‘AEW Dark: Elevation – Episode 59’ Review
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dark: Elevation, we’ve got Excalibur and Paul Wight on commentary and a 7-match card featuring some of AEW’s biggest stars in a stacked show! Let’s get into the review…
Match #1: Kris Statlander def. Ashley D’Amboise
My Thoughts: Kris Statlander debuts her new look, ring gear, and intro on Elevation and I’m here for it. She looks more badass and acts more badass, not giving Ashley D’Amboise any room to get in any offence – totally squashing her apart from D’Amboise getting in a couple of punches to the gut. This was short and sweet and to the point. Rebuilding characters and making them look hard as nails is EXACTLY what squash matches are for!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Andrade El Idolo def. Alan “5” Angels
My Thoughts: It/s surprising to see just how well Alan Angels can adapt to any opponent. No matter the style or the wrestler, Angels seems to be able to work well in terms of both offence and selling. It’s a credit to him that this match worked well – especially given Andrade’s style doesn’t work with everyone on AEW’s roster as we’ve seen in the past.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Tony Nese def. J Spade
My Thoughts: J Spade looked good here and the crowd were behind him in this match too. This was however your typical AEW quasi-squash match, with Nese giving Spade a little room to shine but remaining in control throughout the match. Spade did come out of this one looking good even in defeat.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Dark Order’s Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver and Alex Reynolds def. Allen Russell, Kameron Russell, Dale Springs and Izaiah Zane
My Thoughts: An 8-man tag match that ended up being pretty much a squash match, with Dark Order running roughshod over their opponents. If ever there was a match that felt like something you’d see on WWE Main Event it was this one.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: Roppongi Vice def. The Factory
My Thoughts: Now I expected a squash match here but instead we got a great competitive match that really pushed The Factory, Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto, to their limits. Which is a good thing, Comoroto is a beast of a man but he needs to become more well-rounded and matches like this help. Roppongi Vice did their usual awesome thing – have you ever seen them give a disappointing match?
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Trios Match – Hikaru Shida, Ruby Soho, and Anna Jay def. The Bunny, Emi Sakura, and Raychell Rose
My Thoughts: This was a fantastic, if a little chaotic, match. Shida joined the team of Ruby Soho and Anna Jay for this one and the trio made quick work of their opponents, even if said opponents tried to get the jump on them. Anna Jay looks to really be benefitting from her time teaming with Soho – she’s starting to look less awkward and put together her moveset more smoothly. I was a little suspect of Jay and Soho as a team, especially given it looked like we were getting Soho and AQA at one point but I’ve come round, It works. Plus adding Shida to the mix is always a winner!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: The Hardys and Top Flight def. Private Party, The Blade, and Angelico
My Thoughts: Like the womens’ trios match, this 8-man tag match was chaotic… but in a good way. Private Party and Top Flight kept the pace up throughout whilst Angelico looked good after quite some time away. This one almost… almost… broke down but it ended just in time before the good chaos turned into bad.
