Winfree’s AEW Dark: Elevation (Ep. 29) Review 9.20.21

Alrighty people, time for another episode of AEW Dark: Elevation. Tonight we’ll have Hikaru Shida, Orange Cassidy, the freshly heel Gunn Clubb, the Dark Order civil war, and a main event between QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes. That is not a compelling main event, but let’s get to the action and hope for the best. Wight, Schiavone, and Eddie Kingston are on commentary. Once again AEW, put a title on Eddie Kingston already you cowards.

Match #1: Thunder Rosa vs. Kaia McKenna

McKenna goes for the hair early but Rosa is able to counter and they start trading arm work before Rosa hits a few arm drags then a drop kick. McKenna gets some offense in, a few weak looking body blows in the corner before Rosa starts laying in chops. Punt kick from Rosa, then a sloppy jawbreaker from McKenny then Rosa hits a few kicks in the ropes and ends things with the Fire Thunder Driver.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Thunder Rosa won in 2:40

Rating: Aurantia. . . SQUASH

McKenna did not look ready for this spotlight, unimpressive and occasionally sloppy offense and even took the early arm drags a little questionably.

Match #2 – Trios Match: Gunn Clubb (Billy, Colten, and Austin) vs. Anthony Bennett, Ray Jaz, and Leon St. Giovanni

Wight steps away from commentary for this one, playing up that the Gunn Clubb turned on him recently. Bennett and Austin get us started. The Gunn’s jump the others then Colten tags in. Colten stomps on Bennett then tags in Billy. Billy with a delayed backbreaker. Austin back in, but takes too long being a douche and Bennett is able to fight back and tag in Giovanni. Giovanni runs wild on Austin and Colten but Billy cuts him off with a back elbow then tosses him into the Colt .45 from Austin and Gunn Clubb wins.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Gunn Clubb won in 2:17

Rating: Caserta. . . SQUASH

Mostly an excuse to show off the heel work of Austin and Colten, which will get better the more they get to feel it out. They definitely need more time to get a feel for their heel work, but again that’s part of the purpose of this kind of show.

Match #3 – Tag Team Match: Alan “5” Angels and 10 w/ Alex Reynolds and John Silver vs. Evil Uno and Colt Cabana

Colt and Angels start things off. Colt with some early wrestling to take down Angels. More arm work from Colt, but Angels counters and they start running the ropes then Angels hits a drop kick and demands Uno tag in. Uno obliges and he and Angels start yelling. Angels with a double leg, then 10 and Colt come in and start squaring off. Angels with a low suicide dive onto Uno, both 10 and Colt dissuade him from tossing Uno into the ring steps. Back in the ring 10 tags in, he and Uno trade shoves then Uno can’t take him down with a shoulder block. 10 hits a shoulder block, then catches a flying Uno and tags in Angels who hits a drop kick to assist 10’s fall away slam. Uno avoids a kick from Angels and heads out of the ring. He gets back in the ring while Angels and Colt argue, Angels clocks Colt and Uno is able to boot him off the apron. Back in the ring again and Colt is tagged in. Colt wont lay in strikes on Angels, settling for a suplex. Uno back in and he doesn’t hesitate to lay in chops. Angels fights back with elbows, back flips out of a back suplex and tags in 10. Uno begs off, then tries a cheap shot. 10 fires up and runs wild on Uno with clotheslines and a pump kick in the corner. Colt interrupts a 10 punch in the corner, and 10 clocks him then hits a spinebuster on Uno. Uno takes a slingshot spear through the ropes and Colt breaks up the pin. Colt with the bionic elbow to Angels and tags in. 10 and Colt start brawling, but 10 counters a bionic elbow with a Full Nelson. Angels tags in, as does Uno and Uno and Colt clean house. On the outside Colt and 10 brawl, then Uno unmasks Angels. They trade slaps, then Angels with a double leg into a jackknife pin to Uno that gets the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Angels and 10 won in 7:43

Rating: 2 stars

The story being told was more important than the action, Colt refraining from using strikes for most of the match and even 10 dissuading Angels from going too extreme with his offense. By the end that was out the window as Colt had had enough of Angels’ attitude and 10 decided to to along for the ride in terms of upping the physicality. Kingston got a good line on commentary about Uno, “Nah! Uno, continue to be a bitter veteran and bury the young talent” that got a laugh out of Wight and myself. Post match Angels replaces his mask and offers Uno a handshake, but Uno declines and rolls out of the ring. Even Colt seems surprised by this as Uno leaves the ring alone.

Match #4: Orange Cassidy w/ Chuck Taylor and Kris Statlander vs. Mike Verna

Verna poses early and offers a test of strength, but Cassidy just puts his hands in his pockets. The Cassidy leg kicks follow, but Verna kicks him in the gut. Cassidy with his usual hands in pockets offense, takes off the elbow pad and lands the Orange Punch to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Orange Cassidy won in 1:15

Rating: Casertaosa. . . SQUASH

Usual stuff from Cassidy, Verna has a good look but I couldn’t tell you more than that after this match.

Match #5 – Tag Team Match: Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) w/ Matt Hardy vs. Teddy Goodz and Jorge Santi

Quen and Santi start, Quen with a quick head scissors takedown then a cheap shot to Goodz. Kassidy in and hits a calf kick. A flurry of offense from Kassidy but Santi avoids a corner splash and tags out. Goodz with some offense but he gets caught in a series of double team moves from Quen and Kassidy. The Gin and Juice connects and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Private Party won in 1:57

Rating: Casertara. . . SQUASH

Well that existed.

Match #6: Hikaru Shida vs. Masha Slamovich

Shida and Masha trade shoves, then they run the ropes and Shida hits a jumping front kick. Shida goes after the arm, Masha with an escape from the arm wringer and lands a slightly awkward left arm clothesline. Gut wrench suplex from Masha gets a 2 count. Shida with a hurricanrana then a 10 punch in the corner punctuated with a headbutt and drop kick. Running knee from Shida, then a suplex for a 2 count. Masha avoids the Arawashi Driver and lands a running kick then hits a Dragon suplex with a bridge for a 2 count. Shida fires up and lands a slap, then the Arawashi Driver and Sliding D. Shida wants the Katana, hits it and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Hikaru Shida won in 3:37

Rating: 2 stars

Masha looked a little off at the start but pretty handily found her footing as they went on.

Match #7: Joey Janela w/ Kalya Rossi vs. Sunny Kiss

Kiss with a quick rolling elbow to start the match, then lays in strikes on the mat and Janela bails but Kiss with a baseballs slide. Kiss up top and moonsaults onto Janela on the outside. More offense from Kiss but Janela lays him out with an elbow. Rossi with a spear behind the refs back as Janela distracts the ref, Janela is bleeding from the right eyebrow and I think that came about the hard way. Janela with a brainbuster on the floor then they head back into the ring. Kiss tries to fight back with kicks, but runs into a super kick from Janela. Janela heads up top, but gets caught an tossed off by Kiss. Slightly botched standing moonsault from Kiss gets a 2 count. Janela with a jawbreaker and a clothesline. They head to the apron, Janela up top but misses a Swanton on the apron and winds up eating diving DDT from Kiss. Back in the ring again, Kiss heads up top but Janela lands a palm strike to halt that. Janela hits a Spanish Fly for a 2 count. That just annoys Janela and he lands a piledriver, then another one but that still just gets a 2 count. Janela heads up top, but Kiss counters his elbow drop into a crucifix and pins to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Sonny Kiss won in 5:07

Rating: 2 stars

I’m not a big fan of Janela’s work in general, and here it felt like they tried to do a bit too much in the given time as cutting out one of those high spots might have given the others enough room to breathe and stick in the mind. Post match Rossi lays out Kiss and Janela gets a steel chair. Janela lays in chair shots, then lays the chair on Kiss’s back so Rossi can hit a standing moonsault double stomp onto the chair.

Match #8 – Tag Team Match: Santana and Ortiz vs. Avery Good and JT Dunn

Ortiz and Dunn get us started. They run the ropes and Ortiz hits a one legged drop kick. Santana tags in and hits a springboard cross body then they hit a double team sequence. Good in and eats a double back suplex. Dunn tries fighting back but just eats an assisted cannonball senton then Ortiz with a powerbomb, Santana with a knee strike and Ortiz hold a sunset pin to get the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Santana and Ortiz won in 1:18

Rating: Citrullina. . . SQUASH

Delicious squash.

Match #9: Dustin Rhodes vs. QT Marshall w/ Nick Comroto and Aaron Solow

They go right after each other, with Rhodes getting the better of it with his strikes. Marshall powders, Rhodes follows him and keeps beating him around the ringside area before they head back in. A Solow distraction allows Marshall to take over on offense. Rhodes with some more strikes but he runs into a drop kick. Solow with a cheap shot. Marshall starts working the neck of Rhodes, Rhodes fights back with clotheslines. Snap powerslam from Rhodes, he wants the Bulldog but Marshall avoids it and mostly misses an enziguri but Rhodes sells it anyway. Marshall with a sitout powerbomb for a 2 count. Marshall calls for the Diamond Cutter, but Rhodes counters it into a lifting reverse DDT for his own near fall. Rhodes tries the bulldog again but again it’s countered. Marshall lands an enziguri as they head up top, he wants a superplex and gets it but only gets another 2 count. Rhodes with a curcifix for a 2 count, then hits the Code Red for a 2 count. They start trading rights, then Rhodes with a Bulldog off the ropes. Rhodes wants the Unnatural Kick and gets it as Lee Johnson runs in to deal with Solow, then he hits the Final Reckoning to win while Comoroto just hangs out at ringside.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Dustin Rhodes won in 6:37

Rating: 2.5 stars

Marshall remains a decent hand but utterly uninteresting as a personality. To the credit of both men they sold the dislike, going right after each other and trading insults the whole way through. It’s been said before but Rhodes is ridiculously smooth in the ring for his age and mileage. Comoroto looked like a bit of a goof here, Solow got involved while Comoroto just stood around.

6.2

The final score: review Average

The 411

More of an Average episode, some of the squashes were a bit on the sloppy side and putting QT Marshall in your main event is usually a poor indicator of overall episode strength. If you liked Janela and Kiss more than I did the overall rating would be bumped up, but on the whole this episode was just alright.