AEW Dark Review - November 29, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Factory (QT Marshall, Lee Johnson and Cole Karter) def. Justin Corino, Ryan Mooney and Steven Josifi

I'm sorry but The Factory are just so goddamn boring. They haven't gotten a single person over in the last two years and I can't see Johnson or Karter benefiting in the long run, either. It was nice that the spotlight was shined on them for this, but I find it difficult to care. This solely existed to give them a win so they have a shred of credibility as they continue their meaningless feud with the Best Friends crew.

Zack Clayton def. Chris Wylde

If you've seen one Clayton match, you've practically seen them all. That isn't to say he's bad, but as I've said time and time before, there is nothing about him that stands out in the slightest. He's the definition of a generic heel, and I guess AEW's hope is that he'll develop more of a character with the more matches he has on the Dark shows. Yeah, good luck with that. This was yet another basic bout from Clayton.

Hikaru Shida def. Layla Luciano

Shida had her brief resurgence on Dynamite a month or so ago when she unsuccessfully challenged Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship and now she's back to competing on the Dark shows regularly. That's just how it goes, apparently. On the bright side, she's racking up wins and this was a simple showcase for her. Luciano didn't stand out at all, but at least she didn't have a poor showing.

Jericho Appreciation Society (ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker) def. "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams, Jack Tomlinson and LSG

I'm so beyond tired of the Jericho Appreciation Society stuff that I have little interest in any match they're in. That includes squashes such as this one. Garcia, Menard and Parker have quality chemistry as partners, but the faction is on the fast track to nowhere. I realize Garcia will likely be the one to ultimately dethrone Chris Jericho as ROH World Champion, but Garcia feels very cold right now because he's been off television lately. This was fine, but it was a shame that Williams (a former ROH World Television Champion in his own right) was a total afterthought there.

Brian Cage def. Tony Deppen

It's been nice seeing Cage back in action in AEW for the last few months after being gone for so long. I've pretty much given up on the possibility on the guy ever being seriously pushed again, but at least he can be counted on for a quality performance. He and Deppen had an awesome dynamic and I loved the way Deppen bumped around for Cage's offense. Deppen makes the most of every opportunity he's given.

Angelico def. Hagane Shinno

I'm always surprised seeing Angelico in action because I'm shocked he's still on the roster at this point. Don't get me wrong, the dude is super skilled, but he was written off as an enhancement talent almost from the get-go in AEW. His matches are similar to Clayton's in that they're well wrestled but they're basically a waste of time because you know they aren't amounting to anything. This killed time and that's about it.

Emi Sakura def. Tiara James

Sakura will win more than most of AEW's enhancement talents because it needs to mean something whenever she's beaten, whether it be in singles competition or in tag team matches. Thus, that's why this match happened. It was what you'd expect and no different than any of her other squashes, but on the bright side, it didn't overstay its welcome and accomplished what it needed to in a short span of time.

Matt Hardy and Private Party def. The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth, "Pretty" Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi)

Hardy has pointed out on Twitter that he and Private Party have been undefeated as a trio in 2022. I'm not sure how impressive that is considering they haven't had many matches together this year, but I'm glad they're building momentum. Plus, beating The Wingmen is better than beating than a bunch of local losers. This was a well-worked main event, but the best part was the post-match backstage angle with Ethan Page ripping into Hardy and promising to punish Private Party if Hardy continues to disobey him. It's a silly storyline, but both guys played their roles exceptionally well here.

Overall Show

I appreciated that this was a shorter show than Monday's Elevation with less matches. It helped that this was taped in front of a bigger crowd and not at Universal Studios. There wasn't anything on the undercard worth going out of your way to see, but the aforementioned exchange between Page and Hardy was a terrific piece of business. Yes, it probably should have aired on Dynamite or Rampage, but it does give this show something worth seeking out as well as some much-needed storyline development considering it's nothing but squashes otherwise.

SEE MORE: Dark Reviews