‘AEW Dark: Elevation – Episode 45’ Review
This weeks episode of AEW Dark: Elevation comes from New Jersey and opens with an unexpected tag team up between Jay Lethal and Sonny Kiss. Let’s right into the action and into this review!
Match #1: Jay Lethal and Sonny Kiss def. Jaden Valo and Chris Steeler
My Thoughts: This was a perfect example of an AEW quasi-squash match. The team of Lethal & Kiss let their opponents get some offence on them, just enough so that this didn’t look like a total squash before cleaning house and picking up the win in under three minutes… I’m definitely here for the tag team of Jay Lethal and Sonny Kiss!
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #2: Emi Sakura and Nyla Rose def. Skye Blue and Tina San Antonio
My Thoughts: Take everything I said about the previous match and apply it to this one. We have two powerhouses in Nyla Rose and Emi Sakura who were in control from the get go. Skye Blue, rising star that she is, got in some offence to keep this competitive in what was rinse and repeat of the first of this weeks Elevation matches.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) def. Pat Brink and Miles Hawkins
My Thoughts: Is it going to be one of those episodes this week? This was ANOTHER “follow the blueprint” AEW quasi-squash tag team matches… Three in a row folks, maybe AEW could try editing these things so they’re not back to back to back in future? This was was good but following the same format as its two predecessors spoilt it somewhat.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch def. Notorious Mimi and B3CCA
My Thoughts: A little dissension in the ranks of Velvet and Hirsch, with a tease of a heel turn of Hirsh which – if it gets her more TV time – I’m here for. Hirsch is one of AEW’s most underrated performers IMHO. Despite starting and finishing the match, this was really the Leyla Hirsch show.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Powerhouse Hobbs def. Ryan Clancy
My Thoughts: Now THIS was a genuine squash match. Hobbs ran over Ryan Clancy in the opening and never let up, tossing him in and out of the ring. Literally.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: QT Marshall def. Zack Clayton
My Thoughts: Well this was a surprise, a reality star in a wrestling match managing to hold his own against QT Marshall. Credit to Marshall for making Clayton look so good. Though it wasn’t all Marshall, Clayton looked like he had all the skills he needs to succeed in professional wrestling. Perhaps we’ll see more of him in AEW?
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Andarade def. Avery Good
My Thoughts: This was another squash match for this episode of Elevation. And this was a very traditional squash, with Andrade beating the crap out of Avery Good before making him submit with a vicious looking La Muerta!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #8: The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) def. Kevin Matthews and Joey Ace
My Thoughts: Impact Wrestling’s KM makes his AEW debut as part of the tag team that loses to The Acclaimed in yet another squash match. Is this review of this weeks episode of Elevation as mundane and repetitive as they show is?
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #9: Dante Martin def. Action Andretti
My Thoughts: Action Andretti was a decent foil for Dante Martin’s high flying style of wrestling and he didn’t look totally lost against Martin, who if often faster and more agile than his opponents. This one was over far to fast though!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match 10: Trios Match – Dark Order’s John Silver, Alex Reynolds and 10 def. Hardy Family Office’s Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen and The Blade
My Thoughts: Another match between HFO and the Dark Order… That’s about as predictable as it gets for Dark and Elevation. At least Dark Order’s John Silver, Alex Reynolds and 10 picked up the win this week with another satisfying Ragnarok triple team that ended the match on a high. Even if everything else was predictable.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
Not a good start to this weeks AEW programming. This felt like back in the pandemic era when shows were far too long and packed with squash and quasi-squash matches rather than actual WRESTLING matches. This is the kind of show that makes reviewers on certain other wrestling websites stop tuning in each week (for yes, that has been the case over the past few months on other sites!). It’s the one thing wrestling should never be… mundane.
