AEW Dark Elevation recap (Aug. 9, 2021): Lucha! Lucha! (Brothers)

Episode 22 of AEW Dark: Elevation is in the books! If you missed the live broadcast click here for the Cageside Seats stream. Let’s talk about what went down. The commentary team this time was Tony Schiavone and Eddie Kingston.

Renee Michelle vs. Red Velvet

Renee Michelle attacked Red Velvet before the opening bell to kick off the broadcast. It didn’t help though because Velvet nailed her with the Final Slice to pick up her eighth consecutive win. This barely lasted a minute, if that.

Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Peter Avalon (w/ The Wingmen)

Kingston put over Avalon hard on commentary. “What a whacko! I love it though.” Dean hit him with a backstabber/lung blower though and pinned him super fast. Red Velvet’s match seemed long by comparison. In fact Avalon’s entrance was longer than the match.

Hikaru Shida vs. Tesha Price

Price offered flowers to Shida, to referee Bryce Remsburg, and to the ringside crowd before the match — then she immediately started screaming like a banshee when the bell rang. Shida got tired of it and slapped the taste out of her mouth. Price tied her up in the ropes for some kicks before Shida broke free, and quickly finished her with a Falcon Arrow. This was the longest and best match of the show to this point.

Daniel Garcia begged for a one-on-one match with Darby Allin while 2.0 egged him on. Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss were scheduled for a tag team bout afterward, but Janela kicked Sonny Kiss and left him for dead. He then wiped out their opponents single-handedly, dragged Kiss out onto the ledge, and hit a pile driver before letting him fall to the floor. The entire crowd booed and chanted JO-EY SUCKS. A must-watch segment.

Brian Cage vs. RSP

Kingston was again more than happy to put over the man in the ring, saying RSP was one of the toughest he had ever faced, but he missed with a back senton and that was his downfall. The muscular Cage quickly took advantage with a power bomb and what Kingston referred to as a F5, though I would simply call it destructive. It was a squash and you wouldn’t want Brian Cage to have a Dark match that was anything else.

Jade Cargill vs. Amber Nova

Cargill immediately booted Nova and struck a pose. Pump handle into a face buster as Kingston raved about her skills. Glam Slam, good night. The shortest match yet and I hesitate to even call it a match. It adds to her win record and increases Nova’s loss record so I suppose it counts, especially in a promotion where wins and losses do matter.

Jurassic Express vs. Cyrus and Carlie Bravo

Bravo and Cyrus tried to get a hot start. Luchasaurus gave Bravo a choke slam and Jungle Boy put him in the Snare Trap for the quick and easy win. The theme for Elevation to this point was short matches with incredibly decisive finishes.

Lucha Brothers (w/ Alex Abrahantes) vs. The Sydals

28 minutes after the show went live it was already time for the main event. Kingston got in one more quip on commentary, saying that even though he and Fenix don’t get along, he “might” be the best high flyer in the business. Rey Fenix and Mike Sydal bowed and showed each other respect before tagging out, but Matt Sydal and Penta El Zero Miedo weren’t interested in doing the same. Fenix tagged back in for some double team maneuvers but ate a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Chops and kicks flew back and forth. Mike got the hot tag and gave Fenix a spinning DDT for two. Penta broke up the next near fall with a hard kick. Kingston: “He don’t care about the rules. Good luck with that Remsburg!” Quadruple knees from the Sydals, but Fenix kicked out. Mike was taken out on the ramp. Penta tagged in for the assisted piledriver and the pin. Stellar 12 minute main event match!

What to watch

Honestly just watch this whole episode. It will only take you 40 minutes, none of the squashes insulted my intelligence, I enjoyed seeing Joey Janela go heel and get massive heat for it, and the main event was non-stop action with a perfectly timed finish. Wrestling shows don’t get much easier to watch than this.

Cageside commentary crew, get up off those seats and leave your feedback in the comments section below. See you tomorrow for AEW Dark!