‘AEW Dark: Elevation – Episode 90’ Review
Welcome back to another review of AEW Dark: Elevation, this week features nine matches once again and a number of big-name stars rather than jobbers! We’ve got Ian Riccaboni, Paul Wight and Matt Menard on commentary, so let’s get into the review…
Match #1: The Butcher, The Blade and Rush def. Doug Love, Channing Thomas and Brett Gosselin
My Thoughts: This was a squash match but a good squash match – you want to see guys like The Butcher, The Blade and Rush demolish their opponents and that’s what we got here.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #2: Willow Nightingale and Hikaru Shida def. Leva Bates and Emi Sakura
My Thoughts: Willow Nightingale teams with another Japanese talent and it looks and feels just as “right” as her tag team with Riho last week. Good to Leva Bates in action too. Nice women’s tag match – something that Elevation and Dark seem to be specialising in!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Brian Cage def. Brandon Cutler
My Thoughts: Good to see Brian Cage take out Brandon Cutler – who stupidly tried to do comedy wrestling against a machine like Cage! Cage should’ve ended this one quicker though. Still, a squash is a squash, unless it’s an AEW quasi-squash like this!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: The JAS (Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker) def. Leon Ruffin, Tracy Williams and Tony Deppen
My Thoughts: Another AEW quasi-squash, with a decent showing for Leon Ruffin, Tracy Williams and Tony Deppen but this was one of those matches where you knew the outcome going in and so there was no tension or excitement to the match, unfortunately.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: Mercedes Martinez def. JC
My Thoughts: JC tried her best against a returning Mercedes Martinez but you know enhancement talent is not going to win ANY match against Martinez! As you’ve probably guessed, this was another quasi-squash.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Wheeler Yuta def. Zack Clayton
My Thoughts: Another Elevation match, another squash. Zack Clayton has had something of a run on AEW’s YouTube shows recently and that experience is showing in his performances. That doesn’t mean to say there’s any way he’d get the jump on Wheeler Yuta! A decent, solid – if quick – squash.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #7: Matt Hardy and Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) def. Trustbusters (Ari Davari, Sonny Kiss and Encore)
My Thoughts: I’m sorry but this was one match, out of everything on the show, I couldn’t care less about. Trustbusters are bland, Private Party have lost their lustre and Hardy is almost a parody of himself at this stage. Meh.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #8: Alex Reynolds def. Kip Sabian
My Thoughts: This was the one match on this entire show where you couldn’t predict who’d win – mainly because both men have been booked 50/50 most of the time. And despite Reynolds being the babyface, we all know Dark Order aren’t winners. Sabian was, for a short while, after his comeback, but even he’s been losing matches you wouldn’t expect. Which meant that this turned out to be one of the better matches on the [weak] show.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #9: Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Trent Beretta) def. The Factory (Aaron Solo, Cole Karter, and Lee Johnson)
My Thoughts: This was far too short for a main event, ending in under four minutes! Still, both teams never disappoint and with their new blood, The Factory are less monotonous as they once were on Dark and Elevation. Plus, who doesn’t like seeing Best Friends in action?!
