Winfree’s AEW Dark: Elevation (Ep. 108) Review 3.27.23

Hey there people, it’s time to get Elevated with AEW’s Elevation. OK, I promise not to do that again. Anyway tonight we’ve got a shorter episode but featuring Willow Nightingale, Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir, Matt Hardy, Ethan Page, and a main event of Riho vs. Diamante. Paul Wight and Matt Menard are on commentary.

Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Tony Nese and Ari Daivari w/ Mark Sterling vs. Lane Summers and Campbell Myers

Myers and Nese start us off, Nese insists on posing before they tie up. Nese gets Myers in the corner but misses a moonsault then lands a back kick. More kicks from Nese then he tags in Ari. Ari with some corner strikes then a Kitchen Sink knee lift. Nese tags back in and lands some jabs in the corner then he tags back in Ari. Myers flips away from them and tags in Summers. Summers fires strikes to both men but eats a kick from Ari eventually. Nese hits a palm strike then he tosses Summers into an Ari Cutter. Double super kick to Myers then Nese dives onto him as Ari hits a Frog Splash to pick up the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Tony Nese and Ari Daivari won in 3:34

Rating: Patidou squash
Thoughts: I remain profoundly unimpressed by everything Ari does on screen. This was a pretty generic squash.

Match #2 – Tag Team Match: Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir vs. Briar and Sage Hale

Nyla and Briar start us off, and things break down quickly into just abusing both Brian and Sage. Shafir with some throws to Briar then a modified gogoplata. Briar avoids a head kick and lands some corner offense before getting caught with a slightly awkward German suplex. Sage tags in and Shafir goes to butt scooting. Ankle pick from Shafir then she tags in Nyla. Nyla with some chops to Sage then tags Shafir back in. Shafir ties up Sage then hits an overhead pumphandle throw, Briar breaks up the pin but Nyla wipes her out. Shafir sets Sage up for a diving knee from Nyla and again Sage breaks up the pin. Things break down and the Hales send Nyla out of the ring but Nyla pulls out Briar and slams her into the barricade. In the ring Shafir locks up a combination of a reverse triangle position into a Suloev Stretch and that gets the tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir won in 4:05

Rating: Maliformis squash
Thoughts: Decent outing from Shafir, her strikes seem to have regressed a bit but her style of mat work is a nice change of pace from most of the rest of AEW. If this is her new finish I can dig it too, it’s a nice looking submission hold.

Post match Briar eats the Snapshot move from Nyla and Shafir.

Match #3: Willow Nightingale vs. Maggie Lee

Willow and Lee tie up, Willow is able to overpower Lee into a corner then celebrates. Side headlock from Willow then a shoulder block. Another shoulder block from Willow. Lee wants a test of strength, but Willow’s a hair too short for the long limbed Lee. Lee then fights off a German suplex but she runs into a Pounce. The straps come down for Willow then a cannonball senton in the corner. Doctor Bomb follows and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Willow Nightingale won in 1:57

Rating: Pattypan squash
Thoughts: Delicious squash. It’s nice to see Willow starting to regain some momentum, they really should have had her beat Jade a while back as Jade has kind of stagnated while they’re waiting for Kris Statlander to return.

Match #4 – Tag Team Match: Big Bill and Lee Moriarty vs. Zack Clayton and Anaya

Lee and Clayton start things off. Clayton forces Lee into the corner then lands an uppercut, then a corner clothesline. Lee is caught trying a Thesz Press and has to roll free but he runs into a clothesline. Anaya tags in and starts working the body of Lee. Lee lands a float over DDT to Anaya then plays air guitar before following up with knees. Clayton reaches to cheap shot Lee but Lee reads him and kicks him down. Lee gets tripped up and eats a right from Anaya, but Lee staggers over and tags in Bill. Bill with a big boot to Clayton to drop him off the apron. Anaya realizes he’s all alone, Bill tosses him around then he and Lee with some corner avalanches. Lee tags in as Bill takes Anaya’s head off with a boot. The slightly awkward assisted full nelson slam finishes things off after that.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Big Bill and Lee Moriarty won in 3:48

Rating: Patisson squash
Thoughts: Decent squash, they’re keeping Clayton somewhat protected in these thrown together tag teams while also letting him get reps in which is smart. Bill and Lee still haven’t quite gelled as a team yet, but they’re starting to get there I think.

Match #5: Athena vs. Tootie Lynn

Lynn attacks with strikes at the bell including a head kick that just seems to annoy Athena. Athena blocks a DDT and hits a scoop slam to counter. Elbow from Athena that might have knocked out Lynn, she seems surprised and slowly rolls Lynn over to get the pin and the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Athena won in 1:10

Rating: Spaghetti squash
Thoughts: Well that was a squash. I’m still waiting for something interesting to come out of Athena as this is starting to wear thin.

Post match Athena checks on the slowly recovering Lynn, then stretches her around the ring post. While that’s going on Emi Sakura has shown up and is posing with the ROH Women’s Title. Athena wants her belt back, Emi offers it, then crushes Athena with a Whirling Dervish and poses on Athena with the title belt. Well if we get that match it’ll be hard hitting, that’s for sure.

Ethan Page interrupts his teams music, and seems a little broken up. He accepts a hug from Hardy. Page says he’s normally upbeat but he’s in a bad mood and doesn’t know what to do. Hardy wont let his best friend stay sad, we’re all going to make Page smile here. Kassidy knows everyone needs to Party Hardy, and if the crowd is ready he wants a moan from the crowd. Page seems somewhat unmoved by this, he’s still a little gloomy.

Match #6 – Trios Match: Matt Hardy, Ethan Page, and Isiah Kassidy vs. Spanish Announce Project (Angelico, Serpentico, and Luther)

Our random Luther fact of the week is that he was one of the original Stu Hart Dungeon graduates still working today. Kassidy and Angelico are up first. Angelico with some arm wringers, he and Kassidy trade some of them but Angelico is the better wrestler and it’s showing. They trade some arm drags then Kassidy hits a heel kick. Hardy tags in for the hype elbow to the arm. Some arm work from Hardy, he offers Page a shot at coming in but Page isn’t feeling it yet so he tags in Kassidy. Angelico cuts off Kassidy then tags in Serpentico. Some rope running, and a notable “we want Ethan” chant. Hardy tags in and Serpentico takes some tandem offense. Serpentico runs into a back elbow but Luther cheap shots Hardy down. Angelico tags in and Page sits on the apron to sulk, there’s a “don’t be sad” chant now. Luther tags in and hits a snap suplex then tags in Serpentico and cheap shots Kassidy. Luther slams Serpentico onto Hardy, then tries to spring off of Serpentico but Serpentico can’t support his weight. Hardy fights back with a Side Effect to Serpentico then crawls over to tag in Page. Page lands a few shoulder blocks but he’s still glum and Hardy and Kassidy have to fire him, he finally comes to life and hits a lifting slam then things break down. Serpentico takes Poetry in Motion then an iconoclasm into the Twist of Fate from Page, but Page tags in Kassidy and wants Kassidy to finish things with the Swanton Bomb which ends things.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Matt Hardy, Ethan Page, and Isiah Kassidy won in 5:32

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Hard match to figure out here because on the one hand the crowd kind of ignored a lot of the ring work, but on the other they’re so invested in what’s going on with Page that they spent most of the match helping Hardy and Kassidy try to cheer him up. Page waking up near the end, then tagging in Kassidy to let him get the pin shows just how much impact Hardy and Kassidy are having on his character. You wont find matches like this one too often, but all things considered I think it was a success.

Match #7: Riho vs. Diamante

Diamante with a quick ankle pick then grabs a side headlock and hits a shoulder block but Riho bridges out of the pin attempt only for Diamante to slam her back down by the hair. Some mountes strikes from Diamante then a scoop slam, and a second one. Some corner attacks from Diamante then she puts Riho on the top rope. They both head up top and Diamante wants a superplex but Riho fights her off with strikes then a follow up double stomp. Headscissors from Riho then a 619 for a 2 count. Diamante avoids a Northern Lights Suplex and hits a Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Riho tries to fight back with strikes but runs into a series of German suplexes then nearly gets a pin on a tie up. Riho then catches Diamante with a Mouse Trap pin to get the 3 count.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Riho won in 4:02

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent match, and I get that Riho is usually fighting from underneath but if she’s got a title shot coming up I think she could have used a more dominant performance here.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

I think this one gets into Good territory on the back of a solid main event, a bizarrely heartwarming bit with Ethan Page being pulled out of a funk, and some actual progress in Athena's title run in the form of Emi Sakura. Nothing great here but for Elevation, I'm OK calling it Good.