12-Man Tag Team Match: The Elite and FTR vs. The Dark Order
A hot start by The Elite and FTR came to a screeching halt, courtesy of a big superkick by Lee that stunned Omega and led to isolation from his tag team partners. A tag to Dax Harwood turned the tide back in the babyfaces’ favor. The action continued, back-and-forth, neither man gaining a considerable advantage. As expected, The Elite showed the best tag team chemistry, the group’s history of partnering together evident. At one point, FTR delivered the Demolition Decapitation to Grayson, but Harwood appeared to injure his knee. The ringside trainer, Cash Wheeler and Hangman Page helped Harwood to the back, leaving their teammates to fend for themselves against the driven and determined Dark Order unit. The commentary team shined a light on the peculiar actions of Page, questioning why he wouldn’t allow Wheeler to accompany Harwood on his own. Cabana delivered a big splash at one point and nearly scored the pinfall victory over Matt Jackson. Matt fended off the onslaught of his competition, dropped 5 with a cutter and inched closer to his partners. Uno, though, pulled Nick to the floor and delivered a belly-to-belly that took him out of the equation. Page returned just in time to receive the hot tag from Matt and exploded into the match, laying waste to any and everyone around him. His run came to a crashing halt when Lee exploded through the ropes with a tope suicida and wiped him out on the floor. Cabana tagged in and nearly earned the win over Page, but Omega broke up the fall. The 450 splash/corner cannonball by Grayson and Uno failed to put Page down for the count, too. The Bucks returned to the match and uncorked a series of superkicks, including one to Lee, right into a snapdragon by Omega. Lee recovered, delivered a big clothesline and scored the win for his team.
Results: The Dark Order defeated FTR and The Elite via pinfall
Grade: A+
Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz
Trent scored a near-fall for himself and partner Chuck Taylor with a bridging Northern Lights suplex on Santana early. Heading into the break, Trent and Taylor delivered stereo clotheslines and then followed with a tornado DDT to Ortiz before engaging in the fan-favorite hug. During the break, the babyfaces continued their roll until Santana grounded Trent and applied a single-leg Boston Crab. Back from the commercial, Trent looked to fight back, but Santana sent him crashing into the guardrail. After several moments of a focused attack on his back, Trent created separation and tagged Taylor into the match. Taylor hoisted Trent onto his shoulders, and in an electric chair spot, Best Friends brought Ortiz crashing to the mat with a superplex. Later, as it appeared Santana and Ortiz were setting up for the Street Sweeper, Taylor blasted the former and Trent scored a roll-up for the win.
Results: Best Friends defeat Santana & Ortiz via pinfall
Grade: B
Cody and Matt Cardona vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
Cardona and Cody rolled early, but a miscalculation on the champion’s part left him nursing a rib injury while isolated from his partner. Silver and Reynolds picked away at Cody, hoping to cut the ring off from him and pick up the win without having to deal with Cardona. The Dark Order tandem’s control of the match continued throughout the break as Cody struggled to break free of their grasp. Silver teed off on Cody with a barrage of kicks before The American Nightmare flattened him with a snap powerslam. Cardona finally received the hot tag and unloaded on the competition in what was his first in-ring action since his release from WWE in April. He downed Reynolds with a double under-hook powerbomb for two. With Cody hurt, Dark Order momentarily regained the upper hand. Silver and Cody fell over the top rope and to the arena floor, leaving Cardona to deliver Radio Silence on Reynolds for the win.
Results: Cody and Matt Cardona defeat John Silver and Alex Reynolds via pinfall
Grade: B
Big Swole vs. ‘Reba’
In order to get her much-desired match with Dr. Britt Baker, Big Swole would have to take on an opponent of her rival’s choice. That opponent: “Reba,” known to literally everyone but Baker as former TNA Knockout Rebel. The right-hand woman of Baker struggled to rediscover her in-ring skills, succumbing to Dirty Dancing as Swole rolled to victory.
Results: Big Swole defeated ‘Reba’ via pinfall
Grade: C-
Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship
An intense, physical start to the AEW Championship match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin saw the champion manhandle the face-painted enigma, bloodying his mouth and driving his elbow into Allin’s chest. The challenger answered with an arm drag off the top rope and a dropkick but ate the steel post heading into the break, leaving the champion standing tall. During the break, Moxley wore Allin down in the ring, working a single-leg Boston Crab before floating over into a Regal Stretch, undoubtedly an ode to the man who had a major influence on him during his time in WWE developmental. Allin answered by flipping his opponent the bird, almost stunning the champion with his brashness. Allin caught Moxley and speared him through the ropes. A sliding tope suicida through the bottom ropes wiped out Mox. Allin targeted the right hand of Moxley, taking away his striking advantage, and launched himself off the top rope with a plancha. Allin followed up with a Code Red for a near-fall. Moments later, Wardlow appeared, hopping up on the apron in an attempt to distract the official. MJF rolled into the ring, blasted Moxley with the AEW title and escaped. Allin, unaware of what happened, launched himself off the top rope with a Coffin Drop, but the champion kicked out. His face painted with the crimson of his own blood following the belt shot, Moxley struggled to regain his fighting form as Allin attacked from all angles. Another Coffin Drop proved ill-advised, though, as Moxley caught him and looked to put him to sleep with a choke. Allin again flipped him off, and Moxley delivered a piledriver. Moxley, frustrated, reluctantly delivered the Paradigm Shift for the win.
Results: Jon Moxley defeated Darby Allin via pinfall to retain the AEW World Championship
Grade: A+
Analysis: This was a great card on this weeks episode of AEW. My two favorite matches was the 12-man tag and the main event. I would give this weeks episode of AEW a B+.
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