By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 174)
Taped November 4, 2022 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at Boardwalk Hall
Streamed December 13, 2022 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary
1. Miranda Vionette vs. Tay Melo (w/Sammy Guevara). Melo hit a release German suplex shortly after the bell rang and followed up with a knee strike to the face. Quickly, Melo locked in the neck crank and made Vionette tap out for the submission victory.
Tay Melo defeated Miranda Vionette via submission.
Briar’s Take: A short and sweet victory for Melo. I didn’t time the match, but I don’t think it lasted even a minute.
2. Joe Keys, Chris Steeler, and LSG vs. “The Factory” Lee Johnson, QT Marshall, and Cole Karter (w/Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo). LSG tagged in late and was gaining momentum until Marshall hit him with a massive elbow after LSG came off the ropes. Eventually, The Factory got the win after an assisted Diamond Cutter from Mashall on LSG.
“The Factory” Lee Johnson, QT Marshall, and Cole Karter defeated Joe Keys, Chris Steeler, and LSG via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Another dominating performance by The Factory with Marshall continuing to rack up the victories for the team.
3. Steve Pena vs. “The Reality” Zack Clayton. Clayton planted Pena on the ropes with a front suplex. Pena found a breakthrough with a jawbreaker and threw a strike to Clayton. Clayton, however, hit a power slam and landed the fisherman’s buster for the victory.
Zack Clayton defeated Steve Pena via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Clayton had some fanfare in this match due to being a local, but the match was nothing more than a showcase.
4. Tony Deppen vs. Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford). Deppen and Sabian traded holds until Sabian threw a boot to the midsection and then followed with a leg lariat. Deppen landed a knee strike to the back. Sabian hit a springboard dropkick on Deppen to slow the match down. Deppen hit double knees in the corner and continued with a northern lights suplex on Sabian. Sabian tripped Deppen and planted him with a psycho driver for the victory.
Kip Sabian defeated Tony Deppen via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: The match wasn’t a complete throwaway, as Deppen has upside and had brief flashes of momentum. Had this match been given a little more time, I think would’ve been better, as it never kicked into high gear. Deppen worked for ROH previously and has done some work for GCW since then.
5. The Trustbusters” Jeeves Kay and Slim J (w/Parker Boudreaux, Sonny Kiss) vs. Eddie Kingston and Ortiz. Ortiz suplexed to Slim J and then Kingston hit one of his own. Kingston and Ortiz then hit a double suplex before Ortiz splashed down on Slim J. Kay provided a distraction and then Slim J performed a Flatliner. Ortiz bit the hand of Kay, who tagged in J. With an assist from Kay, J planted Ortiz with a powerbomb. Kingston hit multiple exploders on Kay and J. Kay threw a thrust kick to Ortiz and planted him with a cradle shock that led to a two count. The match ended with Kingston locking in a stretch submission on Kay.
Eddie Kingston and Ortiz defeated The Trustbusters via submission.
Briar’s Take: The Trustbusters push has really cooled off ever since the summer, as they have been on a losing streak. In fact, The Trustbusters’ last victory came back in August and then they lost five matches in a row. It was a typical match from Kingston and Ortiz, who didn’t do anything special. We also didn’t see the crazed Kingston following the victory in that he didn’t hold on to the submission and risk a disqualification.
Overall, a short and sweet episode of Dark that clocked in at 31 minutes and 21 seconds. The show saw three debuts with Vionette, Deppen, and Pena. Deppen’s stood out, he got a little more showtime than Vionette and Pena. Sabian and Deppen had a nice match that I wished had gone a little bit longer.
As for the rest of the show, the episode was nothing memorable or a “must-see.” Most matches were predictable with the expected outcome. It also seems as though, we rounded out the tapings from the New Jersey area that happened a month ago. AEW will be holding Dark taping in Orlando this weekend. I would go out of your way to see Sabian vs. Pena. Otherwise, the other four matches were just too short. Episode 174 clocked in at 31 minutes and 21 seconds. Final Score: 5.0 out of 10.
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