AEW Dark Review - September 28, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Thunder Rosa def. Nikita Knight

It was noted on commentary that Rosa is currently ranked at the top of the AEW Women's World Championship power rankings. Could that mean we'll be getting Rosa vs. Britt Baker for the title sooner rather than later? Personally, I'd hold off on that until 2022, but I trust AEW to do the right thing. She's super over and always does a nice job of helping elevate her unknown opponents like she did here. This was a well-worked opener.

Private Party def. JDX and Carlie Bravo

I don't think it can be argued that Private Party feel infinitely less important compared to two years ago. I was actually among those in favor of turning them heel and pairing them off with "Big Money" Matt Hardy, but adding the rest of those losers into the H.F.O. and turning it into a joke stable hasn't done them any favors. They shine whenever given the chance but don't win when it matters most. This was a little longer than I was expecting but still a solid sprint.

Kiera Hogan def. Leila Grey

Excalibur mentioned during Hogan's entrance that he had "signed" with AEW, though I don't think that means what many think it does. Considering AEW hasn't put up an "All Elite" graphic for her yet on social media, I believe that means she's under a per-deal contract with them, not a full-time contract. That could always change, though. Either way, she's talented and it was nice to see her score a rare win here in what was a squash.

Preston "10" Vance def. Brandon Gore

Of everyone in The Dark Order, I truly think Vance could be a breakout star at some point. Not any time soon, mind you, but he's been progressing in the ring and I could certainly see him doing well on his own. He'd have to drop the mask first, obviously. This was yet another dominant performance from him as he was on offense throughout and put away Gore with ease. This was as straightforward as it gets.

Adrian Jaoude and Cezar Bononi def. RYZIN and Jake St. Patrick

If Jaoude looked familiar, that's because he was with WWE for several years in NXT and competed under the name Arturo Ruas. Prior to being released back in June, he was reportedly supposed to be a part of Diamond Mine and he would have been a fantastic fit for that. He was also seen on Raw Underground a time or two. Apparently he's friendly with Bononi and I honestly like that pairing more than Bononi with The Wingmen. This was a solid showcase for them.

Lance Archer def. Arjun Singh

As I say every week, give me Archer murdering dudes all damn day. It will simply never get old. He actually more spent beating up Singh at ringside beforehand than he did in the ring during the actual match. What a guy. I'm happy he's been on AEW TV more recently and he just got to headline the Grand Slam edition of Rampage alongside Minouri Suzuki against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston, but I still feel like the company could be doing more with him.

Ricky Starks def. Darius Lockheart

I feel like we barely see Starks in action nowadays (which is the exact opposite of when he wrestling on Dark on a weekly basis last year), so this was a treat. I don't know if that's because his feud with Brian Cage is on ice right now, but we need more of Starks in the ring. I don't know much about Lockheart, but I've heard only good things about him and he was certainly impressive here as he took Starks to the limit in a highly entertaining affair. More of Lockheart, please.

The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) def. Adrian Alanis and Liam Gray

Uno and Grayson haven't had any issues with each other but rather with the rest of Dark Order. I assume we'll see some sort of progression with that storyline on Wednesday's Dynamite considering it will emanate from Brodie Lee's hometown of Rochester, NY. Because they haven't been as goofy lately, Uno and Grayson were all business here and were more aggressive as a result. I still find them to be one of the more underrated teams in the company as far as their in-ring work goes.

Julia Hart def. Reka Tehaka

As I've said in the past, Dark is the perfect place for someone like Hart, who is benefiting from all the reps she's getting in the ring as well as the additional exposure. That finisher doesn't look great, though. I know she's trying to incorporate the split into it because she's a cheerleader, but the running bulldog she does doesn't look like it hurts at all. The rest of the match was passable with Tehaka having some time to shine as well.

Bear Country def. Jameson Ryan and Brick Aldridge

Bear Country are so damn impressive. They're another one of those teams that wins a bunch of matches on Dark but never when it matters most, but that's likely because they aren't "All Elite" like most of the other tandems. I don't ever remember seeing that graphic on social media. Nonetheless, Ryan and Aldridge are bigger than most guys Bear Country tends to face, so this was a physical affair and Bear Country won as they should have.

Matt Sydal and Dante Martin def. The Factory (QT Marshall and Aaron Solo)

Sydal and Dante will be facing Cody Rhodes and Lee Johnson of The Nightmare Family on Wednesday's Dynamite, so this was a bit of a warm-up for them. It would have been awful for them to lose to The Factory of all people before then. Interestingly, it was Marshall teaming up with Solo for a change with Nick Comoroto at ringside. This was a better-than-expected main event, largely thanks to Sydal and Martin. They're a far more fun team than Matt teaming with his brother Mike.

Overall Show

This new format for Dark at Universal Studios continues to be a breeze. Most of the matches have been well wrestled and enjoyable and keeping the shows on the shorter side is a plus as well. We got some more fresh faces this week and that Starks vs. Lockheart is worth making time for. Dark being so different from Elevation lately has made it a much easier watch and an efficient use of time, which I appreciate.

SEE MORE: Dark Reviews