AEW Dark Review - October 11, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Lance Archer def. Alec Odin

Much like his match on Monday's Elevation, I'm surprised Archer didn't immediately decimate this dude. As far as I know, Odin isn't signed to AEW, so why not keep this short and sweet? Does Odin really gain much from being competitive with Archer if we may not seen him again? This was longer than it needed to be, but the result was never in doubt. I like Archer, but it's virtually impossible to care about him at this point with how devalued he's been.

Penelope Ford, Serena Deeb and Jamie Hayter def. Jordan Blade, Trish Adora and Brittany Blake

I believe we've seen this combination of heel women's wrestlers before on Dynamite. They work well together, but Hayter was far and away the biggest star of the bunch. The crowd clamored for her to tag in and popped when she did. I'm still bummed AEW isn't going forward with her face turn right now, but that's likely due to Saraya coming in. This was a solid showcase for them (as well as Adora, who continues to make the most of her opportunities).

Hikaru Shida def. Marina Shafir

It's about time Shafir got some legitimate competition on Dark. She was winning so many singles matches that I was worried she was being built up for another shot at the AEW Women's World Championship. I'm now relieved that is not the case. She's abysmal, but Shida did her best to carry her to a competent contest. Shida will team up with Toni Storm against Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter on Wednesday's Dynamite.

Brian Cage def. Papadon

Papadon was first squashed by Archer on Monday's Elevation and again by Cage here. Not a good week for Papadon. In all seriousness, it's been nice to see Cage return to TV recently, but there was never an explanation given as to why he was gone for so long and I fear he's reached a point (like Archer) where no one will see him as a legitimate threat as a result. Cage went over decisively here, but the crowd sat on their hands the entire time.

Athena def. Gia Scott

Scott has shown signs of potential any time I've seen her in action and I was happy she was made to look competitive against Athena here, so hopefully Tony Khan sees that same potential in her as well. That said, this was all about Athena and giving her another victory. Thankfully, she hasn't completely disappeared from television after losing to Jade Cargill at All Out last month, but it's not as if she's had any real direction.

QT Marshall def. Action Andretti

Marshall typically bores me to tears, but to his credit, he always excels at spotlighting his opponents and sometimes making them looking better than they actually are. That's not a knock on Andretti, who is talented from what I saw here, but Marshall let him get a lot of offense and the crowd was behind him. This was fun and exceeded my expectations. We'll see if Andretti can capitalize off this performance or if this was a one-off for him.

ROH World Tag Team Champions Dalton Castle and The Boys def. Joy Keys, Josh Fuller and BK Klein (Non-Title)

Castle and The Boys received a massive reaction from the crowd during their entrance, which is why I'm disappointed we don't see more of them on AEW TV. They're a terrific trio, but there's just not enough television time in AEW, I suppose. Giving them the occasional win is better than them not being featured anywhere at all. This was the standard stuff from them, which is never a bad thing.

Kip Sabian def. Brandon Cutler

Cutler is coming off his win over Serpentico on last week's Elevation. I thought that was a dumb match despite some of the praise it received online. I was hoping this was a bit more straightforward, but they also played it up for comedy and I can't say I was entertained. If you were into it, more power to you, but Cutler is a goof and not my cup of tea. Sabian winning was the only saving grace of this.

AEW Interim Women's World Champion Toni Storm def. Emi Sakura in an AEW Interim Women's World Championship Eliminator Match

It's rare we get eliminator matches on the Dark shows, so this was a pleasant surprise. That said, I have no clue why it wasn't positioned as the main event with there being actual stakes, something this show never has. Nonetheless, they had quality chemistry and produced an enjoyable affair. This is the perfect use of Sakura and Storm continues to kill it in the ring as champion. I just wish she had more meaningful mic time.

Dante Martin and Matt Sydal def. The Factory (Aaron Solo and Cole Karter)

Martin and Sydal have been rolling as a team as of late, though their wins on Dark and Elevation haven't led to them getting many matches on Dynamite or Rampage. If Dark had its own set of tag titles, surely they'd be the inaugural champs. I kid, I kid (the last thing we need is more titles in this company). This was an easy thumbs-up outing with a really nice pace and strong showings from everyone involved (and that's coming from someone who feels The Factory are as exciting as watching paint dry).

Overall Show

God bless the live crowd for sitting through so many matches. I believe this was taped last Friday before Rampage, hence why this episode didn't emanate from Universal Studios. There was no need for this show to be nearly 90 minutes long, especially when the fans in attendance were clearly apathetic toward a majority of the matches. If nothing else, there was some star power sprinkled in and the last two matchups were above average by Dark standards.

SEE MORE: Dark Reviews