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AEW revised its Dark format for a change this week and offered a short card that featured seven bouts and some known faces in action.
Excalibur welcomed viewers to the show as the Varsity Blonds made their entrance for the opening contest of the evening.
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Varsity Blonds (w/ Julia Hart) vs. Marcus Kross & Guillermo Rosas on AEW Dark
Brian Pillman Jr. and Marcus Kross kickstarted the in-ring proceedings with a strong lock-up. Pillman didn't take long to execute a takedown and tagged his partner in to continue the match.
Griff Garrison rocked Kross with a high boot before Guillermo Rosas came in to land a few punches. The Varsity Blonds worked in tandem to deliver a dropkick-spinebuster combo.
Rosas blocked an assisted splash in the corner and then targeted Griff's shoulder. Kross returned to the match and focused on Garrison's injured left shoulder. The big man then ate a few kicks and was laid out with a double Russian leg sweep.
Rosas and Kross looked impressive in their debut as a tag team as they made quick tags and kept Griff on the ground.
Kross got two near falls with sunset flip pins, but Garrison responded with a brutal lariat. Pillman urged the crowd to get behind Garrison, who finally made the hot tag.
Brian landed two forearm strikes before sending Kross down with a dropkick and scoring a two-count with a leg hook suplex. Garrison dropped Rosas on the apron outside the ring and took him out of the equation.
Kross couldn't fight the Blonds in the ring as he got hit with a forearm strike followed by a superkick. Griff ended the match with a modified facebuster.
Result: Varsity Blonds def. Marcus Kross & Guillermo Rosas on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
Rohit Raju, Karam, Sotheara Chhun & Caleb Teninty vs. The Wingmen
Former IMPACT Wrestling X-Division champion Rohit Raju made his AEW debut alongside a few other fresh faces.
The Wingmen ambushed their opponents and knocked them out of the ring. The babyfaces fought back and mocked The Wingmen by making their hand gesture.
Karam executed a sidewalk slam on JD Drake in the ring before being dumped outside. Referee Aubrey Edwards finally started the match as Drake and Raju were the legal men.
The Wingmen wore Rohit Raju down as each member got some offense in after frequent tags. Raju eventually tagged out to Sotheara Chhun, but The Wingmen members attacked their opponents on the apron.
Chhun was tossed over into the corner before Drake ran in for a Cannonball senton. Nemeth hit a rolling neck breaker, and Peter Avalon followed it with a splash to get the three-count for his team.
Result: The Wingmen def. Rohit Raju, Karam, Sotheara Chhun & Caleb Teninty on AEW Dark
Grade: B
Chaos Project caught up with Tony Schiavone for a backstage interview segment. It was great to see Luther cut an unhinged promo, and he even complimented Tony for his tie.
Skye Blue vs. Ruthie Jay (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Skye Blue took Ruthie Jay's back and went for a side headlock to begin the match. Jay showed off her agility, and Sky fired back with a handstand. Jay stomped Skye down in the corner and looked impressive in the early goings of the contest.
Skye Blue used a unique counter to regain control of the match before hitting a shotgun dropkick and a roundhouse from the apron. Blue followed it with a crossbody from the top rope.
The young star landed a thrust kick and a flatliner for the win.
Result: Skye Blue def. Ruthie Jay (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Grade: B-
Anthony Ogogo opened up about his past and how it inspired his theme song in a backstage segment next.
The Factory's Nick Comoroto vs. Lamar Diggs (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
It was one of those rare matches where Nick Comoroto had an opponent that matched his size. Lamar Diggs gave a glimpse of his potential with some potent offense in the corner.
Comroto reversed a suplex into one of his own, and it took a look of effort from The Factory member. Big Nick was in fine form as he executed a body slam and an elbow drop for more damage.
Diggs finally began his comeback as he escaped another body slam, landed a few punches, and delivered a huge splash.
Diggs hit a nice dropkick but didn't see Nick Comoroto running in for a massive spear. Comoroto showed freakish strength to deliver an Alabama slam for the victory.
Result: The Factory's Nick Comoroto def. Lamar Diggs (AEW Debut) on AEW Dark
Grade: B+
Dark Order's 10 (w/ -1) vs. Ben Bishop on AEW Dark
Spurned on by the crowd, -1 took his shirt off and stood toe-to-toe with the mighty Ben Bishop. The referee stopped Bishop from punching the little kid in the face, and the match finally got underway.
Bishop, who stood at 6'12", looked massive as he surprisingly had the height advantage over his opponent. Bishop enjoyed the early momentum as he challenged 10 to bring the fight to him.
Preston Vance reacted with a massive spinebuster out of nowhere. He locked in the Full Nelson while Bishop was on his knees and got the win.
Result: 10 def. Ben Bishop on AEW Dark
Grade: B
-1 also applied the Full Nelson on Ben Bishop with 10's assistance after the match as the crowd popped for the post-match spot.
Fuego Del Sol vs. David Ali on AEW Dark
Fuego Del Sol got one of the loudest pops of the evening as he soaked in the cheers on his way to the ring. Fuego was smooth with his movements as he gained wrist control and took Ali down to the mat.
Del Sol executed a beautiful double underhook butterfly suplex, followed by a standing shooting star press for a two-count. Ali countered the Tornado DDT into the fireman's carry neckbreaker.
David missed his running splash as Del Sol got his elbow up, but he delivered a butterfly suplex of his own, followed by a dropkick in the corner and a jackhammer-like move.
Del Sol got to a vertical base and blocked a few punches to begin his comeback in the match. Fuego came off the middle rope for a moonsault, and he called for a tornado DDT. Del Sol then wiped out his opponent near the ringside area with an Asai moonsault.
Del Sol climbed to the top rope and finally hit the Tornado DDT. He wasn't done, though, as Alabama's #1 Luchador landed a double-foot stomp on the back of Ali's head for the win.
Result: Fuego Del Sol def. David Ali on AEW Dark
Grade: A
AEW Dark Main Event: Matt Sydal vs. Serpentico
Serpentico started the final match of the night with a chop on Matt Sydal. The former WWE star looked unaffected as he went on a barrage of leg kicks.
Sydal's matwork was on point as he didn't allow Serpentico any room to get back up. A momentary distraction from Luther opened the door for Serpentico to land the elbow strike.
Serpentico experienced a few minutes of dominance as he executed a hurricanrana and sent Sydal outside. He diverted the referee's attention while Luther dropped Matt face-first on the barricade.
Sydal reversed Serpentico's running strike into a back-body drop on the floor. He rolled a rattled Serpentico back into the ring, but the masked star delivered a double sledgehammer shot.
Matt Sydal put together a series of kicks, drew energy from the crowd, and executed a Meteora from the top for a near fall. Luther tried to get involved in the match again as Serpentico hit a thrust kick-DDT combination for a two-count.
Luther ordered his partner to go to the top turnbuckle for a Senton Atomico, but he missed, and Sydal immediately went for the crucifix pin. Sydal landed a roundhouse kick before transitioning to his Lightning Spiral finisher for the win.
Result: Matt Sydal def. Serpentico on AEW Dark
Grade: A
Sydal celebrated his latest victory by ending another action-packed episode of Dark, which you can check out in its entirety above.
