5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dark (Feb 4)

2. A Successful Experiment

Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega and Riho was a successful experiment for AEW, with the mixed tag format something that could potentially serve them well going forward.

Through their Mixed Match Challenge, WWE proved that pseudo intergender wrestling can work at this level, though their guidelines were a little different. In WWE, the men wrestle the men and the women wrestle the women. AEW's version is pure intergender, with Omega working Ford early on before Sabian starting throwing Riho around to big heel heat from the audience, and this continued throughout.

Intergender is a controversial, divisive niche that Impact is attempting to tap into with Tessa Blanchard as World Champion. Aspects of it are never going to be believable, but neither is an Irish Whip. Try doing one of those in real combat and see what happens. Here, AEW at least played to the size and strength discrepancies by having the women wrestle slippery and evasive, and look: the match got over. It was over as hell, in fact, and that alone will likely spur AEW to do more.

This brand of wrestling doesn't need to become A Thing in AEW in the same way it has for Impact. Still, what's the harm in throwing a few matches like this on Dark from time to time?