AEW Dark Review - March 10, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jurassic Express def. Peter Avalon and Kip Sabian

Avalon remains win-less in AEW, so I have no idea what Sabian was thinking in teaming up with him. It's not like his win-loss record has been much better, but at least he has a a higher ceiling than Avalon. Nevertheless, this was a fun opening match and the crowd was red-hot for Jurassic Express. I'm glad they're finally picking up some victories and have momentum on their side.​

Jimmy Havoc def. Severino Corrente

I had never heard of Corrente before now, but I thought he fared well for himself here. However, it was obvious from the get-go that this was all about Havoc, who had a solid showing. I'm glad he's wrestling more straightforward singles matches, but I'm sure a hardcore war with Luther is only inevitable. Speaking of Luther, he attacked Havoc on the ramp afterward. I have no desire to see their program play out on Dynamite, but I hope Havoc can get back to that point. He didn't have many chances to shine in the first month or two of Dynamite.

Hikaru Shida def. Abadon

Abadon gave me Su Yung vibes when I first saw her, except much, much creepier. Personally, I'm not a fan of the look, but at least she isn't terrible in the ring. Similar to Havok's match with Corrente, this was designed to be a showcase for Shida, so it was successful in that respect. Shida has won more often than not in AEW, so I assume she's being groomed for an eventual shot at the AEW Women's Championship. It helps that she's been getting over nicely with the audience.

Private Party def. Brandon Cutler and Sonny Kiss

Cutler and Kiss were such a random tandem, but they ended up working well together. Kiss is an exciting athlete but lacks credibility because of how infrequently he wins. I'm shocked so many people know who he is because I can't recall a single match he's ever had on Dynamite. In the meantime, he's been delivering on Dark and this was an entertaining main event, even if the outcome was never in doubt. I loved how the commentators acknowledged Private Party floundering following their win over The Young Bucks last win. I really hope they can get back on track soon with actual direction.

Overall Show

Just as I expected, Dark has fallen into a rhythm of featuring the same crop of competitors (a.k.a. the guys who can't land regular roles on Dynamite). The matches aren't terrible by any means, but they aren't all that memorable, either. This show is being used to give additional exposure to some of the undercard talent. That's fine, but it doesn't exactly make for the most thrilling hour of television. I'd rather see the show utilized for video packages like it was when it debuted. This was a decent edition of Dark, but there was nothing you need to go out of your way to see.