By Rich Bailin, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@RichBailin)
AEW Dark: Elevation (Episode 50)
Taped February 9, 2022 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Streamed February 14, 2022 on the AEW YouTube Page
Excalibur checked in on commentary and said he was filling in for Tony Schiavone this week. He was joined by Paul Wight and Mark Henry. Excalibur sent it to ring announcer Justin Roberts for the opening match…
1. Kevin Matthews vs. Dante Martin. Martin flipped to avoid Matthews and Matthews wound up outside the ring. Martin went for a dive but Matthews re-entered the ring and hit Martin with a lariat. Matthews maintained control and went to the apron to sling shot himself over the top rope onto Martin but Martin moved. Martin then connected with a pair of dropkicks that sent Matthews to the floor, Martin then dove off the top rope onto Matthews. Martin then rolled Matthews back inside the ring and hit the Nose Dive for the pinfall.
Dante Martin defeated Kevin Matthews by pinfall in 3:40.
Bailin’s Breakdown: I liked that they had Martin face someone bigger than him, as it shows that while it may not have been Powerhouse Hobbs, he can hang with and continue to defeat larger opponents. This was a momentum building match going into Martin’s match with Hobbs on Friday’s Rampage.
2. Riley Shepard vs. Thunder Rosa. Late in the match, Rosa had Shepard in the ropes and hit her with a double stomp. Rosa then lifted up Shepard for a modified Fire Thunder Driver for the pinfall victory.
Thunder Rosa defeated Riley Shepard by pinfall in 2:25.
After the match Rosa spoke into the camera saying she was ready for Britt Baker and all her lackeys…
Bailin’s Breakdown: As always, a fan pleasing showcase for Rosa. The wins will also keep Rosa close enough to the top of the rankings for when the eventual title match with Britt Baker happens. This was another dominating win going into her match with Mercedes Martinez on Dynamite.
3. Zack Clayton vs Serpentico (w/ Luther). The Situation and Clayton’s fiancé, JWoww, were shown sitting in the crowd. Serpentico jumped Clayton from behind as the bell rang, but Clayton quickly recovered and caught Serpentico with a release German suplex. Clayton went to bounce off the ropes but Luther caught his leg and Clayton turned around to face him. Serpentico used the distraction to catch Clayton with a leaping Flatliner. Serpentico continued his assault and climbed to the top rope for a senton but Clayton rolled out of the way.
Clayton sent Serpentico over the top rope with a clothesline and followed him to the floor. Clayton sent Serpentico into the ringside barrier and then threw him back in the ring. Luther caught Clayton with a pump kick then taunted The Situation and JWoww. The Situation stood up and raised his arm, with the distraction allowing Clayton to hit Luther with a forearm. Serpentico turned around and ran into a powerslam on the floor. Clayton blew a kiss to JWoww and then rolled Serpentico back into the ring. Clayton then lifted up Serpentico into a Fisherman’s Buster for the pinfall and his first victory in AEW.
Zack Clayton defeated Serpentico by pinfall in 4:00.
Bailin’s Breakdown: The truth is that I’m not sure whether I am surprised by the finish or not. Serpentico hasn’t won much lately but Clayton hadn’t won at all until tonight. This was actually Clayton’s third appearance on Elevation. His last appearance was five weeks ago in a losing effort to QT Marshall, though Marshall won that match with a roll up. Clayton’s first appearance was back on Episode 5 of Elevation against 10 of the Dark Order. Both times I came away seeing potential in Clayton and this week is no different. My guess is we will continue to see him featured when they are in the NY/NJ and surrounding areas.
A video aired on Powerhouse Hobbs and his song on the ‘Who We Are’ album…
4. Matt Sydal (w/Lee Moriarty) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (w/Ricky Starks). Late in the match, Sydal fought out of a vertical suplex attempt from Hobbs and then hit him with a series of kicks, ending it with a Question Mark kick that sent Hobbs reeling. Sydal then climbed to the top rope, but Starks tried to pull Sydal off as Hobbs distracted the referee. Moriarty fought with Starks but the distraction allowed Hobbs to run past the referee and grab Sydal in the torture rack for the submission victory.
Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Matt Sydal by submission in 5:20.
Bailin’s Breakdown: As was the case with Dante Martin earlier, this was a momentum building win for Hobbs going into his match with Martin on Rampage. That being said, Sydal is a huge step up in competition compared to Martin’s opponent in AEW storylines, and I would not have been completely shocked if Sydal had won this match.
An ad aired for AEW Revolution…
5. “Men of the Year” Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky (w/Dan Lambert) vs. Jaden Valo and Steve Pena. Page and Valo started the match with Page taking Valo a little too lightly and getting caught with a head scissors. That angered Page so he ran over Valo with a shoulder tackle and tagged in Sky. Sky and Page traded tags and gave Valo backbreakers. On the third attempt, Sky hesitated too long which allowed Valo to flip out of the attempt and make the tag to Pena. Pena clotheslined Sky and hit Page with a pump kick.
Pena blocked a punch from Sky by kicking it then hitting Sky with a running knee strike. Pena tagged Valo back in. Sky quickly recovered by reversing an Irish whip and Page holding on to Valo when Valo got to the ropes. Sky hit Valo with a forearm and tagged in Page before knocking Pena off the apron. Page then with an Ego’s Edge for the pinfall victory.
Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page defeated Jaden Valo and Steve Pena by pinfall in 3:10.
Bailin’s Breakdown: A simple showcase for Men of the Year.
6. Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Daniel Garcia, Jeff Parker, and Matt Lee vs. “The Dark Order” Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Alan “5” Angels. Every team received a televised entrance. The match broke down with Angels and Bowens in the ring. Angels rolled up Bowens, but Bowens kicked out, sending Angels towards the ropes. Caster was about to hit Angels with the boom box but Uno grabbed it away from Caster. Angels attempted to kick Bowens but Bowens caught the leg and spun Angels around and hooked Angels in a spinning DDT. Grayson was a second too late to break it up and Bowens with the pinfall victory.
Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Matt Lee, Jeff Parker, and Daniel Garcia defeated Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Alan “5” Angels by pinfall in 7:00.
Bailin’s Breakdown: A fun, fast paced back and forth ten-man tag match. The Acclaimed got the pinfall so they still look like a strong number two in the tag team rankings and possibly number one given that Gunn Club lost their title match this past Friday. I also liked that even though The Acclaimed cheating didn’t work, they were still able to get the pin without it.
7. Tay Conti, Anna Jay, and Ruby Soho vs. Emi Sakura, Nyla Rose, and The Bunny. Both teams received televised entrances. Soho and Rose started the match and circled each other but Rose quickly tagged out to the Bunny and told Soho she already beat her. Soho tagged in Jay who wanted to come in against the Bunny. They traded punches with the Bunny knocking Jay down. The Bunny then grabbed her jacket and used it to choke Jay.
The referee took the jacket away and Jay tagged Soho back into the match. The Bunny sent Soho into the ropes and a near collision with Rose. Rose dropped off the apron and Soho turned around into a thrust kick from the Bunny. The Bunny threw Soho outside the ring and Rose grabbed Soho so that Vickie Guerrero could slap Soho. The Bunny tagged in Sakura and Sakura grabbed Soho by her hair and threw her across the ring.
Sakura followed up with her “Rock You’ punches and running splash then climbed up the ropes and attempted a Vader bomb. Soho rolled out of the way and Sakura crawled to her corner to make a tag. Before Sakura could get there, Rose ran into the ring and charged towards Soho. Soho pulled down the top rope and Rose fell to the apron. Soho then kicked Rose and the kick sent Rose to the floor. Soho tagged in Conti who hit Sakura with a pair of pump kicks and attempted the DDTay.
Sakura grabbed at Conti’s mouth to break up the attempt. Sakura then caught Conti with a reverse neckbreaker for a two count. Sakura tagged in the Bunny who tried to stop Conti from making the tag. Conti made the tag to Soho and immediately climbed to the top rope and hit Rose (who was still on the floor) with a moonsault. The Bunny had Soho set up for Down the Rabbit Hole but Soho reversed it into the No Future kick for the pinfall victory.
Tay Conti, Anna Jay and Ruby Soho defeated Emi Sakura, Nyla Rose and The Bunny by pinfall in 3:45.
Bailin’s Breakdown: A very quick match considering all the talent involved. My guess is they were running against the Dynamite start time and had to wrap up quickly. Tay Conti should thank Nyla Rose for catching her on the moonsault attempt because it seemed like Conti would have missed completely. It was a crowd pleasing win to end this Valentine’s Day edition of Elevation, and a pretty good show overall. My match of the night goes to Hobbs vs. Sydal, but I wonder why with that match having the most storyline support it was not also the show’s main event match. Actually, there were only two matches that you could truly consider to be of the showcase or squash variety, and we even had somewhat of an upset. By Elevation standards, that’s a successful show.
Be the first to comment