Another week, another day to get used to everyone's schedule!
Yeah, it looks like AEW is the hard-working company around, as well. They have four shows a week on YouTube, TBS, etc. for those (like me) who were absent for a long while!
I have watched AEW Dark before. It's really nice to have a +90 minutes wrestling show on YouTube where to present your talents and others who are trendy on the independent scene or are just building their career out of AEW. Really, beautiful idea. I was a bit lost in the presentation - they need more match graphics to be available on their official site. Really their site is lacking good photo representation of the events, that could be used by media like mine ;), so we don't need to dig into the internet.
PENELOPE FORD defeated ANGELICA RISK
When you see someone who is signed entering the ring to fight someone who is obviously a jobber, we who grew up with another company often expect a quick squash match! So, happy that AEW is allowing their "guest stars" to hit some moves.
Of course, Penelope Ford is a huge star in AEW. She's there from the beginning, as long as I can remember and she is really entertaining and athletic, mixed with her mean gimmick. It was logical for her to dominate this both.
Angelica Risk had her moment and was good, and did what she had expected to do when you have such an opportunity to work with one of the headliners of the company: to do your best job.
In the end after a rookie mistake (missing a move in the corner), Risk was smashed and locked in a Muta Lock (which was nostalgic to look at, reminding me of Melina and Tenille (WWE Emma) Dashwood).
A good match that has done its purpose accomplished - to give a change to an indie talent and to stretch an AEW Star!
AWOW Match rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
MARINA SHAFIR defeated REKA TEHAKA
looks like Reka Tehaka is AEW Dark regular, ... um, regular jobber! If you look at her AEW wrestling portfolio you'll see that the girl works to make the others look great which is the hardest and saddest part in the business for many talents, but it also helps you to develop and grow strong, if you do the things right and grab the opportunity when it shows itself.
What can I say about Marina Shafir?! You know Marina! From WWE NXT, where she and Jessamyn Duke were sidekicks to Shayna Baszler. Well, looks like she finally made it with two victories in AEW Dark! I am curious where this will lead us?!
Overall, Tehaka prove to be a really nice performer with one "WOW!" fisherman's neckbreaker at the beginning. The audience looked like they were on her side - yeah, when someone is losing 13 matches in AEW, the public starts to get pitty towards them, obviously. When Shafir took the domination the thing started to look familiar! You know in that way that former MMA-turned-pro wrestlers made it look - brutal, raw, and painful. At the end after a sloppy headbutt from Reka, Shafir locked her in a strange standing submission and forced her to tap.
It looks like these two are there just for a pure technical exhibition of wrestling. As gimmicks, the only thing I remember is that Reka is Samoan and Shafir is Moldovian beast, nothing over-charismatic, nothing outstanding out of the match.
AWOW Match rating: ⭐⭐⭐
KIERA HOGAN defeated MAZZERATI
Match that high in the card (if the card is not backward) must be good. Well, all three women's matches had 20 minutes time limits, but if you see the whole thing you get that the women's don't really have a chance to do a 20 minutes match!
Back on topic - both ladies showed how fierce they are! Well, since it was her debut Mazzerati made some fun minor botches and have some problematic sellings of the moves. But Kiera Hogan was there to compensate in every possible way, so that's why she deserves something more than AEW Dark victories towards other indies. I think that the time is coming for her to receive a signing with AEW. The match was around 3-4 minutes, as the others (Penelope Ford vs. Angelica Risk was 4:02) and was the best what these ladies could give obviously, which was more heat for Kiera Hogan!
She worked really well in Impact Wrestling, so she has the experience of being on TV and working with the big stars, even if she has to lose some matches.
AWOW Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
