AEW Dark: Elevation Review - October 10, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hikaru Shida def. Erica Leigh

Shida came to the ring holding two titles that were acknowledged by Ian Riccaboni on commentary, one of which she defended against Emi Sakura a month or two ago. She received a renewed mini push when she challenged for the AEW Interim Women's World Championship at All Out, but she's largely been back to Dark duty as of late. She'll be teaming with Toni Storm against Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter on Wednesday's Dynamite, so this gave her a small momentum boost before then.

Lance Archer def. Papadon

Archer's appearances on Elevation serve as a reminder to viewers that he's still on the roster. It's sad to say because I'm a fan of the guy, but there's nothing worth getting excited about anymore when it comes to Archer. He destroys dudes in short order but can't win a meaningful match to save his life. This was more of the same from him, and I'm honestly shocked it lasted as long as it did. It really should have been over immediately.

Emi Sakura def. Trish Adora

This was your average Emi Sakura match in that she was spotlighted for a few minutes and then she picked up the victory, which will only lead her to losing to someone else on the roster soon. My big takeaway from this bout was that Adora amazingly isn't signed anywhere yet. AEW has used her a handful of times on the Dark shows, but she really should be under contract to the company. The Ring of Honor women's division would be a nice fit for her if the brand gets its own platform one of these days.

Josh Woods and Tony Nese def. Action Andretti and Myles Hawkins

Despite taking Swerve In Our Glory to the limit on Rampage over the summer, Woods and Nese lost all credibility as a team in my opinion when they were squashed by Wardlow and Samoa Joe in a matter of minutes last month. They're perfectly fine in the ring and have acceptable chemistry, but they're a filler tandem and nothing more. That said, building them up with wins like this feels pointless if they're not going to beat anyone who matters (and no, I don't count their contest with Varsity Blonds from Rampage since Varsity Blonds are the biggest losers in the company at this point).

Nyla Rose def. Jordan Blade

Rose is from Washington D.C., so she received a favorable reaction. I hate to say it, but it was probably the biggest reaction she's gotten in recent memory because she hasn't been involved in anything of note in ages. Granted, she's now feuding with Jade Cargill over the TBS Championship, but I can't bring myself to care. This was designed to make her look like a threat to that title, but there's no way she wins it.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Dalton Castle and The Boys def. Goldy, Brett Waters and Logan Laroux (Non-Title)

I was going to complain about Bobby Cruise not being the ring announcer for this match, but the six-man tag titles weren't on the line, so it's understandable. As I always say, Castle and The Boys are a fun trio, but they aren't on AEW TV enough for fans to care. In fact, I believe the only appearance they've made on the main shows was when Castle competed in that Rampage Battle Royal at Grand Slam, so it was no surprise the crowd was as quiet as they were during this match, which was decent.

Brandon Cutler def. Serpentico

I never thought I'd see the day where Brandon Cutler received the biggest reaction on any show, but here we are. He's been gone since after All Out due to reportedly being involved in the post-show backstage brawl, though he was apparently cleared to come back a week or two ago. Oh joy. He definitely plays his stooge role well, but his comedy isn't my cup of tea, personally. Thus, I thought this match to be very dumb. Your mileage may vary, but this whole thing was a joke and not one I found funny.

Overall Show

I'll never complain about getting seven matches on a 46-minute show, but this was a pretty subpar show, even by Elevation standards. The dead crowd reflected that. They came alive at points during the main event, but you can tell they were sitting on their hands for a majority of the episode, begging the question of what purpose this show is supposed to serve when Dark is primarily the program that highlights up-and-comers and gives them the experience and exposure they need. If you enjoy Cutler vs. Serpentico, more power to you, but you can't tell me the rest of this show was worthwhile.

SEE MORE: Elevation Reviews