By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 194)
Taped in March 24, 2023 in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios
Streamed April 18, 2023 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary…
1. Pat Buck vs. Juice Robinson. Robinson hit a shoulder tackle start. The two fought on the outside where Robinson planted Buck with a scoop slam. Buck reversed a snap suplex with a suplex of his own to Robinson and followed up by hitting a power slam. Shortly thereafter, Robinson spiked Buck in the middle of the ring to score the pin.
Juice Robinson defeated Pat Buck via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: It was interesting to see AEW producer Buck make his AEW Dark debut. Buck and Robinson put on a stellar competitive match and it turned out to be a great way to open up Dark.
2. Brittany J and Kiah Dream vs. The Renegades. The Renegades dominated as a team by doubling up on J. Eventually, Dream was able to make the tag, but The Renegades hit their combination finisher for the victory.
The Renegades defeated Brittany J and Kiah Dream via pinfall.
Tony Schiavone was shown backstage with Iron Savages (f/k/a Bear Country) and the two were extremely excited about their new name…
3. Hunter James vs. Cole Karter. Karter stomped on the back of James shortly after the bell rang. James attempted to gain some momentum but was stopped by Karter with a dropkick. Karter quickly finished off James with a DDT.
Cole Carter defeated Hunter James via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Two back-to-back showcase matches featuring The Renegades and Karter.
4. Jeeves Kay and Sonny Kiss (w/Slim J) vs. “Iron Savages” Boulder and Bronson (w/Jameson Ryan). Kay came off the top rope with a splash after Kiss stunned Bronson with a roundhouse kick. Kiss tagged in, but Bronson dropped him with an elbow drop. Kay tagged and planted Bronson with a DDT. Boulder tagged in and hit a double Flatliner on both opponents. Boulder caught Kay and Kiss at the same time and planted both of them. Eventually, the Savages hit the elevator drop for the win.
Iron Savages defeated Jeeves Kay and Sonny Kiss via pinfall.
Karter was backstage discussing his victory over James until he was interrupted by Zack Clayton, who told him to think about working together as a team…
5. Dream Girl Ellie vs. Marina Shafir. Shafir drove Ellie into the mat with a hammerlock and then used a pump-handle slam. Shafir made Ellie submit to an armbar.
Marina Shafir defeated Dream Girl Ellie via submission.
Briar’s Take: The only thing to note here is that Shafir has new theme music that’s a little more of a rockish theme.
6. Ariel Levy and Jarrett Diaz vs. Jorah Johl and Rohit Raju. Diaz was hit by Raju with a Flatliner. Diaz found a breakthrough and tagged out. Levy struck with a running knee strike on Johl. Johl and Raju set up Levy with a combination finisher for the victory.
Jorah Johl and Rohit Raju defeated Ariel Levy and Jarrett Diaz via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A short and sweet match with Johl and Raju dominating both Levy and Diaz.
7. Angelico vs. Christopher Daniels. The match started out slow with Daniels and Angelico dodging each other’s moves until Daniels got the upper advantage with a leg lariat. Angelico countered by driving his knees into the chest of Daniels in the corner. In the end, Daniels used Angel’s Wings to put Angelico away to pick up the pinfall.
Christopher Daniels defeated Angelico via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Even though Daniels is on the back end of his career, it truly is amazing to watch him go at the pace he does at his age. He continues to have excellent matches with newer talent. I expected this match to go a bit longer than it did, but it still ended up being competitive.
Overall, a step-up for Dark this week compared to last week. We were back to an seven-match card with some compelling matches. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw Juice Robinson was paired with Pat Buck, but they had the best match on the card. This was a two-match show with Robinson vs. Buck and Daniels vs. Angelico. Episode 194 clocked in at 43 minutes and 21 seconds. Final Score: 6.0 out of 10.
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