AEW Dark: Elevation Review - March 27, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ari Daivari and Tony Nese def. Lane Summers and Campbell Myers

I have no idea why Daivari and Nese continue to team if they have their own teams/factions. Just merge the groups together or have them ditch their current partners. They work well together (because of their years of teaming in WWE), so that's no an issue. I just don't know what purpose these matches are supposed to serve. This was fine but was hardly the hottest opener for this episode.

Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir def. Briar and Sage Hale

Apparently Vickie Guerrero being taken off AEW programming was the endgame of Rose and Shafir teasing tension a few months ago. That hasn't been confirmed, just my speculation. I'm not complaining, though, as she added nothing to their act. I'm still not the biggest fan of their team, but their chemistry has improved and Shafir isn't as abysmal as it once was. That said, this was as pointless as the opener.

Willow Nightingale def. Maggie Lee

Nightingale is a unique spot right now where she's regularly appearing on both ROH TV and on AEW TV. I'm happy to see her spotlighted because she's gotten over with the audience nicely and is quite good to boot. This was a standard showcase for her ahead of her match against former tag team partner Ruby Soho on Wednesday's Dynamite. Nightingale's Pounce looked clean as always.

The Firm (Lee Moriarty and Big Bill) def. Zack Clayton and Anaya

You would never know from watching this match that Clayton is signed to an AEW deal aside from the fact that he and Anaya had a televised entrance. As I've said before, he's a decent hand in the ring but is as generic as they come from a character standpoint. I couldn't care less about The Firm at this point considering they never win on Dynamite, but I guess you have to give them a win once in a while and that was why this existed.

ROH Women's World Champion Athena def. Tootie Lynn in a ROH Women's World Championship Proving Ground Match

Lynn has appeared on the Dark shows before, but I'm mostly familiar with her work from the NWA. Her dropkicking Athena out of the gate was a refreshing chance of pace seeing as how Athena almost always gets the first shot in. Unfortunately, she was subsequently killed by Athena, who knocked her out with a forearm and took her time covering her. Emi Sakura emerged afterward, so she may be getting a title shot before Yuka Sakazaki does at Supercard of Honor on Friday night.

The Firm ("All Ego" Ethan Page, Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy) def. Spanish Announce Project (Angelico, Luther and Serpentico)

I've mentioned this before, but AEW already has a plethora of jobber factions. Spanish Announce Project are not necessary. Thankfully, they were only here to lose to Page, Hardy and Kassidy. Speaking of the latter trio, they had a different dynamic this time around with Page not being as over-the-top as usual coming off Hook's destruction of Stokley Hathaway. They picked up the win anyway, but it's clear Hardy turning on Page and giving him his comeuppance is imminent.

Riho def. Diamante

This is a rematch from a recent match they had on Dark, which was very fun. This was equally enjoyable and I appreciated how it was positioned as the main event. Riho is clearly headed for an opportunity at the AEW Women's World Championship, so this gets her one step closer to that match with Jamie Hayter. I'm not the biggest Riho fan, but I appreciate that they're having her build momentum ahead of an eventual title shot.

Overall Show

This was basically every edition of Elevation from the last few weeks if not months. You can always expect matches involving some members from The Firm, Varsity Athletes and Athena. That isn't to say this was a bad show necessarily, but there really isn't anything worth seeking out. Unsurprisingly, Riho vs. Diamante was the best bout of the bunch if you want to seek out one match (even if it didn't last too long).

SEE MORE: Elevation Reviews