7 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dark (Oct 22)
Dustin Rhodes and Joey Janela shine in Philadelphia.
This week's AEW Dark was the YouTube series' most "house show" episode yet.
Last week, it was Joey Janela and Kenny Omega coming close to killing each other in a hard-bumping main event. This week, we got eight popular personalities cruising through a character-fuelled multi-man that was boatloads of fun, but would've been right at home on an untelevised live event. This was propped up by Nyla Rose's squash victory over Leva Bates and Janela facing the affable Brandon Cutler in a neat little opener.
Throwing wild praise at this show is as difficult as ripping into its shortcomings, as you can't criticise a thing for not being something it isn't trying to be. Dark isn't Dynamite. This is a light, breezy hour of wrestling that won't always be calibrated to deliver rippers like Omega vs. Janela. It'll do that on occasion, but last night is probably the norm for this brand - and that's okay.
Other notable moments saw former ECW, WWE, and Impact man Taz take a seat in the commentary booth, PAC cut an incendiary promo on Dynamite opponent Jon Moxley, and Cody present his latest Undesirable to Undeniable segment with QT Marshall. Also, Dustin Rhodes being Dustin Rhodes. Who doesn't love that man?
Let's break it down...