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AEW Reviews

“Just Ripping, Tearing at the Face of Jimmy Havoc” – AEW Dark – 12th May, 2020 Review

ByGeorgia Madden

May 13, 2020 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We returned to Jacksonville, Florida with the commentary team of Taz and Excalibur for this week’s episode of AEW Dark. After having a reduced show for the last two months, AEW Dark decided to shock everyone this week by announcing they had recorded nine matches for this week’s episode. There would be two tag team matches this week as the team of Musa & Lee Johnson faced Private Party followed by Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt vs Jurassic Express. Another nice surprise this week is that we got to see some women’s matches as we were treated to two as Skyler Moore would face Dr. Britt Baker and Kris Statlander would return to face Dani Jordan. That left us with six single matches as Jimmy Havoc, Luther, 10 from the Dark Order, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy and Rey Fénix was seen in combat.

Shawn Dean Vs Colt Cabana

The Captain Shawn Dean returned for his third week on AEW Dark in a row, this time to face Colt Cabana, I was hoping this week’s match involving Shawn Dean would be better than the last episode of Dark. Colt Cabana seemed to be having fun with this match from the first few moments as he outsmarted Shawn Dean a few times, knocking his opponent down. Colt continued his dominance within the match as he knocked the Captain down once again and worked on Dean’s wrist, Dean tried to get out of this move, but Colt outsmarted him again into a roll-up. Shawn Dean got his first move in by drop-kicking Colt out of the ring, Colt sees this as the perfect opportunity to get his teeth checked over by the ringside medic before returning. The two then got into a pushing match as they tried to get successful pin counts on one another, this ended with a submission move by Colt Cabana. Shawn Dean managed to knock Colt down with a punch to the face and got an unsuccessful two-count. Colt managed to regain control of the match, he then hit his opponent with a flip, flop and fly, before hitting a flying apple, he got a successful three-count and won the match.

I am not quite sure why but I much preferred this match to last week’s Shawn Dean versus Sammy Guevara, while Shawn Dean didn’t come out looking as dominant as he did in the previous two matches, this match seemed to flow a lot better and made for a more enjoyable match. I am also enjoying seeing Colt Cabana within AEW, he seems to have so much fun within the ring it makes you just enjoy his matches. I also enjoy watching him use his years of experience to outsmart his opponents in new ways each week.

Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt Vs Jurassic Express

We then went straight into the second match on this week’s episode of Dark, where the team of Mike Reed and Ryan Rembrandt would face Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus from Jurassic Express. It was nice to be able to see Luchasaurus within an AEW ring again as he hasn’t had the best of luck after being taken out for a while with an injury, then returning to the company but being unable to travel after competing for a few short months. The match started with both team members of Jurassic Express dominating their opponents, Jungle Boy quickly focused on hitting both of their opponents by flying out of the ring. The referee struggled to gain control over this match for the first moments as both teams hit one another, trying to gain an advantage.

The first match up we saw was between Jungle Boy and Mike Reed, who we have seen teamed with other members of the AEW roster in previous Dark episodes. Mike Reed seemed to dominate Jungle Boy until his partner tagged in to hit Jungle Boy with a flying knee strike, Rembrandt started to also dominate managing to get multiple unsuccessful pin attempts until Jungle Boy manages to use the ropes to defeat both of his opponents and quickly tags Luchasaurus into the match. Luchasaurus quickly went about dominating both Reed and Rembrandt, Luchasaurus hit Mike Reed with chokeslam followed by a standing moonsault, Rembrandt managed to save his team by breaking the cover. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus then teamed up to remove Ryan Rembrandt from the ring to focus on Reed, Jurassic Express then hit Reed with the assisted cutter and win the match for Jurassic Express.

This was the weaker of the two-tag team matches this week for me as Jurassic Express seemed a bit lost at points. Luchasaurus seemed his usual dominate self but Jungle Boy seemed to be putting over too many moves for their opponents, as he seemed to be beaten by both Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt at times during the match. Maybe this was just down to ring rust so I’m taking this match with a pinch of salt hopefully, Jungle Boy will be able to get back into the swing of things over the next few weeks before his match against MJF at Double or Nothing.

Musa & Lee Johnson Vs Private Party

During the next match, we saw the return of Lee Johnson & Musa as they teamed up once again to face AEW regulars, Private Party. I was looking forward to seeing this match, as last time, I criticised Johnson & Musa for not working strongly as a team, I was hoping they would have improved this. The match started with Lee Johnson facing off against Isiah Kassidy, who quickly takes controls of his opponent, giving his partner a chance to knock Musa out of the ring so Private Party could concentrate on Johnson. Johnson & Musa showed a nice bit of partner work as they knocked Quen out of the ring, setting up for Johnson to fly. Musa tags in for the first time within this match as he continues to hit Quen before suplexing him and getting a two-count. Johnson & Musa continued their good teamwork by keeping Quen from tagging out of the match. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long as Isiah Kassidy tagged in and started to control his opponents once again. Private Party then decided to show off their team working abilities as they hit Lee Johnson with multiple moves, then moving Johnson onto the ramp and diving over the top rope to crash into him. They quickly threw him back into the ring so Kassidy could hit his opponent with a rope-assisted flat liner, Quen went back to the top rope to hit a shooting star press and Private Party won the match. 

The team of Musa & Lee Johnson pleasantly surprised me this week as they seemed to work much better as a tag team, they gave Private Party a good run for their money during their match. This match was one of the more enjoyable Private Party matches I have seen. I haven’t enjoyed Private Party’s run within AEW lately as when the company started having weekly shows, Private Party received a big push, even beating the Young Bucks, however recently it feels like they are just there. Hopefully, they can capitalise on the opportunity they have right now and get some momentum going. I would love nothing more than to be a fan of Private Party, but right now I’m just not feeling it.

Jon Cruz Vs 10

I was disappointed when 10 came out to the ring without Brodie Lee, as I felt this was a real strongpoint of his match last week. There isn’t much I can say about this match, it did exactly what it was meant to, 10 came out and dominated his opponent once again. It was a short and sweet match as 10 used his strength to dominate his opponent and gain another win this week. 10 did make a few mistakes within the ring which allowed Jon Cruz to get a couple of small defensive moves in, which seemed to just anger 10 and motivated him into winning even more. At the end of the match, we also saw Brodie Lee turning up to congratulate his new beast. One thing I did notice about this match was that there seemed to be some confusion on what to call 10 as on commentary, they introduced him as Preston Vance, whereas within the ring he was introduced as 10. A small problem but something they should decide on in the following weeks.

Rey Fénix Vs Alan Angels

Rey Fénix was alone this week as his other team members were stuck in their representative countries. The match started with a struggle between the two to gain control as Alan Angels managed to get Rey Fénix into a side headlock before Fénix countered with a roll-up pin. Rey Fénix had enough at this point as he superkicked his opponent in the face, Fénix continued his control as he repeatedly hit Angels with different submission moves and hits to the chest. Fénix travels to the top rope to fly into a superkick. Angels then managed to turn the match back into his favour as he kicked his opponent before lifting him over his shoulder and into a bomb. A close two-count for Angels pushed Rey Fénix back into the match as he kicked Angels in the face, but it wasn’t enough as Angels countered Fénix and slammed him back first into the ring apron. Alan Angels got another close call as he hit his opponent with a diving foot stomp to the back before hitting him with a moonsault press, Fénix kicked out again and cleverly rolled out of the ring. Two near misses seemed to knock Fénix back into the match as he hit his opponent with a beautiful suplex from the top rope and then a muscle buster, winning the match.

The matchup between Rey Fénix and Alan Angels was the one match which concerned me this week as we saw Alan Angels face Kenny Omega on the AEW Dynamite show a few weeks ago, where he gave Kenny a good run for his money. I was therefore worried that AEW may allow Rey Fénix to overly dominate this match which would in turn squash Kenny Omega as the AEW number three contender for the AEW World Championship belt. Luckily, that isn’t what happened within this match, it was a good mixture between offence from Alan Angels but still showed Rey Fénix to be the more dominating opponent.

Kris Statlander Vs Dani Jordan

I was excited to see the return of Kris Statlander as before the travel restrictions were put into place, she was winning over the fans more and more each week. Kris Statlander wasted no time showing how impressive within the ring she is and while Dani Jordan tried to keep up, Statlander came out the better competitor, which she should, in the first moments of the match. Dani Jordan quickly finding out she needs a different in-ring strategy rolled out from the ring and managed to block Statlander’s baseball sliding dropkick. Jordan got some offence in here as she threw Statlander into the guard rail before getting her back into the ring. Another unsuccessful two-count from Jordan kicked Statlander into gear as she returned to hitting Jordan with multiple hits before performing a diving dropkick, successfully this time. Kris Statlander picked Jordan up into the Big Bang Theory and won the match.

I wasn’t quite sure what was the plan with this match as Dani Jordan had several close counts against Kris Statlander, I just feel this didn’t quite make sense. This is because last week we saw the current champ Nyla Rose destroy another indie talent in a few moments and just after that match they seemed to also be teasing a title match between Kris Statlander and Nyla Rose, maybe for Double or Nothing. So, I just didn’t understand the plan to have Kris Statlander nearly lose to someone who isn’t signed with your company when you are trying to show us she can beat Nyla Rose in a few weeks.  It just doesn’t build that match up in my opinion much, I would have much preferred to see a more dominating Statlander as we saw from Britt Baker later on during the show.

Orange Cassidy Vs Jason Cade

Jason Cade has appeared on multiple episodes of Sammy Guevara’s Vlog in the past, but I was yet to see him within a ring. Cade was facing off against Orange Cassidy who was accompanied to ringside by Best Friends. This was another match where there wasn’t much to comment on as it only lasted a few minutes. Which I was satisfied with as I’m not fond of Orange Cassidy as a singles wrestler. I like his gimmick when he is involved in a Best Friends match and gets a few impressive moves in but on his own, it’s just lacking for me right now, hopefully, this will change in the future though. Cassidy hit Cade with some impressive moves, it’s generally remarkable how he manages to throw his body all while having his hands in his pockets, I just need a bit more to get into his singles matches. Cade hit Cassidy with an excellent jumping knee strike but decided not to pin his opponent, Cassidy then rolled him up and won the match.

Skyler Moore Vs Dr. Britt Baker

We were then treated to another women’s match as Skyler Moore, who we last saw being beaten up by Awesome Kong months ago, faced the woman who I believe is close to the top of the women’s division, and easily becoming one of the best heels on AEW, Dr. Britt Baker. Britt quickly decided that her nose was feeling extra sensitive this week as, after one incredibly small hit, she was out of the ring checking on her nose, crying to the camera about her nose injury from previous weeks. Once Britt returned to the ring, she was letting off some steam as she repeatedly hitting Skyler Moore, testing the referee’s limits as she took full advantage of the five-count system multiple times, while she acted up for the cameras. Once returning to the ring Britt caught her opponent into a head scissors which Skyler managed to work her way out of and started to show some offence as she nearly tricked Britt into a long two-count. An angry Britt decided now was the time to get some gloves and set up the locked jaw which won her the match.

I very much enjoyed this match, it was one of the better moments from this week’s AEW Dark episode as while it was a simple enough match with Britt Baker controlling, it helped to further develop her character as a nasty heel within the women’s division. This match did exactly what it was meant to do as it further my dislike for her within AEW and that’s exactly what she wants. This match helped to develop her into a dominate heel you can generally be afraid to face.

Jimmy Havoc Vs Luther

The main event for this episode of AEW Dark was Luther versus Jimmy Havoc who was accompanied to ringside by Penelope Ford and Kip Sabian, this was a no-disqualification match. I was a little taken back as the last few matches had taken place at night and then the main event was clearly during the day, threw me off a little but not a major problem. Kip Sabian had his friend’s best interests in sight from the beginning as he made sure Jimmy Havoc had all the hand sanitiser he could need. Luther got distracted by Kip Sabian very quickly as Jimmy saw his opportunity to hit him from behind, Luther used his years of in-ring experience to counter this until Jimmy decided to bite his hand and then worked on Luther’s wrist. Jimmy Havoc then climbed to the top rope hoping to catch Luther with his guard down but unfortunately for Havoc, Luther caught him and slammed him back into the ring.

Kip now saw another opportunity to help his friend as he threw a chair into the match which again gave Havoc the advantage. Luther turned the tide on Havoc as he flew out of the ring into both Havoc and Sabian. Luther then retrieved his chair to throw his opponent onto before hitting him with a diving knee strike, Luther made sure to take Havoc down before grabbing two chairs and setting them up within the ring. Luther hip tossed Havoc spine first into the set-up chair and then throws him back into the chair once again. After resetting up the two chairs within the ring, Luther got distracted by Kip Sabian, giving Havoc enough time to hit Luther off the top rope with a hurricanrana. Luther saw his opportunity to again inflict some pain on Havoc as he threw him onto the ramp and then he grabbed the eyes of his opponent. Penelope Ford decided she has seen enough as she threw water over Luther and Kip Sabian hit him with the chair, Havoc managed to hit Luther with a fishhook DDT and won the match.

This match could have been so much more when you think of a no-disqualification match between two hardcore wrestlers such as Luther and Jimmy Havoc, you don’t expect it to be as tame as this match was. However, I am hoping the reason this match was so tame is due to them saving a proper hardcore match for their PPV Double or Nothing which is coming up later during the month. I don’t think this is the last we will see of the storyline between these two though due to the way this match ended, Havoc didn’t beat Luther without the help of his friends, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford, so Luther is going to want a rematch which could lead quite nicely into Double or Nothing, fingers crossed.

Overall, AEW put on another good show this week, there were parts I liked and there were parts which I didn’t enjoy as much. I thought to have some matches take place at night and then having the next match in daylight took away from the show somewhat. I also didn’t enjoy that there were no promos during this episode of Dark, as at parts it became a little bit too much and would have been nice to take a break away from constant wrestling. The show helped warm up some of the wrestlers we haven’t been able to see for a few weeks and remove any ring rust they may have picked up from the last two months, so overall an enjoyable show.

All images and videos courtesy of AEW Wrestling 

By Georgia Madden

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