3 Ups & 7 Downs From AEW Dark (Nov 5)
2. Torture Porn
Dark's closing segment was a poorly-executed, rushed match-builder that felt like it came out of nowhere - and not in a good way.
The action cut backstage soon after Joey Janela and Jimmy Havoc had defeated Jurassic Express. Joey was hanging out, smoking a cigarette, when Tully Blanchard approached, scorning 'The Bad Boy' for their last interaction. This led to Shawn Spears jumping Janella, jamming a pair of pliers into his mouth, and seemingly targeting a tooth, then shoving the cigarette down his throat. End scene.
This is supposed to be a wrestling show, not a Saw movie, so why are Spears and Blanchard going around yanking teeth and making men swallow lit cigarettes? It's one thing using a staplegun or barbed wire skateboard in a hardcore match, but this? This is off. It doesn't work for a wrestling company that champions a real-sport feel and we can only hope that the eventual match between these two is better than the setup.