wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s AEW Dark: Elevation (Ep. 24) Review 8.19.21
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...Hey there everyone, it’s a special Thursday episode of Dark: Elevation so here I am. Tonight’s episode is only 32 minutes long, but features Daniel Garcia in action, plus appearances by Private Party, Santana and Ortiz, and others. Well let’s not waste too much time and get into the action.
Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight are on commentary. They hype up the First Dance coming tomorrow.
Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Santana and Ortiz vs. Warren Johnson and Zack Mason
Ortiz and Johnson get us going, Mason in with a cheap shot and Ortiz gets double teamed. Santana takes out Mason with a super kick and Ortiz takes over in the ring. There’s some oddness with the ring mic, every step is reverbing pretty badly. Some double team sequences to Johnson. Ortiz tags in, Johnson takes a very awkward double team move, looked like a Samoan drop into a cutter, and Ortiz pins to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Santana and Ortiz won in 2:03
Rating: Gelber Zentner. . . SQUASH
Mason and Johnson didn’t do too bad, while Ortiz and Santana are still as good as ever.
Match #2: Nyla Rose 2/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Steff MK w/ Ashley MK
Rose lays in strikes, Steff is a little awkward thus far. Rose with some kicks, then drapes Steff on the top rope and hits the diving top rope knee drop. Ashley slips in for a little twin magic, small package from Ashley but only gets 2. Rose more or less no sells a headbutt, then hits a Beast Bomb to win. On a technical note the reverb seems to be fixed.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Nyla Rose won in 1:43
Rating: Golias. . . SQUASH
Steff looked very green, Ashley actually looked a little more natural in terms of her movements. Other than that, typical Nyla Rose squash. Post match Nyla sees a replay and realizes the switcheroo, she pulls Steff into the ring and powerbombs her onto Ashley. To close Vickie drapes the t-shirt over their bodies. Vickie gets a mic, excuse her, and she’s disgusted by the support Britt Baker gets from the fans. Baker is weak, going from a broken leg to a broken nose to a broken wrist, while Nyla Rose is the picture of strength. Rose is indestructible and unbreakable, and remember that at the end of day broken Barbie dolls wind up in the trash. Decent promo from Vickie.
Match #3: Madi Wrenkowski vs. Emi Sakura
Madi pie faces Emi, Emi replies with a slap then a chop. Some hair pulling from Emi as she tosses Madi around. Emi sets for a surfboard, and gets it then dumps Madi to the mat. Some rights from Madi, then an X-Factor. Emi avoids a corner rush and lands a chop. Running crossbody in the corner, then Emi with a double underhook backbreaker for a near fall. More chops from Emi, then she locks up a modified Dragon Sleeper to get the win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Emi Sakura won in 2:46
Rating: 1.5 stars
Competitive enough to avoid a squash, Madi has improved a fair bit during her appearances on Elevation.
In the back Smart Mark Sterling talks about the chance Keira Hogan has on Rampage against his client, Jade Cargill. Jade objects to calling Hogan impressive, calls herself impressive and plans on showing Hogan why she is that bitch. Not the strongest promo, Sterling isn’t great but he’s not awful, and Jade is still finding her voice in these kinds of spots.
Match #4 – Tag Team Match: Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) w/ Matt Hardy vs. Will Allday and Edge Stone
Stone is a rather large man. Kassidy and Allday start things off, with Kassidy kicking him down and taking over right away. Quen tags in, they double team Allday and Hardy is able to take out Stone on the floor. Kassidy back in, they hit the Gin and Juice and win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Private Party won in 1:45
Rating: Hubbard. . . SQUASH
Delicious squash.
Match #5: Daniel Garcia vs. Matt Sydal
They square up and trade words while sizing each other up. Eventually they tie up and trade side head lock escapes then stand off. Another side head lock from Garcia, this time he hits a shoulder block. Sydal hits a hurricanrana then a series of arm drags. Garcia drops Sydal with a back elbow and starts working on the mat. Bow and arrow hold from Garcia, Sydal flips out after a bit but Garcia catches him with a suplex. Sydal with a sunset flip for 1, but Garcia switches to a half Boston crab on the kick out and starts cranking the leg of Sydal. Sydal gets to the rope and forces a break. Garcia with some strikes, but Sydal catches him with a roll up the moves to the bow and arrow hold and closes it with a double stomp to the back. Garcia misses a chop, eats leg kicks then lays in those chops. Sydal slips out of a suplex and hits a modified Hog Log then a standing twisting senton for a near fall. Garcia slams Sydal down by the hair and takes over, now targeting the back of Sydal. More strikes from Garcia, Sydal firing back with leg kicks, then a jumping back kick and a spinning leg lariat to take down Garcia. Garcia slips off the shoulders of Sydal but gets caught in a Fisherman’s buster for a near fall. More leg kicks from Sydal, then a question mark kick to the head but that only gets 2 on the cover. Sydal heads up for a second rope moonsault but Garcia rolls away then kicks Sydal’s leg as he tried to run the ropes. Garcia follows that up with a back suplex into a backbreaker then locks up the Sharpshooter and forces the tap.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Daniel Garcia won in 8:00
Rating: 3 stars
Enough better than 2.5 to justify it I think. I like Garcia’s little twist on the Sharpshooter, and Sydal was absolutely the right guy to give him this little showcase ahead of his match with Moxley.
A promo for Rampage, the a promo from Garcia. He says he could have gone anywhere, but he wanted the stiffest competition and he’s coming for everyone in AEW. He’s watches Moxley for years, and knows Moxley doesn’t know much about him and frankly doesn’t expect him to. But just because Moxley has been around the world winning all the big titles and claiming big prizes for all these years, his bone still break the same, his muscles still tear, and on Rampage Moxley will know who Daniel Garcia is. Not a bad promo from Garcia, not great but he got the point across.
