By Briar Starr, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@briarstarrtv)
AEW Dark (Episode 195)
Taped in March 24, 2023 in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios
Streamed April 25, 2023 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur and Taz were on commentary…
1. Mafiosa vs. Harley Cameron (w/Aaron Solo, QT Marshall). Mafioso and Cameron traded blows to begin the match while Cameron knocked Mafioso down with a clothesline. Afterward, she landed a Russing Leg Sweep to Mafioso. Cameron then went underneath planting Mafioso with a neckbreaker. Quickly, Cameron would get the victory with a backstabber
Harley Cameron defeated Mafiosa via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A strong showing from Cameron, who put away Mafiosa quickly. Still, I really don’t care about the QTV gimmick.
Backstage, Brock Anderson and Brian Pillman Jr. were shown discussing how they only wrestle because it’s in their blood.
2. Blake Christian vs. Lee Johnson. Johnson hammer-threw Christian into the corner and followed up with a vertical suplex. Christian then countered with a backbreaker and an enzurigi to take Johnson down. Shortly thereafter, Christian came through with a backward suplex. However, Johnson regained momentum with a blue thunder bomb on Christain. Christian missed a springboard 450 splash but was able to stomp down Johnson for the win.
Blake Christian defeated Lee Johnson via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: The expected competitive match you would expect from these two. I half expected Johnson to go over, however, wasn’t totally surprised that Christian got the pinfall victory.
3. Cezar Bononi and Ryan Nemeth (w/Peter Avalon) vs. Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson (w/Arn Anderson). Bononi turned Pillman inside out while Nemeth dropped a right hand followed by a dropkick. Anderson tagged in and had a lot of momentum with a gut-wrench suplex. Nemeth attempted the Hunk-A-Love finisher, though Anderson turned him into a cradle for the win.
Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson defeated The Wingmen via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Somewhat of a flat finish with the roll-up from Anderson but an okay match while it lasted. The match never really got out of second gear and The Wingmen lost in a quick amount of time.
4. Ashley D’Amboise and Reka Tehaka vs. Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga (w/Baliyan Akki). Sakura and Suruga jumped D’Amboise and Tehaka right before the bell rang. Suruga landed a foot stomp on Tehaka from the ropes. Tehaka and D’Amboise tried to double team on Sakura, but Sakura struck with a splash in the corner. Sakura and Suruga landed a double senton on D’Amboise and Tehaka. Eventually, Sakura ended the match with a moonsault press on D’Amboise.
Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga defeated Ashley D’Amboise and Reka Tehaka via pinfall.
Ryan Nemeth was shown backstage and talked about having to get a part-time job for three months before becoming a wrestler. He added, “Take it from me, don’t give up”…
Briar’s Take: Okay, I actually laughed at this promo. Pretty funny stuff.
5. Jake Logan vs. Zack Clayton. Clayton dropped the knee onto Logan and turned Logan inside out with a clothesline. Quickly, Clayton landed a pump handle to score the victory.
Zack Clayton defeated Jake Logan via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: Simple back-to-back squash matches for Sakura/Suruga and Clayton.
6. “The Varsity Athletes” Josh Woods and Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling) vs. “Dark Order” Alex Reynolds and John Silver. Reynolds hit a dropkick to Woods and only received a one count. Afterward, Woods struck with a knee to Reynolds and Silver broke up the pinfall attempt. Woods again hit a release German suplex on Reynolds to continue his domination. Eventually, Silver made the tag and used the rolling uppercut on Nese. Nese was caught by Silver and Reynolds who used a stunner/German release combination for the victory.
Alex Reynolds and John Silver defeated Josh Woods and Tony Nese via pinfall.
Briar’s Take: A solid back-and-forth match to close out this episode of Dark. I think there was no question that Dark Order would score the win, but sometimes you never really know with a team like the Varsity Athletes.
Overall, a middle-of-the-road episode of Dark this week. It was not a must-see episode. I didn’t really know what to expect going into the show with the match card that was had, but I think the best match on the show was Christian vs. Johnson, no question. These two obviously have a history with each other match-wise, so it’s a treat every time the two compete against each other with their high-flying style. The rest of the show was nothing special. Episode 195 clocked in at 41 minutes and 09 seconds. Final Score: 4.0 out of 10.
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