7 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dark (Mar 31)

7. Shawn vs. Shawn

Shawn Spears vs. Shawn Dean was the least eye-catching of Dark's squash matches but still well-worked and with a clear story.

With Cody scouting his TNT Championship Tournament opponent from the announce booth, Spears worked a slower, more methodical pace to start, taking his time as if he were a lion toying with prey. The counter-grappling unravelled after Dean had fired up after his opponent gave him the middle finger. This flipped a switch in 'The Chairman' whose work grew nastier and more urgent as strikes were unloaded and moves became snappier, leading, eventually, to the running Death Valley Driver.

A tidy bout with a simple narrative, this worked.