8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dark (Oct 15)

Downs...

1. 8-Man Tag Falls Flat

Last night's eight-man tag was a tad smoother than the previous week's. There weren't any periods where the wrestlers were just standing around waiting for their spots and everything flowed well, though it was lower in excitement. This was reflected in the crowd reactions. Despite featuring one of AEW's most popular acts in SoCal Uncensored, this clash pitting SCU and CIMA against the Hybrid 2 and Dark Order failed to generate noticeable excitement in the arena, resulting in a solid, well-worked contest that ultimately fell flat.

Regardless, Jack Evans was born to play a scuzzy weekly TV wrestling heel and it's a real shame that a major American promotion hadn't hired him before this. He was talking sh*t during the entrances and getting irrationally annoyed at an SCU sign early on, then acting like a complete p*ss-stain when his team scored the pin on Scorpio Sky. He's the worst. He's great.

Evans' snotty character work was a highlight, as was Frankie Kazarian leaping over the ropes to 'rana Stu Grayson into a spear on partner Evil Uno. These adrenaline spikes worked, though the energy levels weren't sustained throughout the clash.