By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 138)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios
Streamed April 12, 2022 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary…
1. Axton Ray vs. Powerhouse Hobbs. Ray was caught multiple times with clotheslines from Hobbs to begin the match. Hobbs got Ray up in the Torture Rack and ended Ray’s night quickly.
Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Axton Ray via knockout.
Briar’s Take: A quick match for Hobbs here and nothing more. Not much to write about here, as this match was over before it started.
A Championship Night ad for Wednesday’s Dynamite aired… A Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston video package was shown…
Briar’s Take: This was a nice video package to recap Chris Jericho’s Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz’s feud. I’m sure AEW will post this on their social channels, but when they do, I highly recommend going out of your way to watch the package. Good stuff.
2. Mike Reed vs. Max Caster (w/Anthony Bowens). Caster performed an arm drag and an inside crotch lift to Reed. Caster followed up with a dropkick from the top rope. Reed then sent Caster to the outside with a dropkick to the bottom to gain some momentum and came over the top with a splash. Reed attempted a crossbody, but Caster turned him inside out with a body slam. Shortly thereafter, Caster dropped Reed with a back body drop. As Caster got the chain, Reed took it away in hopes of using it himself. However, the ref took the chain away, and as the ref was turned, Caster hit a low blow and eventually the Mic Drop for the win.
Max Caster defeated Mike Reed via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Good work from Caster and Reed in this back and forth match. I was surprised to see the match go a lot longer than it did, but the finish was creative.
A Minoru Suzuki vs. Samoa Joe ROH Championship video package aired…
3. Mylo vs. Diamante. Mylo hit a few headbutts and even got a low dropkick that sent Diamante to the corner. Diamante gained advantage with a release German suplex. Diamante continued with a short clothesline from the left arm and locked in the half straight jacket submission to score the victory.
Diamante defeated Mylo via submission.
Briar’s Take: The only thing worth noting here is that this was Mylo’s AEW debut. Otherwise, Diamante continued her winning streak by improving to seven victories for the year thus far.
A Jurassic Express vs. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly video package was shown… A Rohit Raju video package showed ahead of his Dynamite match with Shawn Dean…
4. Teddy Goodz vs. Jora Johl. Johl hit a big explosive knee and followed through with the double underhook into a backbreaker. Johl followed with a powerslam. Goodz was then caught with a fireman’s carry from Johl, who won with a big boot to the side of the head before getting the pin.
Jora Johl defeated Teddy Goodz via pinfall.
Another video package was shown, but this time showcasing the Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page for Friday’s Rampage…
5. Charlette Renegade vs. Emi Sakura. Renegade threw Sakura a chop after the bell rang, but was turned inside out with by Sakura. This was followed by Sakura chops in the corner and a crossbody to Renegade. Sakura planted Renegade with the backbreaker after an eye poke and then rolled Renegade into a pinfall victory.
Emi Sakura defeated Charlette Renegade via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: I never understand why there has to be so much screaming during an Emi Sakura match.
6. Rohit Raju vs. Capt. Shawn Dean. Dean planted Raju with a shoulder tackle. Raju swept Dean off his feet and landed an arm drag too. Dean turned the tide with a dropkick and a thrust kick to the jaw. Raju once again swept the leg of Dean on the apron and then planted him with a back suplex on the apron. Once the two got back in the ring, Dean regained momentum with a suplex before Raju rolled out to the outside again and was caught with an over the top move. Raju then nearly got the victory with the leaping Flatliner. Dean finished off Raju with a front hammer lock, driving Raju into the mat for the victory.
Capt. Shawn Dean defeated Rohit Raju via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Overall, not a bad match to Dark this week. With the way the match card played out, the main event was the best of the night and it was not even close. It turned out to be a highly competitive match.
As for the show itself, the episode included tons of video packages hyping up championship week. I understand why AEW took the route they did this week with some good potential matches on the horizon beginning on Wednesday and flowing over into Friday’s Rampage and Saturday’s Battle of the Belts. Something tells me the AEW Title match will last an hour on Friday. Dark was largely missable this week unless you’re a diehard. Most of the matches were brief, which is fine, but I don’t think the whole show is worth going out of your way to see. You can probably catch the video packages on AEW’s social media feeds. The match of the night goes to Shawn Dean vs. Rohit Raju by default, and Caster vs. Reed came in second. Episode 138 clocked in at 44 minutes and 10 seconds. Final Score: 5.5 out of 10.
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