Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here to recap this week’s episode of AEW Dark! No reason to dawdle, let’s dive right in!
Tony and Dasha welcome us to a special tag team edition of the show. As advertised, Dustin Rhodes is introduced for the commentary booth tonight. Sporting a black cast on his arm after his wrist was demolished.
We’re likely starting with the night’s best match here, let’s go!
Private Party vs. Best Friends
Quen starts with Trent, offering him a golden necklace. Eventually he tosses it aside, to the feet of Orange Cassidy. Cassidy takes it up and puts it on to a pop. Trent takes Quen into a corner with a collar-and-elbow tie up, clean break but with a mocking head pat, Quen responds with a forearm. Trent gets him right back. Exchange, Quen wins out, let kick, hits the ropes, drop down from Trent, back elbow. Quen taken to the apron, elbow, springboards in but gets caught with a Northern Lights Suplex from Trent for a 2 count. Tag to Chuckie T, clubbering blows. Pummels in the corner. Whip to the opposite corner, Quen with a floatover, step-up rana, dropkick, tag to Kassidy.
Kassidy forces Taylor to the corner, whip to the opposite side, back elbow on a charge. Goes up top, moonsault, Kassidy evades and he lands on his feet. Belly to belly sends him flying, Chuckie flexes. Takes him to the Best Friends corner, Trent tags in and chops him. Kassidy rolls over his back, wheelbarrow arm drag, single leg dropkick. Trent taken to the Private Party corner, Poetry In Motion dropkick takes Trent to the floor. Quen tags in, Chuckie rushes in but gets caught, Kassidy takes him down and holds him for a Double Foot Stomp from Quen. They pose and Orange Cassidy gets up on the apron to pose with them.
This distracts them and the Best Feriends attack them from behind, taking them outside. Quen is thrown into a barrier, stalling double vertical suplex to Kassidy! Kassidy thrown into the ring, Trent covers for 2. Tag to Chuck, another double suplex attempt but Kassidy with knees to each face to counter. Elbows to both men, screech, but eats the Sole Food/Half Nelson Suplex combo for a nearfall. Chuckie bites onto Kassidy’s foot, takes him up top, tag to Trent, big chop. Trent pursues, looks for a superplex. Kassidy pummels to try and take him off, but Chuckie T comes in to take Trent onto his shoulders, Doomsday Superplex! Quen has to break up the pin.
Tag to Chuck, pulls Kassidy up, chop against the corner. Tag right back to Trent, Kassidy shoves the Best Friends into each other, springs off Trent’s back into a flying headscissor to Chuckie T. Ducks a lariat and tags to Quen! Knocks Chuckie off the apron, moonsault press off the second rope to Trent, suicide dive to Chuck! Runs back in for a dropkick to Baretta, tope con hilo to Chuck, springboard crossbody to Trent for the nearfall! Quen wanted to go up top, Chuckie cut him off but gets knocked off. Trent goes to back body drop him but Quen flips to his feet, dropkick, tag to Kassidy, Neckbreaker/Swanton combo for a nearfall!
Snap Back Suplex from Trent gives him some breathing room. Tag to Chuck, eats a pump kick, back body drop takes Kassidy to the apron, back elbow, wants a sliding dropkick, Kassidy hops over it sending him to the floor, Asai Moonsault avoided, Kassidy lands on his feet but eats a huge spear from Baretta! Quen hops off the steps at Chuckie T, but gets caught out of the air with a powerslam to the floor! Tag to Trent, rising knee from Chuck, Buisaku Knee from Trent for a nearfall! Quick tags, attempted Tornado DDT but Kassidy kicks off Chuck’s chest to escape it. Silly String DDT takes Chuck down! Trent charged in the corner, Quen with a WWE Headkick takes him down! Tag to Quen who goes up top, Trent rolls to the floor. Orange Cassidy steps in front of him. Quen dives over him for the Senton!
Takes him into the ring, Shooting Star Press, Chuckie breaks up the pin. Kassidy rushes in and tosses him to the floor. Kassidy tagged in, they force him up top, Gin and Juice attempted but Trent escapes, tag to Chuck, Quen is left in a tree of woe, Chuck with a pop-up into a Buckle Bomb, throwing Kassidy onto Quen! Best Friends with a big hug in the middle of the ring! Strong Zero gets the win.
Winners: Best Friends
As expected, real good stuff! Somewhat surprised Private Party didn’t get the win ahead of their match with P-N-P tomorrow but Best Friends can more or less win or lose against any team on a given night, it’s kinda their position.
Big Swole & Kris Statlander vs. Britt Baker & Riho
Swole and Riho start off, lock-up, Swole of course takes her to the corner. Poses her way out of the corner. Lock-up again, Riho with a side headlock takeover. Swole kips out of it, shoulder block. Wants the Wheelbarrow, Riho rolls through for a double foot stomp but Swole rolls out of the way. Simultaneous tags to Britt and Kris, Britt with a snapmare into a crucifix for 2, roll-up for another 2. Britt hooks her for a suplex but Kris counters with a Front Suplex. Matrix dodge to avoid a clothesline, kip-up. Slides through her legs, nails a dropkick, cover for 2. Headlock, Swole tags in, double whip, drop toe hold from Statlander, Running European Uppercut for 2. Suplex hooked, Britt escapes, ducks a shot, Slingblade for a 1 count.
Clothesline from Britt. Whip reversed, Britt with a running neckbreaker to counter for 2. Brit hooks tehe arms, works on the jaw. Throws her into the corner, High Knee, snapmare. Wants a thrust kick but Swole counters with a roll-up for a nearfall, hits a leaping lariat! Kris and Riho both want the tag. Riho is in first and gets a running stomp to the back of Swole. Swole fights back, exchange of elbows. Swole with a whip, clothesline ducked, Riho with a Spinning Headscissors. Hits the ropes for a shot but eats a superkick! Tag to Statlander, pulls her up, Riho with forearms, whip reversed, Statlander blocks the the spinning headscissors this time, Riho hits the ropes again only to be taken into a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker! Double Leg Drop, Flipping Senton for a nearfall! Kri wants a tombstone, Riho escapes, wheelbarrow into a Double Foot Stomp! Simultaneous tags, Swole gets a big headbutt in on Britt, Flatliner for a nearfall!
Takes her to her feet. Britt tries for a whip, reversed, Spinning Blue Thunder Bomb. Statlander and Riho rush in, Kris throws her onto Baker. Swole covers both, Kris helps hold them down but still a nearfall! Swole with a running european uppercut in the corner, Baker takes her to the apron, Swole fights back, but Riho up top, diving stomp to the back of Swole, leads to a leaping Draping DDT from Baker! Statlander has to break up the pin. Drags Swole to the corner, tags herself in. Riho charges, snap powerslam! Baker hooks for the suplex, Statlander reverses into a roundhouse kick! Suplex attempt, Britt floats over, Diamond Cutter! Nearfall, but as soon as Kris kicks out, RIho with a diving double footstomp! Britt pins again for a nearfall.
Britt with a waistlock, wants a ripcord elbow but Statlander takes her down, Oklahoma Roll, spins her around and around and around the ring, cover for a nearfall. Takes her up, Spinning Fisherman’s Driver for a nearfall! Britt with a snap neckbreaker, Swole has to break up the cover. Riho rushes in, Swole throws her to the floor. Swole wants a Discus Clothesline but Baker avoids it and she hits her own partner! Baker throws her out, thrust kick to the jaw of Kris, gets her into the Lockjaw for the submission!
Winners: Riho & Britt Baker
Interesting stuff for sure. Riho always looking great, Britt having a pretty good night, Swole and Statlander each looking like very intriguing prospects to be sure.
From Undesirable To Undeniable With: Justin Roberts
Cody introduces Roberts as being one of the greatest ring announcers ever, brings up his mentoring Brandi Rhodes early in her WWE run. Cody asks when he felt undesirable, Roberts explains that it’s when he was let go from WWE in 2014, the only job he ever wanted. Felt he was done with wrestling at that point. Roberts discusses all sorts of commentating and analyst work he tried out in. Didn’t take the mindset that he hated wrestling now but rather went back to just being a wrestling fan. Cites BTE for giving him his passion back. Being brought back for AEW made him feel undeniable, unsurprisingly.
Recap of the promo from MJF and Jericho last week, ultimately leading to Wardlow strangling Cody. They move on to the brawl between P-N-P and the Bucks that led to Matt being taken out, and then the tag title match main event that saw Scorpio Sky become the first man to pin Chris Jericho.
Young Bucks vs. Stronghearts
Nick Jackson starts off with T-Hawk. Lock-up, Nick with a wristlock, T-Hawk reverses. Takes him to the ropes, shoots him off, Nick with a shoulder block but T-Hawk just stays standing. Nick tries again but can’t take him down. T-Hawk hits the ropes, shoulder tackle, pec flex. Big chop, hits the ropes, standing dropkick from Nick! Taken to the Bucks’ corner, Matt tags in, Neckreaker/Springboard Senton combo. Running Tope to Lindamen, Rolling Neckbreaker onto the knee! Matt with a shot to the face, tag to Nick, double whip to the corner. T-Hawk evades Matt, clotheslines Nick, Matt goes up top but eats a big chop that takes him to the floor! One-Handed Spinebuster to Nick! Tag to Lindamen, shots exchanged, Lindamen blocks a shot and turns it into a Flatliner. Ducks a clothesline, German Suplex but Nick lands on his feet, Roundhouse Kick!
Takes Lindamen to the corner, but gets an exploder onto the buckle! Nick rushes in but takes an exploder into Matt! Nick getting pummeled in the the Stronghearts corner, T-Hawk with a pop-up knee strike, blade chop, Back Suplex Pancake, Deadlift German from Lindamen, bridge gets broken up by Matt. Matt gets dumped though, Tope Con Hilo from Lindamen! Tag to T-Hawk, roll through into an attempted Regal Stretch but Nick gets to the ropes before he can totally lock it in. Lindamen with chops, Nick ducks it and hits an enziguri! Tag to Matt, Lindamen rushes in, Northern Lights Suplex roll through into a second one, T-Hawk charges in and the third is a double!
Matt hooks Lindamen for a powerbomb, T-Hawk with a chop to break it up. Double whip, Matt avoids the double chop, but Lindamen manages to toss him into a Mid-Air German from T-Hawk! Bridge, Nick runs in with a double foot stomp to break it up. Nick takes T-Hawk to the floor, running kick on the apron to the face of T-Hawk, Springboard X-Factor to Lindamen, rolls out into the Asai Moonsault to T-Hawk! Rising knee in the corner from Nick, roll-through, superkick party commences! Matt tags in, Meltzer Driver nailed and that is that.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Very cool to see Stronghearts get to be in there with the Bucks, good action for sure, very helpful for them to be certain.