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The latest AEW Dark: Elevation episode kicked off with Tony Schiavone interviewing Matt Sydal ahead of his tag team main event.
The episode had some big matches and moments, including a few debuts. Paul Wight, aka The Big Show, also compared a Team Taz member to Brock Lesnar. Elsewhere, an Indian star received a new name and a massive offer to join a top faction.
With that in mind, this week's AEW Dark: Elevation got underway with FTR's match.
FTR vs. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson on AEW Dark: Elevation
It's always great to see FTR compete on AEW Dark: Elevation. Cash Wheeler got the match rolling for his team this week.
The early exchanges ended in a stalemate as both teams faced off in the ring. Harwood received the tag and gained some control with a side headlock, followed by two shoulder blocks and an arm drag.
Isaacs came right back with a nice hip toss and an arm drag. Nelson went into the match and executed a double-team move featuring strikes. Wheeler got the tag and was welcomed by Nelson with a picture-perfect dropkick.
Isaacs and Nelson delivered a four-move combo, which included a neckbreaker, a shoulder tackle, a leg drop, and an elbow strike to top it off. FTR smartly caught Isaacs off guard and hit a double gourd buster.
Harwood put in the work with a series of chops and punches on Isaacs in the corner before settling down for an abdominal stretch. Wheeler pulled Harwood's hand to increase the pressure of the move.
Wheeler got down to some amateur boxing maneuvers, but Isaacs created some space with a high-drop German suplex. Royce finally tagged Nelson, who exploded on both FTR members.
He dropped Harwood and Wheeler with two belly-to-back suplexes. Harwood shut Nelson down with a dragonscrew leg whip and a brainbuster.
Wheeler came down with a flying attack on Nelson's injured knee. Harwood finished the match by forcing Nelson to tap out in the reverse figure four leglock.
Result: FTR def. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
Nyla Rose vs. Delmi Exo (AEW Singles Debut) on AEW Dark: Elevation
It's just sad to see Justin Roberts get bullied every week by Vickie Guerrero, and we hope to see the announcer get his retribution someday.
Exo had a slight reach advantage over Rose, but The Native Beast used her power to execute a Samoan Drop. Rose delivered the Beast bomb to wrap things up quickly.
Result: Nyla Rose def. Delmi Exo (AEW Singles Debut) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: F
We hope Britt Baker is prepared for a very challenging title defense against Rose, as the latter means business.
The Acclaimed vs. Baron Black & Tamilian Vineesh on AEW Dark: Elevation
Baron Black wasn't pleased with getting roasted by Max Caster, and he tried to attack Bowens before the AEW Dark: Elevation match.
Anthony decked Black with the boombox while Caster continued to rap. Bowens even laid out Vineesh with a forearm shimmer as he announced The Acclaimed's arrival.
Bowens went on the offensive against a defenseless Vineesh as the bell rang. Wight and Schiavone had a lot of praise for Indian star Tamilian Vineesh. The veterans were impressed by his demeanor and attitude towards the business.
Vineesh, however, was in a world of trouble as Bowens came in for an elbow drop. Caster delivered a spear in the corner, and Black was nowhere to be seen on the apron.
Max followed up with a belly-to-back suplex. Vineesh created some separation with a jawbreaker before making the hot tag to Baron Black.
Black took both members of The Acclaimed by storm with a series of moves, including a Manhattan drop and a backstabber.
He pulled his straps down and hit a spinning discus clothesline in the corner, followed by an overhead throw. Bowens kicked out at two, but a brief distraction from Caster helped him get the upper hand.
Bowens executed a brainbuster before Vineesh got the tag; he walked into a fist full of knuckles. The Acclaimed hit the S4 and the Mic Drop for the win.
Result: The Acclaimed def. Baron Black & Tamilian Vineesh on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
The Acclaimed seems to have a new name for their signature move, the S4!
Varsity Blonds (w/ Julia Hart) vs. Bums R US (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Bums R Us bum-rushed the Blonds before the match kicked off with a blindsided attack.
Bums R Us executed what they called the 'Dumpster Dive' on Garrison in the corner. Ray Beez of Bums R Us went to the top, but Garrison followed him and delivered a German release suplex.
Milo Beasley got the tag, and Griff flattened him with a back body drop. The action continued as Pillman came in and hit a dropkick-spine buster combo with Garrison for the three-count.
Result: Varsity Blonds def. Bums R US (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: C
Kris Statlander (w/ Orange Cassidy and Best Friends) vs. Renee Michelle on AEW Dark: Elevation
Kris Statlander started the AEW Dark: Elevation match with a good mat exchange before rolling Renee Michelle around the ring, which looked like a Kiwi leg roll.
Statlander then booped Michelle, who responded with a boot to the midsection. Renee used her quickness to evade a strike with the baseball slide.
Michelle used her feet to significant effect, but Statlander had the power advantage. AEW's alien delivered a powerslam, followed by a running European uppercut and a knee strike in the corner.
Statlander got a two-count with a release German suplex.
She hit the ropes but got caught in a discus forearm, followed by a standing lariat and a leg trip. Kris landed the Big Bang Theory finisher for the win.
Result: Kris Statlander def. Renee Michelle on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B-
Taz cut a backstage promo and hyped up his client Powerhouse Hobbs. The Team Taz member then sent a daunting message to Adam Page ahead of their match on the next Dynamite episode.
Matt Hardy (HFO) vs. Jora Johl on AEW Dark: Elevation
Jora Johl previously appeared on AEW Dark as Robo, and the Indian star has now been christened with a new name.
Hardy caught Jora with a stiff right before trapping him in the corner. Big Money Matt Hardy used his experience to work a specific body part, which in this case, was Jora's left shoulder.
Matt had a tight hammerlock which made it difficult for Jora to reach the ropes or break free. As a result, Jora got dumped outside, and it gave him some time to recuperate.
Back in the ring, Hardy continued to punish Jora's left arm with an effective shoulder snapper. Jora finally began his comeback with a series of rights. He battled through the pain and executed a shoulder tackle and a dropkick.
Johl got a near fall with the Michinoku Driver. The Punjabi Lion went to the top, but Hardy stopped him. The former WWE star softened Jora up with punches before going to the second turnbuckle. Hardy then delivered a suplex and called for the finish.
He mocked Christian Cage before landing a clubbing shot to Jora's throat. Hardy got the win with the Twist of Fate.
Result: Matt Hardy def. Jora Johl on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
Matt Hardy offered Jora Johl to join the Hardy Family Office. The veteran had done his research, and he knew about the Indian star's struggles in the United States.
Matt promised to guide Jora and protect the star's dream of being an AEW talent. Jora, however, would have to begin at the bottom and do many odd jobs. Will Jora accept? Only time will tell.
Shawn Spears & Wardlow vs. Ryzin & Kal Herro on AEW Dark: Elevation
Wardlow got the match rolling against Ryzin, who was an all-out fan favorite at Daily's Place. Wardlow mercilessly slammed Ryzin onto the mat and casually played with his straps with a smirk on his face.
The Inner Circle star showed his immense strength by tossing Ryzin across the ring.
Shawn Spears made the blind tag and locked up with Kal Herro, who had some really funky gear.
Shawn controlled the match on the mat with a wristlock, but Kal faked multiple kip-ups before getting back up. Ryzin finally got into the bout, but Spears dropped him with a foot stomp.
Spears was livid with Herro for some reason, and he pulled the illegal man in and pummeled him.
Wardlow calmed Spears down and tagged himself into the match, attacking Herro with a spinebuster before turning his attention to Ryzin. Wardlow knocked Ryzin out with the lifting knee strike in the corner.
Result: Shawn Spears & Wardlow def. Ryzin & Kal Herro on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: C
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Darian Bengston on AEW Dark: Elevation
Hobbs gave Darian a death stare and invited him to fire some kicks. Instead, Hobbs caught Bengston and began to absolutely annihilate the AEW debutant.
The Team Taz member used the ring post to bend Darian in half. Paul Wight noted that Hobbs's dominance and unforgiving in-ring style made him similar to Brock Lesnar.
Hobbs was relentless as he slammed Darian without any remorse. Fans chanted 'one more time' in a purely sadistic manner. The Team Taz star put Bengston out of his misery with another powerslam of the sidewalk variation.
Result: Powerhouse Hobbs def. Darian Bengston on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: C
Is Powerhouse Hobbs really AEW's Brock Lesnar, as Paul Wight highlighted? He does indeed look the part!
Jade Cargill (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) vs. Robyn Renegade on AEW Dark: Elevation
Mark Sterling cut a pre-match promo on AEW Dark: Elevation and hyped up a big announcement. He confirmed that Jade Cargill had signed up as the face of Black News Channel.
Cargill wasted no time in laying out Renegade as soon as the match began with a pick-up Samoan Drop. She hit the Jaded finisher for a quick win.
Result: Jade Cargill def. Robyn Renegade on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: F
AEW is undoubtedly going the whole nine yards with Jade Cargill as she got the fancy pyro, an extensive pre-match segment, and a comfortable squash win.
Jora Johl cut a backstage promo next in which he spoke about living his dream by wrestling Matt Hardy. However, the Indian star seemed a little nervous as he talked about being disappointed about knowing about the real Matt Hardy.
Jora addressed the former WWE star's offer and confirmed that he would consider the option.
Penta El Zero Miedo & Eddie Kingston (Alex Abrahantes) vs. Vary Morales & Fuego Del Sol on AEW Dark: Elevation
Eddie Kingston and Fuego Del Sol locked up to start the match. Kingston countered Del Sol's explosiveness with simple yet effective chops in the corner. Del Sol landed a step-up enziguri, but Eddie remained unfazed as he got back with a step-through lariat.
Vary Morales got the tag, and he hit a shotgun dropkick on Eddie, who tagged Penta.
Penta landed a thrust kick and drew a "Cero Miedo" chant from the audience. The sound of Penta's chop echoed around the arena.
Morales got back with a hurricanrana before tagging Del Sol. Fuego flew over the top to deliver a spinning plancha on Eddie Kingston. Morales leaped from the top and delivered a partial hurricanrana.
Eddie caught Morales in the second attempt and laid him out on the floor with a destroyer. Back in the ring, Eddie reversed a Tornado DDT into a lariat. Penta came in and kicked Fuego before snapping his arm with the cross-arm breaker for the win.
Result: Penta El Zero Miedo & Eddkie Kingston def. Vary Morales & Fuego Del Sol on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
Cezar Bononi (w/ The Wingmen) vs. Jungle Boy (w/ Jurassic Express) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Jungle Boy started off the AEW match hot with a shotgun dropkick on Cezar Bononi, followed by a forearm shot in the corner. Jungle Boy moved well as he attempted to ground the big man.
The Brazilian star found it hard to grab hold of Jungle Boy in the AEW Dark: Elevation contest.
The Wingmen created a diversion, and Bononi used it to deliver a side suplex on Jungle Boy onto the ring apron.
Bononi stomped away on Jungle Boy before sending him into the ropes for a clothesline. Bononi cranked his opponent's neck in the middle of the ring as he maintained control of the proceedings on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Cezar’s chin lock game was strong tonight as he kept Jungle Boy on the mat with ease. Bononi impressively tossed his rival three quarters across the ring, and he played to the crowd with a taunt.
Jungle Boy finally landed an elbow and a few back chops. The Jurassic Express member sent Bononi outside with a dropkick, followed by a tope suicida. Jungle Boy looked to capitalize on the momentum with a springboard move as he hit a step-through DDT for a near fall.
He then connected with the leg kicks, but Bononi caught one of them and drove him down with a double ax handle slam for a two-count. Jungle Boy fought off the torture rack but got rocked by an inverted, suplex-like facebuster.
The Jurassic Express member showed a deep will to win as he hit the ropes and landed a massive lariat. He locked the Snare Trap out of nowhere, but Ryan Nemeth jumped up to distract referee Aubrey Edwards.
Jungle Boy focused on Bononi and hit a thrust kick to the knee before running through for a clothesline to the back of the head. Pinfall, 1…2…3!
Result: Jungle Boy def. Cezar Bononi on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
Jungle Boy will face Kenny Omega this Saturday on TNT for the AEW World Championship.
AEW Dark: Elevation Main Event: Matt Sydal (w/ Mike Sydal) vs. Jack Evans (w/ Matt Hardy & Angelico)
Evans and Matt Sydal kicked off the main event with an aggressive face-off. As expected, both men showed incredible technical skill to outfox each other with a furious exchange of holds, counters, and kicks.
Sydal executed a Tiaras and a jumping spinning back kick. He landed a big chop and a back leg front kick before rolling Evans for a two-count.
Matt locked in a bow-and-arrow stretch on Evans in the middle before dropping down for a double-foot stomp. He kept up the pressure with a standing moonsault to the back for another two-count.
Jack Evans fired back with two kicks, but Sydal responded with a brutal leg kick. Evans finally took control like a true heel by using an assist from Angelico.
The TH2 member hit a spin kick before scooping Sydal down for a standing sky twister. Sydal reacted with a swift arm whip, but Evans came out with a running knee strike and three double ax handle strikes that came from a place of pure frustration.
Sydal recovered on the outside as Evans argued with Aubrey Edwards. The action spilled over near ringside as Evans sent Sydal crashing into the steel ring post. He broke the ten-count and went back to the floor.
Sydal was rolled into the ring by Evans, and the onslaught continued. An elbow and a fist strike followed as the crowd chanted for the babyface. Sydal ate three knee strikes before returning down with a Russian leg sweep. Evans was in his element as he tormented the crowd and kicked Sydal straight in the face.
Angelico choked Sydal from the outside as Evans distracted the referee. Evans, however, accidentally kicked his partner, and Sydal began to fight his way back, starting with a big leg lariat and a high knee strike.
Sydal executed a Falcon Arrow-like scoop slam for a near fall and then applied a rear chin lock, which looked like a modified cobra clutch. Evans pounded his way out, but Sydal held on.
Evans still managed to get a near fall with a Northern Lights Suplex-Michinoku Driver combo.
Evans missed the 450 and got caught in a pinfall attempt. He got back with a bridged pin on AEW Dark: Elevation.
The back-and-forth action got a deserved 'this is awesome' chant. Sydal landed a leaping knee strike and a back kick, followed by the Lightning Spiral out of nowhere for the victory on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Result: Matt Sydal def. Jack Evans on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: A
The Sydals ended the AEW Dark: Elevation show by staring down Matt Hardy and TH2.
Check out the full AEW Dark: Elevation episode in the video posted above.
