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

6. A Fun Opener

Dark's opening match was essentially an extension of Fight for the Fallen, where Peter Avalon fell to the exciting Sonny Kiss in a brief curtain-jerking contest. Kip Sabian was thrown into the mix this time and his presence helped yield a tighter, more interesting clash highlighted by Kiss' athleticism, Avalon's traditional heel work, and Sabian's charisma.

The proceedings commenced with 'Pretty' Peter shhhhh'ing the audience ahead of a promo comprised largely of lines from My First Wrestling Insults. Leva Bates apologised for his Red Sox jabs and other easy shots before out came the opponents, with Kiss receiving a particularly big pop, and off we went.

The opening stages featured counters upon counters upon counters. Kiss is full of beans. A personality-packed performer of great exuberance, there's no reason he can't be a star here. Sabian, meanwhile, hurt his hand on a nasty senton to the outside. Replays showed his wrist snapping back against itself as he landed. This fed into his work, though Kip wasn't too f*cked to give up, eventually scoring the victory after leg-sweeping Avalon into the corner and nailing Deathly Hallows for the 1, 2, 3.

Credit to Sabian for fighting through the pain, and credit to the others for playing their roles perfectly.