By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 182)
Taped in January 28, 2023 Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios
Streamed February 7, 2023 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary…
1. Serpentinco (w/Luther, Angelico) vs. Blake Christian. Christian performed a deep arm drag that sent Serpentinco outside the ring shortly after the bell rang. Serpentinco rebounded with a huracanrana and a Flatliner. Shortly thereafter, Serpentinco threw a thrust kick and a low-hanging DDT. Christian rocked Serpentinco with a corkscrew kick. To end the match, Christian hit a Spanish Fly and then a 450 splash from the top rope.
Blake Christian defeated Serpentinco via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A solid competitive match-up to open up Dark, even from Serpentinco’s side, which is quite surprising since his matches are normally on the shorter side.
2. Aiden Park vs. Rush (w/Joes the Assistant). Rush fired away right before the bell rang and manhandled Park on the outside. Rush choked Park with a cable that he dragged from underneath the ring. As the two wrestlers got back in the ring, Rush hit a strong right hand that popped Park and left him dazed. Rush won the match with his Bull Horns finisher before Park ever had a chance to show any offense.
Rush defeated Aiden Park via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A momentum-building win for Rush, who will face Bryan Danielson on tonight’s Dynamite. The only other thing to note here is Park made his AEW debut.
3. Megan Meyers vs. Kiera Hogan. Hogan struck a dropkick to Meyers after the match started. However, Meyers began fighting back with stomps to the corner as an counter on Hogan’s dropkick. Hogan would hit a hip attack followed by a leg drop to the back of the head on Meyers to get momentum on her side. After the maneuver, Hogan would hit a roundhouse kick and the inside cradle to score the victory on Meyers.
Kiera Hogan defeated Megan Meyers via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Showcase victory for Hogan
4. Dante Casanova vs. Dalton Castle (w/The Boys). Castle hit a half-nelson slam on Casanova and almost scored a quick victory. Following the near-fall, Castle splashed Casanova. Casanova came back with a high boot. Castle struck with three suplexes in a row before eventually putting Casanova away with a Bang-A-Rang.
Dalton Castle defeated Dante Casanova via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: The outcome was never in question with Castle dominating the match.
5. Mascara Dorada vs. Slim J (w/Sonny Kiss, Jeeves Kay). Dorada was the first to strike with a bow and arrow stretch submission. J countered the submission by falling onto Dorada and received a two count. Shortly thereafter, Dorada hit a dropkick, which sent J go on the outside. Back in the ring, J hit a diving DDT. He continued with his momentum until Dorada hit a backbreaker. J was sent to the outside. While Kay and Kiss were by J’s side, Dorada went over the top rope with a torpedo-like dive. J nearly got the victory with a Backstabber. He missed a moonsault afterward, and Dorada hit a moonsault of his own to score the win.
Mascara Dorada defeated Slim J via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A bit of a back-and-forth match that felt unpredictable. I felt like the match could go either way since Dorada is still somewhat new to AEW and J has been around for a while. A good match from both men despite the outside interference.
6. Logan Cruz and Tyshaun Perez vs. “The Outrunners” Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd. Floyd struck the midsection of Cruz and followed up with a scoop slam. The Outrunners doubled up on Cruz and hit an assisted body slam during the middle portion of the match. The Outrunners made it a short night for Cruz with an assisted power slam and neck breaker combination to pick up the pinfall win.
“The Outrunners” Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd defeated Logan Cruz and Tyshaun Perez via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Well, this match was certainly something. I’m not sure what to think of The Outrunners just yet, especially since they lost quickly to The Acclaimed on Dynamite last week. Even so, it seems like AEW might be high on the duo.
7. Rico Gonzalez vs. Baliyan Akki. Akki hit a round kick and a powerful kick to the midsection. Akki flew off the top rope with a missile dropkick. Gonzalez came back with a nice moonsault from the ropes. Akki picked up the win with a diving splash.
Baliyan Akki defeated Rico Gonazlez via pinfall.
8. EJ Nduka vs. Konosouke Takeshita. Takeshita and Nduka started the match with a collar and elbow tie-up. Nduka hit multiple shoulder blocks while Takeshita was in the corner. Nduka played Takeshita with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Takeshita came back with the same move. Takeshita put Nduka down with a high kick and then scored the pin to win the match.
Konosouke Takeshita defeated EJ Nduka via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: It felt like Nduka was treated like a nobody on the same night that he was challenging for Alex Hammerstone for the MLW Championship on Reelz. To make matters worse, the commentators also made him sound like a rookie. Not the best look. Excalibur and Taz could’ve given a little-more backstory on who Nduka is and why he is an up-and-comer.
A brief episode of Dark, which wrapped up in just 51 minutes and 46 seconds. Most of the matches were brief and didn’t amount to much. Serpentinco and Blake Christian had a good match, and Dorada vs. Slim J was a highly competitive matchup. You could get your fix of Dark this week by watching those two matches. I was looking forward to the main event since Nduka was booked well in MLW. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown and Nduka didn’t get much of a chance to shine. Since it is Super Bowl week, go Chiefs! Episode 182 clocked in at 51 minutes and 46 seconds. Final Score: 6.0 out of 10.
Jayne is a budding star. She has benefitted greatly by being a part of this group, I think – it allowed her to flesh out this character. Her improvement has been insane.
And that is nothing against Gigi, who also has a star quality about her. I think we don’t see the same level of improvement from her because she already was at a fairly high point when she came in. I am interested how they turn her character into a babyface. It could allow her to standout given her unique look. The fans were behind her during that triple threat…