Dark – February 18, 2020: I Can Dig It
IMG Credit: AEW
Dark
Date: February 18, 2020
Location: HEB Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Host: Tony Schiavone
This show is what I want when I watch WWE’s Main Event: they rarely mess around and include some recaps when necessary, but above all else the show offers some talent a chance to get on TV. You don’t get repeat matches and it’s not a bunch of lifeless drek. That makes things so much better and Dark can be an entertaining show. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Tony welcomes us to the show. Dasha isn’t coming back is she?
Diamante vs. Kris Stadtlander
Stadtlander does her poke to the referee’s nose but Diamante isn’t as interested. A shot to the face sends Diamante into the corner and Stadtlander crawls after her. There’s the double arm pull before she sticks Diamante’s fingers into her (as in Diamante’s own) ears. A running knee in the corner puts Diamante on the floor so Stadtlander gorilla presses her onto the apron. Back in and a Code Red gives Diamante two but a wheelbarrow suplex (egads) drops Diamante on her head. The Big Bang Theory finishes Diamante at 4:26.
Rating: C-. This was just a squash and I still really like Stadtlander. She doesn’t need the alien deal as she’s unique enough looking on her own but it’s certainly something unique. Diamante hasn’t impressed me during most of the time I’ve seen her but there are far worse choices they could throw out there.
Hybrid 2 vs. Best Friends
And yes Orange Cassidy is here too. Chuck and Evans start things off with the former taking Evans down in a hurry. That’s reversed into a headscissors and it’s up to a standoff. Evans flips out of a northern lights suplex but the second work just fine. Chuck comes in for a double elbow drop as the fans are behind the Best Friends again. Apparently bored on the apron, Angelico drops to the floor and decks Cassidy, only to get knocked down by Chuck.
The Hybrids use the distraction to take over and Angelico Gory Specials Trent onto Chuck in a cool spot. Evans adds a moonsault to both of them and Angelico’s top rope double stomp into a belly to back suplex gets two. Trent’s tornado DDT gets him out of trouble and a helicopter bomb gets two on Evans.
A reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets two more on Evans with Angelico making a save. The assisted 450 hits Trent for two but Cassidy gets on the apron to distract Evans on top. The big shot to the leg is loaded up but Cassidy steps to the side to avoid Angelico, who hits the ropes to crotch Jack. That’s one of the only times Cassidy has felt like he contributed something substantial to a match. Strong Zero finishes Evans at 8:31.
Rating: C. They worked more of a formula here and that’s a nice treat for the Hybrid 2. I still can’t bring myself to get into them and the Best Friends continue to be hit or miss. Cassidy using his shtick to outsmart some villains is a surprise as well and a lot better than having him stare down what is supposed to be some big heel stable in the Dark Order.
Post match, the winners and Cassidy have the extra big hug.
Here’s where Dynamite is coming.
Christi James vs. Big Swole
They fight over a lockup to start, with Taz talking about what you can learn from your opponent by locking up with them. I know he can be a catchphrase machine at times but Taz can throw out some insightful stuff every now and then. Swole’s headlock is reversed into one from James and we get an early standoff. A hard clothesline puts James into the corner but she puts Swole on the ropes and hits an enziguri. James pulls her by the hair so Swole strikes away, including a headbutt to the ribs. A pump kick into Dirty Dancing finishes James at 4:48.
Rating: D+. James is someone who has a catchy look with a lot of Brazilian flags but I need more than that to think much of her. Granted you’re not getting much out of a five minute match but this could have been a lot worse. Swole is someone who seemed to be little more than a person on the card but she has come around a good bit in recent weeks and that’s a good thing for the division.
Young Bucks vs. QT Marshall/Peter Avalon
Before the match, we get a lot of shushing from Avalon, with Marshall even asking the fans to let him get this out of the way so we can wrestle. Nick wristlocks Marshall to start and it’s time to flip around a bit without making much contact. A handspring into the Ricochet pose has Nick perplexed but Avalon asks what is this flippy doo stuff. Avalon: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLING!” Matt grabs the mic and asks if he and Nick should do a bad a** tag team move. Matt: “Let’s do a double hiptoss!” He doesn’t mention the double basement dropkick but does start a YOUNG BUCKS chant.
The camera can’t keep up with the Bucks but it settles down for Avalon running from a Matt superkick. Marshall gets in a few shots to Matt and Leva Bates reads to him a bit. Granted she also hits him with a book but at least it comes after some education. Nick gets knocked off the apron so there’s no one for Matt to tag, leaving him to roll some northern lights suplexes.
This time it’s eight in a row, with Taz saying he’s jealous that he never thought of it. The hot tag brings in Nick to clean house with kicks in the corner and a double bulldog out of the same. A moonsault/slingshot splash combination gets two on Avalon with Marshall making the save. Marshall won’t let Avalon use the book so it’s a right hand to take him down. The superkicks into the Meltzer Driver put Avalon away at 10:30.
Rating: C. I chuckled at the in-match commentary bits but that’s an old favorite of mine. This is the kind of match that works well for a main event on this show: a top act beating a team that isn’t going to get them any real danger but can get a few nice moments out of them. It worked well enough for a Dark main event and they weren’t trying for more than that (which is fine too).
Overall Rating: C. When this show gets it right, they have a nice little groove going. That’s what we had here with four matches over forty eight minutes and nothing going longer than it should have. That makes things so much easier while also making you understand how this show, without a lot of major stars, blows away stuff like 205 Live, which has talented wrestlers but not energy whatsoever. This was fun and an easy watch, which is always nice to have.
Results
Kris Stadtlander b. Diamante – Big Bang Theory
Best Friends b. Hybrid 2 – Strong Zero to Evans
Big Swole b. Christi James – Dirty Dancing
Young Bucks b. Peter Avalon/QT Marshall – Meltzer Driver to Avalon
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