Daniel Garcia To Take On Former WWE NXT Star On AEW Dark

"AEW Dark" has established itself as a proving ground for newcomers and veteran talents alike, with some performers even securing employment with All Elite Wrestling afterward. To name a couple of recent examples, former WWE Superstars Parker Boudreaux and Ari Daivari appeared on "Dark" this summer and formed the Trustbusters faction, which has since been featured on AEW's flagship television shows. However, they aren't the only ex-WWE employees to be on AEW's radar, as evidenced by the most recent "Dark" debutants. 

AEW held its latest set of "Dark" tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, August 21, recording a batch of episodes that will air on YouTube over the coming weeks. The tapings also saw the arrivals of Westin Blake and No Way Jose, who competed during the second session, according to Figure Four Online.

Per the report, Blake — formerly known as Wesley Blake in WWE — lost to Daniel Garcia in singles competition. Later in the show, Iron Savages defeated Vary Morales and Levis Valenzuela, aka No Way Jose, in tag team action.

Both wrestlers have been working on the independent circuit since parting ways with WWE in 2021. Blake has appeared in promotions such as Control Your Narrative, Pro Wrestling Revolver, and River City Wrestling. Valenzuela meanwhile, has been less active on the wrestling circuit since WWE released him back in 2020, but he did make a slew of appearances for IMPACT Wrestling back in 2021, as well as DEFY Wrestling earlier this year. Furthermore, the former Jose has made it abundantly clear that he'd sign for AEW if the opportunity ever presents itself.