AEW Dark: Elevation Review - April 4, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"Legit" Leyla Hirsch def. Ella Envy

I've been digging the push Hirsch has been getting as a heel lately. She's been making the most of it and hopefully she can get more over with the audience in time. I anticipate an eventual rematch between her and Kris Statlander, so in the meantime, it makes sense for her to rack up wins and rebuild her win-loss record. This was total annihilation with Hirsch winning in under two minutes as she should have.

Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson def. The Factory (QT Marshall and Aaron Solo)

Anderson and Johnson are one of those teams I often forget is a team because they've barely been in action as of late. They're suffering from AEW hiring so many people (not to mention their mentor Cody Rhodes leaving) because now they're lost in the shuffle. That doesn't bother me too much because they're not ready for any sort of a meaningful push yet, but the only way they'll gain experience is if they're booked. This was solid stuff and they'll benefit from someone who's been wrestling a while like Marshall.

Serena Deeb def. Dani Mo

Like Hirsch, Deeb is another one who has been on a roll recently as a heel, though it feels like she's been clicking more with the crowds than Hirsch has been for whatever reason. It's awesome to see Deeb finally being recognized as one of the best in the world because she is. We have yet to see the conclusion of her feud with Hikaru Shida, so this gave her a quick and decisive win as we get closer to that.

Frankie Kazarian def. Lucky Ali

Kazarian has been wrestling a lot more frequently lately. I'm not complaining as I'm happy to see it, but I'm wondering if it's because AEW is building to him challenging his former tag team partner Scorpio Sky for the AEW TNT Championship in the near future. While I think that'd be cool (especially since Sky never had a formal breakup with SCU), Kazarian needs to start winning on television so fans will actually care. That said, this was decent and served its purpose in giving Kazarian another win.

Red Velvet def. Brittany Jade

Although she's improved in the ring, Velvet is still fairly unlikeable as a babyface and I think she'd benefit from a heel turn. Most crowds aren't kind toward her, so I know it isn't just me. Jade scored more offense than I figured she would, but that was likely so Velvet could fight from underneath. It was a passable bout for what it was that thankfully didn't overstay its welcome. The Dark shows are still the best place for Velvet to get better.

Best Friends (Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor) def. The Workhorsemen

The Workhorsemen are JD Drake and Anthony Henry. They've been teaming on and off on the independent scene for a few years I believe and recently competed against Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley on Dynamite in a losing effort. Drake is definitely better off with Henry than he is with The Wingmen, so hopefully they sign Henry or at least bring him in more often. This was a very enjoyable outing while it lasted and it probably would have been the main event if Paul Wight didn't return to the ring. More of this from all involved, please.

Ruby Soho and Anna Jay def. Diamante and Ashley D'Amboise

As soon as it was announced that D'Amboise would be Diamante's partner, you had to know they were losing. Granted, D'Amboise is used regularly by AEW for the Dark shows, but they didn't stand a chance against Soho and Jay, who have been a cohesive unit in recent weeks. That's because AEW doesn't have anything of note for Soho to do and Tay Conti apparently ditched Jay for her boyfriend Sammy Guevara. This was an adequate outing and Diamante attacking D'Amboise afterward likely leads to a match between the two soon.

Paul Wight def. Austin Green

It's been many months since Wight last wrestled, I believe because he had to undergo surgery for something. I like how they handled this by not advertising Wight in advance. Instead, he was announced out of nowhere, stood up from the commentators' table and walked to the ring to a big pop. Wight threw the dude around for two minutes and that was the end of it, but the crowd ate it up. I don't need to see Wight wrestling on a regular basis, but he works well as an attraction and this worked better on Elevation than it would have on Dynamite or Elevation.

Overall Show

Wight returning from injury made this episode slightly newsworthy while the rest of it was business as usual. The tag team matches were mostly basic and everything else just sort of existed. Nothing was bad by any means, so there was that, but it was nothing above or below the normal standard for Elevation. I always appreciate that the show is under an hour, but you aren't missing much at all by not tuning in.

SEE MORE: Elevation Reviews