AEW Dark Review - June 16, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt) def. Jon Cruz and Capital Vices

Cruz has been a regular in AEW lately as far as squashes go, but this marked the debut of Capital Vices. They held their own against Jurassic Express, but they didn't leave me wanting to see more from them. This was a perfectly solid six-man tag team match that Jurassic Express made more enjoyable with their fun offense. I'm glad that they're winning way more matches this year compared to 2019. I'd love for them to contend for the AEW World Tag Team Championship eventually.

SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie KAzarian) def. Peter Avalon and Brandon Cutler

I still don't understand why Avalon and Cutler continue to team if they don't get along and have yet to win a single match together. Even if they were to win eventually, I doubt it would mean as much as when Zack Ryder helped Curt Hawkins end his lengthy losing streak at WrestleMania 35. It's rare Daniels and Kazarian team up nowadays, so this was a treat and was well-wrestled while it lasted.

Big Swole def. Dani Jordyn

Jordyn is one of the few independent wrestlers AEW has brought in for Dark who I've been thoroughly impressed with, largely because I've seen what she's capable of in the NWA this year. If she isn't signed to AEW's women's division by the end of his pandemic, they're missing out. This was a fine match that gave Swole a necessary victory following her loss to Nyla Rose last month.

Lance Archer def. David Ali

This marked Archer's first match on Dark as well as the debut of Ali. Ali didn't have much of a chance to shine as this was all about Archer and reestablishing how dominant he is, as we haven't seen him in action since losing to Cody at Double or Nothing. I hope he can find direction again soon, but in the meantime, I'm fine with him stacking up squash match victories to regain momentum.

Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss def. Musa and Shawn Dean

Janela and Kiss are quickly developing chemistry as a team. I said not too long ago that it was difficult to care about them teaming up without knowing why they were teaming in the first place, but I appreciated that AEW addressed that with the vignette they aired for them last week on Dynamite. It's better than Janela doing nothing I suppose and I'm hoping this will get Kiss on Dynamite in a regular role finally. This was a fine showcase for them.

Allie and Brandi Rhodes def. Red Velvet and Kenzie Paige

It's evident that Brandi and Dustin Rhodes see right through Allie but are willing to coexist with her for now while QT Marshall is "dating" her. This was a decent way to progress their story and Allie feigning an injury all but confirms she'll be turning on The Natural Nightmares before long. This accomplished what it needed to, but as a match, it was about as sloppy as a sloppy joe sandwich. Seriously, this sucked.

Shawn Spears def. Lee Johnson

Hasn't Spears beaten Johnson before, possibly on Dynamite? Even if he hasn't, it doesn't change how almost every enhancement match he's involved in feels exactly the same. He's a talented competitor, but AEW needs to do more with him to make me care. Giving him a glove that many fans are likely not familiar with isn't the answer. He needs a complete overhaul after the embarrassment he endured at Double or Nothing.

The Dark Order (Stu Grayson & Evil Uno) def. Brady Pierce and John Skyler

​The commentators noted how Stu Grayson and Evil Uno were in the top spot in the AEW World Tag Team Championship power rankings before COVID-19 hit and they were stuck in quarantine, so now they are no longer ranked. Admittedly, I've lost interest in the group since Brodie Lee was revealed as the leader because they haven't done a whole lot. Grayson and Uno are two of the better members and I'm glad they got back on track here with a quick and easy win.

Jimmy Havoc def. Griff Garrison

As I've said before, Havoc has grown on me the more I've seen of him in 2020 (specifically on Dark). I'm not huge on his current alliance with Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford (it feels random to me), so I was happy that he was showcased on his own here. Unfortunately, this wasn't all that exciting and had no business lasting over six minutes. I guess it was designed to make Havoc look more like a threat before he and Sabian face The Young Bucks on Dynamite?

Penelope Ford def. Skyler Moore

Ford remains a work in progress, though I like how AEW appears to be starting the process of building her up as a credible force in the women's division. She pinned Hikaru Shida last week in tag team action on Dynamite and picked up another win here. Her matches aren't the greatest, but at least this served a purpose and was on the shorter side. She's improving, which is key.

Scorpio Sky def. Robert Anthony

Anthony facing Jon Moxley in the main event of last week's Dark made sense because of the history they have, but this was completely random and should not have been positioned as the main event. I like Sky and the idea of him branching off on his own, but Anthony was the wrong opponent for him here. By this point, I was ready for the show to end, so this dragged horribly for me, despite only being slightly over five minutes.

Overall Show

I hate to sound like a broken record, but Dark exceeding the 90-minute mark is absolutely unacceptable. Wins and losses soon won't mean anything in AEW if the only people most of their wrestlers are beating are enhancement talent. For example, The Natural Nightmares earning an AEW World Tag Team Championship match because they won five straight squash matches in a row on Dark is stupid. Needless to say, there's nothing to see from this show. Dark has officially jumped the shark.