This week’s AEW Dark matches were taped in Orlando, Florida, at Universal Studios in February.
Juice Robinson defeated Leon Ruffin
Ruffin had some big energy from the crowd early on, which allowed him to trip up Robinson and apply a side headlock. Robinson escaped after lifting Ruffin up and sitting him on the top rope. Robinson then tossed Ruffin out of the ring before tossing him right back in.
Ruffin gained back some momentum after taking Robinson down with a jumping neckbreaker. Moments later, Ruffin followed that up with a lariat and a cutter. When Ruffin attempted to pin Robinson, “Rock Hard” rolled out of the ring.
The late stages featured Ruffin in control, nailing Robinson with a roundhouse kick. However, Robinson would put away Ruffin moments later after hitting him with a short arm lariat and a facebuster DDT. He now awaits his future match with Ricky Starks.
Leila Grey defeated Kiera Hogan
After trading strikes in the early stages of this battle of the Baddie vs. former Baddie, Grey dragged Hogan to the outside and hit her with a pump kick while she was draped across the ring apron.
The match continued in the ring as Grey continued to wear Hogan down with a few suplexes. With the will of the crowd, Hogan escaped one of Grey’s offensive attempts and tried to nail her with a roundhouse kick. Instead, Grey rolled her up with a handful of tights to secure the victory. We will see what is next with her, Jade Cargill and Taya Valkyrie.
Iron Savages defeated The Wingmen
Boulder and Cezar Bononi started things off and after some back and forth, Boulder was drilled into the mat. Ryan Nemeth came in next, which allowed Boulder to regain the advantage.
Bronson then entered and delivered a backbreaker to Nemeth, followed up by another variation of a backbreaker. The Iron Savages had control until Bononi re-entered and began to beat down Bronson.
Bronson eventually tagged out to Boulder who took out Bononi in the corner with a splash and Nemeth with a clothesline. Bronson then further damaged Bononi with a chokeslam before delivering a powerslam to Nemeth.
Moments later, Boulder lifted Bronson up and sent him crashing into Nemeth, which allowed the team to score the pin and win.
The Renegades defeated Avery Breaux & Mafiosa
After starting off with each other, Breaux hit Charlette with a pump kick and took Robyn off the apron. Breaux’s advantage didn’t last long as Robyn came in and hit a double elbow drop alongside her sister.
Mafiosa entered and got taken out by a Robyn superkick. Seconds later, the Renegades hit a Hart Attack on Mafiosa to score the win.
Toni Storm defeated Billie Starkz
Storm charged Starkz in the corner as soon as the bell rang and stomped on her multiple times. Storm then threw Starkz around the ring by her hair which prompted her to roll out of the ring.
Storm didn’t let up once the match made it to the outside as she laid in multiple forearms and elbows to Starkz as she tried to recover.
Once the bout resumed in the ring, Starkz found a second wind and delivered a series of kicks. Starkz followed up with a dive onto Storm on the outside which fired up the crowd in a big way.
Storm continued to disrespect Starkz as she shoved or kicked her at every possible occasion. Starkz tried to go to the top rope, but Storm swept her leg out and sent her crashing to the mat. Moments later, Storm blasted Starkz with a hip attack, followed by a Storm Zero for the pin and win.
Storm moves on to face Skye Blue on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
The promotion will return to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida this Friday, March 24, 2023. Tickets start at $20 and are available at AEWTIX.com. The show will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Be part of a LIVE studio audience for #AEWDark action at @UniversalORL Florida THIS FRIDAY March 24th at 6pm
The last time AEW was in Universal Studios was on February 25 & 26, 2023. The promotion taped matches for Dark and several episodes of Ring of Honor’s new weekly show on Honor Club. Friday’s show will only be for Dark, however, as no ROH tapings are advertised. The next Ring of Honor show will be Supercard of Honor on March 31, 2023, from the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.
15 matches from the February 26, 2023 tapings have yet to air on AEW Dark. These include Juice Robinson vs. Leon Ruffin, Toni Storm vs. Billie Starkz, Marina Shafir vs. Steph De Lander, and Konosuke Takeshita vs. Cole Karter.
This week’s AEW Dark was taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Dark Order (John Silver & Alex Reynolds) defeated The Outrunners
Silver and Truth Magnum started out and after some flexing, Turbo Floyd came in, but Silver took both of them out of the ring with a double clothesline. Floyd re-entered and tried to wear down Silver, but Reynolds came in. Both of The Outrunners tried to double team Reynolds, but it didn’t work out.
Reynolds then positioned Floyd on the turnbuckle for a DDT, prompting Silver to come off the top rope and assist with a stomp to Floyd’s back. Moments later, Reynolds made the pin.
Riho defeated Diamante
Riho started with a few armdrags, but Diamante responded with a bit more physicality, tossing Riho out of the ring and into the barricade.
Riho fought back with the will of the crowd and eventually hit a big 619 that would change the course of the match. After coming off the top rope with a crossbody, Riho seemingly had control. However, Diamante changed course after launching the former AEW Women’s Champion over her head with a German suplex.
Riho would go on to win after hitting Diamante with a double foot stomp from the top rope, followed by a running knee strike.
Sonny Kiss defeated Terry Kid
Kiss was dominant from the get go. After hitting Kid with the splits and a backspring elbow into the corner, Kiss went on to win the match after a rotating roundhouse kick.
Julia Hart defeated Zoey Lynn
Hart hit Lynn with a back hand to start the bout, but Lynn fought back and hit a nice dropkick to the shoulder while Hart was down. Lynn was quickly put away moments later after Hart submitted her with her Heartless submission — good for her 19th straight win.
Action Andretti defeated Lee Johnson (w/ Cole Karter)
Andretti and Johnson exchanged various holds throughout the opening stages, but Andretti ended up with the advantage. After teasing a dive onto Johnson, Andretti faked him out and instead posed in the middle of the ring.
Karter distracted Andretti which led to Johnson regaining control. After keeping Andretti in a headlock for a solid minute, Johnson tried to hit a few big moves, but Andretti started reversing things left and right. After hitting a tornado DDT, Andretti was hit with a superkick from Johnson.
The final stages saw Johnson attempt to go to the top rope, but Andretti met him up there which led to a big superplex spot. Andretti then took out Johnson with a dive at ringside before hitting Karter with a superkick. Moments later, Andretti pinned Karter with a floating neckbreaker.
AEW announced five matches for Tuesday’s AEW Dark that will see Riho, Julia Hart and Action Andretti all compete.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Riho will look for her fourth straight win as she takes on Diamante. Riho is coming off victories over Toni Storm, Emi Sakura and Nyla Rose as she looks to get back into title contention.
Julia Hart has quietly built up a long winning streak on Dark/Dark: Elevation and will go for her 19th straight win against Zoey Lynn. Hart hasn’t been beaten since an April 2022 loss to Kris Statlander.
Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds will look to rebound from their loss to the Blackpool Combat Club as they face The Outrunners.
Action Andretti will look to snap a two-match losing streak (both to Sammy Guevara) as he faces Lee Johnson.
Sonny Kiss will return to singles action for the first time since late-August as he takes on Terry Kid.
AEW announced 12 matches earlier Tuesday for this week’s episode of Dark, but only aired seven for some reason. These were taped last weekend at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California.
Skye Blue defeated Mylo
Blue was going through the motions for a quick win when Mylo suddenly kicked her right off the apron. After delivering a blistering chop and a slingshot suplex, Mylo hooked the leg and got a nearfall.
Blue got back in the match by hitting Mylo with a neckbreaker which was quickly followed up by a knee strike. Seconds later, Blue finished off Mylo by hitting a superkick followed by her signature flatliner.
Blue will face Ruby Soho on Dynamite.
Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Bad Dude Tito
Cage and Tito exchanged holds during the early going, but the slow pace quickly picked up when Cage launched Tito over his head with a float-over German suplex. Tito responded with a sliding lariat, which fired up the crowd.
Tito went to follow up, but Cage sent him out to the apron. Cage tried to hit Tito with his suplex from outside the ring back into the ring, but Tito turned it into a floating neckbreaker for a near fall. Tito then hit Cage with a spinning kick and a blue thunder bomb for another great near fall.
Cage finally straightened up and hit Tito with a spinning lariat, followed by a power bomb. Cage would go on to submit Tito with a cloverleaf variation.
Lance Archer defeated Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas in a handicap match
Rosas and Chhun tried to beat down Archer in the early stages, but the “Murderhawk Monster” simply dove on to them with a crossbody from the second rope. Seconds later, Archer tossed Chhun out of the ring and pinned Rosas after destroying him with a short arm lariat.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel
Takeshita started off in control, but Cartwheel was able to, well, cartwheel his way out of trouble and hit a big dive on Takeshita on the outside. After rolling him back in the ring, Cartwheel sprung onto Takeshita for another cartwheel-based flip for a near fall.
Takeshita clocked Cartwheel with a forearm and then a lariat to bring his momentum to a halt. Seconds later, Takeshita nailed Cartwheel with a blue thunder bomb and a running knee strike to pick up his third straight victory.
Big Bill defeated Julius Coleman
After dominating him in the early stages, Bill threw Coleman over the top rope with ease and sent him crashing to the floor. The match was quickly finished after Bill pinned Coleman after a chokeslam.
Willow Nightingale defeated Zoe Dubois
Nightingale hit Dubois with a series of suplexes to start before nailing her with a spinebuster for a near fall. Nightingale finished off Dubois moments later after planting her with a Doctor Bomb.
After the match, Athena tried to attack Nightingale with the ROH Women’s title belt. Instead, Nightingale ducked out of the way and sent Athena running to the back. These two square off on Thursday’s ROH TV.
AR Fox defeated Ryan Nemeth
Within the opening stages, Fox was already doing crazy stuff as he vaulted off the ring post onto Nemeth for a fantastic moonsault. Nemeth regained control after pushing Fox to the floor on the outside of the ring. When they made it back in the ring, Nemeth stomped a mudhole in Fox in the corner.
Fox regained control with the help of the crowd, popping Nemeth with a strike while he was showboating on the second rope. After hitting Nemeth with a cutter, Fox came off the top rope with a 450 splash to pick up the victory to end this week’s show.
Konosuke Takeshita will look to continue with his recent winning streak as part of Tuesday’s AEW Dark.
The show will feature matches taped both in San Francisco last week and in Orlando, Florida, last month.
Takeshita will look to win his third straight singles match against the debuting Cartwheel, a prospect who has increased his visibility in the last few years including stops in GCW, PWG, AAA and others.
Julia Hart will look to extend her lengthy winning streak when she faces Zoey Lynn. She’s won eighteen straight dating back to April 2022.
The surging former AEW Women’s Champion Riho will be in action as she faces Dark regular Diamante.
This was a quick show that was over in about 40 minutes, taped at the Cow Palace Friday.
The Acclaimed (w/ Billy Gunn) defeated The WorkHorsemen (5:53)
Max Caster did a pre-match rap suggesting that his opponents lived in a meth lab and jerked off horses. They were also happy to be in the Bay Area. The crowd chanted “San Fran-scissor,”but Taz wasn’t impressed.
They had a basic tag match with some nice spots. Caster avoided a JD Drake moonsault and hit an Attitude Adjustment. Acclaimed followed with Scissor Me Timbers on Drake for the pinfall win.
Gunn gave fameassers to both Drake and Anthony Henry after the match. Anthony Bowens, Caster and Gunn scissored each other.
Daniel Garcia (w/ Sammy Guevara) defeated Aaron Solo (6:25)
Solo got a decent response on the way out because he was announced as from San Francisco.
Garcia teased chucking Solo into the crowd, which they wanted, but Garcia tossed him in the ring instead and mocked the crowd. Garcia worked over Solo and did a little dance while he did, but Solo made a comeback which included a dive and diving double foot stomp for two.
The crowd got behind Solo but he was cut off by Garcia’s Rock Bottom. Instead of going for a cover, Garcia got distracted by Guevera who wanted a hug. Solo knocked Guevara off the apron and hit Garcia with a corkscrew kick. Solo went to the top but Guevera distracted him and Garcia hit a lung blower for the pinfall win.
Guevara grabbed a mic and announced he had a gift for Garcia. The crowd booed. It was a t-shirt with a picture of Guevara and Garcia together, but it only had Sammy’s name on it. The crowd chanted “throw it out” but Garcia reluctantly put it on. Sammy was thrilled but Garcia was less than impressed.
Hook defeated Peter Avalon (0:47)
Avalon cut a heel promo before the match saying he would have beaten Chris Jericho if they were in southern California instead of San Fran. He said he would beat whatever idiot came out for a match.
Hook won quickly by submission with Redrum.
Lucha Brothers (w/ Alex Abrahantes) & Mark Briscoe defeated Matt Hardy, Lee Moriarty & Isaiah Kassidy (w/ Stokely Hathaway) (7:12)
The crowd was really into Penta and Rey Fénix to start. The heels were in control until Mark Briscoe tagged in and handed out chops. The crowd charmed “dem boys.” Kassidy got a two count on Fénix on a schoolboy. Everyone came in and traded moves until Penta dropped Hardy with a slingblade.
Lucha Brothers hit Kassidy with Fear Factor and Briscoe followed with a Froggy Bow and Penta made the cover for the pinfall win.
Mark Briscoe & Lucha Brothers (with Alex Abrahantes) defeated The Firm (Isiah Kassidy, Lee Moriarty, and Matt Hardy) (with Stokely Hathaway)
Daniel Garcia (with Sammy Guevara) defeated Aaron Solo
FTW Champion Hook defeated Peter Avalon
AEW will run another show at the Chase Center this Sunday with AEW Revolution. Following that show, they will remain in California with a Dynamite/Rampage event in Sacramento. Next week’s Dynamite is set to feature Powerhouse Hobbs taking on the winner of the TNT title match at Revolution between Wardlow and champion Samoa Joe.
This week’s AEW Dark lineup featured matches taped in both January and February at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Action Andretti defeated Tony Deppen
After some back and forth early, Andretti applied a headlock to Deppen before bouncing him off the ropes and nailing him with a dropkick.
The match then spilled outside for a brief moment where Deppen drove Andretti into the floor with a falcon arrow. Back in the ring, Deppen maintained control until Andretti surprised him with a backbreaker/neckbreaker combo. Andretti followed that up with a dive onto Deppen on the outside which missed terribly.
In the final stages, Andretti kipped up when Deppen was positioned on the top rope. Andretti sprung to the top rope with Deppen and superplexed for a near fall. Moments later, Andretti pinned the former ROH TV Champion after landing his signature shooting star press and rebound from his loss to Sammy Guevara Friday.
Evil Uno defeated J. Spade
Uno dominated the entire match from the get-go. After delivering a few shoulder tackles and big boots, Uno hit Spade with It’s Something Evil to pick up the victory and rebound from his loss to Jon Moxley on Wednesday.
Parker Boudreaux defeated Joe Ocasio
Boudreaux slammed Ocasio into the mat about six different times before rubbing his forearm into his eye. Moments later, Boudreaux hit Ocasio with a lifting gut wrench backdrop for the win. It’s expected he and Swerve Strickland will take on Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes next.
Shawn Dean defeated Invictus Khash
The majority of this bout was in favor of the Captain who had control from the bell. At one point, Khash turned the tables and tried to control Dean’s midsection, but Dean reversed a hold and turned it into a DDT for the pin and win.
Leila Grey defeated Sahara Seven
Seven overwhelmed Grey early on to a point where Grey had to roll out of the ring. Seven responded by leaning out of the middle rope which allowed Grey to hit her with a great pump kick. That was followed up by a running bulldog from Grey which scored a near fall. The match stayed on the mat for the remaining time, allowing Grey to submit Seven with a armbar.
Willie Mack defeated Joe Keys
Keys took advantage of Mack’s speed early on and seemingly wore him out. This allowed Keys to hit a butterfly suplex and a draping DDT back-to-back. Mack eventually put an end to Keys’ momentum by hitting him with a great stunner. He wrapped up the match quickly after, landing his signature top rope splash.
Shane Taylor defeated Adrian Alanis
Alanis mouthed off to Taylor before the bell which obviously didn’t end well. After a few strikes and shoulder tackles, Taylor cracked him with a standing headbutt. After Alanis kicked out of Taylor’s running splash, he was subjected to a package piledriver which got Taylor the win.
Lee Moriarty defeated Vary Morales
Morales, who had the crowd behind him, sent Moriarty to the mat early on. The match quickly spilled outside which allowed Moriarty to throw his opponent into the steel steps with his arm tucked behind his back.
Moriarty continued to target the arm throughout the match with various submissions. Moriarty would finish the bout after rolling out of the way of a splash and hitting Morales with a running knee strike to that injured arm.
Arjun Singh defeated Blake Li
Singh was the calmer individual in this match. Li tried to do many moves at a high speed pace, but Singh was able to slow him down with ease due to his massive size. After nailing him with a running powerslam, Singh caught Li with a running knee strike for the win.
Top Flight, AR Fox & Matt Sydal defeated The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Jeeves Kay, Sonny Kiss & Slim J)
Darius Martin and Daivari started out and Daivari quickly tagged out to Kiss, which led to a fantastic sequence between Kiss and Darius that was basically just a collection of reversals.
Kay and Darius Martin were up next and after a shorter back and forth, Martin and Sydal delivered a double dropkick to Kay, which led to Daivari re-entering. The Trustbusters took control of the match as Daivari hit a neckbreaker through the second rope on Darius.
Daivari and the Trustbusters began to tag in and out frequently as everyone got in a few licks on Darius. Fox eventually got the hot tag and hit a cutter on Kay. After hitting a roll-through brainbuster on Slim J, Fox was blasted with a superkick from a recovered Kay.
Everything was very fast-paced at this point and I honestly lost track of who was legal. In the final stages, Slim J hit Sydal with a jumping DDT from the second rope for a near fall. Slim J was then hit with a Nose Dive/powerslam combination from Dante Martin, which was the finishing move of the match.
Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh defeated Jackson Drake, Jay Malachi & Oliver Sawyer
Lethal and Sawyer started out and after exchanging a few holds, Singh and Malachi came in the match. Singh dribbled Malachi’s head off the mat like a basketball before Jarrett tagged in and submitted him with a figure four leglock.
Peter Avalon defeated Dean Alexander
Avalon immediately took Alexander to the mat and locked in a hold. Alexander was able to escape, but Avalon responded with a pair of knees to the back of his opponent’s head to score the quick win. He faces Chris Jericho on Wednesday.
AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy & Danhausen defeated The WorkHorsemen
Anthony Henry circled Cassidy and gave him a thumbs-up as the match started. After rolling around on the mat and exchanging a few holds and pins, Henry and Cassidy tagged out to their respective opponents.
Danhausen and JD Drake did a test of strength, but instead of completing the test, Danhausen just stomped on Drake’s foot. Danhausen proceeded to curse Drake before tagging out to Cassidy. Drake immediately unloaded a chop on Cassidy that spent him reeling to the corner.
Drake worked down Cassidy for a few moments, which allowed the crowd to get behind Cassidy in a big way. Henry came in and tried to submit Cassidy with an octopus stretch, which ultimately failed. Drake came in and tried to hit Cassidy with a Vader Bomb, but that also failed.
Danhausen came in and had a small sequence with Henry before Drake came back in and hit Danhausen with a shining wizard for a near fall. Cassidy found his way back in and hit a stunner on Drake, which gave Danhausen enough momentum to launch him over his head with a German suplex.
Cassidy and Danhausen scored the win moments later after Danhausen hit Henry with a Go To Sleep.
13 matches will make up Tuesday’s AEW Dark including a tag team match featuring AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy & Danhausen.
In their first-ever traditional tag team match in AEW, the unusual duo will take on The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake). Cassidy will defend his title against Big Bill on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Ahead of their latest opportunity to win the AEW Tag Team titles at Sunday’s Revolution, Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal will team with Satnam Singh against Jackson Drake, Jay Malachi & Oliver Sawyer.
After losing in a bloody one-on-one match against Jon Moxley Wednesday, Evil Uno will return to singles action against J. Spade while Action Andretti will look to rebound after Friday’s loss to Sammy Guevara against former ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen.
Here’s the full 13-match lineup, comprised of matches taped in January and this past Sunday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida:
Adrian Alanis vs. Shane Taylor
Skye Blue vs. Dream Girl Ellie
Top Flight, AR Fox & Matt Sydal vs. The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Sonny Kiss, Jeeves Kay & Slim J)
Willie Mack vs. Joe Keys
Lee Moriarty vs. Vary Morales
Orange Cassidy & Danhausen vs. The WorkHorsemen
Parker Boudreaux vs. Joe Ocasio
Shawn Dean vs. Invictus Khash
Evil Uno vs. J. Spade
Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh & Jay Lethal vs. Jackson Drake, Jay Malachi & Oliver Sawyer
As part of three events over two days, AEW held a set of Dark tapings Sunday afternoon in Orlando, Florida, at Universal Studios.
After a marathon taping Saturday for Ring of Honor, another set of ROH tapings will take place tonight.
Steph De Lander, the former Persia Pirotta in WWE NXT, made her promotional debut while Pacific Northwest wrestler Schaff made his Universal Studios debut.
Here are the spoilers for matches that will air on future episodes:
Parker Boudreaux defeated Vinny Pacifico
Peter Avalon defeated Dean Alexander. In a post-match interview with Tony Schiavone, Avalon spoke about his match with Chris Jericho coming up.
Julia Hart defeated Zoey Lynn
Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh defeated Oliver Sawyer, Jay Malachi & Jackson Drake. In a post-match interview with Schiavone, Lethal and Jarrett said they will be the next tag team champions.
Juice Robinson defeated Leon Ruffin
Dark Order (John Silver & Alex Reynolds) defeated The Outrunners
Riho defeated Diamante
Leila Grey defeated Kiera Hogan
Action Andretti defeated Lee Johnson (w/ Cole Karter)
Sonny Kiss (w/ Jeeves Kay and Slim J) defeated Terry Kidd
Iron Savages defeated The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Cezar Bononi). In a post-match interview with Schiavone, the Savages said they are in the best shapes of their lives and want to put AEW on their backs
The Renegade Twins defeated Avery Breaux & Mafiosa
Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr. defeated O’Shea Edwards and Moses
Toni Storm defeated Billie Starkz
AR Fox defeated Nick Comoroto
Skye Blue defeated Queen Aminata
Evil Uno defeated Alexander Moss
Marina Shafir defeated Steph De Lander
Zack Clayton defeated Schaff
Top Flight defeated Adrian Alanis and Liam Grey
Brady Booker defeated Serpentico
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson). Post match, Johnson attacked Takeshita until Orange Cassidy made the save to send everyone home happy.
This week’s AEW Dark matches were taped recently at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and was headlined by Trent Beretta vs. Tony Nese.
It also saw the AEW debut of the former Bodhi Hayward in WWE NXT.
Matt Sydal defeated Slim J (w/ Sonny Kiss & Jeeves Kay)
Sydal and Slim J started out with a shoving match. Slim J then bailed from the ring in frustration, but Kiss and Kay calmed him down before he got back in the ring.
Sydal and Slim J began to trade counters, but Sydal eventually caught him with a kick on the jaw. Later, Kiss and Kay proceeded to distract Sydal, allowing Slim J to take him to the mat and lock in a leg scissor submission.
Slim J would go on to further hurt Sydal, planting him with an impressive springboard reverse DDT. Sydal would respond moments later with a great roundhouse kick which went Slim J crashing to the canvas.
Sydal had momentum at this point, laying in a few more kicks. After nailing Slim J with two more roundhouse kicks, Sydal planted his opponent with a lightning spiral and picked up the win shortly after.
After the bout, The Trustbusters tried to further injure Sydal, but Top Flight and AR Fox made the save.
Julia Hart defeated Devlyn Macabre
Macabre was able to sneak in a forearm early on, which only sent Hart to a dark place. After stomping Macabre into the mat, Hart rained down about fifteen stiff elbow strikes into her chest and neck area. Macabre tried to regain her footing, but Hart tripped her and proceeded to submit her with her signature Heartless submission for her 18th straight win.
The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) defeated Oliver Sawyer & Jay Malachi
Sawyer and Henry started out. After getting in a few licks on Sawyer, Henry tagged out to Drake, who did the same. The WorkHorsemen continued to work in tandem, tagging in and out frequently as they worked down Sawyer, who had got in no offense at this point.
Sawyer found some life as he moved out of the way of a Drake headbutt. Malachi, who came in off the hot tag, splashed Drake in the corner. Moments later, Drake sent Malachi over his head with a German suplex. Drake and Henry hit a double flatliner on him to get the win.
The Renegades jumped The Blairs as the bell rang. Robyn and Charlette exchanged tags as they beat down Peyton. Lizzy came in off the hot tag, but was immediately met with an assisted spinebuster combo from The Renegades for the pin and win.
Preston Vance (w/ Jose The Assistant) defeated Blanco Loco
Vance had control of this bout from the get-go as he squashed Loco in the corner with a number of running splashes. Loco was subject to a spinebuster moments, giving Vance the win.
Tony Deppen defeated Caleb Konley
Deppen laid in a few kicks and knee drops in the early going. Konley tried to fight back with a few chops, but Deppen gouged his eyes and shoved his head into the turnbuckle.
Konley would eventually find his footing, allowing him to plant Deppen with a fantastic fisherman’s buster. Deppen responded with a half and half suplex, which was followed up by a running knee strike and a pin for Deppen.
Iron Savages (Bronson & Boulder) defeated Chris Sandson & Terry Kid
Early on, Kid tried to jump on the back of Boulder, but he was thrown off by being cannonballed onto Sandson, who was taken down with a big boot. Seconds later, Boulder tagged Bronson in and assisted him with a splash onto both men, giving the Savages the win.
Brady Booker defeated Dak Draper
This was the debut for the former Bodhi Hayward in WWE NXT. Draper had control early on, hitting a nice cartwheel into a knee drop to punctuate things. He continued with his hard-hitting offense until Booker hit a powerslam counter to regain control. He eventually got the tapout after getting Draper in a torture rack.
Raju and Cannon started out, but Johl came in shortly after and ripped both of Cannon’s shirts off after planting him with a delayed suplex. Raju came back in the match, which gave Cannon the time to tag out to Springs. The former Impact X-Division Champion nailed Springs with a running knee strike, followed by Johl hitting him with his signature pump kick to score the win.
This was great as Starkz and Sakura made the most out of their time here.
Starkz quickly slammed Sakura into the mat after a lock-up. Sakura popped back up rather quickly and began to beat on Starkz after shoving her in the corner. Starkz responded with some heavy shots of her own, but Sakura doubled the intensity and responded with even heavier shots.
Starkz drilled Sakura with a pump kick which got a two count. Starks then tried to lift her up, but it was countered into a dragon sleeper from Sakura. After nearly passing out, Starkz popped up and planted Sakura into the mat with a tombstone piledriver which got another near fall. Starkz then landed on Sakura with a diving senton for yet another near fall.
Starkz lost her momentum when she tried to do another diving senton on Sakura on the apron after Sakura moved. After delivering a sliding knee strike to Starkz on the arena floor, Sakura got her back in and drilled her into the mat with a butterfly piledriver. Sakura ended the match after hitting Starkz with a moonsault.
The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Cezar Bononi & Ryan Nemeth) defeated Jay Marte, Jarett Diaz & Rich Adonis
Avalon and Adonis started out, but The Wingmen quickly entered the ring and jumped all three of their opponents.
Bononi went to work on Adonis as he beat him down with various strikes. Nemeth came in and did more showboating than anything, which allowed Adonis to tag out to Diaz. Bononi came back in and slammed Diaz into the mat.
Seconds later, Nemeth and Bononi hit an assisted fireman’s carry driver on Diaz. Avalon came off the top rope with a splash on Diaz for the win.
Jeff Jarrett & Satnam Singh defeated The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
Jarrett and Brandon started out. After trapping him in the ropes and hitting his signature strut, Jarrett allowed Brandon to tag out to Brent. Singh came in and practically tackled Brent with a crossbody. Singh would proceed to chokeslam both Boys and double pin them to score the victory.
Trent Beretta defeated Tony Nese (w/ Mark Sterling)
This match lagged early, but once it got going, it was pretty good.
Beretta and Nese locked up at the bell, but Nese gained control after backing Beretta in the corner with ease. The match quickly spilled to the outside where Beretta beat down Nese with a few chops. After he was distracted by Sterling for a split second, Beretta had his face covered by Nese with the ring apron.
Nese took back control and with Beretta favoring his knee, Nese had a clear target. The tides turned for Beretta after Nese missed a springboard moonsault. Beretta would then launch Nese over his head with a suplex, but Nese responded by throwing Beretta stomach-first into the top rope. That was followed by Nese successfully hitting the springboard moonsault that he had tried earlier.
Nese tried to go to the top rope, but Beretta met him up there. After some back and forth, Beretta sent him crashing to the mat with a fantastic superplex. Beretta then hit Nese with his signature corner DDT, but Nese kicked out of the pinfall attempt at the last second.
In the final stages, Nese tried to hit put away Beretta with a frog splash, but the referee’s count came up short once again. Nese then tried to hit Beretta with a 450 splash, but he crashed and burned. Beretta put Nese away seconds later with the Dudebuster.
13 matches are scheduled to air on Tuesday’s show including Trent Beretta vs. Tony Nese, Billie Starkz vs. Emi Sakura, and Jeff Jarrett & Satnam Singh vs. The Boys (Brandon & Brent).
Preston Vance, Julia Hart, Tony Deppen, Matt Sydal, Slim J, and The Workhorsemen will also be featured on this week’s episode.
AEW Dark on February 21, 2023, was filmed on Saturday, January 28, 2023, from Universal Studios in Orlando. The advertised lineup is as follows:
Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) vs. Chris Sandson & Terry Kid
Preston Vance w/ Jose the Assistant vs. Blanco Loco
Excalibur welcomed us to AEW Dark alongside Taz from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, taped toward the end of January.
Angelo Parker & Matt Menard defeated Fuego Del Sol & Leon Ruffin
Parker & Menard tried attacking at the bell, but were quickly sent to the floor by the opposition. Ruffin & Del Sol showed off their speed on Parker with a double back suplex as Menard’s loud commentary during this match annoyed Taz just as much as it delighted him.
Del Sol was sent to the floor by Menard and turned inside out by Parker. While Del Sol was isolated, Taz reminded us to set our VHS machines to record Rampage beginning at an early time this Friday due to NBA All-Star Weekend.
Del Sol battled back with a gutwrench suplex on Parker and made the hot tag to Ruffin, who ran wild briefly before Del Sol hit Menard with his signature tornado DDT for two. Ruffin called for a Del Sol dive outside, but Parker held up Ruffin and Del Sol collided with his own partner. This allowed Parker & Menard to spike Del Sol with this double DDT for the victory.
This was a rare extended match for “Daddy Magic” & “Cool Hand Ang” as their matches usually last pretty quick. It was refreshing to see them in action for longer than a minute.
– Lexy Nair was backstage with Christopher Daniels who said this is his 30th year in professional wrestling. Everyone wants to be in AEW and just because of his experience doesn’t mean he should be just given a spot — he has to earn it. Experience trumps youth every time and he’s signed an open contract, so whoever answers, better say their prayers, he explained.
Mei Suruga (w/ Baliyan Akki) defeated Hyena Hera
Hera tried to show off her size early, patting Suruga on the head which resulted in Suruga biting her arm. Referee Bryce Remsburg tried to scold her and almost got his finger bit off as a result. This became a trend as Taz & Excalibur went on an apple riff since her nickname is “The Apple Girl.” Hera loaded up for a right hand, but Suruga cowered in fear, apologizing, until she suckered Hera in.
Hera had enough of the antics and fired back briefly until Suruga did a walk on the top rope into an armdrag and springboard twisting double stomp for two. This led to the Propeller Clutch applied to give Suruga her fist singles win in AEW, following the heels of her BestBros partner Akki’s first win last week.
Varsity Athletes (w/ Mark Sterling) defeated Allen & Kameron Russell
After Tony Nese took turns alternating between poses and strikes, it was Josh Woods that struck one of the Russell brothers down with a big boot off a leapfrog attempt. Nese & Woods isolated Allen for most of this match until Kameron made the tag and ran wild for just a few moments before Woods dropped him with a nice suplex.
Allen saved his brother, but was hung up by Nese and launched with a German suplex by Woods. Kameron was easily put away with the assisted Angle Slam for the win. Woods is on his way to Dynamite tomorrow to face off with Mark Briscoe.
Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Gravity
Gravity is the brother of Bandido and Sabian, listed at 5’11″, towered over him. Taz was given information that Gravity is John Mayer, popping both Excalibur and I. After controlling early on, Gravity took the fight to Sabian with his speed until he was sent to the floor and leveled with a Sabian dive. Sabian said he just defied gravity as the puns and references in this match from competitors and commentators were top notch.
Gravity sent Sabian outside, did the Shawn Michaels corner flip, and turned it into a dive to the floor, which was very unique. Sabian answered with a gnarly half-and-half suplex, but only managed two. Gravity was able to string together some offense until Sabian responded with a charging knee for the victory leading to his showdown with Hangman Page tomorrow night.
– Lexy Nair was with Mark Sterling & the Varsity Athletes as Sterling said domination is what’s next for them. Nese said Woods is the best partner he’s ever had. Trent of Best friends was shown working out, sort of, saying he teamed with Nese in 2007. Nese called him the Marty of the team and challenged him to a match next week.
Zack Clayton defeated Dan “The Dad” Adams
Dan the Dad got in a couple quick jabs before being leveled by Clayton. Excalibur made a Kurt Rambis comparison based on the glasses Adams wore before they were knocked clean off by Clayton, who had his way until a corner boot cut off the momentum. A nice exploder suplex into the corner led to a spinning fisherman’s suplex slam to give Clayton the quick win.
Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Jeeves Kay & Sonny Kiss (w/ Slim J)
Pillman and Anderson used their speed for fast tags early to isolate Kiss until Kiss avoided a spinebuster and sent Anderson into the corner to crotch Pillman. Slim J attacked Pillman outside as Kiss distracted the ref which allowed the Trustbusters to get in control. Kay hit a nice corner boot and leaping dropkick before Kiss connected with a nice slingshot split leg for two.
Pillman fought back for the Anderson hot tag until he was rocked with a Kiss corkscrew kick and Kay frog splash for two. A blind tag led to an Anderson spinebuster and Pillman swanton that landed flush for the victory.
There’s something here with Pillman & Anderson. Having them get wins and ring time together as a team on Dark & Elevation is perfect for them right now.
– Lexy Nair was with Ryan Nemeth, who just wants to get back to the glitz & glamour of Hollywood. He did the quick Andy Kaufman promo telling fans who hate him to go buy soap and wash themselves for two minutes. Nemeth did the “Let’s Go Hunk” chant and left. This was pointless.
Christopher Daniels defeated Serpentico (w/ Angelico & Luther)
Remix Jones showed up tonight as Taz sang along to the Spanish Announce Project theme. Daniels cut off Serpentico with an exploder as Luther slid into the ring to distract literally everyone in the building with his screeching. Serpentico then hit a quick Flatliner as Daniels was sent outside.
Luther and Angelico double teamed Daniels with ref Bryce Remsburg distracted as Serpentico hit a low DDT for two. Daniels fired back with a STO before trading near falls into a double clothesline. Serpentico avoided Angels Wings and took the ref again, but this time. the distraction blew up in the heels’ faces. Miscommunication allowed Daniels to hit the BME to put away Serpentico.
Ari Daivari (w/ The Trustbusters) defeated J. Spade
Daivari said if Spade could beat him in any way tonight, he and the entire crowd will get $1000 of Daivari’s money. This immediately made Spade both Taz and Excalibur’s favorite wrestler. Spade was able to fire off a dropkick as Taz demanded Excalibur run in and hit a Tiger Driver 99, but Excalibur wasn’t warmed up.
After the Trustbusters put the boots to Spade outside, Daivari controlled the action. Spade had a hope spot with a spin kick and series of roll-ups, but Daivari cut him off with a superkick and Pepsi Twist for the win.
Diamante defeated Ultra Violette
It’s always good to see Diamante in singles action. She dropkicked Violette in mid-air before putting the boots to her in the corner. After ten punches and a charging clothesline, Diamante hit a corner dropkick for two. Violette fought back with a clothesline, back fist and missile dropkick, but only managed a near fall. Diamante ducked a lariat and leveled Violette with the comeback, hit a series of suplexes, and stacked Violette with a German suplex for the win.
Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Larry Lazard, Terry Yaki & Jay Lucas
We need more Castle in our lives. There’s just no other way around it. This match also brought back the best name in pro wrestling as Terry Yaki made his triumphant return to Dark. Taz said he’s no relation to Whoa Sabi. It’s only fitting Castle and Yaki started things off with Castle easily grounding him.
The Boys fired off quick offense until we got an awkwardly messed up looking spot as one of the Boys tried to leapfrog the awfully tall Lucas and the less said about that the better. The other Boy was isolated until he used his speed to tag Castle, who cleaned house with throws. Castle chucked his Boys to the floor onto the opposition as Castle put away Lazard with the Bang-A-Rang for the three.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bronson
Bronson offered a handshake, but Takeshita has learned his lesson trusting people and ducked a strike that led to an early chop battle. He fired off a quick leg lariat and snap hurricanrana that sent Bronson outside where he wiped him out with a somersault dive.
Back inside, Takeshita rolled through a dive, but ran right into a boss man slam. Bronson didn’t stay in control for long as a Takeshita-line connected, followed by a blue thunder bomb. Bronson avoided the home run knee as both went for rolling lariats multiple times. Bronson won the battle, turning Takeshita inside out and hitting a pumphandle suplex for two. A stalling German suplex by Takeshita, helluva kick and massive power bomb set the stage for the home run pump knee for the victory.
This was a solid main event and Takeshita’s third win in that slot in as many weeks on Dark. He’s back in the win column following his loss to MJF and needs to get that huge singles win under his belt soon. He’s one of the hottest babyfaces AEW has right now and needs to not become just another guy on the roster. I’m hoping they do something with Don Callis as they started to briefly on social media. If only they would continue it on AEW TV.
After losing to AEW World Champion MJF last Wednesday, Konosuke Takeshita will return to action on Tuesday’s AEW Dark.
Takeshita was unsuccessful in earning a future title match against MJF, getting bloodied up and attacked by the champion post-match. He will face Bronson, one half of the Iron Savages, tonight.
Christopher Daniels’ latest run continues as he battles Serpentico in singles action. He will be looking to rebound from his recent loss to Rush on Rampage.
Fresh off an impressive showing in a trios match on last Friday’s Rampage, Kip Sabian will return to singles action against the debuting Gravity.
Here’s the full 11-lineup, taped earlier this year at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida:
Ari Daivari vs. J. Spade
Jeeves Kay & Sonny Kiss vs. Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr.
Christopher Daniels vs. Serpentico
Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Larry Lazard, Terry Yaki & Jay Lucas
Mei Suruga vs. Hyena Hera
Varsity Athletes vs. Allen Russell & Kameron Russell
Zack Clayton vs. Dan Adams
Diamante vs. Ultra Violette
Kip Sabian vs. Gravity
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bronson of the Iron Savages
Angelo Parker & Matt Menard vs. Fuego Del Sol & Leon Ruffin
