AEW Dark
Episode 52
#AEWDark
Original Air Date: September 15, 2020
Event Date: September 10, 2020
(uploaded to YouTube)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz, Veda Scott, Ricky Starks (4 – 7)
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Match 1
Red Velvet vs Brandi Rhodes w/ Dustin Rhodes
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Brandi Rhodes wins via Referee Stoppage/KO with a sleeper hold with body scissors
Time: 4:20
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Brandi never had any problems tonight. Anna Jay came out to the stage to watch, and that made Brandi even more arrogant and aggressive. This was a fine opening match for the show.
Match 2
Daniel Garcia & Kevin Blackwood vs The Butcher & The Blade w/ Eddie Kingston
(referee: Mike Posey)
Result: The Blade pins Kevin Blackwood after The Full Death
Time: 4:18
Match Thoughts
Good match. Blackwood and Garcia tried their best, but they were destroyed. This was a beating.
Match 3
Dani Jordyn vs Penelope Ford w/ Kip Sabian
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Penelope Ford wins via pinfall with a bridging fisherman suplex
Time: 4:33
Match Thoughts
Good match. Partway through the match, Kip Sabian looked through Dani Jordyn’s Burn Book and found Ford’s page. That pissed Ford off, and she got a lot more aggressive from that point on. This was fun.
Match 4
Megabyte Ronnie vs “The Machine” Brian Cage (FTW Champ)
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Brian Cage wins via pinfall with the Drill Claw
Time: 3:07
Match Thoughts
This was okay. Megabyte Ronnie’s gimmick is that he’s a competitive eater (get it, megabyte sounds like mega bite…), and his biggest move was a People’s Elbow with a hot dog in his hand. Ronnie seemed a bit awkward, and he seemed to struggle to mesh with Cage throughout the match, so Cage just manhandled him on his way to the finish.
Match 5
Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr. vs Santana & Ortiz
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Ortiz pins Brian Pillman Jr. after a sit-out powerbomb (Ortiz) and punt kick (Santana)
Time: 6:09
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Garrison seemed to get lost in the middle of the match, but Santana and Ortiz kept things together. Santana and Ortiz ended up having a really nice sequence with Brian Pillman Jr. towards the end of the match. The match wasn’t very pretty, but since Santana and Ortiz have a parking lot brawl with Best Friends coming up on Dynamite, I think not being pretty is just fine for a little preview/warm-up.
Match 6
Jessy Sorensen vs Will Hobbs
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Will Hobbs wins via pinfall after a modified Oklahoma Stampede
Time: 1:22
Match Thoughts
Squash. Will Hobbs is a big and powerful guy.
Match 7
Raché Chanel & Skyler Moore vs Ivelisse & Diamanté
(referee: Mike Posey)
Result: Ivelisse pins Skyler Moore after a kick to the face
Time: 5:29
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Raché Chanel struggled a bit when she was on offense, but she got beat up well. The best bits were late in the match after Skyler Moore got a hot tag and ended up getting double-teamed by Ivelisse and Diamanté.
Match 8
Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana w/ Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Alan Angels, Preston Vance, Anna Jay vs QT Marshall w/ Allie
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Colt Cabana wins via pinfall after a discus lariat (after a running knee strike from Stu Grayson)
Time: 7:02
Match Thoughts
Good match. Colt Cabana had a competitive match with QT Marshall, but Dark Order disapproved and got frustrated every time Cabana wasn’t 100% on the offensive. Cabana got “advice” throughout the match, and eventually Dark Order took it upon themselves to get more hands-on in their approach to supporting Cabana. This match was more tough love for Cabana from the Dark Order with Evil Uno bing the nice guy while everyone else in Dark Order just seems annoyed. I think it’s more “good cop/bad cop” from Dark Order, it’s their way of breaking Cabana down so he becomes fully on board with their way of thinking.
Match 9
“The Librarian” Peter Avalon w/ Leva Bates vs Brandon Cutler
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Double Count Out
Time: 6:45
Match Thoughts
Very good match. With the way the match ended, this was definitely just another step in the ongoing saga between Avalon and Cutler. Even so, the action was very good. I think these two can have a great series of matches, and this was just a taste of what this rivalry holds in store. Hopefully. The biggest takeaway from this match is that Avalon is furious, Cutler is frustrated, and Bates is torn between the two of them. It’s some good drama, and it’s playing out well in the ring.
Match 10
Maxx Stardom & Dontae Smiley vs Best Friends
(referee: Mike Posey)
Result: Trent pins Dontae Smiley after a pair of piledrivers
Time: 5:36
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a warm-up for Best Friends heading into their parking lot brawl with Santana and Ortiz, and Trent and Chuck looked sufficiently aggressive beating up Stardom and Smiley.
Match 11
Stu Grayson & Evil Uno & John Silver & Alex Reynolds w/ Alan Angels, Preston Vance, Anna Jay vs Billy & Austin Gunn w/ Colten Gunn & Private Party
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Stu Grayson pins Austin Gunn after Fatality
Time: 10:55
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was fast and fun. Dark Order was great as a full four man team. Even though Private Party and Gunn Club had a few nice moments of offense throughout the match, Dark Order’s teamwork was practically unstoppable.
Show Impressions
This was a fine show. The final few matches were the best part of the night and were definitely worth watching.
Match of the Night
Dark Order vs Gunn Club & Private Party
This was the most fun match of the night. I think Cutler versus Avalon was very close in terms of entertainment, but I think they’ll have even better (and more definitive) matches later. The finish of the Cutler/Avalon match (even though it was great for the rivalry) made me enjoy the eight man tag match more.