern lights suplex. Kyona avoided a double foot stomp and decked Riho with a forearm. Kyona applied a guillotine and turned it into a suplex before hitting a sliding lariat for two.

Riho hit a knee strike and double foot stomp, but only got a two count. She followed up quickly with a running double knee strike for the pinfall win. This was pretty good for the time they had.

Riho will take on Jamie Hayter on tomorrow’s Dynamite.

Lucha Brothers (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated The WorkHorsemen (2:55)

They plugged Penta’s world title match against Jon Moxley on tomorrow’s Dynamite.

JD Drake and Anthony Henry did get some offense in, but Penta and Rey Fenix won fairly quickly with an assisted package piledriver as Penta pinned Henry. The Jacksonville crowd liked the Lucha Brothers.

Serena Deeb & Emi Sakura defeated KC Spinelli & Taylor Rising (4:34)

Sakura put Rising in a dragon sleeper while Deeb tapped out Spinelli using the Serenity Lock. The Toronto crowd was into Deeb.

Taz and Excalibur were cracking up at each other after Taz said he loves nuts.

Ricky Starks defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ QT Marshall & Aaron Solo) (8:47)

There were dueling chants of “Let’s go Rick” and “QT sucks” and the crowd also sang “Oh, QT’s an assh*le” after Marshall and Solo took cheap shots at Starks.

Comoroto was in control for a bit thanks to the inference, but Starks came back and hit a tornado DDT. Solo distracted Starks again, allowing Comoroto to hit a spinebuster for two. Comoroto tried a cradle while holding the middle rope, but the referee caught him.

Starks, popular with the Toronto crowd, followed with a crucifix bomb and spear. He booted Solo off the apron and superkicked Marshall. Comoroto hit an Alabama Slam as he re-entered the ring for a near fall. The ref chose that moment to toss Marshall and Solo from ringside and the crowd popped.

Starks later hit a sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall win, adding in a post-match spear speared for good measure.