By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 147)
Taped in Ontario, California at Toyota Arena
Streamed June 7, 2022 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary…
1. Aaron Solo vs Lance Archer. Archer hit multiple shoulder blocks in the corner shortly after the bell rang. He followed up with a scoop slam. Solo hit a quick move from the top rope. Unfortunately, Solo was caught with a body shot. Archer hit the Hella Coaster on Solo. Solo countered the Blackout on the first attempt. Eventually, Archer planted Solo with the Blackout for the victory.
Lance Archer defeated Aaron Solo via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A typical Archer enhancement match, but this time against a more credible opponent. The only thing different is at least Solo wasn’t thrown into the ring during Archer’s entrance like most of his Dark opponents have been.
2. Steve Andrews vs Christopher Daniels. Daniels performed a shoulder tackle, but Andrews fought back with an arm drag. Daniels hit a back heel trip on Andrews. Shortly thereafter, Daniels picked up the win with the Best Moonsault Ever to end Andrews night quickly.
Christopher Daniels defeated Steve Andrews via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Solid stuff from Daniels, who seems like he never ages. It really makes you wonder how many more matches he has left in him. He was also over huge with his hometown crowd in Ontario, California.
3. Skye Blue vs Marina Shafir. As Shafir entered the ring, Blue dropkicked her off the apron. The two fought on the outside briefly before returning to the ring and the bell rang. Blue continued her fast pace style with a thrust kick to Shafir that sent Shafir to the outside once more. Unfortunately, Shafir slowed Blue’s momentum and began throwing her into the barricade. Shafir dropped Blue with a high collar slam in the middle of the ring. Blue and Shafir traded strikes back and forth until Shafir threw a kick into the back of Blue. Shafir locked in an armbar and made Blue tap out quickly for the victory.
Marina Shafir defeated Skye Blue via submission.
Briar’s Take: After her TV title loss to Jade Cargill a few weeks ago, AEW is trying to build up Shafir to make her a dominant wrestler in the ring. For those keeping track, Shafir is now 2-0 against Blue.
4. Serpentinco vs Ortiz. Ortiz and Serpentinco countered each other’s moves early on. Ortiz silenced the crowd with a chop before landing a leg lariat on Serpentinco. Ortiz continued with an enzuigiri to further dominate Serpentinco. Ortiz planted Serpentinco with a Tiger Driver for the victory.
Ortiz defeated Serpentinco via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A rare singles match from Ortiz, who straight up dominated Serpentinco in this outing. As I’ve said before, had Serpentinco not been brought in as a comedy act in the beginning, his matches would not feel so predictable. If my stats are correct, this is Ortiz’s first singles match since a November 2020 imatch with Cody Rhodes.
5. Zeda Zhang vs Toni Storm. Storm slowed things down with a side headlock on Zhang until throwing a dropkick. Zhang hit back with the back elbow and a hip thrust, and then locked her in a submission hold. Storm escaped and regained momentum with a German suplex and a hip attack in the corner. Storm planted Zhang with the Storm Zero for the win.
Toni Storm defeated Zeda Zhang via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Great stuff from Toni Storm, who continues to impress in every match that she is in. Here’s hoping someday she gets into some meaningful title programs with Britt Baker or Jade Cargill.
An Anthony Bowen’s video package was shown…
Tony Schiavone interviewed Ortiz about his upcoming match with Chris Jericho at Road Ranger in St. Louis…
6. “The Dark Order” Alex Reynolds, John Silver, and Ten vs. Max Caster and “The Gunn Club Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn. Silver took Austin off his feet with the uppercut elbow. Colten made a blind tag and caught Silver off guard with a lariat. Caster tagged in and dropped Silver with a swinging neck breaker. Silver threw Caster to the mat, but Austin tagged in once more.
Colten missed a diving splash on Silver, who then tagged out. 10 hit a right hand to the jaw of Caster. 10 planted Colten and Austin with a spinebuster. Reynolds entered the ring and was elevated over the top and landing on Caster and The Gunn Club. Colten saved Austin from losing. Colten hit Reynolds with Anthony Bowens’ crutch, which allowed Austin to gain the pinfall victory.
Max Caster and The Gunn Club defeated The Dark Order via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Overall, a very fast-paced episode of Dark with six matches. Obviously, this was taped on the same day as Rampage last Friday, so it was nice to have an arena crowd that seemed very engaged in the matches. There’s a little something for everyone this week and it’s somewhat hard to pick the match of the night with the matches being really short and brief in nature. However, I think Marina Shafir vs Skye Blue was underrated and great along with Christopher Daniels vs Steve Andrews. Episode 147 clocked in at 40 minutes and 51 seconds. Final Score: 7.5 out of 10.
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