7 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dark (Oct 22)

by Andy H Murray

1. Dustin Shines In Main Event

Private Party gin and juice
Lee South/AEW

Private Party teamed with the Strong Hearts duo of CIMA and T-Hawk to face The Young Bucks, Cody, and Dustin Rhodes in this Dark main event, and it delivered.

Though it radiated house show vibes, this was a Dragon Gate-style multi-man scramble - and not just for CIMA and Hawk's presence. Fun, fast-paced, and with plenty of quickfire tags, it was all about letting each individual wrestler express themselves, show off, pop the crowd, and have a good time. They revelled in it, too. Private Party looked like they were having a blast as they mocked the Bucks. Dustin, meanwhile, exhausted himself on a hot tag, leaning over to catch his breath. Hammy? Perhaps, but fun.

The elder Rhodes brother kept the pace throughout. His performance was the standout and while the match wasn't performed at 100mph, history's most underrated wrestler continues to impress at 50 years old. He ended up scoring the pinfall on T-Hawk for the victory, too.

If we aren't going to get an all-out war like Joey Janela vs. Kenny Omega every week, main events like this will more than suffice. This star-studded eight-man was just a great time. Sometimes, wrestling is best when it isn't too serious.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.