AEW Dark: Elevation Review - June 14, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Wardlow def. Jason Hotch

Tony Schiavone interviewed Wardlow backstage beforehand about "Wardlow Week," which will basically consist of him having matches on Dark: Elevation, Dark and Dynamite. The dude is incredibly well-spoken and is bound to be a breakout star eventually. He completely killed Hotch here, putting him away in under a minute. This was an effective way of making him look even more like a beast before he battles Jake Hager inside the cage on Dynamite.

Dustin Rhodes and Lee Johnson def. VSK and Travis Titan

This was a great example of how you can help a younger talent like Johnson: by teaming him up with a veteran such as Dustin. Dustin beating Nick Comoroto in the main event of Dynamite two weeks ago was weird, but I'd be all for him teaming with Johnson more regularly to help him along. Both of them had solid showings and the key was Johnson picking up the pinfall win for their team as the focus should be on him.

Angelico def. Mike Sydal

Angelico had a damn fun match with Christian Cage last week on Dynamite, so I'm glad AEW didn't completely give up on him as a singles yet. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy him and Jack Evans as a team, but I appreciate the opportunities he's getting on his own as well. Mike Sydal is a step above AEW's unsigned enhancement talent and plays his role well. We're clearly getting The Hybrid2 vs. the Sydal brothers soon based on what happened afterward.

Shawn Spears def. Falco

I honestly can't remember the last Spears match we got on the Dark shows. That isn't to say I missed him or anything, but it felt like he was a staple on Dark for the better part of 2020 before he disappeared from programming. He's back now and had no problem beating this Falco guy. It was a serviceable squash designed to give Spears a singles win before he likely faces Sammy Guevara (or another member of Inner Circle) at some point.

Private Party def. Dean Alexander and Carlie Bravo

The Butcher and The Blade being injured at the moment allows Private Party to get more of the spotlight in the H.F.O., so that's a plus. They've worked well as heels so far, but they need a meaningful push or program beyond this stuff we're seeing with them on Dark. They just don't ever really seem to win whenever it matters most. This was a fairly generic showcase for them, but at least their offense is entertaining.

Nyla Rose def. Megan Bayne

This was the definition of a squash. Vickie Guerrero's annoying pre-match promos continue to be longer than Rose's matches on the Dark shows. Bayne entered the ring, Rose probably hit two moves, and it was over. It was funny hearing the commentators mention how Bayne is taller than Rose and that they were looking forward to a hoss fight here, only for Rose to annihilate her within seconds. Hey, I'm not complaining!

Orange Cassidy def. Cameron Cole

Is there a reason why Cassidy didn't come out to his usual entrance music here? He entered to the Best Friends music instead. That's one of my favorites, too, but if you're paying for Cassidy's song, you may as well use it. That was more notable to me than the match itself, which was pretty much any Orange Cassidy match I've seen on these Dark shows. His opponent will work over him for a bit, Cassidy will do his comedy spots and then it'll be over. They aren't for everyone, but at least you know what to expect at this point.

Penta El Zero Miedo and Eddie Kingston def. Arik Cannon and Kevin Blackwood

It was nice to see Alex Abrahantes back in the corner of Penta, as he didn't appear in his corner for his last few appearances on Dynamite. It would have been silly to break those two up at this point. Penta might be filling in for Jon Moxley as Eddie Kingston's partner while he's away being a father, so would that make Kingston an honorary member of Death Triangle? Does that make them Death Square? In all seriousness, they work well together and this was a fun showing from them.

Julia Hart def. Dani Jordyn

I don't think Hart has been signed to a deal by AEW yet (or either of Varsity Blonds for that matter), but even if not, it's nice she was showcased here. She's athletic and has potential, but she's still super green and that was evident in this outing. Jordyn is talented as well, but this was not very good. Hopefully Hart can continue to get experience in order to improve.

The Factory (QT Marshall and Aaron Solow) def. Deonn Russman and Joe Keys

Wasn't Keys in an important match against LSG on ROH TV a few weeks ago? I thought he was under contract to the company because of how long he'd been in the Ring of Honor Dojo, but apparently not. I wonder if he's done with ROH or if this was just a one-off. Either way, he and Russman scored more offense than I was expecting. I still couldn't care less about The Factory, so anything involving them (such as this match) I immediately lose interest in.

Scorpio Sky def. Alex Reynolds

Sky and Ethan Page will be facing Darby Allin in a two-on-one Handicap match on Dynamite this week. Why? I have no idea, other than Allin being a dumb babyface. At any rate, this served as a warm-up of sorts for Sky before Friday night. Reynolds has gotten some shine as a singles star while John Silver has been out injured, but despite a valiant effort from him here, this was Sky's match to win. It was a quality main event to cap off the evening.

Overall Show

I appreciated this being a shorter side despite not being filmed in front of fans. There were 11 matches, but a handful of them were quick squashes and had no business being longer than they were. That's what this show should be for at the end of the day: giving unexperienced talent more exposure/seasoning and boosting win-loss records for those that need it. There weren't any standout matches this week, but at least the hour-plus of wrestling flew by.

SEE MORE: Dark: Elevation Reviews