AEW DARK Results: Jay Lethal in action, The Dark Order dominates in main event, top star gains momentum heading into Rampage
AEW DARK Episode 151 featured eight explosive matches in the build-up to the upcoming Dynamite. This week's show was only just under an hour, instead of the lengthy shows across the past few weeks.
Continue reading as we dive straight into last night's AEW DARK results, break them down, and grade every match.
#1 AEW DARK Opener: Lee Moriarty vs. Leon Ruffin
Lee Moriarty began the bout strongly, quickly getting Ruffin into a painful arm-ringer. Ruffin then shifted momentum, using his agility and ring awareness to lock Moriarty into a near-inescapable headlock.
The Taiga Style user tried to regain the upper hand, but Leon Ruffin employed some impressive agility and high flying. However, Moriarty finally regained momentum after escaping from yet another headlock, showing the aggressive side of his wrestling armory.
The two athletes would then take the match outside, where Ruffin used a few suicide-dives to take Moriarty out. However, Lee Moriarty picked up the win with the Flatliner, building up momentum towards his match this upcoming AEW Rampage.
Winner: Lee Moriarty.
Grade: B+, a solid opener by two impressive athletes. Moriarty looks good going into his bout with Jonathan Gresham.
#2 AEW DARK Tag Team Action: Bear Country vs. Adrian Alanis and Liam Gray
Bear Boulder began the bout against the far smaller Liam Gray, and the latter failed to cause much problems for his opponent. Adrian Alanis and Bear Bronsen then entered the bout, as the two had a far more even fight.
Gray and Alanis eventually regained momentum after employing a sneak attack. The two then delivered a flurry of corner dives onto Bronsen, with Alanis getting a near-fall. However, Bear Country ended up regaining momentum, with Boulder entering the match and delivering a double powerbomb to the two stars.
After a bone crushing Big Time Senton into the corner, Bear Country secured their victory as Bear Bronsen pinned Liam Gray.
Winners: Bear Country.
Grade: B, while not a squash match, the bout was heavily one-sided but remained entertaining.
#3 A.Q.A. vs. Avery Breaux
The AEW DARK bout got off to an awkward start as the two athletes seemed to struggle to get things going. However, after they became more comfortable, the two had an even back-and-forth before A.Q.A. gained momentum.
Avery Breaux then regained momentum, and proceeded to use aggression against her opponent. After delivering a powerful corner senton, the star got two near falls. A.Q.A. eventually regained the upper hand after a reversal into a Slingblade.
A.Q.A. ended the bout with an impressive Flipping Neckbreaker, pinning her opponent for the victory.
Winner: A.Q.A.
Grade: C+, a solid bout despite an awkward start.
#4 Josh Woods vs. Barett Brown
Josh Woods made his return to AEW DARK after failing to recapture the ROH Pure Championship. Mark Sterling and Tony Nese made their way to ringside to seemingly assess Woods.
As the bout began, Woods quickly gained the upperhand, locking Brown into a series of holds. Woods would soon use his overwhelming strength to put down his smaller opponent.
Brown would attempt to turn the tide of the match, but unfortunately for him, Josh Woods anticipated his offense. The Technical Beast ended up scoring the victory with a painful submission, impressing Mark Sterling and Tony Nese in the process.
Winner: Josh Woods.
Grade: B, the bout ended up making woods look impressive after two losses to Wheeler Yuta.
#5 Sonny Kiss vs. Lamar Diggs
Sonny Kiss began the bout by going after Lamar Diggs with a flurry of hits. However, Diggs would prove to be a mountain, as he quickly began to manhandle Sonny.
Diggs would then attempt to take Sonny Kiss down with his strength, but Kiss, who is more agile, would escape the move. The Concrete Rose then hit Lamar Diggs with a series of kicks, staggering the bigger athlete.
Kiss would end up surprising Diggs with a Tornado Facebuster into a Crossface, causing the much larger star to tap out to the Concrete Rose.
Winner: Sonny Kiss.
Grade: B, a brief but impressive match due to Kiss' sheer tenacity.
#6 Fuego Del Sol vs. Aaron Solo of The Factory
Aaron Solo began the bout strongly, using his size advantage over Feugo Del Sol. After a failed attempt by QT Marshall to distract the luchadore, Del Sol would gain momentum. After yet another altercation, Solo would sneak up on Fuego and take the momentum.
The masked wrestler would finally gain momentum after reversing Solo's offense. The star then went on to hit a Diving Moonsault from the inside of the ring to Solo who was now outside. Fuego then hit Solo with a Tornado DDT into a submission, but QT's timely distraction would cause the ref to miss Solo tapping out.
After being hit with a corkscrew kick, Aaron Solo nearly stole the win. Del Sol then reversed another move by solo and transitioned into a roll-up. The star then picked up the victory, despite The Factory trying their best to prevent him from winning.
Winner: Fuego Del Sol.
Grade: B+, quite an entertaining match, Del Sol continues to wow during his AEW DARK appearances.
#7 AEW DARK Tag Team Action: Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh vs. Darian Bengston and Gus De La Vega
Jay Lethal began the AEW DARK bout against Darian Bengston, and the veteran quickly gained the upperhand. Lethal then requested that Gus De La Vega enter the bout, using his experience to overwhelm the star.
Bengston would then enter the ring, and the two stars would briefly overwhelm Lethal with tag team moves. Satnam Singh then entered the bout and made quick work of the two stars. Lethal ended up taking De La Vega out, while Satnam proceeded to dominate Darian Bengston.
Singh then hit Bengston with a massive Big Boot and ended the bout with a dominating powerbomb.
Winners: Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh.
Grade: B-, a good display of Lethal's prowess while building Satnam as a dominating giant.
#8 AEW DARK Main Event: The Dark Order vs. The Wingmen
The Dark Order and The Wingmen continued their AEW DARK feud with an explosive 8-Man Tag Match.
Evil Uno and Ryan Nemeth started off the match as the two most expressive members of their teams used taunts and technique fire up the crowd. The Dark Order continued to dominate until JD Drake entered the bout, resulting in a momentum shift.
John Silver finally mad his entrance later in the match, regaining momentum after a nasty Brainbuster to Peter Avalon. Unfortunately, Uno would fail to hit Avalon with a Senton Bomb, and The Wingmen would proceed to take turns hitting him with devastating moves.
The two teams would then go all out against each other, but The Wingmen would fail to maintain momentum. The Dark Order then ended the match with a massive four-way tag-team finisher, with Pres10 Vance pinning Avalon to secure the win.
Winners: The Dark Order.
Grade: B+, an entertaining main event that's become a staple on AEW DARK.