AEW Dark recap (July 27, 2021): Dante Martin steals show with aerial magic

Episode 99 of AEW Dark featured stiff competition looming large for the Young Bucks, Big Swole and Diamante in a grudge match, and Dante Martin wowing the crowd.

We’ll start with a tasty treat of aerial magic from Dante Martin. He used momentum from an Irish whip to leap over the turnbuckles for a flipping cannonball onto bodies below.

That is all. Back to the regularly scheduled recap.

Here’s the Dark lineup with ratings (watch, competitive, showcase, squash) on which matches are worth your time toward Dynamite:

• Alejandra Lion vs. Red Velvet (squash)
• Killa Kate vs. Abadon (showcase)
• Diamante vs. Big Swole (competitive)
• Zach Mason & Warren Johnson vs. Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (showcase)
• Varsity Blonds & Dante Martin vs. Ryan Nemeth & The Acclaimed (competitive)

The main event trios match had the most flash, and Diamante and Swole put on a tactical affair. Those are my top two picks from the bunch.

Watch the show here.

Excalibur teamed with Taz to call the action. Justin Roberts was the ring announcer.

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson hyped the 10-man elimination tag on Dynamite between the Dark Order & Hangman Page and the Elite. Uno asked for a match on Dark to prove a point. They will remind everyone who is the best tag team in AEW.

Red Velvet defeated Alejandra Lion. Velvet found her groove for running knees into the ropes, a standing moonsault, and the Final Slice axe kick neckbreaker to win.

The Bad Romance duo of Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss are back together and focused as a team. No more go-go bars and bad influences for Janela. Next week on Dark will be the start of their road to gold. Bad Romance will claim their rightful spot at the top of the tag team division.

Abadon defeated Killa Kate. The newcomer scored some offense on the Living Dead Girl, but she ran the ropes right into a sitdown powerbomb. Abadon followed up with a headbutt and a leg hook DDT for victory.

Diamante defeated Big Swole. The bout was a back and forth chess match with Swole using her power for an early advantage. Diamante focused on attacking the throat with precision. Swole was picking up momentum. She went for a back body drop, however, Diamante sat down and grabbed the ropes on the winning pin.

Evil Uno & Stu Grayson defeated Zach Mason & Warren Johnson. Hot tag to Grayson to clean house. He landed a tope con hilo to the outside onto both opponents. The Dark Order used a teamwork finish on Johnson as Grayson hit a running knee to set in motion a piledriver from Uno.

Varsity Blonds & Dante Martin defeated Ryan Nemeth & The Acclaimed. Julia Hart was ringside. Max Caster’s rap contained references to the Second Amendment, vaccines, and Ezekiel Elliott’s dog to rile up the Dallas crowd.

Hot tag to Griff Garrison to run roughshod over the competition. Blind tag from Brian Pillman Jr. for a springboard attack, but Anthony Bowens pushed Caster out of the way to catch Pillman for a twisting slam. The finish came down to Martin and Nemeth. Martin hit a flipping cannonball over the ropes, then he came back in the ring for a flipping stunner to win.

After the match, Brian Pillman Jr. challenged the Acclaimed to more fisticuffs to prove who is the #1 tag team in the rankings. There was no round two of action. Taz comically pointed out that Pillman forgot to give credit to Martin, who actually earned the pinfall.

AEW is lining up future challenges for the Young Bucks and the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Dark Order has their opportunity to breakthrough if they are victorious in the ten-man tag on Dynamite. Bad Romance is determined to climb up the ladder. The Varsity Blonds and the Acclaimed are jostling for top position. I don’t think any of those teams would defeat the Bucks with gold on the line, but they are all unique enough to provide an intriguing matchup. If nothing else, it provides a sense of motivation for these teams.

Diamante and Big Swole put on a nifty bout. I like Diamante stealing the win to give this feud legs. They have solid chemistry with each other in the ring. Assuming the feud elevates to requiring a blow-off, I hope it gets a slot on Dynamite or Rampage in order to receive the time it requires. The Dark match tonight was interesting, but it was on the short side. That’s fine, since it appears to be a step in the story.

Share your thoughts on Dark. Who stood out most for episode 99? Which was your favorite match?