AEW Dark results: SCU vs. Private Party vs. Santana & Ortiz

This week’s packed show started off with Taz and Excalibur running down the card.

FTR defeated The Initiative (Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler)

Tully Blanchard was in the audience, scouting FTR once again. Could we be seeing a stable form before our eyes with FTR, Hangman Page & Shawn Spears? Cash and Dax dominated the first few minutes, but Cutler hit a flying forearm and the two hit a combo flapjack to start to get the heat on Cash. However, FTR hit a double front suplex across the top rope for a two count soon thereafter.

FTR DDT’d Cutler’s legs, slingshotting him into the middle rope for good measure. Dax cut off a tag attempt and they continued to beat on Cutler. Leva Bates distracted Dax, but he hit a back suplex anyway. Cash went for a dropkick, but Cutler dodged and made the hot tag to Avalon. Avalon hit a chop, enziguri, and a split-legged moonsault for a two count. Dax countered an Irish whip with a clothesline, leading to a combo spike piledriver for the pin and win to finish off a solid tag match.

The Young Bucks were at ringside and shook the winners’ hands after the match, impressed by their performance. Taz then threatened to sell FTR’s jackets on eBay if they forgot them at ringside.

Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss defeated Pineapple Pete & Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa ate a dropkick from Kiss as the match started and took some Kiss offense, getting locked in the Kiss My Sass in the corner. He tried to escape with his baby oil, but Janela grabbed the oil and sprayed it on Kiss instead. Kiss slipped on the mat after Pete sprayed some oil on the mat. Pete later sprayed his partner’s back with oil and ran from one corner to the other, sliding off Nakazawa’s back into Rose in the corner. Later, after some mat wrestling, Pete tagged Janela which I think was a botch.

Excalibur kept referring to “Mike” and Taz was incredibly confused, not realizing that he was talking about Nakazawa which was hilarious. Janela hit a splash off the top rope on Pete for two. Nakazawa did his underwear spot but ate a superkick instead, and Kiss hit a legdrop on Pete for the pinfall.

Abadon defeated Skyler Moore

Abadon did a double leg and hit some ground and pound. Moore later hit a DDT, but Abadon sat up and scared her. Moore still managed to hit a front slam, but only got a two count. Abadon hit a Widow’s Peak for the win.

A good promo aired for Shawn Spears in which he talked about how the glove Tully Blanchard gave him was his protector.

The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) defeated Shawn Dean & Will Hobbs

Excalibur noted that the Dark Order of Evil Uno and Stu Grayson were in line for a tag title shot before the pandemic, slid down the rankings because of it, but are now back in line for another shot for tomorrow’s Dynamite. This was a good recap of their work in 2020 so far, and a reminder that AEW’s booking plans are largely planned well in advance.

Evil Uno hit a back suplex on Dean as they tried to isolate him in the ring because Hobbs is so big. Grayson shoved Hobbs and Uno dropkicked him off the apron. Dean hit a dropkick that knocked Grayson to the floor, and Dean hit a tope con giro and tagged out to Hobbs who hit a big spinebuster on Uno and an Oklahoma Stampede on Grayson for a two.

Grayson hit Knightfall on Hobbs and then Fatality on Dean for the pin and win.

Scorpio Sky defeated Corey Hollis

Both men exchanged hammerlocks to start the match, ending with a pinfall attempt for a quick one count. Sky hit a Manhattan Drop and then a russian leg sweep for a two count. Hollis pulled Sky’s leg, sending him crashing into the apron, and then hit a flying knee for two. Hollis hit a dropkick from behind and then stomped on Sky.

Sky reversed an Irish whip, but Hollis hit a kick off the middle rope for a two. Sky hit a big boot on Hollis for a two. Sky went for a cradle, but Hollis reversed it into a stunner. But, Sky put his feet up as Hollis went for a splash, leading to the TKO for the win in a great little squash match.

Penelope Ford (w/ Kip Sabian) defeated Kenzie Paige

Ford hit a clothesline to Paige’s back after an irish whip into the corner. Ford sent Paige to the opposite corner, but Kenzie clotheslined her and hit some mounted punches. Ford countered a corner run by directing her face into the middle turnbuckle. Excalibur and Taz had some golden commentary here as they tried to figure out a part of Ford’s gear, leading to Excalibur quoting “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme song.

Penelope hit a gutbuster and then a stunner. Kenzie fired back, but Ford hit a hard forearm of her own. Kenzie hit a superkick, but Ford responded with a pump kick, a handspring cutter, and a fisherman’s suplex for the win. The match was sloppy in parts, but there were moments that showed both women have the potential to be great.

Wardlow defeated Aaron Solow

Wardlow dominated this match early on, crushing Solow with power moves. Wardlow charged the corner, but Solow hit a few kicks. Wardlow caught him in midair and just threw him. Wardlow hit a lariat and put Solow on the top rope before kicking him in the face. The ref then stopped the match due to knockout.

Wardlow picked Solow up after and hit the F10 twice for good measure.

Best Friends defeated Alex Reynolds & John Silver of the Dark Order

Silver and Reynolds attacked Best Friends from behind. Trent came off the barricade and hit a spear on Reynolds and while Chuck Taylor hit a double stomp on Silver. They went for Strong Zero right away, but Silver cut them off and Dark Order hit a series of double team moves for a near fall on Trent. They got the heat on Trent for the next few minutes.

Silver hit a running slam for two and Reynolds hit a running cutter on Trent for two. They threw Taylor to the outside and continued to work over Trent. Trent ate some kicks and hit some hard forearms. Both men exchanged forearms but Trent took Silver’s head off with a clothesline. Reynolds took Taylor off the apron and hit a suplex before continuing to work over Trent.

Trent hit a backdrop driver on Silver and finally tagged out to Taylor who ran wild. Taylor avoided Reynolds and suplexed Silver into his own partner. Trent hit a release german off the top rope on Reynolds, and then Taylor hit the Awful Waffle on Silver for the win to finish a great tag match.

It’s interesting to see the development of Reynolds and Silver as they get closer and closer to a big win.

Lance Archer defeated Frankie Thomas

Archer won this match very quickly. he hit a pounce and then a suplex. Archer killed a guy at ringside and then continued to destroy Thomas. Archer then went for Blackout, but Thomas escaped. It was for naught though as Archer hit a chokeslam and the EVD Claw for the pinfall.

Orange Cassidy defeated Serpentico

Cassidy went for the superman punch early, but Serpentico went to the floor to avoid it. Serpentico hit a superkick and a quick DDT on Cassidy for two. Cassidy hit a suicide dive but got hit with a superplex. Serpentico went for a russian leg sweep, but Cassidy countered with a crucifix of sorts for the win.

Sammy Guevara defeated Fuego Del Sol

Fuego and the returning Guevara exchanged some lucha moves on the onset, but Guevara had the clear size advantage. Del Sol hit a northern lights suplex for two. Fuego went for a springboard, but Guevara hit him with a flying knee that got a two count. Guevara hit a vertical suplex for a two count and flipped Fuego over the top rope and to the floor in a pretty spectacular spot. Guevara threw him back into the ring but ate a superkick and a few other high flying moves before he dodged a top rope dive and hit the GTH for the pinfall.

Santana & Ortiz defeated SCU & Private Party (w/ Big Money Matt)

The early part of the match saw SCU and the Inner Circle members exchange most of the offense. Marq Quen tagged in and hit a hurricanrana on Daniels. Daniels later cradled Kassidy for a two count and Ortiz blind tagged in to assault Daniels. Santana & Ortiz got the heat on Daniels for the next few minutes before Kassidy broke up a pinfall attempt to save the match.

Daniels was forced to tag out to Quen as Kazarian was pulled off the apron, and he hit a tope con giro on Santana and Ortiz. Kassidy hit a moonsault on Ortiz but only got two. Private Party managed to hit the Silly String on Ortiz, but Kazarian came in and broke it up. Kaz got sent to the floor as Kassidy tagged out to Quen and they hit a combo splash and legdrop, right out of the Hardy Boys playbook.

Santana hit a rolling cutter on Quen, but ate a blue thunder bomb from Daniels. Ortiz hit Daniels wit ha stunner, but Kazarian hit a DDT on Ortiz. Kassidy landed a flatliner on Kazarian, but then Ortiz threw the slapjack at Quen and claimed they were going to us it. As the ref took it away, Ortiz punted Quen between the legs and rolled him up for a pinfall.

This was a solid tag main event to close the show, but one thing stood out to me about Dark this week: it was too long. A show that goes nearly two hours with mostly squash matches is a bit much to watch. With that being said, nothing on the show was bad and each match, in a vacuum, had a lot to offer.