AEW Dark: Elevation Review - July 25, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Angelico and Private Party def. AR Fox, Liam Gray and Adrian Alanis

Angelico and Private Party's connection with Andrade El Idolo still confuses me. I mean, The Andrade Family Office isn't a thing anymore, right? And if not, why are they teaming together at this point? Angelico will be forever utilized as an enhancement talent in AEW, but Private Party can be something with better booking. This was a nice little match and AR Fox making an appearance was notable. I'm mainly familiar with him from Lucha Underground and he's a terrific talent.

Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir def. Shalonce Royal and Angelica Risk

I'm not sure Shafir will ever be at the level AEW probably wants her to be at and it's not like the pairing with Rose has helped her much, either. No matter how many matches they win as a duo on Dark and Elevation, I still won't be able to bring myself to care about them together. The best thing about this was that it was only around two minutes long, and I wouldn't have minded it being even shorter than that.

Toni Storm def. Emi Sakura

Storm is obviously still in the mix for the AEW Women's World Championship, so it's encouraging that she didn't completely disappear from AEW TV after losing to Thunder Rosa at Forbidden Door. Sakura is a seasoned veteran, so this was as well-wrestled as you'd expect and I didn't have an issue with it lasting asl long as it did. This is the right role for Sakura because she's all that interesting otherwise.

Kris Statlander def. Brittany

Statlander moving on from the alien stuff was a must, but I wasn't on board with her new character until just recently because she's found her footing with it and it's clear she's connecting with the crowd finally. She made quick work of Brittany here, so this was exactly what it needed to be. It really looks like she might be the one to dethrone Jade Cargill as AEW TBS Champion, but time will tell if they go with Athena instead.

Hikaru Shida def. Robyn Renegade

Has Shida resurfaced on Dynamite or Rampage since returning from her recent hiatus? I'm happy she's picking up wins on the Dark shows, but this has to lead somewhere eventually. As for the Renegade sisters, they've been getting a fair amount of TV time in AEW as of late, but their "twin magic" shtick is stupid considering they're not identical and the referee was a moron for not knowing they switched places. This was decent

The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Preston "10" Vance) def. The Factory (Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto)

Uno and Vance are apparently now partners since Stu Grayson and Alan "5" Angels are gone from the company. John Silver and Alex Reynolds should still be the go-to team in Dark Order, but these two work well together. Factory continue to bore me to tears, so this match did nothing for me. It was perfectly fine from an in-ring standpoint, but I'd be content if I never saw another Dark Order vs. Factory match again.

Baron Black def. Brandon Cutler

Black has been a Dark/Elevation regular on and off for the last two years and has infamously never won in AEW, at least until now. Cutler brought that up beforehand and mocked him for it, making it pretty clear who was winning here. Black is an Atlanta native, so it made for a cool moment when he won. It wasn't much of a match, but it didn't need to be because it was all about the outcome and I'm glad he got that reaction.

Konsuke Takeshita def. JD Drake

I'm all for Takeshita racking up wins (especially when I don't believe he's ever won a single time on AEW TV), but of all the matches on this show, I wish this received a little more time. As I've said before, Drake is a hell of a hand in the ring, but most fans may not know that since he's been relegated to the Wingmen crap for the past year. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this while it lasted and seeing Takeshita in action is always a treat.

Overall Show

At just under an hour long with eight matches, this was the ideal edition of Elevation. Is it worth seeking out? No because it never is, but it's done a better job of serving its purpose in recent weeks by showcasing certain stars with shorter shows. That's all I really ask out of these episodes and I thought this one did that effectively. AR Fox being used, Black picking up his first win in AEW, and Takeshita's match in the main event made a slightly-above-average show by Elevation standards.

SEE MORE: Elevation Reviews