AEW Dark: Elevation Review - June 21, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

FTR def. Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson

I feel like Isaacs and Nelson are a bit of a throwback team, so I liked that they were the duo that FTR faced off with here. Granted, there wasn't nothing flashy or special about the match, but it served its purpose in showcasing FTR. I was actually surprised that it got as much time as it did. The enhancement guys and girls taking some of the talent to the limit can work sometimes depending on the situation, but with FTR being a top tag team in AEW, I don't know if I would have made this so competitive. It didn't bother me too much, but it was an interesting booking choice.

Nyla Rose def. Delmi Exo

You can get used to seeing these squashes from Rose until she gets her eventual shot at Britt Baker's AEW Women's World Championship. She needs to ascend the rankings somehow, but I'm glad these win are coming in short order for her. There's no reason for her matches against enhancement talent to be much longer than this. This is the most dominant she's been in a long time, I just don't know she wasn't being booked like this sooner.

The Acclaimed def. Baron Black and Tamilian Vineesh

Black and Vineesh tried to rush The Acclaimed during their pre-match rap to no avail. I've never seen that before, but it just made them look like losers for failing. Then again, that was probably the point. It's no secret that I enjoy The Acclaimed, so although this went a little longer than it needed it to, it served its purpose in giving them another victory. They're one of the few acts I don't mind making regular appearances on the Dark shows because at least they always switch things up.

Varsity Blonds def. Bums R Us

I'm not at all familiar with Bums R Us, but I can tell you that they absolutely live up to their name. They're also not very good. Varsity Blonds tend to work best with opponents a bit more experienced than they are, so they weren't on their game here and it was a mediocre outing. This definitely should be a one-and-done for Bums R Us. I assume that's their tag name on the independents, but calling them Bums R Us on AEW programming made them look even more bush league in my opinion.

Kris Statlander def. Renee Michelle

Can we please get Statlander more matches on Dynamite? I feel like she's had so many matches on Dark and Dark: Elevation that they've reached the point of being repetitive. I'd understand it if she was being built up for something, but it feels like AEW doesn't know what to do with her while they focus on other women in the title picture for now. If nothing else, this was a fine squash and at least she's maintaining momentum by consistently winning.

Matt Hardy def. Jora Johl

I thought I recognized Johl, and through a quick Google search, I realized it was because he was previously on the Dark shows as Robo. I'm not sure why he's going by a different name now, but at least he doesn't immediately make me think of Robocop. At any rate, I don't know how much wrestling Hardy needs to be doing at this point, but it's clear he's headed for a match with Christian Cage before long, so it makes sense for him to be racking up wins before then. Hardy offering Jora a spot in the H.F.O. post-match was more interesting than the match itself.

The Pinnacle (Shawn Spears and Wardlow) def. RYZIN and Kal Herro by Referee Stoppage

Spears and Wardlow were certainly a weird combination from Pinnacle, but I guess it spares MJF from working the Dark shows. Spears doesn't do much for me at this point, whereas Wardlow has a ton of breakout potential. I imagine this would have been a lot shorter if he wrestled on his own and I liked how he won for his team here, though I would've had him beat Herro instead of RYZIN. The referee stoppage finish was a nice touch.

Powerhouse Hobbs def. Darien Bengston

Hobbs has a match coming up on Dynamite against Adam Page, so this served as a nice tune-up for him to make him look dominant before then. There was a point where Paul Wight compared Hobbs to Brock Lesnar was certainly... interesting. I can see some of the physical similarities and Hobbs is impressive, but I don't know if I would've gone that far. Hobbs' new finisher looks cool, though.

Jade Cargill def. Robyn Renegade

I don't think I've ever seen wrestling managers announce sponsorships for who they're managing before, so that's been a unique gimmick for Cargill and Mark Sterling. He garners a ton of heat, I'll give him that. I maintain Cargill didn't need a manager, but they're making the most of it so far. She continues to look impressive in these short-and-sweet matches she's been having and the Dark shows are the perfect places to be having them.

Penta El Zero Miedo and Eddie Kingston def. Fuego Del Sol and Vary Morales

With Jon Moxley out of action for now and Rey Fenix and Pac dealing with injuries (real and kayfabe), it appears Penta and Kingston will be the new team for the time being. Don't get me wrong, they work wonderfully together, but if Kingston and Moxley aren't going to resume their tandem once Moxley returns (and that's not a sure thing), then I'd prefer him and Penta getting singles pushes instead. That said, this was a very fun sprint.

Jungle Boy def. Cezar Bononi

Why does Bononi wrestle more than any other member of The Wingmen? The group sucks as it is, but Bononi is easily the worst worker of the bunch. Maybe the idea is to give him more reps in the ring, but I think he'd be better suited in a bodyguard role. I understand Bononi was on offense for a majority of this match because of the size difference, but this should have been more one-sided in favor of Jungle Boy considering he's contending for the AEW World Championship this Saturday night on Dynamite.

Matt Sydal def. Jack Evans

This was definitely the best choice for the main event on this show. It wasn't the barn burner that it probably wouldn't have been five or so years ago, but this was still a well-wrestled, enjoyable affair on the whole. This might be leading to more matches between Sydal and more members of the H.F.O, but then again, I thought the Sydal brothers would face Team Taz a few weeks ago and they never did, so we'll see. Either way, Sydal having full-length matches on the Dark shows is never a bad thing.

Overall Show

I actually had no issue with most of the matches being squashes this week. I mean, isn't what this show is supposed to be for? Giving people necessary wins, experience and exposure? I'm all for competitive matches between established talent, but I'm glad the enhancement wrestlers going the distance with that established talent is a thing of the past. This hour-plus show was pretty much what it needed to be with a slightly above average main event. All that's missing at this point is the live crowds.

SEE MORE: Dark: Elevation Reviews