AEW Dark: Elevation Review - April 10, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kip Sabian, The Butcher and The Blade def. Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno and Mao

The best use of Sabian, Butcher and Blade at this point is as a trio because I can't possibly bring myself to care about any of them on their own at this point (and that includes Butcher and Blade as a team). No, they should not be in the hunt for the AEW World Trios Championship, but they're a fine trio to go in there and have a decent match before losing to a more established trio on television. This was a straightforward squash for them as it should have been.

Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir def. The Renegades

Thankfully, Vickie Guerrero was already removed from Rose and Shafir's act before her family drama came to light last week, so Rose and Shafir have nothing to worry about. They'll still be *checks notes* working enhancement matches on the Dark shows. Okay, I kid, but much like Sabian, Butcher and Blade, I don't envision them doing anything meaningful beyond losing the occasional Dynamite or Rampage match. This was passable but forgettable.

The Dark Order (Evil Uno, John Silver and Alex Reynolds) def. Aaron Rourke, Alvin Alverez and Brother Greatness

Uhm, what the hell happened to Stu Grayson? He returned to AEW just recently and didn't team with or appear alongside the rest of Dark Order here. That's bizarre. It's worth noting he had a singles match on the ROH Death Before Dishonor Zero Hour pre-show, so maybe he'll be more based in ROH than AEW. Either way, this was every Dark Order squash you've ever seen with absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about it.

The Firm (Lee Moriarty and Big Bill) def. Rex Lawless and Traxx

The Firm have found themselves involved in a feud with Hook for months and have lost every single match that has mattered. Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy betrayed the group last week as well, so they're headed nowhere fast. Breaking them up all together may actually benefit guys like Moriarty and Bill, who are talented but are held back by The Firm being a jobber stable. This was a decisive win for Moriarty and Bill, but they do not feel like threats in any way despite this victory.

Overall Show

This was an extremely easy edition of Elevation to digest because it consisted of four matches and was over in under 30 minutes. That's the definition of quick and painless, folks. I wouldn't even recommend watching this episode because none of the squashes were interesting and they largely featured people I don't care about, but the best thing I can say about it is that it didn't overstay its welcome. I'd love for every Elevation to be this short.

SEE MORE: Elevation Reviews