By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 140)
Taped in Garland, Texas at Curtis Culwell Center
Streamed April 26, 2022 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary
1. Dulce Tormenta vs. Red Velvet. Tormenta and Velvet started the match grappling style. Tormenta threw a sidekick, but Velvet fought back with a leg lariat. Afterward, Tormenta would hit the three amigos to Velvet in tribute to Eddie Guerrero. Despite successfully landing the three suplexes, Velvet landed the corkscrew kick which would ultimately give her the victory.
Red Velvet defeated Dulce Tormenta via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Not a bad match by any means from Velvet, but the crowd was really silent during her entrance and through the match itself.
An AEW Dynamite ad aired to hype Wednesday’s show.
2. Lee Moriarty (w/Matt Sydal) vs. Serpentinco. Moriarty rolled up Serpentinco early with the crucifix pin, but Serpentinco kicked at one. Moriarty then dropped Serpentinco with the helicopter spin before getting struck with an elbow. Serpentinco hit a blindside shot to Moriarty after using the ropes to his advantage and spiked Moriarty on the mat as well. Moriarty turned the tide with knee strikes to the midsection of Serpentinco. Shortly thereafter, Moriarty threw a punt kick, which led to him going for the cover and getting a two count. Moriarty put Serpentinco down with a Flatliner to get the win.
Lee Moriarty defeated Serpentinco via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Going into this match, I felt like it could have gone either way. That said, with the way Serpentinco has been used lately, it’s not surprising he took the loss since he is mainly a comedy act. The match was still good for what it was, though I’m not sure what Moriarty gains in defeating Serpentinco at this point.
A AEW Rampage ad was shown.
3. Raychell Rose and The Bunny vs. Anna Jay and Skye Blue. Jay struck with a side leg kick to The Bunny along with the suplex. The Bunny began stomping Jay in the corner to get momentum on her side and continued with a sliding elbow strike in the corner to Jay. The Bunny then hit a knee to Jay that sent her down on the mat. Eventually, Rose made the tag, but Jay flattened Rose and also tagged out. Blue swept the ankle of Rose as well as the enzuigiri. Jay returned to the match and quickly locked in the Queen Slayer on Rose for the victory.
Anna Jay and Skye Blue defeated Raychell Rose and The Bunny via submission.
Briar’s Take: As Excalibur said early in the match, it was basically a singles match between Jay and The Bunny early on. And I totally would’ve been okay with just a singles match between The Bunny and Jay. Blue and Rose had brief flashes in the match, but it was Jay who put Rose away.
A Double or Nothing ad was aired.
4. Q.T. Marshall (w/Aaron Solo) vs. Penta Oscuro. Marshall threw a boot to the midsection of Oscuro to gain the upper hand early on. Oscuro came back with a huracanrana and dropped Marshall down with multiple sling blade clotheslines. Oscuro looked for a move from the ropes, but Marshall caught him with an elbow strike. Later, Marshall and Oscuro traded slaps back and forth until Marshall caught Penta with a charging enzuigiri. Comoroto came in and speared Oscuro while the ref was distracted, but it still wasn’t enough for Marshall to get the win. Marshall sought a Diamond Cutter, but Oscuro kicked him in midair and tore Marshall’s arm “out of socket” and grabbed the win.
Penta Oscuro defeated Q.T. Marshall via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: One of the better matches on the card and it woke the crowd up. The crowd had been silent prior to his match. The show was taped on the same night of the recent live Rampage and Battle of the Belts show. Perhaps the crowd was wrestled out until this match came along? Either way, this was definitely a solid matchup.
5. Charlette Renegade vs. Abadon. Renegade looked for a sunset flip, but Abadon sat out and then performed a senton on the back of Renegade. Abadon scored a quick victory with a leg draping DDT.
Abadon defeated Charlette Renegade via pinfall.
6. Max Caster, Angelico, The Blade, Marq Quen, and Isiah Kassidy vs. Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, and Frankie Kazarian. Late in the match, Jeff made a hot tag to Kazarian, who attacked Private Party with forearms and then scoop slammed Angelico. Private Party regained momentum with stereo type kicks, and then Kazarian flipped out and made the tag to Darius.
Darius took down Private Party with a dropkick. Quen nearly got the victory on Darius with a foot stomp. Toward the end of the match, most wrestlers hit their signature moves. This was capped off by Matt Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate on Quen, then Jeff landed the Swanton Bomb on Quen for the victory.
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, and Frankie Kazarian defeated Max Caster, Angelico, The Blade, Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A typical big tag team match with everyone getting their stuff in toward the end of the match and the babyface team getting the victory. Overall, this was a passable episode of Dark, though a step down from last week’s episode. This was a three match show with Q.T. Marshall vs. Penta Oscuro, the main event tag, and Serpentinco vs. Lee Moriarty highlighting the card. The match of the night goes to Marshall vs. Oscuro, which was really a solid sleeper.
As I mentioned earlier, this episode was taped the same night as Battle of the Belts and Rampage. The crowd didn’t really wake up until the Marshall vs. Oscuro match in the middle of the card and then stayed alive for the remainder of the show. The tag team main event was simply a match to send the crowd home happy and wasn’t all that bad. Episode 140 clocked in at 52 minutes and 19 seconds. Final Score: 7.0 out of 10.
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