Dark – January 28, 2020: The Main Event
IMG Credit: AEW
Dark
Date: January 28, 2020
Location: Watsco Center, Miami, Florida/Norwegian Pearl, International Waters
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
Host: Tony Schiavone
We’re back on the boat and I’m not sure what to make of this show anymore. Last week’s edition was just under half an hour long and I’m kind of digging that. There is something nice about getting in and getting out, as you don’t want to overload the fans with too much content. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
From Miami.
Nyla Rose vs. Shanna
Tables match. Shanna goes right after her to start and the right hands fly in a hurry, only to have Nyla shove her away. The first table is pulled out early on so Shanna dives off the apron to take Rose down. That just earns her a shove into the barricade and the table is set up in the corner. A drop toehold sends Rose head first into but not through the table. Shanna hits a running dropkick in the corner and takes her up for a super hurricanrana right back down.
The table is set up in the middle this time but Shanna can’t lift her up. She can however block an AA through the table and DDT Nyla onto the side for a nasty landing. The table is set up outside so Nyla is sent to the apron. Shanna tries a dive but gets caught in a chokeslam through the table to give Rose the win at 8:04.
Rating: D. This was really bad with neither looking good and the table stipulation not being needed. JR acknowledged how bad it was with the bowling shoe analogy and I don’t know what else they were expecting. How else was something like this to go? Pretty bad miss here but at least Rose is being rebuilt.
Post match Rose goes after her again but Sadie Gibbs comes out for the save. That just earns her another chokeslam through another table.
Here’s where AEW is coming.
From the cruise.
QT Marshall vs. Kip Sabian
Penelope Ford is here with Sabian. They run the ropes to start without getting much contact until Marshall hits a handspring kick to the face. Marshall goes up but gets pulled down by Ford, allowing Sabian to hit Eat Defeat for two. Sabian works on the arm for a bit, followed by a hanging swinging neckbreaker for the same. Hold on though as Marshall needs to go outside and yell at a fan, allowing Marshall to make the comeback. A tilt-a-whirl slam gets two on Sabian and Ford has to save him from an armbar. Back in and Sabian grabs a sunset flip so Ford grabs his hands for the leverage and the pin at 6:36.
Rating: C-. Battle of two good hands here and that’s not really enough to keep my interest. The wrestling was fine enough, with Ford being fine as the cheating manager. Neither of them are going to go anywhere anytime soon, but that is the case with a lot of people featured in AEW at the moment.
From Miami again.
Dark Order vs. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler
Cutler has some new gear, including a 20 sided die. Grayson runs Kiss over to start and drives him into the corner so Uno can come in for two off a big boot. It’s back to Grayson to suplex Kiss down while telling him that he can be more. Kiss is back with a legsweep and a slingshot splits legdrop. One of the Creepers grabs the leg though and it’s Nightfall into the Fatality for the pin on Kiss at 3:10. Cutler was never in the match.
Rating: D. The squash was a good idea for the team but Uno is still dragging things way down for the team. He looks like a joke and Grayson’s good look isn’t enough to overcome anything. I could go for more squashes like this though as it lets the winners showcase themselves, which isn’t the case around here often enough. Try some more of them out and see where you get.
Overall Rating: D-. I really can’t call this a waste of time as it’s only thirty two minutes long but this show has rapidly become the Main Event/Superstars show without the recaps. In other words, it doesn’t offer a ton of value and I’m curious to see how they’re going to retool this to make it work for television. No one would watch this show on regular TV and I’m not sure how much value it is going to have online either. It’s not bad, but it’s a completely nothing show.
Results
Nyla Rose b. Shanna – Chokeslam through a table
Kip Sabian b. QT Marshall – Rollup
Dark Order b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Fatality to Kiss
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