AEW Dark: Elevation Review - October 11, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Penelope Ford def. Notorious Mimi

I assume Ford and The Bunny losing to Tay Conti and Anna Jay two weeks ago in tag team action on Dynamite spelled the end of that feud, meaning Ford and Bunny are back to working meaningless matches on the Dark shows. Okay, I kid, but seriously, I don't see the point of their partnership now. This was kept short and sweet. This marked Mimi's AEW debut, but she didn't do enough for me to get a good grasp on what she's capable of.

Santana and Ortiz def. Adrien Soriano and Matthew Omen

Man, Santana and Ortiz are rolling right now. It feels like they've been firing on all cylinders since winning their rematch with FTR before All Out. AEW putting them in more matches compared to a few months ago has to be by design as Full Gear draws near and The Lucha Brothers need credible competition for their AEW World Tag Team Championship. This was a total squash as it was over in around a minute as it should have been.

FTR def. Lee Moriarty and LSG

You would never know that Moriarty has been signed by AEW because I don't know if AEW ever outright announced it publicly, not to mention he's only been involved in enhancement matches up to this point. It was weird that he teamed with someone who apparently isn't signed, but LSG is very talented. All of that aside, this was a very entertaining affair. Moriarty is a blast to watch and he had great chemistry with FTR, who are outstanding in their own right. I'm glad we're finally getting to see more of FTR in action after what felt like months of inactivity.

​Tay Conti def. Dani Mo

Much like with Ford and The Bunny, Conti and Jay are probably back to working squash matches on the Dark shows for the time being. Then again, with the recent announcement of the new AEW TBS Championship, Conti or Jay should be likely candidates to become the inaugural champion. This was a fairly basic bout with Conti showcasing her skills and winning decisively and quickly. Mo didn't have a chance to stand out because it was so brief.

Joey Janela def. Crowbar

Janela looks like an absolute goof with his hair in braids, but I know he's doing that on purpose because he's a heel and is intentionally trying to piss people off. He told the Philadelphia crowd they would never see him compete in a hardcore match again, which brought out Crowbar as his opponent. He's wrestled for practically every promotion, including ECW, but it didn't sound like many people in the crowd remembered him based on the tame reaction he received for his entrance. They popped big for Blue Meanie, though. This was much longer than it should have been considering how slow and plodding it was, but it was a cool moment for Crowbar if nothing else. The moment meant a lot to him as he discussed later in the episode.

Ruby Soho def. Emi Sakura

We've seen Sakura in action on Elevation for the last month or so winning matches and I'm glad her winning streak is already over. Don't get me wrong, she's skilled in the ring, but I have no desire to see her back in a regular role on Dynamite. She's better off working with the younger talent on the Dark shows. For example, Soho gains something from beating her, even though Soho is the bigger star of the two. This was a well-worked match with Sakura on offense for a majority of it and the finish feeling like it came out of nowhere.

Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta, Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson def. Private Party, The Butcher and The Blade

Is it any shock people sit on their hands whenever the H.F.O. come out? The stable sucks, and the sooner AEW disbands it, the better. Literally no one involved it has gotten any more over than they were before. That said, this was a perfectly solid main event. The crowd got behind the babyfaces when they battled back and it didn't overstay its welcome. I was going to make a comment about how the H.F.O. look like the biggest losers in the world considering how often they've lost to the Best Friend crew, but they scored a rare win here, so color me surprised.

Overall Show

As I've said before, a sub-60 minute show continues to be the best possible format for Elevation. There aren't many matches, some are given more time than others, the crowd isn't as exhausted, certain stars given to pick up necessary victories, and the main event is usually enjoyable. The eight-man tag team main event on this episode didn't light the world on fire, but it served its purpose. I'd argue FTR against Moriarty and LSG was the best bout of the night. Either way, this was an efficient edition of Elevation that accomplished what it needed to and filled the time well.

SEE MORE: Elevation Revivews