AEW Dark Review - November 5, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Shawn Spears def. Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa is the type of wrestler you're either a fan of or you're not. I don't mind his comedy for the most part, but I can't say it does much for me, either. I can see a lot of people hating this considering how much of it centered around comedy, but I thought Spears did a decent job of making it passable. More importantly, he picked up a much-needed win following losses to Cody and Jon Moxley.

Sadie Gibbs and Allie def. Big Swole and Mercedes Martinez

The Britt Baker video package that aired on this show promoting Baker vs. Bea Priestley for Full Gear was great, but would it really kill AEW to highlight some of these other ladies too? Gibbs and Allie are talented, but casual viewers know next to nothing about them (especially Gibbs). Meanwhile, Swole and Mercedez are terrific and I'd be shocked if they aren't offered contracts. Lord knows AEW's women's division needs them. This tag team affair unfortunately fell short of what it could have been and went way longer than it needed to.

Joey Janela and Jimmy Havoc def. Jurassic Express

I'm honestly shocked Janela and Havoc teamed up yet this wasn't a hardcore match. However, I say that as a good thing, because this fun for what it was. I still don't find Marko Stunt terribly believable (and I'm wishing Luchasaurus a speedy recovery), but at least I can take him seriously (to an extent) against guys the size of Janela and Havoc. I'm genuinely curious if Jurassic Express will ever win a match or if they're destined to be losers forever. It's somewhat sad they couldn't beat a team that isn't actually a team.

Overall Show

After a notable, star-studded first few episodes, AEW Dark has settled into what I figured it would be: a showcase for the company's midcard talent that don't make Dynamite. Putting aside how it aired an hour late on YouTube due to technical difficulties, this was a solid show with a well-wrestled main event, an interesting Undeniable to Undeniable with Havoc, and additional hype for Sunday's Full Gear pay-per-view. If nothing else, tune into this episode solely for MJF's commentary.