8 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dark (Aug 18)

4. Ricky Starks vs. Lee Johnson

Ricky Starks
AEW

Ricky Starks was great against Lee Johnson, who has proven himself one of Dark's most able jobbers since debuting for AEW.

'Absolute' was a cocky piece of sh*t throughout. With Taz putting him over as one of AEW's hottest prospects, he was cocky, dismissive, and disrespectful towards Johnson, leading, inevitably, to him taking his eye off the prize a couple of times. This allowed Lee believable windows of offensive as he seized on Starks' cocky lapses, though victory was obviously out of the question.

A great way to allow the loser some shine without sacrificing realism, this match was wrapped when Starks hit his Roshambo finisher. He gave a strong account of himself as both a wrestler and a character.

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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.