5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dark (Oct 8)

2. Eight-Man Mayhem

The array of talent involved in last night's eight-man tag highlights how awesome AEW's tag division is, with the Lucha Brothers and Hybrid 2 joining forces to face the Best Friends and Private Party.

This was effectively a hype piece for the upcoming tag team tournament. That's how the announcers sold it, that's how Schiavone wrapped it up, and that's how it was performed, with the wrestlers placing greater emphasis on ensuring the crowd had a good time rather than any one team (or performer) getting over.

It was a Movez match. Fast, fluid double-team moves came every other second, making for the bout's basic psychology. If you're into that kind of thing, then great, check this out. If you're not, skip it. It'll do nothing to win you over.

Orange Cassidy drew two of the night's biggest pops, first when he emerged alongside Best Friends, then again when he dived onto a pile of bodies late in the bout. Other highlights included Jack Evans botching a springboard into the ring then selling it like a total goof, Marq Quen getting his sunglasses kicked off his head by Rey Fenix, and Fenix running the roots to boot Chuck Taylor's face. Isiah Kasidy needs to stop f*cking squealing, though. Seriously.

The Lucha Brothers took the victory when Taylor was pinned following their Fear Factor/stomp combo. They, along with the Young Bucks, are established as tournament favourites, though an upset first-round victory for one team might make the most sense.