7 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dark (Nov 24)

2. The Closing Competitive Streak

Dark closed on three competitive bouts, each of which hit to a decent level.

Matt Sydal vs. Alan '5' Angels benefitted from minimal f*ckery involving Pres10 Vance, who was at ringside. While the big man did get involve towards the end, he largely left Angels and Sydal to it, letting the duo work a fast-moving bout with plenty of good near-falls, closing on a Sydal victory.

Following on from this was Peter Avalon vs. Fuego Del Sol, which saw Avalon work with more expression than allowed by his old 'Librarian' gimmick. This was significantly better than his recent vignettes. Avalon is an effective obnoxious heel and he sold his first AEW victory well, looking genuinely shocked as the referee's hand hit the mat for the third time.

In the main event, Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss battled Chaos Project and The Dark Order's Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. Highlighted by a high-effort Janela performance, it was a sweet little back-and-forth bout that gave each team plenty of time to shine, with Uno and Grayson picking up the win via Fatality on Janela.

Perhaps these weren't of Dynamite calibre, but each was a cut above typical Dark fodder. A good way to close an often repetitive show.