‘AEW Dark: Elevation – Episode 47’ Review
Welcome to this weeks review of AEW Dark: Elevation, we’ve got Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight, and Mark Henry on commentary and eight matches to cover. So let’s get right into the action and this review!
Match #1: Leyla Hirsch def. Brittany Blake
My Thoughts: Always glad to see Leyla Hirsch in a match, no matter the show. Here she takes on Brittany Blake, making her AEW debut, in a match that saw Hirsch feel more like a babyface than the heel she’s being pushed as in her feud with Kris Statlander. Not that she didn’t have a mean streak here – as she always does =- but it felt like commentary were behind her rather than Blake, who should have been this matches babyface.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Private Party def. Action Andretti and Myles Hawkins
My Thoughts: This was a typical AEW quasi-squash match, with Private Party giving Action Andretti and Myles Hawkins just enough room to show off their skills before taking control and taking over. Not too much interference from Matt Hardy on the outside, though you can see his influence in the ring in this one – with Private Party playing the distraction game to get the upper hand.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Brandi Rhodes def. Willow Nightingale
My Thoughts: Willow Nightingale makes another welcome return to AEW in a match where she pretty much had to lay down for Brandi Rhodes, the 2nd biggest heel in AEW right now, which is a shame. Though to be fair to Willow, no matter if it’s a win or a loss, she always manages to make an impact thanks to her personality. Rhodes is clearly lapping up the heel heat and it shows at the end of this match!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Men of the Year (Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky) def. Mike Fowler and Lohan Laroux
My Thoughts: This was a decisive squash match with Page and SKy taking care of the jobbers in about three minutes. Men of the Year have to be one of the biggest successes of 2021… who would’ve thought that these two would make for such a well-gelled, super-charismatic team when they were out together initially? Page played up the heel work by yeeting Lohan Laroux across the ring with the Ego’s Edge post-match.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Red Velvet def. Janai Kai
My Thoughts: Janai Kai has got one hell of a look, which reminds me of Tong Po from Kickboxer and its sequels, playing up the martial arts aspect AND looking like an evil b*tch too! Kai got to show off what she can do in the early stages of this match before Red Velvet, who works well fighting from underneath in her matches, took control and picked up the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Santana and Ortiz def. Goldy and Breaux Keller
My Thoughts: This was ridiculously fast-paced with Santana and Ortiz looking like they needed to be somewhere and this match was getting in the way! In fact, Santana wrestled the entire match like he had a chip on his shoulder, selling the events of last week really well. Goldy and Breaux Keller tried to put up a defense but Santana and Ortiz were in a business sense of mind, taking care of it in another three-minute(ish) match on this week’s Elevation!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #7: Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho def. Jordan Blade and Leva Bates
My Thoughts: Wow. Not only do we get the tag team of Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho but Leva Bates is FINALLY back in an AEW ring, actually wrestling in the match… It feels like forever since we’ve seen Bates in action and a quick Google search says her last match was waaaay back in March 2021(!) It’s good to see she hasn’t lost a step and even in a match that features Rosa and Soho she stood out!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #8: Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks def. Matt Sydal and Lee Moriarty
My Thoughts: Nice to Elevation stepping things up in the main event, especially after most of this show coasted along. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there was some pizazz missing from this week’s show. Whilst this was a serviceable tag team match, the post-match mic drop from Ricky Starks and the Dante Martin run-in really elevated the match and the end of the show.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Overall this was a decent show, there was nothing that made me jump out of my seat in excitement, though it was great to see Leva Bates back on AEW programming (well on one that’s NOT one of the many vlogs). I didn’t feel like we were suffering from too many squash matches this week either, which is ALWAYS a good thing, Always. A good start to the AEW week!
