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AEW DARK Elevation kicked off the current Fight for the Fallen week with quite the stacked match card. Last night's DARK Elevation included the likes of Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm, two of the biggest female stars on the roster.
Aside from the two female athletes, the card featured many more upcoming performers looking to earn their stripes. Continue reading as we break down last night's AEW DARK Elevation and grade every match for your convenience.
AEW DARK Elevation Opener: Private Party and Angelico vs. AR Fox, Liam Gray, and Adrian Alanis
Angelico opened the bout against the opposing team's Liam Gray. The South African-born star quickly gained the upperhand as he employed his impressive technical prowess. Unfortunately, a taunt would allow Gray to swing the momentum his way, allowing Adrian Alanis to enter the bout.
Alanis continued, mainly using his strength to overpower Isiah Kassidy, who entered after a tag. Private Party then used their powerful tag-team offense, nearly getting a three-fall on Alanis. AR Fox would then enter the bout, turning the momentum strongly in his favor with some explosive offense.
Kassidy then countered AR Fox's attempt at a Springboard move, allowing Angelico to employ the devastating Navarro Death Roll, leading the team scoring the first victory on AEW DARK Elevation.
Winners: Private Party and Angelico.
Grade: B+, AR Fox had a brief part in the bout but truly shined, additionally, Angelico seems to work well with Private Party.
AEW DARK Elevation Tag Team Action: Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir vs. Shalonce Royal and Angelica Risk
Nyla Rose began the bout by taking on Angelica Risk. The Native Beast immediately began dominating the far smaller star, allowing Marina Shafir to take the scraps later in the bout, as she used her vicious technical ability.
Rose then entered the bout again, delivering a massive Torture Rack-Cutter. The star could unfortunately not capitalize, as Shalonce Royal intervened. Shafir then simply walked over to Royal and took her out indefinitely.
Rose and Shafir then employed a Bearhug with multiple kicks, topped off with a Spinebuster to Angelica, ending the match and emerging victorious on AEW DARK.
Winners: Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir.
Grade: C+, a decent bout that was mainly a squash match.
Toni Storm vs. Emi Sakura
Emi Sakura began the bout by attacking Toni Storm before the match bell was even rung. Sakura then continued her offense, overwhelming Storm for quite some time. Emi remained aggressive, hitting a devastating Swinging Reverse Neckbreaker, visibly slowing Toni down.
Sakura continued to overwhelm Storm, taking the bout to the outside. The former then finally swung momentum back into her favor, hitting a Tornado DDT outside, before following this offense with a Diving Crossbody. Sakura then reversed Storm, even hitting her signature backbreaker before Toni Storm kicked out of a pin attempt.
The star would then continue her assault, hitting a Wheelbarrow Drop. Storm then capitalized with a massive corner Hip-Attack, then followed by a corner Tornado DDT. Without letting up, she continued her assault, landing the Storm Zero to end the match and capture the victory.
Winner: Toni Storm.
Grade: B+, quite an impressive AEW DARK match that could've gone for an upper-midcard bout on Dynamite.
Brittany vs. Kris Statlander
Kris Statlander began the bout strongly, quickly gaining the upperhand over Brittany and firmly capturing her in a headlock. The star continued her offense, reversing her opponent at every turn. Statlander then hit Brittany with a running Corner Knee followed by her finisher, Night Fever. Kris then pinned her opponent, picking up the victory.
Winner: Kris Statlander.
Grade: C+, the squash match allowed Statlander to look impressive, hopefully leading to another shot at some gold in AEW.
Robyn Renegade vs. Hikaru Shida
Hikaru Shida began the bout strongly, quickly taking the momentum. A Corner Knee Strike then slowed Robyn Renegade down. Luckily for the star, her sister Charlotte interfered, allowing her to briefly gain momentum.
Continued interference from Charlotte allowed Robyn to maintain the upperhand over Shida, who struggled to make a comeback. Eventually, the former AEW Women's Champion turned the tide, hitting a brutal knee in the corner, followed by a Springboard Meteora and Brainbuster. The two sisters then switched, nearly stealing a victory before the referee noticed.
Hikaru then reversed Renegade's final attempt at an offense, hitting the Axe-Kick to the star's head, followed by a Falcon Arrow, picking up the win to top her AEW DARK return.
Winner: Hikaru Shida.
Grade: B+, despite the dated "Switch-a-roo", Renegade managed to hold her own against the far more impressive former Women's Champion.
AEW DARK Elevation Tag Team Action: The Dark Order vs. The Factory
Evil Uno kicked off the bout against The Factory's Aaron Solo, and the two had a brief back-and-forth, which ended with Uno holding the momentum. QT Marshall then interfered in the bout, stealing the upperhand for The Factory. During this time, Nick Comoroto entered the bout, fiercely dominating Evil Uno as a result of the interference.
After some domination from the team, Pres10 Vance finally received his opportunity, entering the bout to take out both Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto, leading into a Dark Order Tag-Team Combination. The Factory made a surprising comeback after this, pulling off some tag-team moves of their own onto Evil Uno.
Later on, Uno made a last-minute reversal, despite QT Marshall interfering yet again. The Factory leader was then ejected from the match, allowing Pres10 Vance to hit Aaron Solo with a running Discus Lariat, knocking down the star to capture the victory of the team.
Winners: The Dark Order.
Grade: B, yet another good bout between the two top teams on AEW DARK.
Baron Black vs. Brandon Cutler
Brandon Cutler began the bout with a scathing promo where he ridiculed Baron Black and Atlanta, Georgia, his hometown. This, however, led to a quick spinning chop from Black, who then unleashed a devastating offensive flurry. Cutler would then briefly gain the upperhand, opting to taunt his way through moves instead.
Later during the match, Black reversed an incoming BTE-Trigger from Cutler, rolling him into a pin and scoring his first ever victory on AEW DARK, ending his losing streak.
Winner: Baron Black.
Grade: C+, essentially a joke match that finally provided a rising star with a victory.
AEW DARK Elevation Main Event: Konosuke Takeshita vs. JD Drake
Konosuke Takeshita began the bout strongly, displaying his surprising strength against the powerhouse, JD Drake. Unfortunately for the star, Drake would soon prove his strength, tossing the young star out of the ring. The Wingman then firmly held the upperhand, pushing Konosuke to his limit.
Continuing in the match, JD would hit an impressive Diving Moonsault, gaining a near-pin-fall on the Japanese star. Takeshita then quickly reversed after regaining his composure and hitting a massive Blue Thunderbomb.
Takeshita then whipped Drake into the ropes and sent him crashing down with a Jumping Knee, securing himself another victory on AEW DARK.
Winner: Konosuke Takeshita.
Grade: B+, a decent bout but odd choice for a main event even on AEW DARK Elevation.
