 Riho def. Angelica RiskI was complaining for a few weeks that the Riho squashes didn't appear to be going anywhere except getting her back into the swing of things, but now we know what's next for her following her win over Britt Baker on the Black Friday edition of Rampage. My guess is that they'll save the AEW Women's World Championship rematch for the Battle of the Belts show next month. This was more competitive than I thought it would be, but they made the most of the time they had and Risk impressed in defeat. Dustin Rhodes, Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson def. The Wingmen ("Pretty" Peter Avalon, Cezar Bononi and JD Drake)Dustin mentoring Johnson and Anderson is a smart use of him if they continue in that direction. Johnson and Anderson picking up wins on their own is acceptable, but Dustin can really help their development by being more directly involved on screen and getting them over with the audience. The Wingmen played their roles well as usual and the babyfaces got to do their thing. It was a nice five-minute affair. Johnson and Anderson will benefit from more of this type of stuff. Brian Pillman Jr. def. SerpenticoI still don't understand why Pillman Jr.'s singles push came to a screeching halt after that MJF match at Grand Slam. I know it wasn't the hottest match and he wasn't incredibly over, but he showed promise and AEW did nothing to follow up on it with him. At any rate, he had a solid showing in this match and Serpentico was the perfect person to help him shine. I could have done without Luther at ringside, though. The Factory (QT Marshall, Anthony Ogogo, Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo) def. Baron Black, Shawn Hoodrich, Tony Vincita and JD MunozYes, we've officially got Ogogo back in the mix, which is great news. It's slightly disappointing his return wasn't saved for a bigger show like Dynamite or Rampage, but I understand wanting to put him on Elevation to work any possible ring rust. The Factory still sucks, but Ogogo is a bright spot of the group if they continue to showcase him. This spotlighted Ogogo as it should have and he looked good in there. Abadon and Ryo Mizunami def. The Bunny and Emi SakuraI don't think I've ever seen Abadon in a tag team match before, though I could be mistaken. She's only ever flown solo in AEW to my knowledge, but maybe finding a partner will make her more interesting (at least in my opinion). Did she turn face when she faced (and lost to) Britt Baker back in October? Nonetheless, this was fine for what it was. Everyone acting scared of Abadon is just goofy to me, but the match itself didn't overstay its welcome. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) def. Brandon and Brent TateI have no idea where Marko Stunt has been lately and I have no complaints about that. It seems Christian Cage has replaced him as the third member of Jurassic Express. At any rate, this was a fun showcase for Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus against two guys Ring of Honor fans may remember as Dalton Castle's Boys from several years ago. Jurassic Express' finisher looked especially fantastic here. The Acclaimed def. Shawn Dean and Carlie BravoI enjoy The Acclaimed and all, but putting them in the "main event" against two guys who aren't established seemed like a strange move. Dean and Bravo have teamed up before and Dean specifically is signed by AEW, but he loses far more often than he wins. Dean and Bravo scored some offense, but this largely all about The Acclaimed and they went over in under two minutes, so at least they kept it short and sweet. Overall ShowAs I say every week, these shorter shows from Elevation are very much appreciated. They're filmed prior to Dynamite when the crowd is still hot and they tend to feature just enough star power to keep the crowd engaged. There was a nice mix of squashes and competitive and, per usual, the 40 minutes flew by. I wish Dark on Tuesdays had a similarly compact formula, but that's just me. This was another enjoyable, serviceable show that served its purpose.
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