‘AEW Dark: Elevation – Episode 81’ Review
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dark: Elevation, the opening salvo in the AEW wrestling week. We’ve got Matt Menard on commentary again this week but… he’s joined by ROH’s Ian Riccaboni(!) for this episode so let’s see what the show has to offer!
Match #1: Zack Clayton def. Conan Lycan
My Thoughts: A pretty decent match from Zack Clayton, who seems to be slotting into AEW nicely. Conan Lycan was a decent opponent, matching Clayton’s size and strength brilliantly. Like Julia Hart, Clayton is certainly going to improve the longer he’s with the company.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Nyla Rose def. B3cca
My Thoughts: Well this was a squash, Nyla Rose took like ONE hit from B3cca before demolishing her with a spear and a Beast Bomb. Marina Shafir cut a promo after the match which went down like a lead balloon but this is Dark/Elevation, the perfect place to practice that kind of stuff before taking it to the main shows.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) def. Aggro and Danger Kid
My Thoughts: Private Party continue to not live up to their potential in another match on AEW’s YouTube channel. This should have been a total squash but no, Private Party let the enhancement talent get in some offence making this match, yes you guessed it, a quasi-squash match!
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Skye Blue def. Chica Carreras
My Thoughts: Skye Blue’s winning streak continues and she gets a win over Carreras, who didn’t actually look too bad (apart from a botched move) in this typical AEW quasi-squash match.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: Dalton Castle and The Boys (Brent and Brandon) def. Boujii, Rick Recon and Omar
My Thoughts: Dalton Castle and the Boys are back on AEW programming – about time given they’re the ROH Six-Man Tag Champs! This was a total squash with the champs looking strong all the way through the match. Still, it’s another squash match on Elevation!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Frankie Kazarian def. Jora Johl
My Thoughts: Nice to see these two guys back on AEW programming as both seem to have been forgotten in the “we’ve hired ex-WWE guys” shuffle. Jora’s entire storyline has been dropped for example and Kazarian hasn’t really factored into ANY stories in the promotion since SoCal Uncensored broke up. And this match proves that SHOULDN’T be the case – these two put on one of the best matches of the episode!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Mascara Dorada def. Serpentico
My Thoughts: Formerly ‘Gran Metallik’ in WWE, Mascara Dorada has been doing the rounds on the competition – appearing in a SUPERB match against Speedball Bailey on Impact and now he repeats the excellence against AEW’s Serpentico – who puts in the kind of work that proves he’s kind of wasted in most of his “comedy” matches in AEW.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #8: The Butcher and The Blade def. Liam Davis and Mike Anthony
My Thoughts: And we end with a squash match… OK, I might complain but I can live with The Butcher and The Blade demolishing enhancement talent. And at least they’re getting more matches this month!
