Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here to give you the recap and results for another episode of AEW Dark! And yes, we have two this week, they’ve opted to air this one the night before Full Gear. Very interesting. I think it has to do with SCU appearing with their titles on this show. If they lost Saturday it’d be confusing for them to have them here days later, and if they retain, one could see this as being a spoiler in a way. So to get around that, just have the show air beforehand.
Tony Schiavone and Dasha Gonzalez welcome us to the show, and swiftly introduce the first match up. Hikaru Shida, apparently just going by ‘Shida’ in the graphic, facing off with Big Swole. Excalibur and Goldenboy are on commentary, and Justin Roberts introduces a third… Arn Anderson! Cool!
Hikaru Shida vs. Big Swole
Big pop as the bell rings, lock up, break in the ropes. Dueling chant! Swole gets her to the ropes, clean break as well. Swole with a waistlock, into a side headlock. Shida shoots her to the ropes, Swole with a shoulder block, but Shida kips up! Ducks a clothesline but eats a dropkick. Shida with an arm drag, leap frogs, Shida catches her out of the air! Swole with a spinning kick, Shida rolls through, drop toe hold, running dropkick to the jaw. Applause as she rises. Swole hung out on the apron, running knee to the face!
Shida looks under the ring, pulls out a chair! Sits it up, charges, launches off for a big flying knee! Crowd is into her, she’s slapping hands. Throws her into the ring. Scoop slam, single leg boston crab in tight. Stomp to the midsection. Running knee in the corner, cover for 2. Strikes her way up, Shida hops over a legsweep, headbutt from Swole! Swole hits the ropes, counters a wheelbarrow into a Flatliner for a nearfall! People bought that one. Gets her up, guillotine choke! Shida tries to suplex out of it, but Swole turns that into an inside cradle for 2!
Shida gets her up in a fireman’s carry, turns it into a backbreaker! Hits the ropes, running knee, Swole barely avoids it and gets a roll-up for 2. Pump Kick, wants the Ripcord, Shida ducks, rising knee to the face! Shida hits the ropes, big single leg dropkick and that is that!
Winner: Hikaru Shida
Good stuff! Swole looked good enough, but ultimately a match to put Shida over and I think it did so very well. Feeling like Hikaru’s in line for a title shot before too long.
Interview backstage, Shida is excited over her win. Says she came here to show Japanese style and she’s very happy to show everyone. She’s clearly not so great at English but giving it her best shot! She’s asked who she likes in the Riho/Emi match. Shida says it’s a good question, knows both well, but picks Emi. Says she always shows her true power in a big match.
Chuck Taylor on comm now, seems we’re rotating per match. Leva shushes on her way out, of course.
Shazza McKenzie & Shalandra Royal vs. Nyla Rose & Leva Bates
We hear that Nyla demanded a handicap match here to try and propel herself back into the title picture, they didn’t allow this, assigned her Leva. Shazza McKenzie wants a waistlock, gets shoved down. Cartwheel, weak leg kick that Nyla does not sell, clothesline takes her out. Tag to Royal, comes in with a dropkick, just bounces off. Nyla stares her down as she sends hesitant kicks, hits the ropes, body block takes her down. Scoop slam, AND THE NERVE PINCH! SHE’S GOT HER IN THE NERVE PINCH! Eventually she gives up on it, Leva wants a tag, Nyla wants nothing of it. Shalandra and Shazza want to double team, Nyla counters with a double suplex.
Leva nearly gets a blind tag, acts as a distraction for Nyla, brief double teaming gets Nyla down, only for her to hit both with a big chokeslam! Scoop slam, leg drop! Takes her up, throws her to the post, Royal has to tag in, Nyla pulls her into the ring, fallaway slam throws her halfway across the ring! Leva again wants a tag, Nyla fakes but denies it, throws Royal into Leva to take her to the floor! Shazza tags in, just to eat a deadlift german suplex! Stomp to the back of the head. Vertical suplex. Cover, Nyla pulls her up. Nyla hoists Shazza onto her shoulders, takes her over, forces the tag to Royal! Royal really doesn’t wanna come in at this point, but Nyla forces her in by the hair, running kick to the side of the head! Death Valley Driver, cover… Shazza breaks it up!
Nyla gets both women up onto her shoulders now, destructive Samoan Drop onto each! Pulls Shazza on top of Shalandra, Nyla goes up top! Senton Atomico destroys them both! Dominant double pin, that is that.
Winners: Nyla Rose & Leva Bates
What an utter destruction. And a fun story as Leva gets her first win without ever laying a hand on her opponents, just a total domination.
Alex Marvez in a backstage interview asks her why she never tagged in. Nyla simply says she didn’t have to. Brings up throwing out half the competitors in the Casino Royale herself. Says she’s been disrespected in this company from the beginning, not one of the ten she eliminated are represented on her record. Says she’s the Native Beast, and she will run through everyone in the division one, or in this case, two at a time!
Video package for Cody/Jericho tomorrow night.
Kip Sabian & The Hybrid-2 vs. SCU & CIMA
CIMA and Angelico start us off. Tie-up, Angelico with a wristlock. CIMA escapes into a hammerlock. CIMA takes him down, works over the arm. Arm wringer, takes him up. Angelico escapes, reverses into an arm wringer of his own. Arm drag, controlling the arm still, even after CIMA tries to kip up and roll through it. Finally makes it to his feet, but Angelico sweeps, CIMA responds, quick covers and kickouts, Angelico with a back elbow. Hits the ropes, eats a big running dropkick! CIMA attacks both of his other opponents, tag to Frankie Kazarian, Evans in as well, Kazarian with a couple of deep arm drags.
Kazarian controls the arm, Evans forces him to the ropes, arm drag, still keeping a hold of that arm. Kazarian pulls him up, Evans cartwheels kick, spinning heel kick rocks him! Pulls him to the heel corner, tag to Kip Sabian who comes in with double axe handles. Grinds him against the middle rope. Pulls him to the center, fisherman suplex blocked, Kazarian with a big combo finishing with a lariato! Tag to Scorpio, floatover splash for 2. Tag to Frankie, flip legdrop over the top rope for 2. Tag to CIMA, double axe handle on the arm, quick tags continue as Scorpio goes up top for much the same. Top wristlock, Kip fights back, float-over from Scorpio in the corner but Kip gets a waistlock. Back body drop takes Sky to the apron, knocks him away. Goes up top, Angelico distracts the ref as Kip gouges the eyes of Sky, taking him to the apron, Evans with a running big boot knocks him to the floor!
Sabian off the apron with a stomp, takes him back in, cover for 1. Sabian pops Scorpio up, big knee to the face, discus forearm! Nearfall. Pulls him to the heel corner, quick tags, double team, Evans explodes off his own arm drag! Jackknife cover gets a quick 2. Half nelson just to prevent the tag, stomp to the back. Takes him to the corner, quick tags and isolating stomps and shots ensue. Scorpio elbows Evans and Sabian, but Angelico cuts him off. Sabian in, throws him to a neutral corner. Power whip to the opposite corner. Sabian with a running enziguri, snapmare, PK gets a nearfall!
Scorpio with a beautiful dropkick. Sabian tags Angelico in, comes in with a double axe handle, Scorpio pushes off, tag to CIMA! Running dropkick to Angelico, up-tilted dropkick to the springboarding Evans! Knocks Sabian off the apron too, CIMA grabs Angelico and uses his own arms and legs to attack Evans, rolls him up, springs forward with a meteora to Evans, double footstomp to Angelico! Sabian comes in, CIMA snap suplexes him onto Angelico! Takes Evans up top, Iconoclasm forces Evans to splash his partners! CIMA with a spingboard double knee to the back of Evans’ head!
Rolls under a clothesline, backstabber for a nearfall! Angelico with a big right hand as he gets pulled up, tag to Evans, Back Suplex/Double Footstomp combo! Evans takes SCU off the apron, assisted Backflip 450 for a nearfall! Evans yells at the ref, goes up top, Sabian grabs CIMA from the apron, Kazarian comes in to stop this, Angelico to cut him off, back body drops takes him to the apron, Angelico springs right into an Ace Crusher! CIMA with a German Suplex off the top rope to Evans! Sabian has to break up the pin, drags Evans to the corner and tags himself in, CIMA escapes a Fireman’s Carry Neckbreaker attempt, ducks a clothesline, tag to Kazarian who comes in with a springboard dropkick! Tag to Scorpio, they nail SCU-Later, tag to CIMA for the Meteora and he gets the win!
Winners: SCU & CIMA
Fun stuff, didn’t actually expect CIMA to get the win but I hear he was actually planned to face PAC on Dynamite at this show only to get pulled for having too weak a win/loss record to put against him. So he gets a victory here to take with him into an eventual appearance.
That’s it for AEW Dark this week!
