By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 31)
Taped in Norcross, Georgia at One Fall Power Factory
Streamed April 28, 2020 on the AEW YouTube Page
Tony Schiavone and Cody welcomed us to Dark and ran down the card lineup…
1. Shawn Dean vs. Jimmy Havoc. Before Havoc entered the ring, Tony and Cody talked about Havoc’s AEW ranking record. Dean and Havoc started with a collar and elbow tie up. Havoc put Dean in an arm submission hold. After a couple of holds, Dean took Havoc down with an arm flip. However, Havoc put Dean in the corner and chopped him a couple of times.
Dean countered with a Japanese arm style take down to Havoc. A short time later, Havoc put Dean into a submission of his own trying to break Dean’s fingers. Dean broke the hold. Havoc eventually put Dean away with his fisherman suplex…
Jimmy Havoc defeated Shawn Dean via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A simple and effective win for Havoc. Not much to say about this one.
An AEW Double or Nothing ad aired…
2. Lee Johnson and Musa vs. “Best Friends” Chuck Taylor and Trent. Taylor and Johnson started the match with another elbow collar tie up, and Taylor taking Johnson down with a shoulder block. Taylor then hit Johnson with a dropkick. Trent started chopping Johnson in the corner and relentlessly taking Johnson down, with offensive moves. Trent used the rope for an assistance on a northern lights suplex on Johnson and only got a two count.
Trent tagged Taylor in and both performed their elbow drop. Musa was tagged in and hit Taylor with a rolling dropkick. Musa and Johnson tried a double team move on Taylor, but Taylor countered and Trent took Musa down with a crossbody using the ropes, and then took Johnson down with a spear on the outside. Shortly thereafter, the Best Friends used their “Strong Zero” on Musa and picked up the win…
“Best Friends” Chuck Taylor and Trent defeated Musa and Lee Johnson via pinfall.
Afterward, Tony and Cody hyped Dynamite for Wednesday night with Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends, TNT Championship Tournament semifinal matches featuring Cody vs. Darby Allin and Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes…
Briar’s Take: A showcase win for Best Friends here. Nothing too special. I did question Chuck and Trent hugging each other twice in the middle of the ring during the pandemic. Also, why is Billy Gunn still at ringside? Like the other shows, it is really hard trying to get into the action with no fans at ringside especially for a dull show like Dark. In times like these, why not just hold Dark off for now until there are at least some fans in attendance and make it an exciting show? Otherwise, it’s just pointless continuing this specific show where there is no storyline advancement for anyone involved. Most of these recent episodes are showcase wins for the regulars. Just my two cents. This show clocked in at 16:55. Final Score: 4.5 out of 10
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