3/16 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Team Taz vs. Janela & Kiss, Luchasaurus vs. Bononi, Dark Order in action, more

AEW DARK TV REPORT
MARCH 16, 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.

(1) LUCHASAURUS (w/Marko Stunt) vs. CEZAR BONONI (w/Peter Avalon)

The two big men faced off in the center of the ring, trading power moves until Luchasaurus nailed Bononi with a running boot. Luchasaurus followed it up with a jumping thrust kick, rocking Bononi to the corner. Bononi fought back, but only for a moment, as Luchasaurus took him down with a clothesline. Luchasaurus and Bononi went outside. Bononi rammed Luchasaurus’s back into the apron, then Avalon attacked Luchasaurus from behind. Bononi maintained control, slamming Luchasaurus down hard on the apron, then rolled him back into the ring. Bononi focused on Luchasaurus’s back by landing a series of knee shots. Luchasaurus fought back, rocking Bononi into the corner, then hitting a German suplex. Luchasaurus followed it up with a corkscrew kick, but turned his attention to Avalon, which allowed Bononi to hit a running boot to Luchasaurus’s face. Bononi was thrown into Avalon, allowing Luchasaurus to slam him down and get a close two count. The two faced off again in the center, trading blows until Luchasaurus hit a hook kick, choke slam, then standing moonsault press for the win.

WINNER: Luchasaurus in 7:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A solid opener with two big hosses going back-and-forth for much of the match. A nice win for Luchasaurus.)

(2) LEYLA HIRSCH vs. SAVANNAH EVANS

Hirsch went right at Evans early, but Evans showed off her power by slamming Hirsch to the mat. Evans kept the pressure on by keeping Hirsch in the corner. Evans landed a huge slap to the back of Hirsch, which seemed to wake Hirsch up for a bit. Evans missed a charge into the corner, allowing Hirsch to hit the double knees. Hirsch powered Evans up for a back suplex. Evans caught Hirsch coming off the middle rope and got a close two count after a Samoan drop. Hirsch locked in a cross-arm breaker for the quick tap out.

WINNER: Leyla Hirsch in 3:00

– After the match, Hirsch and Vickie Guerrero (at ringside) got into a shouting match.

(Moynahan’s Take: A quick tap out win for Hirsch, who found herself on defense for a good portion of the match. Glad to hear the recent news of Hirsch officially signing her AEW contract. She is a big favorite of mine and I can’t wait to see what’s next.)

(3) JOHN SILVER (w/-1) vs. JOHN SKYLER

Silver took the early advantage by working his agility to take Skyler down. Silver laid in a few stiff kicks to the chest of Skyler, ending in a Karate Kid style kick. Skyler caught Silver and hit a rolling senton. Skyler kept Silver on the mat, locking in a reverse gut wrench. Silver was able to break out of Skyler’s grip, and the two went back-and-forth with a few shots to one another’s face. Silver hit a jumping knee strike, then hoisted Skyler up for a spinning slam. Silver covered for the win.

WINNER: John Silver in 4:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A quick, enjoyable match. Silver’s power plus speed is a great combination; I can’t wait for fans to be back in full force so we can all hear how over Silver has become in the last year.)

(4) PENELOPE FORD (w/Kip Sabian) vs. TESHA PRICE

Ford missed a running boot early on. Price followed up with a kick of her own, but Ford was one step ahead, charging Price into the corner. Price came right back with a back elbow, which drove Ford to the outside. Ford swept Price’s legs out then stomped on her chest. Price was draped across the top rope, allowing Ford to charge in with a boot to the face. Ford dropped Price with double knees to the stomach for a two count. Ford caught Price off-guard and picked up the win.

WINNER: Penelope Ford in 3:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Another good, but quick, match between Ford and Price, but nothing much else to write home about.)

(5) CHAOS PROJECT (Luther & Serpentico) vs. FUEGO DEL SOL & JAKE ST. PATRICK

Serpentico and Luther jumped their opponents before the bell. St. Patrick was decked by Luther, who tagged in Serpentico. Luther used Serpentico to his advantage, slamming him down on St. Patrick. Luther, back in, planted St. Patrick with a powerbomb but del Sol broke up the pin attempt. Del Sol came off the top rope with a dropkick to Luther, then took out each member of Chaos Project on his own. Del Sol planted Luther with his trademark tornado DDT but wasn’t able to get the three count. Luther came right back, hitting del Sol with a pump kick. Serpentico tagged in and hit the Creeping Death on del Sol, then covered for the win.

WINNERS: Chaos Project in 4:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Another quick match, but a good tag match showing for Chaos Project. Dark seems to be their show, as they usually have good showings when given the opportunity.)

(6) KILYNN KING vs. JAZMIN ALLURE

Allure gave up a good size advantage to King in this one, but Allure wisely attacked King’s legs to take her down. Allure kept on the offense, keeping King grounded and using her agility to her advantage. King finally caught Allure, and landed a few stiff chops, then a few clotheslines. King nailed Allure with a kick to the face, knocking her down. King swung Allure around the ring ten times, then let her fly. Allure stumbled back to her feet and was able to take King down again for a two count. Allure tried taking King down again but was caught and slammed down to the mat. King covered for the victory.

WINNER: KiLynn King in 3:30

(Moynahan’s Take: I enjoyed the story in this one, with the smaller Allure using her agility and speed to take down the larger King. In the end, however, King used her power to pick up the win.)

– An ad for “Wrestling with the Week” aired

(7) DARK ORDER (Colt Cabana & Evil Uno & Stu Grayson & Alan Angels) vs. ANGEL FASHION & BARON BLACK & VARY MORALES & RYZIN

Grayson picked up Fashion at the bell and rammed him into the Dark Order’s corner. Morales tagged in but ran right into Uno’s boot. Grayson tagged back in and again brought Morales into his corner. Dark Order made quick tags and kept Morales isolated in their corner. Angels, now the legal man, power slammed Morales down but could only get a two count. Cabana and RYZIN were in next. RYZIN stopped Cabana from tagging out, then laid in a few right hands. Cabana hit a back body drop. Black and Uno tagged in for their respective teams. Uno hit Black with the hanging neck breaker, then each Dark Order member took turns hitting their own moves, ending with Cabana forcing Black to tap out.

WINNERS: Dark Order in 4:30

(Moynahan’s Take: A lot happened here in a short period of time, with each Dark Order member getting a lot out of their respective times in the ring.)

(8) THE GUNN CLUB (Billy & Austin & Colten) vs. DAVID ALI & ADAM PRIEST & SETH GARGIS

Gargis, Alu, and Priest jumped the Gunn Club before the bell, but the Gunn Club turned the tide. Billy hit Gargis with the fameasser, then Austin hit the Quick Draw for the quick win.

WINNERS: The Gunn Club in 1:00

(Moynahan’s Take: I thought tonight’s matches were moving fast but this one takes the cake. An impressive victory by the Gunn Club.)

(9) BEAR COUNTRY (Bear Boulder & Bear Bronson) vs. DEAN ALEXANDER & BRICK ALDRIDGE

Bear Country charged Aldridge and Alexander at the start of the match. Alexander tried escaping from Boulder, but Boulder caught him and Aldridge in a double power slam. Bronson came off Boulder’s shoulders, then covered both opponents for the win.

WINNERS: Bear Country in 1:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Another quick squash. I love Bear Country, so I was okay with this one, especially since Bear Country heads into a big match on tomorrow’s Dynamite.)

(10) NICK COMOROTO (w/QT Marshall) vs. D3

Comoroto certainly had the size advantage in this one (I guess he usually does). D3 locked in an arm bar but Comoroto picked him up and slammed him down rather easily. D3 was able to use his speed to evade Comoroto’s follow up, landing a dropkick in the process. Comoroto hit a backbreaker, then a powerslam for the quick win.

WINNER: Nick Comoroto in 1:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Okay so this match was about 30 seconds longer than each of the last two, but this is getting a little crazy. I guess these quick matches are the result of a long taping night between Dark and Elevation.)

– An ad for the Young Bucks book aired

(11) VARSITY BLONDS (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) vs. JOREL NELSON & ROYCE ISAACS

Pillman and Isaacs kicked things off. Pillman took Isaacs down with a shoulder tackle early on, then tagged out to Garrison, who hit a splash in the corner. The Blonds hit Isaacs with a double suplex for a two count. With Pillman back in, Nelson took him off the apron as he attempted a move. Isaacs tagged Nelson in, who kept Pillman in their corner. Pillman ran through Nelson, then made the tag into Garrison who took out both opponents with splashed in opposite corners. Isaacs and Nelson double teamed Garrison and got a close three count. Isaacs missed a charge and fell to the outside. Pillman tagged in and hit Nelson with a springboard clothesline, then covered for the win.

WINNERS: Varsity Blonds in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Solid tag team action. And hey, it was longer than one minute.)

(12) MADI WRENKOWSKI vs. VERTVIXEN

Wrenkowski took the early advantage, hitting a neck breaker on Vertvixen but only getting a two count. Vertvixen came back, knocking Wrenkowski off her feet with a dropkick. Wrenkowski and Vertvixen traded offense, but Vertvixen finally took the advantage with a series of thrust kicks. The two traded blows in the center of the ring. Wrenkowski hit a monkey flip but missed a follow up dropkick. Vertvixen charged in with a flying knee and covered for a two count. Wrenkowski hit a drop toe hold then an axe kick across Vertvixen’s spine, then covered for the pin.

WINNER: Wrenkowski in 4:30

(Moynahan’s Take: A little bit of an upset, as I went in thinking Vertvixen would take this one. Congrats to Wrenkowski on an impressive win in this back-and-forth match.)

(13) SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) vs. CARLIE BRAVO & AARON SOLOW

Daniels and Bravo faced off in the center of the ring to kick things off. Daniels took an early advantage, but Bravo evaded a few moves, and the two found themselves at a stalemate. Kazarian and Solow tagged in. Kazarian kept things on the mat, synching in a front headlock. Bravo tagged back in, as did Daniels, who dropped Bravo down hard. Daniels and Kazarian kept Bravo in their corner, trading tags and working the double team. Daniels missed a leg drop, allowing Bravo to tag Solow in. Solow charged into Daniels in the corner, then hit Kazarian with a thrust kick on the outside. Solow then came off the top rope right onto Daniels with a clothesline. Daniels went for Angel’s Wings, but Solow rolled out. Kazarian tagged in, but Solow hit him with a diving foot stomp then tagged Bravo in. Bravo came off the top rope with a cross body but Kazarian kicked out at two. Kazarian nailed Bravo with a huge clothesline. SCU hit BME on Bravo for the win.

WINNERS: SCU in 9:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Another very good tag team match, with the veterans working well with the younger talent in Solow and Bravo. While I’m not a huge SCU fan, I do find myself enjoying their matches each time out. Sounds like we may see them on Dynamite sooner than later as they continue to climb the tag team rankings.)

(14) RICKY STARKS & BRIAN CAGE (w/Hook) vs. SONNY KISS & JOEY JANELA

Kiss threw Cage into the corner, then followed up with a slap. Cage blocked an enziguri, then nailed Kiss with a knee strike. Cage charged Kiss hard into the corner, then tagged in Starks. Kiss hit Starks with a kick to the face, then tagged in Janela who came off the top with a diving crossbody. Cage came in but was thrown outside. Janela dove to the outside but Cage caught him and suplexed him onto the mat. Inside, Starks slammed Janela down, but Kiss broke up the pin attempt. Cage and Starks traded tags, keeping Janela in their corner. Janela hit a sunset flip off the middle rope on Starks, who kicked out at two. Hook swept out Janela’s legs as he stood on the apron. Cage threw Janela into the corner with a buckle bomb. Janela rammed Starks into Cage and got a close three count. Janela finally made the tag to Kiss, who used his energy and speed against Cage. Kiss hit a diving double knee take down off the top rope for another close pinfall. Kiss continued the offensive assault on Cage, getting a few close counts. Starks ran in to break up a pin attempt, then Cage and Starks double teamed Kiss with a double spine buster. Kiss and Janela took their turn to double team, taking down Cage, then each coming off the top rope with a splash. Starks was taken off the apron, then Kiss and Janela continued to double team Cage. Cage rammed Janela into Kiss, then caught them both for a double slam. Starks tagged in and speared Kiss for the win.

WINNERS: Ricky Starks & Brian Cage in 10:00

– After the match, Janela ripped into Kiss for the loss, then apologized for his words.

(Moynahan’s Take: Yet another solid tag team match. There were two big storylines here. One was the interaction between Starks and Cage during the match, which Excalibur called “icy.” Taz even admitted there was tension between the two, so it will be interesting to see where this goes. The second was the post-match interaction between Kiss and Janela, with Janela ripping into Kiss then apologizing.)

(15) JACK EVANS vs. 10 (w/ -1)

-1 joined commentary for this match. 10 suplexed Evans into the ring, then nailed him with a running clothesline. Evans swept out 10’s leg on the apron, then drove him into the post. Back inside, Evans dropped 10 with a corkscrew kick, then laid in a few double ax handles into his chest. Evans hit a standing sky twister press for a two count. Evans hit a springboard kick, then climbed to the top rope but missed a phoenix splash. 10 followed up with a few clotheslines but Evans fought back with a right hand that dropped 10. Evans and 10 worked a lot of mat work then took one another down at the same time. 10 hit a spine buster on Evans, who rolled to the outside, Evans came off the top rope but was met with a spear by 10. Evans somehow kicked out of the pin attempt. Angelico came out and distracted 10, allowing Evans to hit a low blow. Evans came off the top with the phoenix splash but 10 was able to kick out. 10 locked in a full nelson, and Evans tapped out.

WINNER: 10 in 10:00 (for real)

(Moynahan’s Take: This match was very slow at times, with not much action in between. -1’s commentary was the highlight, as he continues his feud with Excalibur.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A very average episode of AEW Dark, with the highs including some very solid tag team action and the lows being a ton of squash matches. Match of the week honors go to Starks/Cage vs. Janela/Kiss, primarily for the teased team tensions. With that said, this is officially my final post covering AEW Dark, but I will be moving into Dark: Elevation beginning next week.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S AEW DARK REPORT: 3/9 AEW DARK TV REPORT: SCU vs. Limelight & Azriel, Dark Order in tag team action, Inner Circle vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela, more