Tag: ricky starks
Ricky Starks vs. Jay Lethal announced for February 4 AEW Rampage
A match for the FTW Championship has been set for the February 4 edition of Rampage.
Champion Ricky Starks will defend against Jay Lethal after challenging him in an interview on tonight’s Dynamite. After Powerhouse Hobbs challenged Dante Martin to a future match, Starks brought up Lethal, saying that he hopes he enjoyed his break as he will give Lethal the opportunity to challenge for the title.
This follows an angle that took place on the January 12 edition of Dynamite. After Martin defeated Hobbs in a match, Starks helped Hobbs beat down Martin until Lethal ran in for the save. Martin has been feuding with Team Taz since the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal in December, where Martin turned on Team Taz after originally deciding to sign with the group.
AEW will return to the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on February 2 for both AEW Dynamite and Rampage. Already announced for Dynamite is CM Punk vs. MJF and the team of PAC & Peta El 0 M vs. Malakai Black and Brody King.
AEW Dark Elevation results: Team Taz vs. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty
It’s Monday and you know what that means: an eight-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry were on the call.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Brittany Blake
This was Blake’s debut. Hirsch (28-12) was rolling early, but Blake turned things around and had control until Hirsch countered a crossbody into a knee strike to end things.
Private Party (w/ Matt Hardy) defeated Action Andretti & Myles Hawkins
Private Party (27-17) isolated Hawkins and were on top until Andretti got a hot tag that was ended quickly. Marq Quen hit a shooting star press on Andretti to pick up the win.
For those interested, the commentary team once again explained Andrade’s 51% purchase of HFO, the faction name changing into AHFO and Matt Hardy remaining as CEO of the group. So, there you go.
Brandi Rhodes defeated Willow Nightingale
This was a good showcase for Nightingale who won the hearts of the crowd really quickly. Even still, Rhodes (14-3) won with a modified crossface.
Men of The Year (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Logan Easton LaRoux & Mike Fowler
Scorpio Sky hit the TKO on LaRoux to win this squash. After the match, Lambert ordered Page to deliver Ego’s Edge to Fowler.
Red Velvet defeated Janai Kai
Kai’s gear paid homage to Bruce Lee’s iconic yellow/black jumpsuit from the movie Game of Death. Kai had a great showing, showcasing her Muay Thai-inspired kicks. Velvet (43-20) turned the tide with knee strikes and ended things with her new finisher (Just Desserts) for the win.
Ortiz & Santana defeated Breaux Keller & Goldy
This was the AEW debuts for both Keller and Goldy. They got in more offense than expected, but their advantage ended after Ortiz hit several clotheslines on Keller. Santana hit a devastating lariat on Keller to end the match and improve their record to 31-10. This was an important win ahead of their trios match with Chris Jericho against 2point0 and Daniel Garcia on Wednesday.
Ruby Soho & Thunder Rosa defeated Jordan Blade & Leva Bates
This was the AEW debut for Blade. Rosa won with the Peruvian necktie on Blade in a match that definitely took place.
Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and FTW Champion Ricky Starks) defeated Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal
Team Taz started out dominating thanks to Hobbs’ power. Starks and Hobbs isolated Moriarty for a while. Sydal got the hot tag and was able to turn things around, especially with his knee strikes and kicks. Sydal and Moriarty targeted Hobbs’ legs to slow him down, but it was not enough. Starks hit an assisted spear on Moriarty to pick up the win.
After the match, Starks cut a promo calling out Dante Martin. Martin came out and tried to clean house, but the numbers game was against him until Sydal and Moriarty evened the odds.
Final Thoughts:
Most matches served their goal of helping improve records for the AEW contracted stars. Both Kai and Nightingale had good showings and should definitely return for more matches. The main event between Team Taz vs. Sydal & Moriarty was the match of the night and worth giving it a watch.
Interim TNT title match announced for AEW Battle of the Belts
Two new title matches have been added to Saturday’s Battle of the Belts card on TNT.
Dustin Rhodes will step in for his brother Cody as it was announced that Cody is not medically cleared to compete. Dustin will wrestle Sammy Guevara for what is being billed as the interim TNT Championship. In addition, Ricky Starks will defend the FTW Championship against Matt Sydal.
It was announced by AEW on Thursday evening that due to medical protocols, one of the matches for Battle of the Belts had to be changed. In a video package that aired on Rampage, Dustin talked about the opportunity to compete for the title, while Guevara said it didn’t matter who he ends up facing as he will walk out of Battle of the Belts with gold.
In addition to the two new matches, Britt Baker will defend the AEW Women’s title against Riho. Tony Khan on Twitter announced tonight that there will also be a house show card held prior to the live show on TNT.
TONIGHT on TNT #AEWRampage @ 10/9c, I’ll announce a change due to medical protocol to TOMORROW’s Battle of the Belts! Rampage tonight will be a great hour on TNT! In addition to tomorrow’s live #AEWBOTB I also plan to book a stacked house show card for the loyal fans in Charlotte
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 7, 2022
Battle of the Belts will take place live at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AEW Tag Team title match announced for Rampage
Four matches have been announced for this Friday’s Rampage.
CM Punk will face Daniel Garcia in a singles match. This followed a promo that took place on Dynamite tonight where Punk challenged Garcia. The two have had altercations in the past, specifically prior to All Out.
Ricky Starks will meet Brian Cage in a Philadelphia street fight for the FTW title. Starks also did an in-ring promo saying that Cage wasn’t there, and that he was going to challenge Cage to the match. This brought out Cage, who laid out the person who beat him for the title.
The Lucha Brothers will defend the AEW World Tag Team titles against The Acclaimed, who appeared on tonight’s show. Max Caster cut a rap on the Lucha Bros. saying they’ll be the next champions.
Jade Cargill will face Skye Blue in a singles match. Both appeared in promos earlier in the show talking about the upcoming TBS title tournament. The title, which will be contested in the AEW’s women’s division, was introduced on tonight’s show.
Ricky Starks, Dark Order, Thunder Rosa set for Tuesday’s AEW Dark
Ricky Starks will return to the ring for the first time since July on Tuesday’s AEW Dark.
Despite appearing regularly on AEW programming, he hasn’t wrestled since he defeated Brian Cage for the FTW title on the July 14th Dynamite. He faces Darius Lockhart in singles action Tuesday.
Thunder Rosa, who has won 24 straight singles matches, will take on Nikita Knight.
As the Dark Order continue to build themselves back up, Evil Uno and Stu Grayson will face Adrian Alanis and Liam Grey in tag team action. Also, 10 will face the debuting Brandon Gore.
Ahead of their Dynamite match Wednesday against Cody Rhodes and Lee Johnson, Dante Martin and Matt Sydal will look to build some chemistry as they face The Factory (QT Marshall & Aaron Solo) in tag team action.
Lance Archer, who has won 14 straight singles matches, will take on Arjun Singh.
Here’s the full eleven-match card on YouTube, taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida:
- Julia Hart vs. Reka Tehaka
- Lance Archer vs. Arjun Singh
- Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs. The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Grey)
- Kiera Hogan vs. Leila Grey
- Private Party vs. Carlie Bravo and JDX
- Cezar Bononi and Adrian Jaoude vs. Jake St. Patrick and Ryzin
- Ricky Starks vs. Darius Lockhart
- 10 vs. Brandon Gore
- Bear Country vs. Jameson Ryan and Brick Aldridge
- Thunder Rosa vs. Nikita Knight
- Matt Sydal and Dante Martin vs. The Factory (QT Marshall and Aaron Solo)
Ricky Starks wins FTW title on AEW Dynamite
A new FTW Champion was crowned on tonight’s Dynamite.
Ricky Starks defeated Brian Cage during tonight’s show to win the championship for the first time. The finish had Starks originally go to use the FTW title as a weapon, but Powerhouse Hobbs refused to let him do it. Hook, on the other side of the ring, then distracted the referee. Hobbs used this moment to strike Cage with the belt, allowing Starks to pin him to win the championship after a spear.
After the match, the rest of Team Taz celebrated Starks’ title win and walked to the back, leaving Cage behind.
Cage had held the title for over a year, with Taz awarding Cage the title on the episode of Dynamite that aired on July 8, 2020. In recent weeks, there had been dissension with Cage and the other members of Team Taz, which led Taz to make the match for the title in order to resolve the group’s differences.
The FTW Championship was a title Taz held in 1998 and 1999 due to being unable to challenge for the ECW World title at the time.
FTW title match announced for AEW Fyter Fest night one
A match for the FTW title will take place on the July 14 edition of Dynamite.
On tonight’s episode of Dynamite, Taz mentioned that neither Ricky Starks or Brian Cage were there with the rest of Team Taz and mentioned that sometimes teammates need to battle it out. He then made the match for July 14, the first night of Fyter Fest, where FTW Champion Cage will defend against Starks.
Dissension between Cage and the rest of Team Taz has been building in recent weeks, with distractions by Team Taz costing Cage a match against Hangman Page at Double or Nothing back in May. Last week, Starks tried to give Powerhouse Hobbs the FTW title to use in a match against Hangman Page, but Cage prevented him from doing so. Page eventually was able to score the win.
The first night of Fyter Fest will take place at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The second night, which will take place the following week on July 21, will be held at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.
AEW’s Ricky Starks out of action with fractured neck
AEW’s Ricky Starks will be on the sidelines for three months due to a fractured neck.
Voices of Wrestling first reported the news Tuesday with our Bryan Alvarez confirming.
Starks suffered the injury in his match against Hangman Page on the April 21st AEW Dynamite. He took a german suplex from Page and in trying to flip over to land on his feet, he hit awkwardly on both his neck and his ankle. He worked the rest of the match in a losing effort.
He tweeted afterward that he was good and credited DDP Yoga for his flexibility.
He appeared on the following week’s Dark in a tag match with Powerhouse Hobbs, but never got into the match as it lasted all of 32 seconds.
The Team Taz member has been a standout since debuting for AEW in June of 2020, challenging then-TNT Champion Cody Rhodes as part of an open challenge. The former NWA TV Champion has yet to taste AEW gold.
PAC vs. Serpentico, three other matches announced for AEW Dark
AEW has announced four matches for AEW Dark.
On this coming Tuesday’s Dark, PAC, who hasn’t been seen since he and Fenix lost against the Young Bucks last month, returns to singles action, facing Serpentico. Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix will be in PAC’s corner, and Luther will be in Serpentico’s corner.
Luther will also be in action on the card, as he will face Lance Archer. Serpentico will be in Luther’s corner, and Jake Roberts will be in Archer’s. Archer in recent weeks has been clearing the ring whenever Darby Allin and Sting are attacked. Archer has also confronted Sting in recent interviews.
The Bunny, part of Matt Hardy’s Hardy Office, will take on Leila Grey. Team Taz will also be in action, as Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks will team up to take on Brick Aldridge and Aaron Frye.
AEW Dark airs on Tuesdays at 7 pm EST on YouTube.
Will Hobbs joins Team Taz on AEW Dynamite
Will Hobbs turned on Cody Rhodes and TNT Champion Darby Allin on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, joining Team Taz.
The main event featured Allin and Rhodes teaming against Team Taz’s Brian Cage and Ricky Starks whom they have feuded with for weeks. Cage pinned Allin with an avalanche Drill Claw.
Team Taz continued to assault Rhodes and Allin after the match had ended, leading to Hobbs running in with a steel chair. It first appeared as though he was coming to Allin and Rhodes’ aid as he has done in the past. Instead, he dropped the chair, lifted up Cage’s FTW title belt, and laid Rhodes out with it, kicking off his heel turn.
After Hobbs lost to Cage in an FTW title match on the October 7th Dynamite, Taz spent weeks courting Hobbs in a series of in-ring and backstage segments.
Hobbs, riding a two match winning streak and a winner in six of his last seven, will be in action on next week’s Dynamite against an opponent to be named.
AEW Dynamite live results: Moxley vs. Kingston World title match
A positive COVID-19 test result has resulted in a major change to tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Championship was set to headline the show, while Jon Moxley, Will Hobbs & Darby Allin were going to face Lance Archer, Brian Cage & Ricky Starks in a six-man tag. Archer revealed a positive COVID-19 test, so now Moxley will defend his AEW World title against Eddie Kingston.
Kingston was technically never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out and has been mentioning that fact in his promos ever since. So tonight, he gets the World title shot he’s been clamoring for.
Lee will be making his second defense of the title since winning it from Cody on August 22. Lee brings an AEW career singles mark of 7-1 into the contest. Cassidy is 8-4 in AEW singles matches in 2020 and is coming off wins over Chris Jericho and Angelico.
Miro and Kip Sabian will team against Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss in Miro’s AEW in-ring debut.
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and NWA World Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will team against Ivelisse and Diamante. Rosa defeated Ivelisse on last week’s Dynamite. Diamante and Ivelisse attacked Rosa after her win and Shida made the save.
An appearance by Chris Jericho and an appearance by Matt Hardy and Private Party have also been advertised.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team.
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Miro & Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford) defeated Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss
This was a mixed bag. I thought they used Miro smartly and he played to his strengths, mostly tagging in for a few power spots.
I thought that any talk of Miro having a new physique was overblown last week but I was wrong. He’s gigantic.
Janela and Kiss got some shine on Sabian early. Sabian and Miro cut Kiss off and worked him over. This was formulaic but the work was very good at this stage.
Janela got a hot tag and things got sloppy. Miro, Janela and Sabian brawled to the floor. Miro sold his ankle and was limping for a bit.
Miro tried to launch Sabian over the barricade to Janela. Janela was supposed to hit something mid-air but the camera crew didn’t get a good shot of it and it looked like they botched it anyway.
Miro used the former Accolade, now possibly called Game Over, for the submission win on Kiss.
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Eddie Kingston entered and demanded the hard camera be focused on him. He said he and Mox used to be cut from the same cloth but then Mox sold out and became a sports entertainer, selling his soul to the devil.
He demanded that Moxley face him. Moxley entered and faced off with Kingston. A security team kept them apart.
This was an excellent segment. Give me a Kingston promo every week.
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The announcers previewed the card. Kenny Omega joined the commentary desk for the next match.
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Hangman Page defeated Evil Uno (w/Dark Order)
This was exactly the same thing they did last week, there was no storyline advancement with Omega and Page. Omega was better on commentary this week than last week but still managed to talk under Page’s ring introduction.
JR tried to help Omega get over the storyline here and asked if he was going to help Page out. Omega said he was staying put because he’s a singles guy now.
Page is still getting his legs under him as a singles guy and his matches aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet.
They had a back and forth brawl before an ad break. Uno worked Page over in a picture-in-picture ad break.
Page made a comeback. Uno tossed him to the stage. Uno asked Dark Order to go to the back rather than interfere.
Page made another comeback and hit a standing shooting star for a two count. Uno hit a senton atomico for a two count.
Page hit a powerbomb with a stack cover for a near fall, then followed with a Buckshot Lariat for the pin.
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Schiavone interviewed Matt Jackson backstage. Matt said fans may have noticed that he and Nick have been acting out of character lately.
He broke Tony’s phone and continued to act like a jerk.
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TNT Championship match: Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the title
Not much to the match here but it was more a backdrop for the post-match angle.
Cassidy did his comedy kicks and pockets spot.
Cassidy tried a suicide dive but the Dark Order lackies caught him and allowed Lee to take over. Lee beat on Cassidy through an ad break.
Cassidy made a comeback and ran wild with suicide dives. JR went on his weekly crusade to undermine talent by ripping on dives. Cassidy hit a pair of tornado DDTs for near falls.
John Silver jumped in. Cassidy hit him with an Orange Punch. Lee used the distraction to hit a powerbomb and a discus lariat for the pin.
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After the match, Cody’s music hit.
Cody entered. He has dark hair now.
Cody beat up some Dark Order lackies while Lee escaped.
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After a commercial, Lee cut a promo. He asked what kind of man Cody was for sending Dustin and Brandi to do his work for him while he was in a bubble somewhere.
Lee asked what kind of man Cody was that his wife was posting thirst traps and calling Lee “Daddy.”
Lee pulled out a dog collar and challenged Cody to a dog collar match. He gave Cody a week to respond.
This was another strong promo. The high point of this show tonight is the promos by a wide margin.
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Matt Hardy and Private Party made their way to the ring. Hardy said it was his birthday.
Hardy said he was attacked from behind last week. He used a lot of words to say that someone with a mask attacked him with a pipe or bat and noted that right after he was laid out, Jericho and Hager entered with a bat.
Hardy said he has a lot of enemies but was pointing the finger at Jericho.
Jericho and The Inner Circle entered. Sammy Guevara is back. Jericho said he didn’t attack Hardy. Jericho was carrying a baseball bat.
Hardy wanted to fight the whole Inner Circle. Quen and Kassidy talked sense to him and reminded him he’s not cleared yet.
Quen said he is cleared and laid out Jericho last week. Kassidy said he’s ready to make Le Champion his bitch next week.
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FTR and Tully Blanchard came to the ring for a promo. Tully said that Tag title matches on TV will now have a 20 minute time limit and he and FTR get to pick the opponents.
FTR are branding this as a weekly “brush with greatness.” They mentioned Best Friends as potential opponents.
Best Friends entered. FTR acted like they were ready to defend the titles right away. A referee came out and was about to ring the bell when Dax stopped him.
Cash said it wouldn’t be fair to Best Friends if they wrestled tonight and advised them to take a couple weeks to heal up and then maybe call Tully and they’ll set something up.
This was an effective segment.
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Thunder Rosa & Hikaru Shida defeated Ivelisse & Diamante
Rosa is great, Shida is great, this match was laid out really well, there’s just only so much Ivelisse and Diamante are capable of.
Rosa’s facepaint was a tribute to Road Warrior Animal.
Shida and Rosa were attacked during Shida’s intro.
Diamante and Ivelisse cut Rosa off. It’s kind of like when Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are in together when Rosa and Ivelisse are in there at the same time in that it feels like a fight could break out at any time.
Shida got a hot tag during a commercial break. The match broke down.
Shida pinned Diamante after a falcon arrow and a shining wizard.
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Dasha Gonzalez was backstage with Chris Jericho.
Jericho said Isiah Kassidy is going to be a big star one day but not next week. He said next week he’s going down when he faces Le Champion.
MJF entered. Jericho and MJF continued to do their mutual appreciation society gimmick. It was very good.
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Jericho vs. Kassidy, Britt Baker in action, Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin, FTR vs. SCU and a Jon Moxley appearance were advertised for next week’s Dynamite.
A 30 years of Jericho celebration was announced for the October 7 Dynamite.
The main event is next.
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AEW World Championship match: Jon Moxley defeated Eddie Kingston to retain the title
Kingston is 38 and has worked a hard style for a long time. He’s at the top of his game as a promo and a character and that makes up for whatever physical limitations he has.
They had a brawl. It was intense and very good.
They traded a couple of cursory holds right awy but things quickly became the brawl that you would expect. They lit each other up with chops and strikes.
Kingston was in control before a commercial break and beat Moxley around ringside.
Moxley made a comeback with a tope and a piledriver for a near fall. Kingston hit a powerbomb for a two count. Kingston sold like he might have a stinger.
Moxley avoided two backfists and used a bulldog choke for the submission win.
A key point in the finish here is that Kingston never tapped, the referee called for the bell after Kingston appeared to be out.
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After the bell, Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix ran in to attack Moxley.
Will Hobbs ran in for the save. Penta and Fenix recovered and laid out Hobbs.
Darby Allin ran in to join the brawl. Allin sent Fenix and Penta outside wth skateboard shots.
Ricky Starks ran in and attacked Allin. Starks hit a big spear and hit Allin with the skateboard.
Kingston went back after Moxley.
The heels stood tall to close the show.
AEW Dark results: Ricky Starks vs. Ben Carter, Kiss vs. Serpentico
In a space time continuum-type deal, this week’s show, the first since last Saturday’s All Out, featured eight matches that were taped before All Out.
Will Hobbs defeated Sean Legacy
Hobbs was fresh off his big performance in the Casino Battle Royale and as such, this was his first AEW victory. Across from him was Legacy who was making his AEW debut. The match was a pure squash built around Hobbs displaying feats of strength using his size. He hit a variety of suplexes and won with an Oklahoma Stampede.
FTW Champion Brian Cage defeated Tony Donati
This was another straight-up squash. Cage came out with the FTW Championship and hit a release German suplex at the bell, followed by an overhead belly-to-belly which landed Donati right on his head. The extent of Donati’s offense was a couple forearms, which just made Cage mad. Cage finished him off with Weapon X.
Angélico defeated Griff Garrison
Angélico had a very good singles match with Frankie Kazarian on last week’s Dark and the announcers continued to emphasize his llavero technical submission wrestling. The story of the match was that Garrison couldn’t keep up with Angélico’s pure wrestling aptitude.
Garrison made a couple comeback attempts with forearms, but was foiled with a hold transition every time. Eventually, clotheslines and a big boot put Garrison on top. He hit a spinning power bomb for two, but Angélico fought out of another attempt, reversing it into an inverted figure-four for the submission victory.
Anna Jay defeated Skyler Moore
The three Dark Order tag teams joined Jay for her entrance. This was Jay’s second singles match since becoming a member of the group. She has a great look and real presence, but between the ropes, there is a lot of room for improvement. This match wasn’t a squash and, in fact, it was pretty evenly matched throughout. Even though it was quick, it was mostly lifeless.
After some back-and-forth action, Jay took control with a back rake and a rope-hang stomp. She then applied the katahajime (the hold she used to choke out Brandi Rhodes) out of nowhere and Moore tapped out.
Eddie Kingston defeated Lee Johnson
This was Kingston’s first win in AEW as his only other singles match was his failed TNT Championship challenge agains then-champion Cody. Kingston dominated at the start with power moves. Johnston made a comeback with strikes and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two, but Kingston hit the Kitchen Sink and a spinning back fist for three.
Sonny Kiss defeated Serpentico
Serpentico was coming off a loss to Kiss’ tag partner Joey Janela at the All Out pre-show. This match was quick and all action. Serpentico got a couple near falls towards the beginning from some elbow drops, but Kiss fought back with a springboard split leg drop for two, followed by a flatliner for another nearfall.
The finish saw Serpentico counter Kiss’s bridging escape with a jumping stomp, following it up with a short DDT. Serpentico attempted a corner lariat, but Kiss evaded and hit a flipping seated senton for the win.
Ricky Starks defeated Ben Carter
Carter’s AEW debut came in the Dark main event. He was very impressive and showed great athleticism, good fundamentals and crisp striking, which resulted in a quality match. For some reason, the camera kept cutting to Vickie Guerrero cheering Starks on at ringside. Starks offered a handshake at the bell, but it was a ruse as he surprised Carter with a slap. The two performed some solid chain wrestling to start.
Starks beat down Carter for a few minutes, displaying his heel mannerisms the whole way. Carter fought back with machine gun chops in the corner but was dropped with a boot and a back suplex. Carter regained the advantage with a schoolboy, a thrust kick, and a frog splash, but missed a phoenix splash. Starks hit a great spear and the Roshambo for the pinfall.
Final Thoughts:
This week’s edition of Dark was all about giving decisive wins to AEW’s midcard wrestlers. The main event was action packed, and while there weren’t any great matches beyond that, the show moved at a brisk pace and nothing was bad. There was no semblance of any of the overarching stories that Dark has been telling (most notably The Initiative’s breakup) as this show was clearly built for the Dynamite regulars.
Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston announced for AEW Dark
Team Taz will have a presence on this Tuesday’s AEW Dark as the seven match lineup was announced Monday morning.
FTW Champion Brian Cage will return to the show to face Tony Donati, his first AEW singles match since his unsuccessful challenge of World Champion Jon Moxley in July. In another match, Ricky Starks will look to extend a seven match singles winning streak when he faces Ben Carter.
In other matches:
- Fresh off his impressive showing in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out, Will Hobbs will face the debuting Sean Legacy. Hobbs will be looking for his first AEW win of any kind, but based on the matchup, it would appear he is getting an opportunity.
- In his first singles match since his loss to then-TNT Champion Cody, Eddie Kingston will face Lee Johnson.
- Anna Jay (with the Dark Order) will face Skyler Moore.
- Angelico will continue his singles run with a match against Griff Garrison.
- Sonny Kiss will go one-on-one with Serpentico.
AEW Dark results: Darby Allin returns, Tino Sabbatelli debuts
Match Recommendations:
- Scorpio Sky vs. Aaron Solow | 6:36
- Darby Allin vs. Robert Anthony | 6:49
Show Recap:
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida defeated Rache Chanel in a non-title match
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen Chanel and it’s hard to express how clumsy she looks in the ring. Taz mentioned she has been competing for nine years which is quite surprising.
Early on, she went to her bag, brought out a comb, and brushed Shida’s hair. Yes, you read that right. Shida hit a running forearm which led up to the finish and then a weird production cut happened that skipped ahead to her landing a knee strike. Shida then hit a falcon arrow for the win.
Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford) defeated Corey Hollis
Hollis returned to Dark for the first time since March. Every time I see him, I can just see he and John Skyler running through the tag team ranks of AEW together. Sabin and Ford did their usual antics early on with Sabin controlling 90% of the match. The little offense Hollis got in looked great, but Sabin hit Deathly Hollows for the victory.
– A video package aired with Dasha Gonzalez interviewing the Nightmare Sisters and Dustin Rhodes who were all training inside the Jaguars training facility. When asked what their goal is, Allie said it was to win while Brandi said they wanted to catch people’s attention. It ended with the two arguing amongst each other.
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) defeated Brady Pierce & Sabby
Sabby, formerly known as Tino Sabbatelli in NXT, made his AEW debut in this match. He previously played in the NFL for six years before making the transition to professional wrestling in 2015. I think it’s obvious Best Friends were put in this match to see what Sabby and Pierce can do. They were in control to start, but Pierce and Sabby got it back after making quick tags and cutting the ring in half to continue their beatdown.
Trent attempted a springboard dive in the ring, but Sabby caught him and hit a devastating looking powerslam. Best Friends hit Strong Zero on Pierce for the win. Sabby and Pierce were given a competitive match against the number two tag team in AEW. It wasn’t perfect, but I could get behind this new team.
Ricky Starks defeated Will Hobbs
For back-to-back weeks, Taz continued to put over Starks, who has always looked like a star. After dominating most of the match, Starks landed a double underhook facebuster for the three count. Hobbs clearly needs more in-ring time, but his fundamentals are good and he looked solid during this match. Starks continued his run of great matches on Dark and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back on Dynamite in the near future.
Scorpio Sky defeated Aaron Solow
We got another AEW debut as Solow made his first appearance. He has floated around many promotions in the last few years, and most recently toured with New Japan in late 2019. This was Sky’s first match since night two of Fyter Fest where SCU lost to Colt Cabana and The Dark Order.
The two men traded offense throughout the match. Solow flipped over Sky and hit a powerbomb into the turnbuckle for a two count. After countering a top rope elbow, Sky nailed Solow with a TKO for the win. This was by far the best Dark match in recent weeks.
Diamante defeated Kilynn King
Surprisingly enough, King got a decent amount of offense in and her stuff looked much cleaner tonight than I have previously seen. Diamante looked like a grade school student standing beside King, but she overcame King’s height advantage and hit a code red for the win.
This match was a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a match until you’ve watched it. I was very impressed with both wrestlers and this was a very enjoyable sub-five minute match.
Darby Allin defeated Robert Anthony
Allin returned from injury as this was his first match back since Double or Nothing. As he made his way to and then into the ring, he kept staring at Taz who manages the man that put him out: Brian Cage. Anthony was clearly frustrated as Allin wouldn’t pay him any attention. After being kicked and slapped in the face, Allin turned his focus on Anthony and the match began.
Anthony got a ton of offense in, but Allin hit a Coffin Drop onto the apron to take control. After hitting a stunner, Allin then hit another Coffin Drop to get the win.
After the match, Cage attacked Allin, suplexing him back into the ring. Anthony tried to stop him, but Starks came out and threw him to the outside. Cage and Starks fist bumped and Taz said he would explain what we just saw tomorrow night on Dynamite.
The Butcher & The Blade defeated Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler (w/Leva Bates)
The heart and soul of AEW Dark were back at it again for their third main event in the past four weeks. Unfortunately, Avalon and Cutler’s search for a win will continue as The Butcher & The Blade easily defeated them.
Bates attempted a crossbody on the outside, but Blade caught her and held her, allowing Avalon to hit a tope suicida onto them. Bates sold it like she was hit by a train. Avalon was willing to sacrifice his own manager for a win. Now that’s dedication. The Butcher and The Blade recovered and nailed The Full Death to win the match.
Closing Thoughts:
Overall, this week’s Dark wasn’t bad, but like most weeks, it was just there. The main takeaway is Starks aligned himself with Cage and Taz which has been strongly hinted at in recent weeks.
Once AEW returns to touring, I think it’s inevitable Dark returns to being a 2-4 match show that doesn’t go over an hour. If Dark turns out to be the second show on TNT for AEW, there has to be significant changes with the talent used or it will quickly become their version of WWE Main Event.