5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dark (Jun 30)

In which The Young Bucks bring their working boots.

Allie Brandi Rhodes
AEW

As a British AEW reviewer, surfing over to YouTube and seeing that Dark's runtime has been cut by a third on the previous week is a relief not because the show stinks, but because 9-12 similarly-structured squash matches is a lot.

This observation bears repeating every week because it's a problem every week. It's fine from a pure fan's perspective as you can cherry-pick the bouts you're interested in watching, though the format's flaws are thrust to the forefront when you consume every second every single week.

Last night's Dark was trimmer than usual with seven bouts stretched across its hour. Most of these were the kind of enhancement matches we have come to expect from the web series in recent months, with Ricky Starks, Lance Archer, The Butcher and The Blade, the newly-christened Nightmare Sisters, Shawn Spears, and Scorpio Sky all smashing overmatched talent. The main event saw The Young Bucks meet Peter Avalon and Brandon Cutler in a more competitive affair than some may have expected.

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.