Comedian recap: AEW Dark Ep. 191

I decided to look at AEW Dark, AKA NXT Lite, so you don’t have to. I was really bored and decided to look at the wrestling talent they were attempting to push. It’s a free show that’s online. Entertainment is entertainment. So let’s take a look at the AEW Dark Ep. 191.

Match 1: Bryan Pillman Jr. vs. Matt Tavern

I haven’t seen anything involving Bryan Pillman Jr. since his Julia Hart left for the House of Black. I don’t know if the Varsity Blondes are still a thing. Either way, I was interested in his match against Matt Tavern. Both Matt and Bryan definitely got charisma with how they cater to the crowd. Bryan even went into the stands and celebrated with the crowd, which was fun to watch. He’s received well and definitely, which will work for him in the future as he finds himself. The in-ring work was pretty simple. It’s your typical, normal-fashioned wrestling. My notes on this match legit said, “My kid’s first NWA style-wrestling match,” outside of one superkick (or thrust kick) that Bryan used. Tavern ends the match with a DDT similar to Jon Moxley’s old Dirty Deeds finisher. It was solid ring work from 2 charismatic wrestlers. A little more exposure and they’ll have great careers in AEW.

Match: 3 out of 5

“Big Shotty” Lee Johnson vs. Blake Li

My pet peeve in AEW: I don’t like the jobbers having any offensive comeback against the stars YOU’RE TRYING TO PUSH. Do you know what’s worst? Doing this with a star who got no reaction from the crowd. NONE. Lee Johnson has the draw as a feather hitting a brick. Why would you not let him squash the jobber? To make things worse, the crowd chanted for Blake Li, the JOBBER. The audience is already swayed towards the person putting the other guy over. That’s not good. I get that Lee Johnson is a great wrestler, but as we all know, if you have no personality in the ring, you have no draw, which means you have nothing going on for you. Lee’s a heel coming from the faction, The Factory, where he was barely utilized in any core of their matches. So he has little to no connection with the fans. Even the commentators got in the roast. “I would like to see the loser change their ring name,” Excalibur said during the match-up. He and Tazz were highlighting that AEW got too many Lees. Lee Johnson wins with a kneecap brainbuster. This match ain’t even background noise.

Match: 2 out of 5

Promo: Tony Storm

I barely know anything going on with the women’s roster on AEW. That is still an issue on the program. It doesn’t help that this promo wasn’t shot live, either. It was on how Tony Storm thinks the women of AEW are entitled, and she has been tearing the division down piece by piece. From what I remember, Tony is in a faction with Saraya and Ruby Soho that is hell-bent on taking over the AEW women’s division. They need to take over some TV time because I honestly didn’t even care. Jade Cargill is the only thing I’ve been paying attention to regarding women’s wrestling on AEW. You know it’s bad when I don’t even remember who the Women’s Champion is currently (It’s Jamie Hayter, by the way.) So many women, so little screentime, and a faction with a too vague goal don’t appeal to me. This promo didn’t make me care.

Promo: 2 out of 5

Next: Josh Woods vs. Daisy K.

Varsity Athletes? Did they whup the Varsity Blondes to own the word “Varsity,” or was it just like a trend and they doubled it and gave it to the next person? It doesn’t matter. Varsity Athletes Josh Woods takes on Daisy K. If any jobber has a name that tells you he’s a jobber, it’s anyone named Daisy K. Three matches in, and 2 of them still have the mistake of the jobbers getting in offensive attacks. Just use your regular low-card talent to fight your pushed talents. Doesn’t that make more sense than making jobbers look just as good as your superstars? Josh Woods is a phenomenal wrestler and can be fantastic in the square ring alongside Tony Neese, Smart Mark Sterling, and Ariya Daviari, who I didn’t know joined up with the Varsity Athletes( Strange addition, but he’s probably there because of his WWE relationship with Neese.) Josh Woods does not need to be shown struggling with a jobber named Daisy K. It should have been a squash match, but nonetheless, he’s a great ground mat wrestler and had a remarkable presence in the ring with his aggressive style of wrestling. I can’t tell if his finisher is cool, though. Looks like a beautiful botch.

Match: 3 out of 5

Promo: Lance Archer and Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Jake still got it. Lance is learning to get it. If anyone can teach you how to cut a promo and be a villain, it’s Jake. I haven’t seen the last few Lance Archer matches, but I know off the bat that they need to do something with him and stop feeding him jobbers and low-card talent. It’s incredible how he’s gotten less screen time than Satnam Singh, yet he’s almost better than Satnam in every aspect. Do something with this man. Besides that, the promo was the usual “find me a better opponent” schtick. It wasn’t done live because AEW Dark is Allergic to non-virtual promos.

Promo 3 out of 5

Willow Nightingale vs Diamante

Willow. Is. FIIIIIIIIIINNNNEEEE. Alright, I’m done drooling. This was actually the best match of the night. First, both Diamante and Willow are really fantastic at working together. The in-ring action was smooth, the pace was perfect, and the chemistry was there. Second, the move set for both of them was excellent. Diamante’s offense was scrappy and sadistic (baseball slide to the back, targeting injured areas). At the same time, Willow’s was energetic and showed off her agility in the ring doing the pounce and missile dropkicks. Finally, both were believable in their respective role as heel and face. Diamante is a solid heel playing with the crowd and showing her mean streak, but the star of the show was Willow. Willow had the crowd in the palm of her hand, from them clapping along in her entrance to them chanting her name as she went for a cannonball. Great cannonball, by the way. I’ve watched it several times…..for studying. Willow and Diamante will go far in AEW if they keep this pace up. Willow won the match with a Doctor Bomb.

Match: 4 out of 5

Overall, the matches were decent, but AEW needs to understand how to put on matches that get people invested in your up-and-coming talent. Heels need to get more squash matches to get them over. Also, more live promos, if possible. I’ve seen them do it before, and it’ll help those who can’t talk on the mic or aren’t use to speaking in front of crowds. For casuals, this show isn’t anything to write home about; however, if you need to see some wrestling for boredom, give AEW Dark a watch. Might catch something good.

AEW: 3 out of 5