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

AEW DARK TV REPORT
MARCH 9, 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

Ring announcer: Justin Roberts

– Excalibur and Taz welcomed us to Dark. Anthony Ogogo joined them at the start of the show.

(1) POWERHOUSE HOBBS (w/Hook) vs. ANGEL FASHION

Hobbs rammed Fashion into the corner right at the start of the match. Hobbs laid in a series of body shots, then slammed Fashion down to the mat. Fashion tried fighting back but Hobbs slammed Fashion down again with a spinebuster. Hobbs ran right into Fashion in the corner, then nailed him with his finisher for the win.

WINNER: Powerhouse Hobbs in 1:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Good squash match to kick things off. Hobbs remains strong with the win, as does Team Taz as a whole.)

– A review of this past Sunday’s AEW Revolution aired

(2) SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) vs. AZRIEL & DANNY LIMELIGHT

Kazarian started things off against Limelight, who was returning here after some time away. They locked up early, trading takedowns. Kazarian sent Limelight flying with a monkey flip. Kazarian smacked Azriel on the apron, then laid in a few chops to Limelight’s chest. Daniels tagged in, and SCU proceeded to double team Limelight. Daniels hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Limelight fought back, and was finally able to tag Azriel in. Daniels hit Azriel with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two count. With Daniels distracted by Limelight, Azriel hit him from behind. Azriel and Limelight traded tags, focusing their collective efforts on Daniels in the process. Daniels fought out and tagged Kazarian in, who looked red hot. Kazarian took out both opponents, ending with a stiff clothesline on Azriel. Daniels tagged in. Limelight and Kazarian traded strikes until Daniels helped Kazarian take Limelight out. SCU hit Azriel with the Celebrity Rehab for the win.

WINNERS: SCU in 7:30

(Moynahan’s Take: SCU continues its winning ways and they are now ranked #2 in the tag team division. An impressive match and win by SCU, who dominated much of the offense throughout.)

(3) THE PRETTY PICTURE (Peter Avalon & Cezar Bononi) & RYAN NEMETH vs. AARON SOLOW & BRICK ALDRIDGE & DEAN ALEXANDER

Nemeth and Solow started things off for their respective teams. Nemeth controlled things in the early going, until Solow hit him with a few arm drags. Aldridge tagged in and continued focusing on Nemeth’s arm. Ogogo called Aldridge one of the strongest men he has seen, which surprised Taz and Excalibur. Right on cue, Aldridge easily pressed Nemeth over his head. Avalon tagged in but Aldridge caught him with a fall away slam. Alexander tagged in and hit Avalon with a Russian leg sweep. Avalon goaded Alexander into his corner, then tagged Bononi in. Bononi, Nemeth, and Avalon proceeded to tag in and out, continuing their focus on Alexander. Solow finally tagged in and went right at each member of the opposing team. Bononi caught Solow and dropped him with a suplex. Everyone hit the ring, but Nemeth hit Alexander with a Rude Awakening for the win.

WINNERS: The Pretty Picture & Ryan Nemeth in 6:00

(Moynahan’s Take: An okay six-man tag team match. I’m mildly interested to see how things progress with Avalon, Bononi, and Nemeth. Mildly.)

– An ad for the Young Bucks book aired

(4) LEE JOHNSON vs. BARON BLACK

Johnson and Black traded reversals early in, which ended in a standoff. Johnson took Black down with a clothesline, then charged him into the corner. Black landed a stiff (and loud) chop to Johnson’s chest. With Black on the outside, Johnson came over the top rope but was caught by Black and slammed down to the mat. Back inside Black nailed Johnson with a discus clothesline, then a backstabber. Black maintained control momentarily until Johnson landed a picture-perfect dropkick. Johnson followed up with a series of clotheslines, then a hanging neck breaker. Johnson hit a DVD for a close two count. Black hit a dragon screw on Johnson, then locked in a Texas cloverleaf. Black failed to lock the move in fully, allowing Johnson to roll out. Johnson and Black traded pinfall attempts. Black hit a release German suplex, but Johnson was able to hit Blue Thunder Bomb and pick up the win.

WINNER: Lee Johnson in 8:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Great match. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth action between the two, which makes a ton of sense with each still early on in their respective AEW careers. Check this one out if you have the chance.)

(5) THE DARK ORDER (Colt Cabana & Evil Uno & Stu Grayson & Alex Reynolds w/-1) vs. AARON FRYE & D3 & JON CRUZ & VARY MORALES

Reynolds and D3 started things off. Reynold nailed D3 with a flying elbow. Frye and Grayson each tagged in. Grayson went for a running slam but Frye fought out. Grayson drove Frye hard into the corner. Uno came in and nailed Frye with a boot to the face. Frye took Uno off his feet with a dropkick and followed it up with a springboard elbow drop. Uno found himself caught in the opponents’ corner, who proceeded to make quick tags to one another. Uno hit Frye with a hanging neck breaker, then hit D3 with a stunner. Cabana tagged in. Cabana sat on the middle rope with Cruz on his back as each member of Dark Order hit finishers on the opponents. Cabana finally hit Cruz with the Chicago Skyline, then covered for the win.

WINNERS: The Dark Order in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: This was fairly entertaining, although there wasn’t a ton of offense until the last few seconds where each member of the Dark Order hit their respective finishers. That sequence ended with Cabana taking the pinfall win.)

(6) VARSITY BLONDeS (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) vs. CAMERON STEWART & RYZIN

Stewart and Pillman locked up, with Pillman taking the upper hand. Pillman landed a roundhouse kick on Stewart, then chopped him hard. Garrison tagged in and charged into Stewart in the corner. Pillman tagged in and Varsity Blonds hit a few double team moves on Stewart. Ryzin distracted the ref, which allowed Stewart to gain his composure and tag out. Ryzin threw Pillman into the middle turnbuckle. Ryzin went to the top for a suicide dive, but Pillman got his knees up in time. Garrison tagged in and took down each opponent. Garrison hit a splash on Stewart, then nailed him with a forearm, which knocked him out. Garrison covered for the win.

WINNERS: Varsity Blondes in 4:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Wow. Garrison hit Stewart tremendously hard with that forearm shot. Overall, a nice win for the Varsity Blondes who look like they’re improving with each match.)

(7) DIAMANTE vs. SAVANNAH THORNE

Thorne looked good early on, hitting Diamante with a few moves, ending with a knee drop across the face. Diamante hit a German suplex, which sent Thorne across the ring. Diamante followed up with a few brutal shots to Thorne’s face. Diamante laid in a few right hands for good measure. Diamante hit Thorne with a knee in the midsection, then played to the crowd. Diamante hit Thorne with two short-arm clotheslines. Diamante followed up with a stunner and a code red for the win.

WINNER: Diamante in 3:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Diamante looked great here in taking it right to Thorne throughout the entire match. I’d like to see more of Diamante and Ivelisse on Dynamite.)

– An ad for “Wrestling with the Week” aired

(8) QT MARSHALL (w/Nick Comoroto) vs. FUEGO DEL SOL

Marshall and del Sol traded slaps to kick things off. Marshall took del Sol down with a shoulder tackle, but del Sol fought right back. It didn’t last long as Marshall nailed del Sol with a clothesline. del Sol came back again, taking Marshall off his feet, then charging in hard into the corner. del Sol attempted the tornado DDT but Marshall reversed into a powerslam. Marshall hit a stiff back elbow then attempted to rip del Sol’s mask off. Marshall stopped del Sol’s second attempt at the tornado DDT. Marshall propped del Sol on the top rope, but del Sol took him down with a hurricanrana. Marshall and del Sol fought back-and-forth in the middle of the ring. del Sol hit Marshall with a dropkick, then hit a moonsault off the middle rope for a two count. del Sol caught Marshall in a roll up pin attempt, but Marshall kicked out. Marshall caught del Sol with a back breaker/flatliner combo but failed to go for the pin right away. Marshall called the Diamond Cutter, but del Sol avoided it. del Sol hit the tornado DDT off the top rope (finally) but Marshall’s momentum carried him outside the ring. del Sol came off the rope again, but Marshall hit the Diamond Cutter. He followed up with a second for good measure, then covered for the win.

WINNER: QT Marshall in 8:00

(Moynahan’s Take: This was great and definitely worth checking out. The crowd was into nearly everything they did, and it was great to see del Sol finally hit the tornado DDT.)

(9) KIP SABIAN (w/Penelope Ford) vs. CARLIE BRAVO (w/Shawn Dean)

Sabian locked in a headlock early on. Bravo hit a hip toss and dropkick on Sabian. Sabian came right back with a shotgun dropkick, knocking Bravo to the outside. Sabian went to the apron, then kicked Bravo across the face. Back inside, Sabian continued the beatdown on Bravo. Sabian placed Bravo in the corner and kicked him in the face, then followed up with a PK. Bravo started fighting back, laying in some right hands. Bravo swept out Sabian’s leg, then came down with a leg drop. Sabian nailed Bravo again with a kick to the face. Sabian hit his finisher for the win.

WINNER: Kip Sabian in 6:00

(Moynahan’s Take: This was fine. I am ready to see more from Sabian than he’s shown us thus far. Hoping he (and his storylines) progress a bit more sooner than later.)

(10) ABADON vs. KATALINA PEREZ

Perez hit Abadon with a few shots which didn’t faze her. Abadon drove Perez into the corner, then drove her knees in as a follow up. Abadon hit a release German suplex then slammed Perez’s head onto the mat a few times. Perez escaped to the outside but Abadon followed behind. Back inside, Abadon was taken down by a clothesline, but again, didn’t seem fazed. Abadon threw Perez down hard, then Cemetery Drive for the win.

WINNER: Abadon in 2:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Another okay match. Abadon is interesting to say the least and this match showcased that.)

(11) SANTANA & ORTIZ vs. SONNY KISS & JOEY JANELA

Santana and Ortiz attacked Janela and Kiss at the bell. Santana took Janela outside as Ortiz focused on Kiss in the ring. Janela was sent over the barricade. Kiss took Ortiz down with a hurricanrana and a drop sault. Kiss slapped Ortiz across the face, then hit him with a roundhouse. Santana tagged in and helped Ortiz double team Kiss as Janela remained on the outside. Santana hit Kiss with two snap suplexes, then tagged in Ortiz to help him hit a third. Ortiz and Santana continued trading tags as they worked over Kiss. Kiss fought back, with Janela still on the outside, hitting Ortiz with a spinning kick to the face. Kiss tried maintaining the offensive momentum against Santana but was caught with a side slam. Kiss made it his corner as Janela showed up. Janela tagged in and took out Santana and Ortiz. Santana and Ortiz hit Janela with a double kick to the stomach. Santana and Ortiz were each taken outside. Janela came over the top rope and took Ortiz out. Janela threw Ortiz back inside and covered for a two count. Kiss tagged in, hitting a double team move on Ortiz. Santana made the pin attempt save. Santana and Ortiz hit a powerbomb/brain buster combo on Kiss but could only get a two count. Kiss hit a stunner on Ortiz, then tried again but Ortiz fought out. Santana lifted Kiss and hit a DVD with Ortiz’s help. Santana covered for the win.

WINNERS: Santana & Ortiz in 10:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Good story to this match as Kiss basically had to fight Santana and Ortiz alone for the first half of the action.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A great night of action on this week’s Dark. Match of the night honors go to the del Sol/Marshall match. Go out of your way to see it. Black and Johnson was a close second for what it’s worth.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S AEW DARK REPORT: 3/2 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Orange Cassidy vs. Steven Stetson, SCU vs. Sydals, more