AEW Dark was hosted again this week by the commentary team of Tony Schiavone and the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. Unfortunately, the show started with a minor confusion as Tony Schiavone advertised three matches when there would be indeed two, as Jimmy Havoc would face off against the Captain Shawn Dean followed by the main event between Best Friends versus the tag team of Lee Johnson & Musa. This week’s episode of AEW Dark was once again shorter than normal which we are expecting to see as the new norm for a while longer, as the company are still unable to have a large proportion of their roster travelling.
One thing that was different this week compared to the previous episode of AEW Dark was that this week took place in Georgia, which meant we finally got to see the small crowd of local and AEW wrestlers behind the barriers. I think this could be one of the better decisions the company has made in its short history as it benefits the show in several ways. It helps create a better atmosphere for the show as we can see a sense of normality but also because it gives the show some comedy relief. Additionally, this week’s episode of Dark was set up as a preview for Wednesday’s Dynamite show, this is because on the AEW Dynamite show we will see the team of Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian facing off against Best Friends in a no DQ and no count-out match.
Under one hour till #AEWDark starts!@ShawnDean773 vs. @JimmyHavoc @BigShottyLee & @musa_fearless vs. #BestFriends @trentylocks & @SexyChuckieT
Watch #AEWDark 7e/6c via our YouTube channel at https://t.co/oZiB2U1XM8. pic.twitter.com/dTOKE3V3Zw
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) April 28, 2020
Jimmy Havoc Vs Shawn Dean
The first match on this week’s episode of AEW Dark was Jimmy Havoc versus the Captain Shawn Dean. This was Shawn Dean’s second match for AEW and we were quickly informed that he gained his name, the Captain due to his Navy experience, we also learnt that Shawn Dean has only two years of experience within the ring and has been trained by QT Marshall. This match was always going to be a challenge for Shawn Dean as he faced off against the man known for causing violence and torture, the man with fifteen years of experience Jimmy Havoc.
Jimmy Havoc was focused on the win as soon as the bell rang, he was straight to dominating Shawn Dean, locking up and pushing his opponent into the corner before twisting the Captain’s arm and wrist, then executing a full dragon twist. Havoc very focused on causing as much pain as possible to his opponent letting him breathe for a quick second before going back to work on his arm and wrist. Shawn Dean decided enough was enough as he flipped Havoc out and showed some good offence, impressing Havoc. Shawn Dean showed some naivety though as he allowed Havoc too much time to regroup and he was quickly back to dominating his opponent. After being repeatedly jabbed by Havoc the Captain once again showed some athletic offence taking havoc down with several arm drags before drop kicking. Unfortunately, the Captain was able to take advantage of this offence as once again he made the rookie mistake of allowing his opponent too much time to regroup. This mistake meant the match was quickly over for Shawn Dean as Havoc repeatedly threw his opponent into the buckle of the ring before performing a Fisherman’s DDT and getting the win.
As expected, this match didn’t last long as it was finished in under six minutes, however, the short match made it more enjoyable. Jimmy Havoc is not known for being a technically skilled wrestler but this match showcase that Havoc can have more than just hardcore matches, he showed some nice quality moves within this match and while Havoc is not set up to be chasing a AEW Championship anytime soon he knows how to put on an entertaining match. During the current global crisis, Jimmy Havoc is another wrestler who has taken full advantage of the problems AEW has faced with their roster to show us a different side of his wrestling ability while still sticking to what he does best, causing violence to his opponents and pretty much anyone who gets in his way.
.@JimmyHavoc isn't giving any room to breathe against @ShawnDean773.
Watch #AEWDark NOW via our YouTube channel at https://t.co/oZiB2U1XM8. pic.twitter.com/CmeThdk3Dv— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) April 28, 2020
Best Friends Vs Lee Johnson & Musa
The main event this week was between Best Friends and the team of Lee Johnson and Musa. This match was Musa’s first match for AEW and the third match for Lee Johnson, we weren’t given much information on this tag team other than them both being in their twenties. Chuckie T started the match against the smaller opponent, Musa making light work of countering all the offence Musa displayed before picking him up and drop-kicking Musa into the centre of the ring. This allowed Musa to tag his partner Lee Johnson into the match to face up against the other member of Best Friends Trent Beretta.
These two seemed to start with having a harder-hitting face-off as Trent pushed Lee Johnson into the corner before Johnson hit Trent with a big forearm in the face multiple times. Trent decided now was the time to show his experience and build hitting Johnson back even harder before hitting Johnson with an inside-outside. After a couple of unsuccessfully pin attempts by Best Friends, it was time for Musa to tag back into the match, Musa managed to perform an impressive kick to the head of Chuckie T before tagging back out. One thing that became evident during the match was that Lee Johnson and Musa couldn’t work as a team as well as Best Friends, due to the amount of experience Best Friends have as a tag team within AEW and other companies, there were moments where Johnson and Musa they didn’t utilise each other, as well as they, could have.
Classic Best Friends Situation by @trentylocks & @SexyChuckieT.
Watch #AEWDark NOW via our YouTube channel at https://t.co/oZiB2U1XM8. pic.twitter.com/SsFnIXG0yA— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) April 28, 2020
Due to Johnson and Musa not working as well together, Chuckie T was able to take both out before Musa was pushed out of the ring by Trent, leaving only Trent within the ring. At this point, Trent saw the perfect opportunity to dive onto Musa before wiping out Lee Johnson. Smart move by Trent as Best Friends could now work on Musa without Johnson’s interference who throughout the match seemed the more impressive tag team partner. Best Friends then returned to the ring to work together taking down Musa, before having a signature hug, Chuckie T then took to the top rope as he and Trent Beretta sent Musa’s face into the ring before Trent get the successful three count and Best Friends won the match.
Overall a good match which went the perfect amount of time, Best Friends once again looked incredibly impressive while also allowing the team of Lee Johnson and Musa to have their moment to shine. While I was not a fan of Best Friends when AEW started, since the beginning of the year and since the travel restrictions have caused problems with the AEW roster, they have both grown on me as a tag team and individually. We have been able to see both in single contests such as Trent versus Kenny Omega a few weeks ago on AEW Dynamite, which has highlighted how skilled both wrestlers are and underrated the team of Best Friends is.
Casual attacks by @trentylocks.
Watch #AEWDark NOW via our YouTube channel at https://t.co/oZiB2U1XM8. pic.twitter.com/LBOYndivBn— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) April 28, 2020
There wasn’t much to complain about during this week’s AEW Dark show, while this episode of Dark was once again short that was to be expected due to a good portion of the roster still experiencing travel restrictions, this is something we are going to have to get used to over the foreseeable future. We were able to see the crowd of local and AEW wrestlers this week, which was a nice surprise, and this helped give the show a more complete feel. Another plus of this week’s Dark episode was that neither of the matches was overly long or a chore to watch, they both seemed to be the perfect amount of time, both were enjoyable to watch and we were even treated to some storyline development for the upcoming Dynamite show. While nothing spectacular happened this week on Dark it was a nice, good quality show, proving that once again AEW Dark has become a short delight each week in a world filled with uncertainty.
All images and videos courtesy of AEW Wrestling