All Elite Wrestling presents Dark
Date: 10/22/2019
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) Joey Janela defeated Brandon Cutler
2.) Nyla Rose defeated Leva Bates
3.) Young Bucks (Matt & Nick), Cody & Dustin Rhodes defeated Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy), and Strong Hearts (CIMA & T-Hawk)
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Janela and Cutler lockup with both men struggling to gain position. Cutler backs off from the corner cleanly. Janela keeps wrist control on Cutler, but Cutler rolls through and gets wrist control. Janela uses the ropes to flip through and gets a headlock on Cutler. Janela takes Cutler down with a side headlock. Cutler counters with a head scissors on the mat. Janela does a handstand and breaks free. Cutler cartwheels free and trips Janela to the mat. Janela shoulder blocks Cutler to send Cutler into a corner. Janela backdrops Cutler and plays to the crowd. Cutler gets on the apron and kicks Janela to gain control of the match. Cutler hits a leaping forearm smash and covers Janela for a one count. Cutler scoop slams Janela and hits a middle rope forearm smash for a one count. Cutler maintains control on the mat with a chin lock. Janela chops Cutler, but Cutler responds with a kick. Cutler nails Janela with another kick to the chest. Janela chops Cutler several times against the ropes, but Cutler drops Janela with a kick to the head for a near fall. Cutler misses a leg drop attempt. Cutler misses a splash in the corner, but elbows Janela. Cutler ducks a clothesline to hit a reverse DDT for a near fall. Cutler sends Janela hard into the corner and Janela drops in the corner. Cutler sends Janela chest first into the middle turnbuckle. Janela avoids Cutler in the corner and sends Cutler into the middle rope. Janela decks Cutler with a lariat. Janela dives to the floor hitting a suicide dive. Janela runs around ringside and leaps off the ring steps to nail Cutler with an elbow strike. Janela tries for a cover, but Cutler kicks out at two. Cutler nails Janela with a kick to the head. Cutler stands on the middle rope, but Janela crotches Cutler on the top rope. Janela hits a top rope brainbuster to win the match. (*1/2. There were several times where while typing this I wrote Jericho instead of Janela and that got me frustrated. Anyway, it’s not a bad match, but it went a little too long. Cutler doesn’t come across as a viable threat to anyone even within the first month of the company existing. Janela is solid and the Philly crowd ate him up.)
2.) From Undesirable to Undeniable segment with Cody sitting with QT Marshall. Cody met QT at ROH and got along with him quickly due to his kindness. QT had Cody attend his movie about him and loved it. QT recalls paying for a tryout with ROH and was offered a job on the spot. Marshall didn’t know any better when he was working in ROH and hurt his neck in his third match. Marshall noted that he had neck surgery and was going to stop wrestling. QT never went all in on himself, but he’s always had a good job. Marshall sold his house in Florida and went all in with wrestling. Marshall thinks it’s different for him now. QT is going to be wrestling in Pittsburgh. QT was excited, but didn’t mute the convo when talking to his wife. Cody finishes off saying they are kinda friends in a joking manner.
3.) Peter Avalon cuts a promo before the next match saying the fans are rude. Avalon talks about the Declaration of Independence getting signed in 1776. Avalon is giving the fans a history lesson. Avalon talks about Bryce Harper jumping ship to Philadelphia and the Phillies getting eliminated while the Nationals won. Avalon talks about creating a fictional boxer (Rocky). Avalon isn’t concerned about their defense and neither were the Vikings. Leva Bates tells Avalon to be quiet.
4.) Bates attacks Rose from behind and dropkicks Rose into the corner after Avalon distracted Rose. Bates splashes Rose in the corner a few times, but Rose catches Bates and delivers a slam. Rose misses a leg drop attempt and Bates kicks Rose before hitting a DDT for a one count. Bates tries to send Rose across the ring, but Rose counters and hits a powerslam. Bates tries for a rollup, but Rose blocks it and slams Bates head to the mat. Bates nails Rose with a savant kick. Bates kicks Rose and taunts the crowd. Rose blocks a kick and spikes Bates with a Death Valley Driver, but Avalon gets on the apron to cause a distraction. Rose tries to get the book, but Bates nearly wins with a rollup. Rose decks Bates with a clothesline. Rose sends Bates over the top to the floor onto Avalon. Rose grabs Bates by the boot and sends Bates into the ring steps. Rose rolls Bates into the ring and delivers a few stomps. Rose pulls on Bates boot while pressing down on Bates lower back. Rose drives Bates back first into the corner and signals for a powerbomb. Rose hits the Beast Bomb and pins Bates. (*. This was mostly an extended squash for Rose. Bates didn’t look good when she was on the offensive. The crowd didn’t seem to care for it either.)
5.) A video package highlighting the issues between SCU and the Lucha Brothers is shown. Scorpio Sky and Kazarian cut a promo saying they don’t know the status of Christopher Daniels. Sky says that the entire locker room look up to Daniels and he saw Daniels on a stretcher. Kazarian wants to say that his mind is on the present, but he can’t. He’s thinking of Daniels saying he can’t feel his arms. Kazarian promises they will win the tag titles.
6.) PAC provided comments after his Dynamite match. PAC is bloodied and says it is a product of one man, Jon Moxley. PAC says he’s only helped Moxley since he’s been in AEW. PAC can’t believe this is Mox’s idea of gratitude and he’s going to make sure Mox regrets betraying him.
7.) Cody and CIMA kickoff the main event. CIMA backs Cody into a corner, but Cody breaks away quickly. CIMA takes Cody down to the mat and gets a two count with a rollup. Cody bails to the floor to regroup with MJF. Cody controls CIMA with a side headlock, but is sent into the ropes. Cody drops down and punches CIMA. Dustin gets into the ring to have his brother back causing everyone to enter the ring. Cody plays to the crowd and tags in Dustin. Dustin and Hawk enter the match with Hawk chopping Dustin. Hawk taunts Dustin in the middle of the ring. Dustin shoulder blocks Hawk and decks Hawk with a clothesline. Nick tags in, but quickly tags in Matt so the Bucks can do a triple team. Matt lifts Nick into Hawk for a dropkick. Hawk fights back with a dropkick and chop to the Bucks. Hawk hits Nick with a spinebuster, but Matt stops Hawk. Hawk chops Matt in the corner. Hawk chops Cody to the floor and Cody goes to the front row. Kassidy and Quen double team Matt. Quen double stomps Matt to the back of the head. CIMA hits a slingshot senton from the apron onto Matt and puts an abdominal stretch on the mat. CIMA locks in a submission, but Matt doesn’t give up. Kassidy tags into the match to axe handle Matt. Kassidy double stomps Matt on the arm and taunts Cody.
Quen tags back into the match and knocks Cody and Matt off the apron, but not Dustin. Matt clotheslines Kassidy and hits a suplex on Quen followed by a series of suplexs. The final suplex sending Quen into Kassidy in the corner. Nick tags into the match and cleans house. Nick kicks CIMA off the apron and kicks Quen from the apron followed by a double stomp. Nick delivers several kicks from the apron and a double stomp. Nick hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Quen kicks Nick on the middle rope and hits a hurricanrana sending Mick into a cutter by Kassidy. CIMA hits a top rope knee strike and Quen hits a shooting star press for a two count. Hawk tags into the match, but Nick delivers a boot. Hawk tries to time a kick, but there’s multiple counters. Hawk ends up accidentally chopping CIMA and is superkicked by Nick. Dustin enters the match and cleans house with clotheslines. Dustin drops down and punches CIMA followed by another strike. Dustin powerslams CIMA and Hawk. Quen is also powerslammed by Dustin. Dustin acts winded as Kassidy gets in the ring. Kassidy charges and ends up getting slammed.
Dustin climbs to the top rope and hits a twisting crossbody onto Private Party. Cody gets in the ring and dives onto CIMA. Dustin is knocked to the floor by Quen. Private Party hit stereo dives onto Dustin and Cody. Matt dropkicks Private Party and Nick hits a twisting dive to the floor! Brandi Rhodes fakes a top rope dive, but leaps off the apron to hit a somersault dive onto everyone. MJF is in the ring and takes his scarf off and jacket. MJF runs the ropes several times and insults the crowd. CIMA hits a backstabber on MJF. Cody hits Cross Rhodes on CIMA. Hawk knee strikes Cody, but is met with a double superkick by the Bucks. Private Party and the Bucks trade strikes with Quen getting the advantage, but misses a kick and is met with a double superkick. Kassidy hits a double hurricanrana, but is met with a double superkick. Nick superkicks Kassidy and Matt superkicks Quen off the apron. Cody and Dustin have CIMA and Hawk setup for kicks in opposite corners, but they are stopped. Private Party are nailed by four superkicks. Now, the Bucks, Cody and Dustin hit four kicks in the corners. Dustin hits a twisting suplex on CIMA and earns the pin. (***1/4. A good eight man tag as the action was pretty much non-stop with some comedy sprinkled in throughout but never overwhelming. Private Party are a great tag team and have really impressed me in their first couple of TV showings now.)
Final Thoughts:
An easy hour to get through with a good main event and the story with QT to get to know his history was nicely done. This gets a thumbs up from me.
Thanks for reading.