AEW Dark begins, Excalibur and Taz introduce us to the show. This is of course in the Daily’s Place where AEW Is expected to stay for a while, but it was taped significantly earlier than Dynamite, giving it a very different look as the broad daylight shines in. We begin with the Inner Circle’s Big Hurt Jake Hager taking on Joe Alonzo. Alonzo emerges just kinda pretending there’s a crowd to point to and having fun with the scenario. He’s introduced as “doing everything for the views”. As Jake Hager emerges, he’s introduced as being “From Oklahoma, the Wrestling Capital of the World”. Pretty cool.
Joe Alonzo vs. Jake Hager
There is a pretty big size difference. Hager forces Alonzo into the corner, hammers the small of the back with stiff forearms! Whips him, Alonzo tries to fight back with a low dropkick to the shins. Hits the ropes, Hager stops him with a huuuuuge Wheelbarrow Suplex! Big impact. Hager distracts the referee, Sammy Guevara gets Joe with an enziguri to the head. Joe tries to fight to his feet, Hager plows through him with knee lifts. Double legs him into the corner, Alonzo gets two boots up on a charge, leaps at him from the second rope but Hager catches him out of the air and plants him with a massive uranage slam! Hooks that tight choke hold onto Alonzo and he has to submit quickly!
Winner: Jake Hager
Yeah, didn’t expect this one to go too quickly. I did indeed write every single last bit of that match there, it was actually pretty cool while it lasted but very short. I can definitely do with seeing Hager toss around more tiny dudes, he’s really in his element against guys like Alonzo.
Funnily, Joe Alonzo seems to be a good friend of Sammy Guevara’s but that obviously wasn’t referenced here. And he sure didn’t show it with that super unnecessary bit of cheating! That he even felt the need to bother to do that during a fairly easy squash is kind of funny but that’s a heel for you I suppose.
Here’s hoping things improve for Alonzo and every indy wrestler like him who has found themselves in a rough patch due to the prevailing circumstances. And hey, might get another shot in AEW in the future as well.
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