AEW Dark
Episode 12
#AEWDark
Original Air Date: December 24, 2019
Event Date: December 18, 2019
(uploaded to YouTube)
City: Corpus Christie, TX
Venue: American Bank Center
Commentary: Excalibur, Colt Cabana
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Studio
Tony Shiavone and Dasha Gonzalez welcome wish us happy holidays and tell us about tonight’s matches.
Match 1
Sammy Guevara vs Brandon Cutler
(referee: Mike Posey)
Result: Sammy Suevara wins via pinfall after a torture rack dropped into a knee strike
Time: 7:51
Match Thoughts
Good match. Guevara was as confident and obnoxious as always, but Brandon Cutler seemed extra aggressive to start the match. Both men were still looking for their first singles win in AEW, but Cutler seemed to be more cognizant of that than Guevara. Cutler put up a pretty good fight, but a few bug moves late in the match by Guevara ended up being the difference makers.
Backstage
Jenn Decker asks Joey Janela if he and Shawn Spears will end their feud tonight. Janela says tonight will be a night Spears won’t remember, and Janela is a man Spears won’t forget.
Match 2
The Hybrid2 vs Private Party vs Best Friends vs Santana & Ortiz
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Santana pins Isaiah Kassidy after the Street Sweeper, Santana and Ortiz win
Time: 16:08
Match Thoughts
Good match. The opening few minutes were a series on mostly one-on-one scenarios, but the chaos opened up pretty quickly. As you might expect, there were lots of dives, lots of double-teaming, and locks of quick action. Orange Cassidy made a surprise appearance partway through the match, but the most fun was in the middle of the ring. I think Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz stood out the most to me tonight. Both teams fought like they really wanted the win. Santana and Ortiz went about attaining a victory in a much more devious way than any of their opponents. So yeah, this was fun.
Ring Area
On the stage, Jenn Decker welcomes Pac. When Pac comes out, he carries Michael Nakazawa with him. Continuing the beating he started during Dynamite, Pac beat up Nakazawa all the way to the ring. He wraps a chair around Nakazawa’s head and issues a warning to Kenny Omega. Pac demands a rubber match from Omega, otherwise Pac will continue to beat up his friends. Pac acts like he’s going to stomp the chair on Nakazawa’s neck, but he fakes everyone out and walks away.
Match 3
Shawn Spears w/ Tully Blanchard vs Joey Janela
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Joey Janela wins via pinfall after a diving elbow drop
Time: 7:43
Match Thoughts
Good match. Spears started strong, but Janela persevered and started to make a push when the fight went outside the ring. While Janela was dominating Spears on the floor, Janela, dressed as Santa Claus, took time to pull a fan dressed as Jesus to ringside. Janela confessed his sins and was forgiven. Then Janela took the fight back into the ring and rolled on to a slightly surprising finish. I liked it.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. Nothing was great, but it was all good.
Match of the Night
Four Way Tag Match
All of the matches were fun, but I think the tag match had the most fun action. The main event definitely had some memorable moments, but those came more from Janela’s antics during and after the match rather than actual wrestling action.