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Santana and Ortiz of The Inner Circle kicked off the latest AEW Dark: Elevation episode with a backstage promo addressing their scheduled match against the team of Liam Gray and Adrian Alanis.
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The tag team match was one of ten bouts on the latest AEW Dark: Elevation episode. As always, Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight welcomed the viewers, and the show started with a series of brilliant crowd shots.
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Jade Cargill (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) vs. Rache Chanel on AEW Dark: Elevation
Jade Cargill looks like a freakin' star! She got a solid reception, and the pyro during her entrance made her on-screen act seem all the more special.
Aubrey Edwards got the match underway, and Cargill intimidated her opponent with some trash talk. Jade used her power to ragdoll Chanel around in the early stages of the match.
Cargill lifted Chanel up in the air and executed a Samoan drop. Cargill almost messed that spot up, but she delivered a kip-up and popped the fans in attendance.
Jade Cargill hit her 'Jaded' finisher for the win.
Result: Jade Cargill def. Rache Chanel on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: C
Smart Mark Sterling hyped up her client with a promo after the match.
Santana & Ortiz vs. Liam Gray & Adrian Alanis on AEW Dark: Elevation
The fans showed all their love for Santana and Ortiz with a deserving pop. The Inner Circle members were shooting for their first top-five ranking since February.
Alanis and Santana locked up to begin the match. Santana looked smooth as he dropped Alanis with a shoulder block.
He took Alanis's back before coming right back with a dropkick. Ortiz got the tag, but Alanis got some reprieve with a series of punches.
Santana slapped Alanis' back before dropping him jaw-first into the turnbuckle. Ortiz entered the match with a DDT through the ropes.
Liam Gray came into the match and executed a deep arm drag. Ortiz reacted with a similar arm drag followed by an arm whip using the ropes. Ortiz hit a shotgun dropkick and got a two-count with a strong hook of the legs.
Ortiz missed the senton but somehow tagged Santana. Alanis came in from the other end, but Santana was on a roll with a barrage of chops and punches.
He got a near fall with a bridged German suplex on Alanis. Liam broke the pin but was dumped out of the ring.
Ortiz and Santana focused on Alanis as they planted him face-first with an inverted double suplex. They followed it with a sit-out powerbomb-superkick combo for the victory on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Result: Santana & Ortiz def. Liam Gray & Adrian Alanis on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
The Dark Order was involved in a typically energetic backstage segment, in which they took shots at Miro ahead of the TNT Champion's title defense against Evil Uno on the next AEW Dynamite.
Scorpio Sky vs. Trevor Read on AEW Dark: Elevation
Ethan Page joined the commentary team for the AEW Dark: Elevation match, and he was quick to shut down Tony Schiavone.
Scorpio Sky gave his opponent no respect by putting his hands behind the back and inviting the punches to come his way.
Read executed the first takedown and got a good reaction from the crowd. Sky took control by smartly faking an attack and sweeping Read off his feet. Scorpio delivered a backbreaker before going for a chin lock.
Read got a one-count with a roll-up, followed by an inverted atomic drop and a back elbow strike. Trevor looked good as he gathered some momentum. Sky responded with a vicious dragonscrew leg whip.
Sky forced Read to tap out in the heel lock as Ethan Page laughed in appreciation in the commentary booth.
Result: Scorpio Sky def. Trevor Read on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
The Varsity Blonds cut a promo backstage, addressing their recent tag team record and the upcoming match against The Wingmen.
Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage (w/ Hook & Ricky Starks) vs. Trevor Aeon & Kendall Blake (AEW Tag Team Debut) on AEW Dark: Elevation
It was absolutely amazing to have Taz join Wight and Schiavone on commentary. Blake initially took the fight to Powerhouse Hobbs. Bad idea!
Hobbs mercilessly body-slammed Blake nine times, much to the delight of the fans. However, he refused to execute the tenth slam and got some massive heat. Hobbs worked the crowd really well and showed glimpses of his enormous potential as a performer. The nine consecutive body slams couldn't help but remind us of a particular beast named Brock Lesnar, who has a similar style, but with suplexes.
Cage came in to pick up Blake's lifeless body. Aeon got the tag, and he was welcomed by getting dropped on his neck with a Weapon X.
Hobbs trucked Blake before Brian Cage hit a Discus lariat on Aeon. The FTW Champion delivered the Drill Claw for the victory.
Result: Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage def. Trevor Aeon & Kendall Blake on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
This was one of the very few squash matches that gets an unusually high grade just because of Powerhouse Hobbs and that body slam spot.
Dark Order's Evil Uno (w/ -1) vs. Danny Limelight on AEW Dark: Elevation
Both men bumped fists before the AEW match got underway as the fans chanted Evil Uno's name. The Radioactive Papi executed a dropkick and danced around to mock Uno.
Uno took Limelight down with a shoulder block and mimicked Danny's dance. -1 loved it at ringside! Uno kept up the pressure with an atomic drop and a dropkick.
Limelight reacted by sending Uno outside and leaping off the ropes with a corkscrew dive. Uno evaded a top-rope move in the ring as Limelight crashed onto the mat. Uno chopped away on Limelight, who responded with a few forearm shots. The chops, though, were loud!
Evil Uno was in no rush as he worked on Limelight at a methodical pace. Danny blocked the ripcord flatliner and went to the corner.
He stunned Uno with a pump kick before running down the ropes and delivering a blockbuster for a two-count. Danny landed the back leg front kick to Uno's chest.
Back on the feet, Danny executed a three-piece combo but got caught in a neckbreaker. Uno dropped Limelight with a lariat, followed by a brainbuster for a near fall.
Limelight almost stole one over Uno with a roll-up. He dropkicked Uno before going up to the top rope.
Uno shoved Danny away, stomped his hands, and delivered the 'Something Evil' finisher (ripcord flatliner) for the win.
Result: Dark Order's Evil Uno def. Danny Limelight on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
Danny and Uno shook hands after the match as fans chanted for the late, great Brodie Lee.
Diamante delivered a stern warning to Hikaru Shida, and she promised to progress in the women's singles rankings following a win against the former AEW World Women's Champion.
Ethan Page vs. Mike Sydal on AEW Dark: Elevation
Scorpio Sky was at the commentary table to support his partner for the AEW Dark: elevation contest.
Sydal used his speed and athleticism to counter Page's power in the early goings of the match. Page, however, eventually overpowered the Yoga Monster with an underhook backbreaker using the ropes.
Page worked on Sydal's back with a traditional backbreaker. Sydal broke free from a back hold with a few elbow strikes; Page repositioned to a bear hug.
All Ego built up steam and ran over Sydal with a shoulder tackle. Ethan Page positioned Mike Sydal on the top rope and attempted a suplex.
Sydal knocked him off and cartwheeled out of harm's danger. Sydal executed a tope suicida before rolling Page back into the ring. He delivered the double knees from the top for a near fall.
Page reversed a sliced bread attempt by simply slamming Sydal into the mat.
Mike responded with a thrust kick and a leg sweep. Sydal went for a standing moonsault, but Page got his knees up. Ethan landed the "Ego's Edge" finisher for another big win!
Result: Ethan Page def. Mike Sydal on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B
The Acclaimed vs. Alex Reynolds & Alan "5" Angels on AEW Dark: Elevation
Anthony Bowens and Alex Reynolds had a furious start to the AEW match as the Dark Order member delivered a few leg kicks.
Max Caster came in and ate a few shots from Alan Angels. The Dark Order took out The Acclaimed with a double tope suicida.
The Acclaimed took control of the match after Bowens dropped Reynolds face-first on the apron. Caster followed it with a baseball slide and back body suplex. Caster and Bowens exchanged tags to keep Reynolds grounded.
Reynolds was in a lot of trouble as Bowens executed a brainbuster. Alex finally created some separation by fighting out of the corner. He finally rolled through to tag Angels.
5 used his speed and fluidity to stun Bowens. He got a two-count with the sliced bread. Reynolds got back into the match, hit a knee lift, and attempted a small package driver.
Bowens stopped him in his tracks. Meanwhile, Caster caught Angels in mid-air and slammed him spine-first into the apron. Max Caster grabbed the referee's attention while Bowens gave Reynolds a chain and played possum.
Reynolds didn't fall for the classic Eddie Guerrero trick as Angels came flying in for a frog splash on Bowens. The referee turned his back, and Reynolds went for the pinfall. Anthony kicked out at two and a half. 'This is awesome' chants echoed around the arena.
Caster finally used the boombox to hit Reynolds in between the shoulder blades. Bowens covered and got the win. 5 was just too late for the save on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Result: The Acclaimed def. Alex Reynolds & Alan "5" Angels on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
Kris Statlander (w/ Orange Cassidy & The Best Friends) vs. Queen Aminata on AEW Dark: Elevation
Kris Statlander wasn't happy with a hip 'boop' from Aminata as both women engaged in an intense arm lock sequence. The Queen eventually got 'booped,' and the pace of the match increased.
Aminata executed another hip attack. Statlander blocked a suplex and delivered a delayed vertical variation in the middle of the ring.
Aminata, however, rocked Statlander by sending her face-first into the buckle. The Queen came running in for another hip attack in the corner. She even had a few fans as a section of the crowd chanted for Aminata.
Statlander responded by getting a two-count with a fisherwoman's suplex. Aminata got a two-count herself with a forward roll. She got another near fall with a faceplant.
Statlander chopped her way back into the match before sending Aminata for a spin and ending the dizzy sequence with the Big Bang theory. It looked sloppy, but it got the job done for AEW's resident alien. Aminata seemed to have taken a rough bump.
Result: Kris Statlander def. Queen Aminata on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: C
Varsity Blonds (w/ Julia Hart) vs. JD Drake & Ryan Nemeth (w/ The Wingmen) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Ryan Nemeth and Brian Pillman Jr. got the co-main event of AEW Dark: Elevation rolling, and The Hollywood Hunk got the better of the exchanges. He showboated and got the boos from the crowd.
Pillman Jr. executed a nice deep arm drag and an elbow lock. Griff Garrison got the tag, and the Blonds delivered a four-piece combination that ended with a guillotine leg drop.
Nemeth was dumped outside, and he grabbed Julia Hart's signboard and crushed it. Pillman soared through the ropes and took Nemeth out with a tope suicida.
A brief distraction helped the Wingmen get ahead in the match as JD Drake attacked Pillman near ringside. Nemeth got Pillman in his corner and tagged JD.
Drake chopped Pillman down to the mat before tagging Nemeth back in. Drake body slammed Pillman, and Ryan followed through with a punch.
Pillman finally created the space and tagged Garrison. Griff body slammed Nemeth before executing a back body drop on Drake.
He landed flying splashes in the corner and laid Drake out with a high boot. Garrison picked Drake up into a fireman's carry slam for a two-count. The Blonds delivered a dropkick-spinebuster combo that forced Nemeth to run in for the save.
Nemeth isolated Pillman and hit a guillotine backbreaker. Drake landed a massive moonsault from the top. Garrison rushed into the ring to break up the pinfall.
Nemeth got sent outside, and Blonds focussed on Drake. Pillman rocked JD with a flying lariat for the win on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Result: Varsity Blonds def. JD Drake & Ryan Nemeth (w/ The Wingmen) on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: B+
Main Event: Hikaru Shida vs. Diamante on AEW Dark: Elevation
Hikaru Shida unveiled her new look, and she looked phenomenal in her short hairstyle! Shida and Diamante started the main event with an aggressive collar and elbow tie-up.
Diamante kicked Shida in the midsection, and the former AEW Women's Champion fired back with a few foot stomps. Shida sent Diamante across the ring with a knuckle lock toss.
Diamante got back into the match with a backstabber using the ropes. She stomped the life out of Shida in the corner before grinding her feet across her opponent's face.
Diamante knocked Shida off her feet once again with a strike across the throat. Diamante was brutal with her offensive style as she cut off Shida's wind supply and followed it with a no-hands running splash.
Shida fought back with more than a dozen forearm shots. She landed a big knee lift on the apron before getting back into the ring. Hikaru then went to the middle turnbuckle and got Diamante up to her level.
Diamante reversed the move by pulling Shida's knees. She followed up with a running dropkick in the corner, but Shida kicked out of the subsequent pinfall attempt.
Shida mounted another comeback with an enziguri. Diamante was once again a step ahead as she shut down the former champ's momentum. Shida blocked the Code Red and reacted with a running knee strike.
The Japanese star got a two-count after the Falcon arrow. Diamante reversed the Tamashi into a low-angle DDT for another near fall.
Shida responded with the diving forearm shimmer followed by the Katana for the win on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Result: Hikaru Shida def. Diamante on AEW Dark: Elevation
Grade: A
You can watch the latest AEW Dark: Elevation episode above.
