2/2 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Conti vs. Price, Rosa vs. Jordyn, and Chaos Project vs. SCU

AEW DARK TV REPORT
FEBRUARY 2, 2021
RECORDED AT DAILY’S PLACE, JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
AIRED ON YOUTUBE.COM
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Excalibur and Taz

Additional guest commentators throughout the show: Anthony Ogogo, Austin Gunn, and -1.

Ring announcer: Justin Roberts

– Excalibur and Taz welcomed us to Dark. They were joined by Anthony Ogogo at the beginning of the show.

(1) M’BADU & TNT (Terrence & Terrell Hughes) vs. DUSTIN RHODES & QT MARSHALL & NICK COMOROTO

Comoroto and Terrell kicked things off, but Terrence was quickly tagged in after Comoroto threw Terrell hard to the mat. Comoroto called for M’Badu to tag in, and he did, but TNT hit Comoroto while his back was turned. Comoroto came right back and hit TNT with a double clothesline. Marshall tagged in but was cut off and found himself in the opponents’ corner. TNT went for the double team DVD but Marshall got out of it. Rhodes tagged in. TNT doubled up on Rhodes to take back advantage. M’Badu and TNT kept Rhodes in their corner. Rhodes nearly made a tag to Comoroto but was cut off. He finally made the hot tag to Comoroto, who came in and took out Terrence and M’Badu by himself. TNT went in for a double team in Comoroto by Marshall and Rhodes came in and cut them off. Comoroto hit a press slam on M’Badu for the win.

WINNERS: Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall & Nick Comoroto in 7:00

Moynahan’s Take: An okay 6-man tag match to kick things off. Not a ton of action, but Comoroto looked good here. It was also interesting to see him on the babyface side of things tagging with Rhodes and Marshall. I’ll be interested to see where this goes, if anywhere.

(2) KC NAVARRO vs. REY FENIX

They traded solid mat work in the early going of the match. Rey showed respect to Navarro for keeping up with him, then landed a stiff chop to his chest. Navarro goaded Fenix into the ropes, then moved out of the way and turned it into a 619. Navarro came off the top rope, but Fenix caught him. Navarro countered and hit a stunner. Fenix nailed Navarro with a jumping superkick. Fenix locked in a leg submission but let go of the hold prematurely. Navarro landed a running slice bread but could only get a two count. Fenix landed a frog splash from the top for the win.

WINNER: Rey Fenix in 6:00

Moynahan’s Take: Fenix, unsurprisingly, looked great here. He mixed up his usual style with an extra level of intensity. Navarro also showed flashes in this one and if given more opportunity, it’d be fun to see these guys again down the road.

(3) TAY CONTI (w/Anna Jay & The Dark Order) vs. TESHA PRICE

Conti hit a flatliner early. Price rammed Conti in the corner, but stopped to talk to Jay on the outside, which allowed Conti to hit her from behind. Conti used the bottom rope to her advantage, as she locked in a submission on Price’s leg. The two traded kicks to the face, then charged at one another and slammed each other face-first to the mat. Conti took Price down with a series of Judo throws. Price ran right into a jumping pump kick. Conti followed up with the Tay-KO for the win.

WINNER: Tay Conti in 4:00

Moynahan’s Take: A solid match with Conti staying strong. I realize she hasn’t received a lot of action on Dynamite in the last couple of weeks, but Conti has been building a ton of experience on Dark. It’ll be fun to see her get more of a showcase moving forward.

– An ad for “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” aired

– “The Waiting Room with Britt Baker” was next. Reba welcomed us to the show and then introduced Baker. Baker previewed tomorrow’s Dynamite, mixing in her usual burns on various talents. Ricky Starks was introduced to the show. Starks and Baker complimented one another on their looks. Starks hyped his match with Brian Cage vs. Sting and Darby Allin at the Revolution PPV. Starks continued complimenting Baker, who welcomed the comments. Tony Schiavone came in abruptly, interrupting the two. Schiavone said they were out of time and it was time to wrap things up.

(4) THUNDER ROSA vs. DANI JORDYN

The two traded reversals early. Rosa hit a pair of arm drags and powerslam. Rosa went in for a running elbow strike but missed, allowing Jordyn to hit her with a dropkick. Jordyn was unable to maintain advantage for long, and Rosa nailed a dropkick of her own. Rosa took Jordyn down with a drop toe hold into the turnbuckle. With Jordyn down in the corner, Rosa nailed a perfect dropkick. Jordyn landed a draping DDT on Rosa, who was hanging on the second rope. Rosa followed up by planting Jordyn down hard, followed by a three count.

WINNER: Thunder Rosa in 4:30

Moynahan’s Take: The end came fast, but Thunder Rosa adds to her win count. Jordyn has looked good each time out, but this was primarily a showcase for Rosa as she heads into her Beach Break match tomorrow night against Britt Baker.

(5) FUEGO DEL SOL & VARY MORALES vs. SANTANA & ORTIZ

Ortiz and Del Sol matched up to kick things off. Del Sol looked good early with a few counters on Ortiz. Ortiz caught Del Sol, however, and landed a Gory Special for a two count. Santana tagged in, and he and Ortiz landed a power bomb/neck breaker combo on Del Sol. Santana, showing a mean streak, slammed Del Sol down hard to the mat then kicked him to the face for good measure. Ortiz tagged in and the two hit another neck breaker combo on Del sol for the win.

WINNERS: Santana & Ortiz in 2:30

Moynahan’s Take: Chalk this one up as another squash match for Santana and Ortiz this week. The two looked strong, noticeably bringing a mean streak to the ring and carrying it throughout. I’m interested to see how they fare in tomorrow’s Tag Team Battle Royal.

(6) LEYLA HIRSCH vs. KATALINA PEREZ

Hirsch took down Perez right from the start. Perez looked intimidated, as Hirsch continued with multiple take downs. Perez fought back, landing a series of elbow strikes. Hirsch came right back with a stiff knee to the face. Hirsch locked in a cross-arm breaker for the quick tap out.

WINNER: Layla Hirsch in 2:00

– The Acclaimed appeared in a pre-produced segment, rapping about the various tag teams in tomorrow’s battle royal.

(7) THE ACCLAIMED (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) vs. RYZIN & DANNY LIMELIGHT

The Acclaimed attacked before the bell. Ryzin and Limelight took the advantage, with Limelight diving over the top rope on Caster on the outside. Ryzin tagged in and hit a splash on Caster in the corner. Ryzin went for a cross-body but Caster caught him. Bowens tagged in and The Acclaimed hit a series of double team moves on Ryzin. Bowens and Caster traded quick tags, keeping Ryzin in their corner. Ryzin fought his way out and made the hot tag to Limelight. Limelight dropped Bowens off the apron and focused in on Caster. Limelight came off the top with a double knee stomp onto Caster. Ryzin made the blind tag to Limelight, ticking him off a bit. Caster hit a short-arm clothesline on Ryzin, then tagged Bowens in. Caster hit the Acclaim to Fame, allowing Bowens to make the cover for the win.

WINNERS: The Acclaimed in 5:30

Moynahan’s Take: Another impressive outing for The Acclaimed. Not much else to add here, but Limelight once again did look good in his short ring time.

(8) BEAR COUNTRY (Bear Boulder & Bear Bronson) & SONNY KISS & JOEY JANELA vs. SHAWN DEAN & BARON BLACK & AARON SOLOW & MIKE VERNA

Janela started things off with Solow. Solow hit Janela in the midsection, but Janela was able to counter a move and tag in Kiss. Verna tagged in, and Kiss landed a right hand, then tried for another move but was caught in a powerslam. Black tagged in and locked in an abdominal stretch on Kiss. Kiss rolled out but Black hit him with a backstabber. Kiss kicked out at one. With Kiss in the corner, Dean tagged in and nailed a series on dropkicks, then a sit-down spine buster. Kiss kicked out again. Solow tagged in and hit a double stomp to Kiss’s chest. Kiss kicked out yet again. Kiss landed a corkscrew roundhouse kick on Solow, and was able to tag Janela in. Janela nailed a singing DDT on Solow. Janela baited in Black and Dean, who fell to the outside. Janela jumped off the shoulders of Bear Boulder onto all four opponents. Janela, Kiss, Boulder, and Bronson each charged into Verna as he stood in the corner. Bronson tagged in then came off Boulder’s shoulders onto Verna. Janela then came off the top with an elbow drop for the win.

WINNERS: Bear Country & Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela in 5:30

Moynahan’s Take: Kiss and Janela looked good here, although I was a bit disappointed that Bear Country had so little ring time. It was odd seeing Janela and Kiss team with Bear Country, with even Excalibur and Taz making a similar comment about it.

– An ad for “Wrestling with the Week” aired

(9) IVELISSE & DIAMANTE vs. VERTVIXEN & JAZMIN ALLURE

All four women started off in the ring, with Ivelisse and Diamante taking the advantage. Ivelisse and Allure were the legal women to start. Vertvixen tagged in. Ivelisse caught Vertvixen’s leg and drove her down to the mat. With Vertvixen in the corner, Diamante tagged in and hit a German suplex. Ivelisse tagged back in and hit an unorthodox suplex into a pin attempt for a two count. Ivelisse and Diamante traded quick tags. Vertvixen fought back, landing a swinging neck breaker on Ivelisse. Vertvixen finally made the tag to Allure. This time, Allure and Vertvixen made quick tags as they worked over Diamante. Diamante was able to tag in Ivelisse, and the two hit a series of double moves on Allure, ending in a double kick to the face for the victory.

WINNERS: Ivelisse & Diamante in 5:30

Moynahan’s Take: Ivelisse and Diamante have now won 7 of their last 8 tag matches. This would seem more impressive if there was a women’s tag team division. Nevertheless, the pair continue to shine on Dark.

(10) THE GUNN CLUB (Billy & Colten w/Austin Gunn) vs. JOHN SKYLER & RAY JAZ

Austin Gunn joined commentary for this match. Colten and Jaz started off for their respective teams. Jaz locked in a body scissors on Colten, who fought out by focusing on Jaz’s leg. Colten landed an impressive dropkick on Jaz, who tagged in Skyler. Billy tagged in as well. Billy hit a sliding German suplex on Skyler, who bailed out of the ring to compose himself. On the outside, Skyler rammed Billy into the ring post. Back inside, Skyler continued working over Bill before tagging in Jaz. Skyler, back in, hit a spear on Billy through the middle ropes from the apron. Skyler and Jaz worked Billy over in their corner. Billy fought out, hitting a DDT on Jaz. Colten tagged in and took down Skyler and Jaz with a series of clotheslines, then splashes for each in the corner. Billy and Colten hit the 3:10 to Yuma on Skyler and picked up the victory.

WINNERS: The Gunn Club in 5:30

Moynahan’s Take: A good showing for The Gunn Club, who continue to rack up the victories on Dark. Austin was also good on commentary throughout this match.

– An ad for “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” aired

(11) ALEX GRACIA vs. RED VELVET

The two traded reversals in the early going of the match. Gracia took an early advantage, but Velvet countered with a full nelson. Gracia landed an arm drag, then dropped an elbow on the left arm of Velvet. Velvet climbed to the top and hit a twisting arm drag on Gracia. Gracia missed a charge into the corner. Gracia landed a dropkick on Velvet then took a moment to mock Velvet. Gracia hit a senton but could only get a two count. Velvet hit a stunner, a few clotheslines, then a spinning kick to Gracia’s head. Velvet landed a bulldog then a standing moonsault. Velvet landed a boot to the side of Gracia’s head, then covered for the pin.

WINNER: Red Velvet in 5:00

Moynahan’s Take: A good showcase by Velvet, although Gracia did get in her fair share of offense.

(12) “10” Preston Vance (w/ The Dark Order) vs. Jake St. Patrick

-1 joined commentary for this match. St. Patrick was caught early by Vance, who landed a vertical suplex as a result. St. Patrick gained control and hit Vance with a dropkick in the corner. Vance landed a stiff clothesline then a back body drop. St. Patrick hit a spinning kick but was planted by a spine buster. Vance hit a dead lift powerbomb for the win.

WINNER: “10” Preston Vance in 4:00

Moynahan’s Take: Okay so this one was hard to follow as I was mainly listening to -1 on commentary. It was the highlight of the night. He had a great time calling the match with Excalibur and Taz and I had a fun time listening in.

– An ad for the Young Bucks book aired

(13) CHAOS PROJECT (Serpentico & Luther) vs. SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)

Kazarian and Serpentico kicked things off. Kazarian locked in a cross-arm breaker but Serpentico fought to the ropes for the break. Kazarian hit an arm bar take down, then tagged in Daniels. Serpentico finally made a tag to Luther. Daniels hit Luther with a springboard elbow drop, then Kazarian followed up with a leg drop. Kazarian got caught in the corner as Serpentico dragged him by his legs into the post. Luther slammed Kazarian down, then tagged in Serpentico, who he slammed directly onto Kazarian. Kazarian attempted a comeback but Serpentico cut him off. Luther tagged back in and once again used Serpentico as a weapon. Serpentico hit a swinging DDT on Kazarian but could only get a two count. Kazarian finally made the tag to Daniels, who took down both Luther and Serpentico. Luther nailed Daniels with a leg lariat, but Daniels came right back and hit Luther with Angel’s Wings. Serpentico broke up the pin attempt. Kazarian tagged in and knocked Serpentico’s head off with a clothesline. All four men hit the ring. SCU hit Serpentico with a double team move, Celebrity Rehab, for the victory.

WINNERS: SCU in 9:00

Moynahan’s Take: Chaos Project are the kings of the Dark main event, seemingly closing out each episode. Oddly, unless I missed it, commentary didn’t mention the potential SCU split if they lost, until after the win. A very good main event.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A very good Dark this week, though I can’t say there were many matches that stood out. With that said, match of the night honors goes to the main event between SCU and Chaos Project. The highlight of the night, however, was clearly -1’s commentary during “10’s” match.

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NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS AEW DARK REPORT: 1/19 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Luchasaurus vs. Brandon Cutler, Kiss vs. Clayton, and Santana & Ortiz vs. Cruz & Limelight