AEW Dark
Episode 8
Original Air Date: November 26, 2019
Event Date: November 20, 2019
(uploaded to YouTube)
City: Indianapolis, IN
Venue: Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Commentary: Excalibur, Shawn Spears
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Empty Arena
Tony Shiavone welcomes us to Dark and goes over tonight’s matches.
Match 1
Pentagon Jr. vs Trent w/ Orange Cassidy
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Trent wins via pinfall after Crunchy
Time: 12:02
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was a fun match, and the finish somewhat surprised me. Trent had some good offense early, but Pentagon Jr. started to dominate in the late stages of the match. I like both guys very much, and I was happy to see Trent and Pentagon Jr. fight on a pretty level playing field. I would typically think Pentagon Jr. might run away with this matchup, but he didn’t, and I liked that.
Video
A look at Shanna.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes Big Swole. Big Swole reacts to Shanna’s video, saying everyone has a story. What matters is what you do when you get an opportunity.
Match 2
Big Swole vs Shanna
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Shanna wins via pinfall with a bridging Dragon suplex
Time: 11:13
Match Thoughts
Good match. Shanna was my favorite going in, but the commentators pointed out that both Shanna and Big Swole have identical records in AEW. For that reason, I really wasn’t sure who would win. Both women played to their strengths (Shanna with a more technical attack and Big Swole with strikes and counters), and I liked how they worked together.
Video
Clips of Scorpio Sky using reverse psychology on Chris Jericho from Dynamite this past week.
Video
Clips from the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal from Dynamite this past week.
By The Numbers
Alex Marvez talks about the numbers for tomorrow night’s episode of Dynamite taking place in Chicago.
Match 3
“The Librarian” Leva Bates w/ “The Librarian” Peter Avalon vs Awesome Kong w/ Brandi Rhodes
(referee: Mike Posey)
Result: Awesome Kong wins via pinfall after the Soul Collector
Time: 0:57
Match Thoughts
Squash. Also, Peter Avalon was scared.
Ring Area
After the match, Brandi and King cut off and take a lock of Leva Bates’ hair.
Match 4
AAA Mega Title Match
Jack Evans vs Kenny Omega (AAA Mega Champ)
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Kenny Omega wins via pinfall after the One-Winged Angel
Time: 15:49
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Evans was supremely confident. He tried to overshadow Omega with his flashy moves early in the match, and though some of Evans moves and evasions worked, Omega didn’t let Evans throw him off his game too much. Omega grounded Evans and worked on his back a lot, but Evans, even when being beaten up, was very resilient. Evans kicked out of a few things that should probably have ended the match, but he kept going. Even so, Omega never seemed to be in too much trouble tonight. This was a good step forward for Omega, and it was a nice singles match for Evans. I still think Evans is annoying, but he can be fun to watch.
Show Impressions
I liked this episode. It opened with a nice surprise, it had a solid and competitive women’s match, it had a squash, and it had a fun title match. It gets a thumbs up from me.
Match of the Night
Kenny Omega vs Jack Evans
I liked the two opening matches as well, but I think the main event was more memorable.