4 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dark (July 7)
A weird cocktail of delicious squashes and some of the clunkiest wrestling of 2020 so far.
Never before have AEW Dark's floor and ceiling been so far apart than on last night's show, which showcased the absolute best and dirt worst of the Tuesday web series in near-equal measure.
Misfiring gimmicks, problematic allusions, and too-green-for-YouTube jobbers came together to create some of the least watching content AEW has produced all year, as long stretches of Dark descended to madness. The episode's 74 minutes swung back and forth wildly, with a couple of the squashes amongst the most effective and efficient we have seen since the show switched to its new format, though disaster was only a breath away. Dark was all over the place, sadly. A mess.
Picking and choosing remains the best strategy for curious fans. Locate the wrestlers you like, ensure they have an opponent who can at least uphold their end of the bargain, and watch those bouts, skipping the rest. Consuming the entire show is only recommended for hardcores and those crazy enough to cover professional wrestling for a living.
Showcased full-timers included the Lucha Brothers, The Butcher and the Blade, Scorpio Sky, Big Swole, and Shawn Spears, who welcomed MLW's Brian Pillman Jr. back to AEW.
Let's light the fuse...