AEW Dark Review - August 2, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Trustbusters def. Logan Cruz and Tyshaun Price

I'm glad Ari Daivari and Slim J are going as The Trustbusters and not The Trust Fund, which is already taken by another group in Northeast Wrestling. They don't really have anything in common, but we'll see how it goes. As partners, they had adequate chemistry in this outing. There wasn't anything special about the match itself, but the win and their post-match promo did serve to establish them as The Trustbusters.

Willow Nightingale def. Harley Cameron

I'm all for Nightingale getting more matches across all of AEW programming. It feels like she's basically a regular on Dynamite, Rampage, Dark and Elevation at this point and I'm not complaining. Dark should be for newcomers like her who can benefit from the additional experience and exposure. I know nothing about Cameron, so while I don't think this needed to last as long as it did, it accomplished what it needed to in giving Nightingale another win.

Diamante def. Rocky Radley

I'm happy we finally got to see Diamante back in action for the first time in what felt like months. I have no clue if her absence was due to injury or because AEW just hasn't used her. It's impossible to know because AEW rarely announces injuries or offers updates. She's been a regular on Dark for years, and at this point, I sadly do not see that changing. I was digging the short squashes Diamante was having at one point, but this was a bit more competitive and it was fine.

The Factory (Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto) def. KC Rocker and Caleb Teninty

Less is more when it comes to The Factory (or not at all), but we've seen a lot of them lately across all of AEW's programming and I truly can't understand why. They don't have much value and aren't remotely entertaining. On the bright side, this was kept brief and didn't overstay its welcome. I recognized Rocker from the appearances he's made for the NWA in recent months, so it was cool to see him used here in an enhancement role.

"Captain" Shawn Dean def. Jonathan Hudson

The time has come for AEW to dust off Dean, give him a win and put him back on the shelf. I realize he works backstage as well, but I'd like to see him in action on these shows a bit more frequently than he has been. This was pretty much the same showcase we always see him have, though I don't know if Hudson needed to get as much offense as he did. It's hard to imagine Dean is the same dude who beat MJF by disqualification and again by count-out earlier this year. MJF should probably destroy him when he returns to avenge those losses.

Parker Boudreaux def. Serpentico

Boudreaux is obviously the former Harland from WWE NXT. He wasn't there very long before being released back in April and served as Joe Gacy's heavy for his entire time there. I can definitely see the Brock Lesnar comparisons now that he's grown his hair back, but he's definitely a lot greener than Lesnar was when he started. He needs more seasoning, but he has potential. This was brief, but he was dominant. His alliance with The Trustbusters should be interesting.

The Acclaimed def. The Wingmen ("Pretty" Peter Avalon and Ryan Nemeth)

The Acclaimed are hot as babyfaces right now and I hope AEW continues to capitalize off that by giving them more wins and eventually building them toward a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship, preferably at All Out next month. They've been on Dynamite and Rampage quite a bit lately, so they wouldn't have to do much more than just calling out Swerve In Our Glory one of these weeks. This was a fun for what it was and kept The Acclaimed rolling.

AEW All-Atlantic Champion Pac def. Connor Mills

This was filmed at a RevPro event on July 23rd. I love how the All-Atlantic has become a staple on Dark over the last month because it's the perfect place for Pac's title defenses to be shown in their entirety. This was another enjoyable affair that received an ample amount of time and was very well wrestled. I wasn't familiar with Mills whatsoever, but he certainly impressed me in defeat here. They also finally acknowledged Kip Sabian as being in the crowd with a damn cardboard box on his head, so he might be one of Pac's upcoming opponents.

Overall Show

These AEW All-Atlantic Championship matches have become the highlight of Dark since Forbidden Door. I doubt anyone who watches only Dynamite and Rampage cares much about the belt since it's barely mentioned on those shows, but it's been a nice attraction for Dark, if nothing else. That was once again the best part of this episode and the rest of the show was solid. The Trustbusters starting to take form was notable as well.

SEE MORE: Dark Reviews