4 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dark (May 19)

Darby Allin, Rey Fenix, and more shine in this week's episode of Squash Match Theatre.

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Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the latest episode of AEW Squash Match Theatre. Your hosts: Excalibur and Taz.

This was another bumper Dark, with nine semi-squash matches stretched across one-and-a-half hours. Why "semi-squash"? Because most of these bouts were too even to be considered one-sided, with eight out of nine playing out in a similar fashion to recent clashes pitting Alan Angels against Kenny Omega and Rey Fenix. The enhancement talents came in and did the job but were allowed to shine as well.

This layout varied in effectiveness throughout the show. Success or failure in this department will form the basis for much of this week's Ups and Downs article, though this Dark format is already wearing thin. Nine enhancement bouts is a lot. There's only so much the promotion can do at the moment, admittedly, though the show would likely benefit from some trimming.

In action were Darby Allin, Women's Championship number one contender Hikaru Shida, Private Party, Sammy Guevara and more, with increasingly familiar faces Alan Angels, Capt. Shawn Dean, and Lee Johnson forming part of the jobber crew.

Let's light the fuse...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. 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.