AEW Dark Episode #85 4/20/2021

AEW Dark Episode #85 4/20/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/aew-dark-episode-84-4132021.html

Darby Allin does a promo on Jungle Boy to start. He says he isn't his friend and is here for championships. He tells him to show up at Dynamite and turn the switch to fight him.

Joey Janela vs Will Allday

Will has some awesome boots that are shiny and really catch the light well as they constantly change colors. Joey takes him down early then Will hits a strike combo. Will is popped up then hurricanrana's Joey. Joey hits a hard release german suplex.

Will hits a stunner on Joey over the top rope then barely hits a tope on the outside. Will then misses on a swanton from the top and lands hard. Joey kicks him in the back and gets hit with a dropkick. Will then spins him into a knee into the face then is flipped on a hard lariat. Will then hits a brainbuster.

Will hits dobule superkicks and takes one back before being thrown backwards into the middle buckle. Will hurricanrana's Joey off the top then hits a flying forearm. Will then moonsaults Joey off the top but Joey doesn't sell it at all and they say he countered it. Joey then hits a death valley driver.

This was everything wrong with indy wrestling with them doing all kinds of big moves and not selling many of them in the opener nonetheless.

Ryzin and John Skyler vs SCU

Skyler and Kaz go to the mat to start. Kaz hits a german suplex early then Daniels hits a vertical suplex on Skyler.

Ryzin gets in and hits a big lariat on Daniels before taking an exploder. Daniels does a slingshot elbow on Ryzin then Kaz does a slingshot legdrop. Ryzin hits a real nice leg lariat on Kaz then he and Skyler double stomp Kaz. Skyler hits a rolling samoan drop on Kaz. Ryzin misses a corner splash and gets a hard lariat in return.

Daniels gets in and cleans house on both opponents then STO's Skyler. Daniels hits his clothesline + bulldog combo then SCU hiptosses Ryzin into a powerbomb + neckbreaker combo. SCU hits a high and low on Skyler then Daniels moonsaults on Kazy while he has Ryzin in a tombstone for the win. This was the most Ryzin has gotten yet and this went a little longer than I expected.

Big Swole and Kilynn King with Red Velvet vs Ashley MK and Steff MK

The MK girls are twins. Swole armdrags Steff early then trips her for a King dropkick. King does a back elbow to Ashley against the bottom buckle and King is 2v1'd by the twins. The twins hit a double punch and double suplex, then forward roll into double superkicks.

King is beaten up on the corner and Steff misses a hip attack there. Swole is tagged in and comes off the bottom rope with a cutter. Swole hits a bulldog + dropkick combo on both. Ashley takes a high kick from King and a spinning forearm from Swole and the twins lose. The Twins aren't ready for this stage yet and they need to work on their look. This was not a total squash as the twins got some stuff in.

Ricky Starks does video on Adam Page. He says he has a larger win streak and should be ranked ahead of him. He said it is time for Page to move over. This was done from a bar.

Brick Aldridge and Cole Karter vs The Butcher and The Blade with the Hardy Family Office

Butcher pounds on Cole to start then lariats him over his knee. Blade bullies Cole then Blade and Butcher double shoulder Cole. Cole is thrown out and HFO stomps on him outside.

Cole his some forearms and takes a hard swinging neckbreaker. Brick gets in and hits some nice punches on Butcher, then he is whipped into a Blade clothesline. Blade then suplexes him into a Butcher powerbomb for the win. This was a quick squash.

Jay Lyon, Midas Black & Ken Broadway vs. Dark Order’s Evil Uno, Stu Grayson & 10 w/ -1

Uno grabs Lyon's steak in his mouth and then Lyon rips it out to show him it before putting it back on. Uno pulls off Lyon's steak then stomps on his hands when he goes to grab it.

Ken does a taunt when he gets in and Uno hits a bad face kick on him. Stu does an overhead belly to belly on Ken then catches Black off the top with a twisting uranage. 10 throws up Stu for a splash on Black then 10 does a delayed vertical suplex on Black. Ken gets in and grabs money from his shorts to throw at 10. 10 responds with lariats then pump kicks Ken.

10 hit a big spinebuster on Ken and -1 and Bryce grab the money Ken dropped. Ken is thrown from Stu's shoulders into an Uno powerbomb then Uno assists 10 with a german on Ken. Ken is then put in the gory special and takes a reverse blockbuster for the Dark Order win. This was a squash here and was too short for the people involved.

Billy Gunn w/ Austin & Colten vs. Andrew Palace

Billy has a black eye and beats up on AP in the corner.AP charges at Billy and is thronw to the lfoor. Billy then runs him into the barricades. Billy slams AP hard then wins with a famasser in a quick squash.

Fuego del Sol vs Dante Martin

Sol tries a headscissors from the mat and is brushed off. sol flips out of a snapmare and they reverse each other. Sol hits a hook kick to the head and hits somw body shots on Dante. Sol corner spears Dante and Dante hits a hard lariat back. He then hurricanrana's him and Dante does a fancy counter into a single leg crab, which Sol hits the ropes for.

Dante jumps up to the top rope from the mat for a hurricanrana, but Sol blocks it and double stomps him down from the tree of woe position. Sol then does a coast to coast dropkick while Dante is stuck in the tree of woe position.

Sol goes for his tornado ddt but is thrown off then Dante hits a hard hook kick to the head. Dante then 450's him and wins it. This was good. Sol got the most offense in that he has in months and this was a fun little flyer's match.

Diamante vs Queen Aminata

queen has a neat crown on and is John Woo'd into the buckles to start. Diamante then stomps her in the corner. Queen comes back with a kick to the back and some hard back elbows. Diamante hits three amigos for 2. Diamante pounds on her and they trade forearms.

Queen hits a superkick then a buzzsaw kick. Diamante gets put in the wheelbarrow position but turns it into a stunner. Diamante then hits a german suplex and some short arm clotheslines. She then puts her in a cool straight jacket armlock with a body scissors and wins it. This was totally fine and I had no issues with this at all. Queen's not too bad.

Hayden Backlund & Kit Sackett vs. Varsity Blondes

Griff hits some headlock takeovers on Hayden early. Brian helps Griff in for a slingshot legdrop on Kit then Griff hits a legdrop on Kit.

Hayden pulls Brian by the hair and Kit flapjacks Brian. Hayden gets a move in then Griff gets the hot tag with a back body drop on kit. He hits a cradle shock but Hayden goes for a chickenwing, but can't get it. Griff facekicks Hayden then spinning forearms Kit. Griff holds up Kitt for a powerbomb and Pillman comes off the buckles and pushes him down. This was all squash here.

Max Caster with Anthony Bowens vs Alan "5" Angels with 10

Max calls 5 an incel and makes some other lewd references in his rap. Max blows kisses at 5 and thrusts at him, then gyrates. 5 hits some leg kicks and does a satelitle headscissors into a russian leg sweep. 5 dropkicks Max in the corner and then hits another soon after. Bowens gets on the apron and distracts 5. 5 then flips over Bowens and cannonballs Max on the outside.

5 does a moonsault off the 2nd rope but Max stops it. Max hits some stomps and kicks on 5 then backbreakers him for 2. 5 hits a forearm flurry and a chest kick. He splashes Max against the 2nd rope and hits a standing sliced bread for 2. 5 moonsaults Max from the 2nd rope for 2.

Bowens grabs his boombox outside but 10 blocks his way. 5 intercepts the boombox and the ref sees it. Max grabs his chain and 5 initially prevents the chain shot, but gets nailed it on a pin attempt for the Max win. This wasn't too good. They just didn't really flow that well together and it went long.

Powerhouse Hobbs with Hook vs Baron Black

Black forearm flurries him to start but is body blocked hard. Hobbs pounds on him in the corner and throws him. Black hits some chops but is caught with a spinning spinebuster soon after. Hobbs then reverse DDT's Black and gives up the pin at 2. Hobbs then emerald flowsion's Black for the win. This could have been a really good match if they gave it time but they opted for the quick squash instead. It is sad as Black deserves better.

Pac w/ Lucha Bros vs. Dean Alexander

Dean gets stomp flurried to start and Pac chokes him with his foot against the buckle. Pac the puts him in the brutalizer and wins it in a quick, waste of time squash.

Overall thoughts: This was under 90 minutes thankfully but a lot of the matches were still too short and wastes of time. They robbed us of a good Hobbs vs Baron Black match though Sol/Martin was good.