3/2 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Orange Cassidy vs. Steven Stetson, SCU vs. Sydals, more

AEW DARK TV REPORT
MARCH 2, 2021
RECORDED AT DAILY’S PLACE, JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
AIRED ON YOUTUBE.COM
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Excalibur and Taz

Additional guest commentators throughout the show: Anthony Ogogo and -1.

Ring announcer: Justin Roberts

– Excalibur and Taz welcomed us to Dark. They quickly previewed tomorrow’s Dynamite as well as Sunday’s Revolution PPV at the beginning of the show.

(1) LEE JOHNSON & AARON SOLOW (w/Arn Anderson) vs. LOUIE VALLE & CHRIS PEAKS

Solow and Valle started things off. Valle took Solow down early and locked in a head scissors. Solow came right back with a headlock takeover. Johnson tagged in and came off the second rope with a double sledgehammer. Johnson and Solow traded quick tags and cut off the ring. Peaks tagged in but Solow locked him in an arm bar. Valle kneed Solow in the back while on the apron, allowing Peaks to take the advantage. Valle made a blind tag and sprung in with a double foot stomp on Solow. Valle landed a suplex on Solow and made a cover for a one count. Valle and Peaks traded quick tags this time around. Peaks was knocked to the outside, which allowed Solow to tag Johnson. Johnson hit the Blue Thunder Bomb on Valle and picked up the win.

WINNERS: Johnson & Solow in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A good tag team match to kick off this week’s episode of Dark. Johnson and Solow worked well together. I’m digging the growth of the Nightmare Family membership – specifically the younger wrestlers.)

– A preview for Sunday’s AEW Revolution aired, hyping each match on the card

(2) RED VELVET & KILYNN KING vs. IVELISSE & DIAMANTE

King and Diamante faced off at the start, but Diamante called for Red Velvet, who obliged. Red Velvet nailed Diamante with a single leg lariat. Ivelisse tagged in to see if she could fare any better. She did by landing a back hand slap to Red Velvet’s face. Red Velvet and King made quick tags, focusing on Ivelisse’s left arm. King slammed Ivelisse down hard to the mat, but Ivelisse hooked in a triangle. Diamante, on the apron, hit King, allowing a double team in the corner. Diamante landed a diving dropkick as King laid in the corner. Ivelisse and Diamante continued to trade quick tags and focused on King’s arm. King finally shook Ivelisse off and hit her with a stiff kick and a clothesline, allowing her to tag Red Velvet. Red Velvet and Diamante faced off, with Red Velvet getting the better of their exchange. Diamante hit Red Velvet with an enziguri. All four women hit the ring. In the melee, Red Velvet nailed Ivelisse with a running boot to the face and picked up the win.

WINNERS: Red Velvet & KiLynn King in 7:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Another solid tag team match. Red Velvet heads into tomorrow’s huge tag team match with Cody with a good showing.)

– An ad for tomorrow’s Dynamite match between Cody & Red Velvet vs. Shaq & Jade Cargill aired

(3) TOP FLIGHT (Darius & Dante Martin) vs. FUEGO DEL SOL & JON CRUZ

Darius and Del Sol showed one another a sign of respect at the start of the match. The two traded multiple reversals in the early going, ending with Darius hitting a dropkick. Top Flight kept a quick pace, tagging in and out, and keeping a quick pace. Cruz tagged in but Dante nailed him with a massive standing dropkick. Cruz came back, hitting a snap neck breaker, then tagged in Del Sol. Del Sol landed a running shooting star press but could only get a two count. Darius tagged in, taking out Cruz, then Del Sol. Darius hit a standing Spanish Fly on Cruz. Cruz took out Dante with a tope suicida on the outside. Del Sol followed it up with a tornado onto Top Flight. Back inside, Del Sol went for his tornado DDT but Top Flight caught him. Top Flight planted Del Sol with a flip over bulldog, called the Ice Breaker, for the win.

WINNERS: Top Flight in 6:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Yet another very good tag team match. Top Flight is fun to watch each and every time out.)

(4) THE GUNN CLUB (Billy & Austin & Colten Gunn) vs. TONY VEGA & AARON FRYE & ANGEL FASHION

Austin and Frye kicked things off, with Frye pushing Austin into the corner, then nailing him with a right. Austin swept out Frye’s leg, then hit a face buster. Colten tagged in and hit a splash on Frye in the corner. Colten followed up with a hanging neck breaker on Fashion, who had tagged in. Fashion drove Colten into his corner, then tagged in Vega for his first action of the match. Austin tagged in and nailed by Vega with a clothesline. Austin was kept in his opponent’s corner as they cut off the ring. Austin made a tag into Billy, who set up Fashion for a Fame-asser, but the follow up pin attempt was broken up. All six men quickly hit the ring, and when the dust settled, The Gunn Club hit the 3:10 to Yuma for the win.

WINNERS: The Gunn Club in 6:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Nice to see The Gunn Club back in action after a few weeks away. They sold a bit more here than most matches to date, but Austin and Colten continue to improve each time I see them.)

(5) ABADON vs. RENEE MICHELLE

Abadon drove Michelle to the outside, then jumped off the apron while Michelle stood on the floor. Back inside, Michelle battered Abadon with a few shots, but Abadon shut her down with a hard clothesline. Abadon charged Michelle with double knee strikes into the corner. Abadon hit the cemetery drive finish and covered for the win.

WINNER: Abadon in 3:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Similar to The Gunn Club, it was good to see Abadon back in action after a few weeks away. Okay, maybe not good since she’s scary as hell, but it was an impressive squash for Abadon.)

– An ad for “Wrestling with the Week” aired

(6) STU GRAYSON (w/The Dark Order) vs. JD DRAKE

Drake and Grayson traded chops early on. The two turned things into a hockey fight and they went toe-to-toe with rights and lefts. Drake was sent to the apron, allowing Grayson to hit a springboard senton. Drake threw Grayson against the ropes and nailed him with a clothesline as he bounced back toward him. Back inside, Drake maintained control. Drake and Grayson once again went toe-to-toe, with Grayson planting Drake, then hitting a diving knee drop. Grayson speared Drake in the corner and spring boarded off the ropes with an elbow. Drake hit a diving leg drop off the middle rope and got a close two count. Drake went to the second ropes, but Grayson stopped him and hit a hurricanrana. Grayson missed a 450 splash off the top, allowing Drake to hit a running boot. Drake missed a cannonball senton in the corner, and Grayson hitting a swinging DDT, then a knee strike. Grayson got Drake up in the Night Fall for the win.

WINNER: Stu Grayson in 6:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Wow, this was awesome. Just a solid back-and-forth, hard hitting match. Drake has looked impressive two weeks in a row and worked very well against a smaller Grayson. I recommend checking this one out.)

– An Acclaimed promo aired. They were promoting a “Dark Order Kool Aide” drink via promo, then a rap. They were basically making fun of “10” in advance of tomorrow’s match with Max Caster.

(7) BEAR COUNTRY (Bear Bronson & Bear Boulder) vs. BARON BLACK & M’BADU

Bronson and Black kicked things off, with Bronson getting the early advantage. Boulder tagged in and head-butted Black right in the stomach. Bronson tagged back in and beat down Black, then nailed M’Badu on the apron. Bronson and Black went to the apron, but Black took him down, allowing M’Badu to take him out with a clothesline on the floor. Inside, Black focused on Bronson’s left shoulder, driving it against the ring post. M’Badu tagged in and continued the beatdown on Bronson. M’Badu and Black made quick tags and continued focusing on Bronson’s arm in the process. Bronson hit Black with a suplex, allowing him to finally tag Boulder in. Boulder took out both opponents, then nailed Black with a series of clotheslines in the corner. Boulder picked both M’Badu and Black up and hit them with a fall away slam. Boulder went to the middle rope but missed a moonsault. M’Badu and Black took advantage, trading power moves on Boulder. Bronson tagged in, and came off Boulder’s shoulders, right down on Black. Bronson covered for the win.

WINNERS: Bear Country in 8:00

– After the match, Butcher, Blade, and Bunny hit the ring and took out Bear Country with a chair. They focused on Bronson’s already injured left shoulder.

(Moynahan’s Take: If you follow along each week, you know how much I love Bear Country. They looked good here, but so did M’Badu and Black, who showed more of a heel edge this week. The post-match beatdown of Bear Country was said to relate to the upcoming Battle Royale at Revolution.)

(8) THE DARK ORDER (Evil Uno & 5 & Colt Cabana w/- 1) vs. LEVY SHAPIRO & JOHN SKYLER & RYZIN

Cabana and Skyler traded shots early on, with Cabana gaining the advantage. Evil Uno tagged in and proceeded to land a stiff shot across Skyler’s chest. Shapiro came in but was taken down with a Manhattan drop. 5 tagged in and landed five (nice) right hands on Shapiro in the corner. Cabana tagged back in and hit a diving elbow drop. The Dark Order members kept Shapiro in their corner, trading tags. Shapiro finally made a tag into Skyler, but 5 tagged in as well and single-handedly took out each opponent. Ryzin was caught by Cabana, then went through each member of the Dark Order, finishing with Evil Uno, who nailed a flatliner for the win.

WINNERS: The Dark Order in 6:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Excalibur mentioned this being the first time these members of Dark Order have tagged together – consider this your factoid of the week – and they had a good showing the first time out. -1’s presence is always a joy, and he really looked fired up this week.)

– An ad for the Young Bucks book aired

(9) MAX CASTER (w/Anthony Bowens) vs. JJ GARRETT

Garrett had Caster off his game early on, hitting him with an area code, then a spear into the corner. Caster came right back, locked in Garrett’s arm, then wrenched back. Caster went for a cover after a neck breaker, but only got a two count. Caster continued focusing on Garrett’s arm. Caster placed Garrett on the top rope and attempted a super plex, but Garrett fought him off. Caster came right back but was again fought off by Garrett. Garrett came off the top with a moonsault. Garrett nailed Caster in the corner with a running cannonball splash but could not successfully follow up with the pin attempt. Caster hit Garret with a low blow as the ref was distracted by Bowens. Caster came off the top with the Mic Drop elbow and took the win.

WINNER: Max Caster in 6:00

(Moynahan’s Take: JJ Garrett looked impressive here in defeat, with Caster giving up a lot of offense. A good win nonetheless by Caster, who heads into his match tomorrow against “10.”)

(10) THE HYBRID 2 (Jack Evans & Angelico) vs. SHAWN DEAN & CARLIE BRAVO

Angelico faced off with Bravo to start the match. Bravo took an early advantage, wrenching Angelico’s arm in the process. Angelico turned things around by taking Bravo down, then making him miss on a drop kick attempt. Dean tagged in, as did Evans. Dean swept Evans’s arm, then hit a deep arm drag and a kick to the face. Bravo tagged in and proceeded to drop kick Evans but failed to make follow up quick enough for the pin attempt. Angelico and Evans double teamed Bravo as the ref’s back was turned. Dean tagged in and took out Angelico with a kick to the back of his head. Dean followed up with a drop kick, then a DDT. Bravo came off the top rope with a splash on Angelico, but Evans broke up the pin attempt. Evans took out Dean on the outside. Inside, Angelico locked Bravo in the Navarro Death Roll for the tap out victory.

WINNERS: TH2 in 7:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Tonight’s Dark has a tag team flare to it. This was another solid tag team match, with TH2 looking solid as usual, but with less offense as expected going in. With that said, Dean and Bravo worked well together, and received solid offense.)

(11) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. STEVEN STETSON

Cassidy took Stetson’s cowboy hat and slapped away his attempt at taking it back. Cassidy locked in a leg lock, then put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy acted like a cowboy as he kept the cowboy hat on. Stetson nailed Cassidy with a high boot, knocking off his sunglasses in the process. Cassidy hit the Orange Punch, then the Beach Break, for the win.

WINNER: Orange Cassidy in 3:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A fun, quick match. Not sure the last time I’ve seen Cassidy on Dark but it was good to see him here. He worked fast but made his short screen time mean something.)

– An ad for “Wrestling with the Week” aired

(12) CHUCK TAYLOR vs. VSK

Taylor took advantage early by driving VSK into the corner. VSK came back with a body slam and a frog splash but could only get a two count. Taylor hit a high boot on VSK, then a brain buster. Taylor threw VSK hard into the turnbuckle but VSK fought back with a few body shots. VSK nailed Taylor with a series of kicks then a swinging DDT. VSK hit a tope suicida on the outside. Back inside, Taylor hit a knee strike, then planted VSK to the mat. Taylor nailed VSK with a falcon arrow, but VSK kicked out of the pin. Taylor drove VSK down with a snap piledriver, then a jumping piledriver, and covered for the win.

WINNER: Chuck Taylor in 4:30

(Moynahan’s Take: It was odd to see Taylor in a singles match, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.)

(13) 10 (w/The Dark Order) vs. DANIEL JOSEPH

-1 joined commentary for this match. 10 hit a pump kick on Joseph, then picked him up for a pump slam. 10 followed that up with a powerbomb, then covered for the win.

WINNER: 10 in 2:30

(Moynahan’s Take: It was a bit distracting to try and follow the action, as -1’s commentary was too much fun to listen to. He continued to show his hatred for Excalibur by telling him to shut up as he tried calling the match.)

(14) SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) vs. MATT & MIKE SYDAL

Kazarian and Matt started things off. Matt hit a duo of arm drags, then tagged in his brother Mike. Mike hit a standing moonsault press for a two count. Kazarian knocked Mike to the mat, then tagged in Daniels. Daniels hit a leg lariat. Matt tagged in a dropkicked Daniels, then hit a modified northern light bomb for a two count. Mike tagged back in, but Daniels was able to tag out to Kazarian. Kazarian walked right into a few strikes by Mike, who was then caught with a clothesline by Daniels, who made a blind tag. Kazarian came back in and hit a flipping neck breaker. Mike fought back with a series of stiff chops on Kazarian but was caught in a German suplex. Mike finally tagged in his brother Matt, who came in hot. Matt took out Kazarian with a leg lariat. Matt then double teamed SCU by himself, before Mike joined in. Matt locked in a submission on Kazarian. Mike hit Kazarian with a step-up enziguri for a two count. Kazarian hit Mike with a cutter but the pin attempt was broken up by Matt. All four men hit the ring. SCU hit the Best Meltzer Ever on Mike for the win.

WINNERS: SCU in 9:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A match worthy of the main event. Very good action throughout from both teams, with SCU rightfully going over as they continue postponing the break-up storyline with each win.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A very enjoyable week on Dark, with a heavy focus on tag team action. With that said, however, I must give the match of the night honors to Stu Grayson and JD Drake who had a great, hard-hitting match. In fact, Drake has now won this honor two weeks in a row. I’m eager to see more of him and his unique style.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S AEW DARK REPORT: 2/23 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Max Caster vs. Marko Stunt, SCU vs. TH2, plus Dark Order, Jurassic Express, more