12 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dark (Oct 27)

A big upturn in quality in a Raw-length episode.

by Andy H Murray
Ricky Starks
AEW

Last night's episode of AEW Dark came in at a whopping 2 hours and 21 minutes. This is about the same length as the average Raw (after removing the commercials) and comfortably the longest the web series has ever been, despite the match count dropping from 16 to 15.

One may look at this and assume the show an overlong, repetitive slog peppered with splashes of character and competitive hints, but no. This was actually one of the better Dark shows of the year so far. Rather than flooding the night with the usual smattering of identikit pseudo squashes, AEW emphasised variety, including a well-built grudge match, a strong women's showcase, and a couple of tag rippers, almost justifying the show's gargantuan runtime.

Amongst the highlighted stars were Ricky Starks, Brian Cage, Darby Allin, The Dark Order, Hikaru Shida, Ivelisse, and Diamante. There were competitive bouts in SCU vs. TH2 and Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon, plus former boxer Anthony Ogogo on guest commentary for the first time, giving AEW audiences a chance to get acquainted with him.

Let's light the fuse.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.