7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dark (Jun 22)

1. Mel vs. KiLynn King

This was Mel's first AEW match since late January. Injuries and travel restrictions mean there's a need to elevate underused talent in the women's division right now, which may explain her comeback, though the former Nightmare Collective member looked no better than she has in previous encounters.

Basic, clunky, and not at all well-executed, this was a boring plodder of a match with no real character or personality beyond Mel's rudimentary heel work. The announcers put her over as mean and evil but her wrestling wasn't nasty enough to reflect this. Hers is an outdated monster shtick, which just doesn't fly when you have guys like Lance Archer and Brian Cage competing on the very same card and Nyla Rose near the top of her division.

Mel won, as she should have, putting King away in just over five minutes, though she looked too unrefined to gain much from this performance.

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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.