AEW ELEVATION: July 12, 2021

The PG Era Rant for AEW Elevation Episode 18 (“So Much For On The Road Cutting the Schedule”), July 12, 2021.

TONIGHT! Scorpio Sky goes one-on-one with the Captain, Shawn Dean! Fuego Del Sol looks to make it two in a row, but he’s got to get past Matt Hardy! It’s an eight-man tag as The Acclaimed have to get along with Chaos Project against the Varisty Blonds and Gunn Club! Alan Angels looks to solve the Machine, Brian Cage! Yuka Sakazaki is BACK, and she returns against KiLynn King! Big Shotty Lee Johnson tries his hand at beating Jungle Boy Perry! Private Party teams with potential recruit Jora Johl against Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and upset-minded Wheeler YUTA! Hikaru Shida keeps her momentum going against Julia Hart! And in our main event, Angelico serves as warmup for the Coffin Match as he faces Darby Allin!

PLUS – Tay Conti, Thunder Rosa, Riho, Powerhouse Hobbs, Red Velvet, and Leyla Hirsch!

AEW ALL OUT is September 5 in Chicago!

From Miami, FL.

Opening match: Thunder Rosa (#3 women, 18-3) vs. DreamGirl Ellie (first 2021 match). And man, the crowd that stuck around and/or got here early is ready for this.

Rosa with a go behind, and when reversed, she goes for a single-leg and anckle lock. Ellie tries to kick her away, so Rosa falls on top for one and gets a rolling guillotine. She backs Ellie to the ropes and chops her, then gives the crowd what they want – one more. Armdrags follow, then a slam. Half-senton follows for two. (Before you ask, Half Senton is the sitout, Full Senton is the flip.) Rosa sends Ellie into the corner and kicks away, adding another powerful chop. A second one misses and Ellie replies with two of her own, but Rosa’s not impressed and reverses to show her how it’s done. Blind charge eats boot, twice, and Ellie comes off the ropes only to fly into a dropkick.

She toys with Ellie, adding an uppercut, but Ellie with a sunset flip off the ropes for two. Ellie’s lucha armdrag goes nowhere when Rosa holds her ground, and an armbar chickenwing allows Rosa to add elbows and cradle Ellie for two. Cross armbar, but Ellie stacks her for two. Boot choke in the bottom rope by Rosa, but another charge misses and Ellie weakens Rosa with lefts. Ellie’s charge misses and Rosa gets a Mizline and double knees. Shotgun dropkick and butterfly suplex gets two. Ellie slips out the back, but Rosa reverses it to an O’Connor Roll for two. Ellie with a schoolgirl for two. Rosa wins a kick-off and gets a fireman’s carry drop. Peruvian Choke gets the win at 5:17. Ellie had her chances, but always looked second-best by a mile. 1/2*

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone and – we’re on the road, time to drop the running gag – Paul Wight.

AEW GM app ad.

Fuego Del Sol (1-20) vs. Matt Hardy (w/Blade, Angelico, and Private Party) (12-3). Fuego not only gets an entrance, but a heck of a pop from Miami. Everything but ht efirst level is dark, so I have no idea what attendance for these tapings is like. BUT WAIT – Matt has a mic! He calls Fuego the biggest loser he’s seen. Fuego can’t even look himself in the mirror, explaining the mask. The people think he’s an underdog who will get a contract, but Matt will DELETE that idea. Matt says he’ll go 3-0 this week – against Fuego, someone on Dark, and Christian Cage (“the man who reeks of awfulness”).

Fuego jumps the gun and mauls Matt in the corner, getting a coast-to-coast uppercut and corner spear. Fuego with a moonsault press for two. TORNADO DDT OF DEATH is tried, but Matt throws Fuego out of the ring to the floor. The HFO surrounds Fuego as Matt puncheds away, then throws Fuego into the apron. Back in, Matt pounds Fuego’s face into all three buckles while screaming DELETE at him, then adds a back elbow. Shoulderblock gets two.

Matt picks up Fuego slowly and hooks a cravate, but Fuego escapes with a jawjacker only to walk into the Side Effect. Matt puts Fuego on the top rope, following him up, but Fuego uses a headbutt to stagger Matt. Fuego walks a couple steps down to get position, and a Frankensteiner gets a close two. Fuego tries a Fireman’s Carry, but Matt slips out into the Twist of Fate. Leech ends it at 4:14. Fuego as a a plucky enhancement talent babyface works just fine. 3/4*

Riho (14-9) vs. Amber Nova (0-1). So when doing Elevation and Dark with Dynamite, did they warn fans to arrive at like 3PM and stick around until midnight or something? Maybe make it three sessions? Suckas gots to know!

Lockup, and Nova pulls over Riho, who returns the favor while they keep the lockup. Nova with a side headlock, which Riho reverses. Nova throws her off, but Riho with a cartwheel and dropkick. Nova catches Riho with her legs on a blind charge and yanks Riho headfirst into the buckle, then adds a spinkick before going ground and pound. It gets two (as commentary question her half-hearted cover). Slam and Nova preens for the crowd, then pulls out an orange washcloth. She wipes her hands with it and throws it on Riho – who SELLS IT – before picking Riho up only for Riho to get a cradle for two.

Kneelift stops Riho, then Nova follows with a Northern Lights suplex for two. Fujiwara armbar follows, with a bridge, but Riho makes the ropes. Wight: “I might have to steal that.” Riho tries to fight back, but Nova knocks her down and has a nonchalant cover that Riho bridges out of. Drop toe hold by Riho sets up the Area Code Kick for two. Nova Hammer Throws Riho into the corner, but she avoids the charge and gets a Hotshot. Riho goes up, and a diving crossbody gets two. Riho walks over Nova as she goes back up, but the double-stomp misses and Nova gets a big boot for two. Riho escapes a DDT and gets a Northern Lights of her own for two… but Nova doesn’t exactly kick out strongly and the crowd is upset. Now the double-stomp hits for the pin at 5:19. Ref should’ve just counted three on the Northern Lights – it didn’t seem like Nova got the shoulder up. 1/2*

Backstage, Dustin Rhodes establishes that Lee Johnson is ready, then tells Jungle Boy that Big Shotty is the future. Johnson says it’s the biggest opportunity of his life, and Dustin wants it to start and see what Perry’s got.

Powerhouse Hobbs (w/Hook) (15-3) vs. Baron Black (no intro). Hobbs is an AEW Dark success story, and there’s been quite a few over the time AEW’s had it.

Baron Black attacks before the bell, but Hobbs no-sells and gets a short clothesline. Hobbs throws Black into the corner, then gets an avalanche in the corner. A second one is escaped, and Black with big chops that maybe make Hobbs flinch. Hobbs wins with the SPINEBUSTER OF DOOM in 1:01. NR

KiLynn King (12-7) vs. Yuka Sakazaki (2-1). She’s back! Yuka’s return to AEW was a big deal for the YouTube chat this week. King has done her best against Ryo Mizunami, so let’s see if she’s got another good one in her. Yuka’s interest sounds like something out of Sailor Moon – though that’s intentional.

Lockup, and King throws Yuka down. Yuka with a drop toe-hold next, then a headlock. King escapes to a waistlock ride, but Yuka escapes into an armlock. King reverses that, so Yuka gets a headlock. A shoulderblock by Yuka doesn’t work, and she offers another, but this time King knocks Yuka down. Kng rolls over a dropdown and gets armdrags, but Yuka with a casadora armdrag and King bails. Yuka comes off the middle rope with a senton to King on the outside, then fakes being thrown in and kicks King.

Back to the apron, and Yuka dives at King… who loses her balance and falls back. She recovers enough to give her a uranage on the apron, though. Back in, it gets two. King pummels away in a front facelock on Yuka, then neutralizes Yuka’s reversal attempt with a knee. Hamemr throw and backsplash, then a low uppercut gets two. Dragon sleeper try, but Yuka makes the ropes. Yuka fights back and gets a hammerlock, but King blocks a Northern Lights suplex. King comes out of the corner with a bodypress attempt, but Yuka (almost) turns it into a slam.

Back to the corner, and Yuka with a high kick as she goes up. Spinning back elbow gets two. Yuka goes back up, and a missile dropkick connects. Rolling mare allows Yuka to try a clothesline, but King catches her mid-move and lands a pumphandle slam as she stands up for two. Lariat gets two. Yuka blocks a clothesline and gets a hammerlock spin slam for two. Yuka positions King and climbs the middle of the ropes, and the Magical Girl Splash wins at 6:27. King had an off night, and Yuka wasn’t the person to help her through it. *1/4

Gunn Club (Billy and Colten Gunn) (5-0) and Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr and Griff Garrison) (w/Julia Hart) (16-4, #2 team) vs. Chaos Project (Luther and Serpentico) (10-15) and The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) (#3 team, 21-6). By the way, Pillman and Garrison got their contracts today, which is awesome. “Yo, Billy, what’s up with Colten? He looks so ugly you shoulda worn a Trojan!” “You ’bout to get swept like the Miami Heat!”

Bowens and Pillman start. Pillman gets an arm to start, but Bowens reverses to a hammerlock and snapmare. Pillman avoids a cradle out of it, and when Bowens gets in his face, Pillman slaps him. Big chop by Pillman as Bowens comes off the ropes, and he and Garrison begin working Bowens’s arm. Colten joins in with an axhandle, and then Billy (whose tag-in gets a big pop) hits the crotch chop before taking the arm. Bowens punches out and brings in Serpentico, who just bounces off of Billy. Billy with a sidewalk slam, and Colten comes in as Billy slams Colten onto Serpentico for two (with Luther’s attempted break hitting Serpentico). Garrison in, and Colten slams him onto Serpentico. Now Caster’s save attempt hits the poor guy, and Pillman tags in to get slammed onto Serpentico.

Bowens pulls up in time, but Pillman catches him with a SUPERKICK before Serpentico finally gets a dropkick to take over. Caster in, and he works over Pillman with elbows. Caster works Pillman over in the ropes, and the Acclaimed get the sunset flip/neckbreaker for two. Bowens goes ground and pound for two. Luther brought in, and he kicks Pillman into the corner and chops him. More chops and a drop toehold floor Pillman, then a kneedrop follows and Serpentico tags in. Rocket Launcher onto Pillman (with a senton twist) gets two. Serpentico works Pillman over in the corner with chops, then taunts Billy to bring him in… but the blind charge misses.

Bowens runs in and is tossed, as is Caster, but they pull Billy off the apron. Griff with a rolling elbow, and Colten’s still there to get the hot tag. He and Griff do their Stinger Splahes on everyone, then Garrison boots Caster and Colten dropkicks Luther. Serpentico runs into a tilt-a-whirl slam for two, Luther saves. He drags Serpentico to the corner and tags himself in as Colten brings in Pillman. In a clever move, Billy enters to attack Luther, and when Luther whips Billy into the ropes, he slides out so that Luther finds himself getting hit with Air Pillman to win at 6:21. That’s a neat finish. *3/4

But Caster’s not done – he gets the mic and yells YO a lot. He wants to do a freestyle on the Blonds, but Bowens has another idea – since Acclaimed is #3 and Blonds are #2, the Blonds are in the way. So either let’s have that match right now… or do you want to do something nasty to Julia that I’m not repeating. The Blonds charge and the Acclaimed bail, then Bowens throws a varsity jacket at Julia like the complete jerk he is. That’ll be a fun feud.

Brian Cage (FTW Champion, 10-2) vs. Alan Angels (10-10). No sign of the rest of Team Taz. This is non-title, but the FTW title will be defended Wednesday against Ricky Starks. The entire Dark Order comes out with Angels to pose to the crowd, but they don’t stick around.

Angels moves around to avoid Cage’s attacks and gets him cornered, but Angels gets caught in a DDT attempt. Cage elbows out of a waistlock and gets a big boot, but Angels lands on his feet on a German and double stomps Cage before getting a dropkick. Angels with the five-count punchalong, then a dropkick as he keeps Cage off-balance. Cage bails to the apron, so Angels knocks him to the ramp with a forearm. He goes up top, but Cage easily catches him and throws him over his head into the ring. Angels is caught on the apron, where Cage catches him with a Cesaroplex.

Blind charge hits foot, but Cage only flinches and clotheslines Angels a bunch in the corner. Angels goes up and over on a second charge and gets a flurry into a clothesline, but Cage won’t go down. He avoids a charge in the corner, and this time Angels’s lariat sends Cage down. Dropkick into the middle rope, and This Is Gonna Suck follows. He goes up, and the moonsault gets two. Angels wants the Wing Snapper, but Cage pulls Angels over the top into a double powerbomb. Drill Claw ends it at 3:34. Cage sold WAY too much for this match in my opinion – he has Ricky Starks he can sell for. 1/2*

Jurassic Express is ready to talk, but Saurus says to wait for Christian. Perry, though, starts anyway – he’s the first to 50, and he’s facing Lee Johnson. Tonight, he’s gonna break more records.

Leyla Hirsch (14-4) vs. Kelsey Heather (debut). More people who started as “the other person” and became a star.

Lockup, and Heather gets a waistlock. Hirsch reverses easily, so Heather elbows out only to run into a waistlock takedown. She grabs the arm, so Heather scrambles to the ropes. Heather hides in the ropes as Hirsch comes in, then catches Hirsch with a kick to the gut before working her over in the corner. Pump kick is caught, and Hirsch lands the German suplex and running kick. Cross armbar ends it at 1:19. NR

Scorpio Sky (w/Ethan Page) (9-1) vs. Shawn Dean (1-1). We get a Wrestling With the Week ad as Sky heads to the ring. Ethan goes to commentary because of course he does. Shawn Dean gets an entrance.

Lockup, and Sky gets a waistlock. Dean reverses and hooks a headlock, but Sky trips him up off the ropes and gets a headlock of his own, into a takedown. Dean escapes and gets his own headlock as we go International~!, with Dean landing armdrags and a dropkick. He charges, but Sky bails to the apron before leveraging Dean there. Sky returns, but Dean punches Sky before entering and walking into Paydirt. It gets two. Facewash follows, and Sky laces the knuckles on Dean as the two fight it out.

Dean gets the better of it, landing clotheslines, then landing a Hurricane DDT and kip-up. Running dropkick in the corner follows for two as Ethan is getting upset. La Majistral gets two. Sky puts his head down and Dean hooks a backslide, but Sky escapes and gets the TKO to win at 3:15. What we saw was good. *1/4

The following paragraph is paid for by Mark Sterling.

Jade Cargill has modeling and TV opportunities, so she’s going on a tour of Hollywood and will be off AEW for a while. They want to make her the next crossover star – but she’ll be back to further her unbeaten career.

The preceding paragraph was paid for by Mark Sterling.

Tay Conti (#2 women, 18-3) vs. LaBrava debut). The crowd is REALLY into Conti, which given that it’s a long taping session is a good sign. Conti’s from Brazil, LaBrava from Colombia.

Conti opens with the judo throws, then delivers a pump kick. LaBrava’s on the rail and deciees to walk, but Conti catches her and drags her back. She ties LaBrava in the ropes and gets a half-crab while seated on the top rope. LaBrava goes to the gut and gets a Hotshot and lariat for one. She goes ground and pound, Blind charge eats elbow, but LaBrava recovers and gets an uppercut on second try. A third try eats elbow again, and Conti avoids a fourth one and slugs away. She clotheslines LaBrava repeatedly, then gets a ripcord kneelift. Conti to the apron with a forearm and she goes up, but the Thesz Press is rolled through and Conti lands another pump kick into a running boot and Broski Boot. Gory 2 Sleep (TayKO) ends it at 3:05. Nah, back to the drawing board on LaBrava. 1/4*

Lee Johnson (w/Dustin Rhodes) (8-1) vs. Jungle Boy Perry (w/Luchasaurus) (#3 men, 10-2). Johnson even shakes Justin Roberts’ hand as he enters the ring. I know you need this news flash, but… Jungle Boy is crazy over.

Code of Honor to start. Lockup, and Perry gets a wristlock. Johnson rolls through for an armdrag, but Perry kips up and gets one of his own. Headlock by Perry and we go International~!, but Johnson gets an armdrag and hiptoss to take Perry down and keep arm control. Perry locks the knuckles and gets a ropewalk armdrag and dropkick. Big chop follows, then a back elbow. He gets a ground headlock, but Johnson gets up and elbows out. Perry’s charge eats boot, then Johnson with clotheslines to take over. Neckbreaker by Johnson and he kips up, and Perry gets chopped hard in the corner. Perry slams on the brakes on a Hammer Throw and fires away when Johnson runs in, landing a basement dropkick and rebound lariat to floor Johnson.

Johnson escapes a suplex and gets an uppercut in the ropes, but Perry follows him in with a forearm. Johnson is dumped to the apron, and Perry leaps over the top rope and ranas him to the floor! Both seconds cheer their man on, and both men roll back in. Johnson is up first and chops Perry in the corner, but a blind charge misses and Perry slingshots in… only to get caught by Johnson into an airplane spin. After about 10 rotations, Perry finally escapes into a Tornado DDT, but he walks into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

Johnson charges into an overhead suplex, then Perry follows with a German suplex and bridge for two. He puts Johnson up and kicks his back, then ties him in the Tree of Woe to get a baseball slide. It gets two. Lightning Spiral try is countered by Johnson to a cradle for two. Death Valley Driver and SUPERKICK gets two. Johnson had basically no leverage in the corner, which is the out there. Brain Dawg is blocked, and Perry with a brainbuster and Olympic Slam for two. Back Head Elbow misses, and Johnson with a crucifix for two, reversed for two. Johnson sits on Perry for two, reversed for two, reversed for two, reversed for the pin at 8:54. Man, Big Shotty Lee looked like he could’ve beaten a certified upper midcarder there. What a great match. ***1/4

Hype video for Miro, who says the title is his God-given right.

Red Velvet (18-4) vs. Leila Grey (no chyron). It’s kind of wild how fast they’ve built up an in-house crew of stars, isn’t it?

Lockup, and Grey gets a headlock. She nails the Thesz Press when shoved off, but Velvet recovers with a single-leg dropkick for two. Velvet with a forearm and kick as Grey puts her head down, then catches Grey with an ax kick off the middle ropes, then a splits kick while Grey is hung up on the bottom rope. It gets two. Forearm in the corner misses, and Grey takes over with a boot choke.

Snapmare follows, then a shotgun dropkick for two. Grey hesitates, so Velvet fights back with a right hand and clotheslines for the comeback. Grey is sent into the middle rope, and Velvet gets double knees to the back. Standing moonsault gets two. Velvet ducks some haymakers and trips up Grey, and Chef’s Kiss wins at 2:33. The finisher looked like it didn’t connect well. 1/4*

Jora Johl (through subtitles) says he’s been thinking hard but he has to accept the offer from Matt Hardy. It’s the route not just to his dreams, but those who are watching him in India. And tonight, in front of a live crowd, he gets his first test. From now on, these are dreams fulfillied.

And that test?

Private Party (Isaiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) (#5 team) and Jora Johl (first time as a tiro) vs. Orange Cassidy (#2 men, 14-2-1), Chuck Taylor (10-4), and Wheeler YUTA (1-1). Private Party have made Johl wear the Giannis jersey in Miami. He’s not amused. This is a first-time trio on both sides. The Best Friends have run afoul of the HFO lately.

Taylor and Kassidy start. Taylor with the headlock as we go International~!, but Taylor cradles Kassidy on an armdrag try for two before slamming him. Johl tagged in, and he takes off the jersey… only to be told to put it back on. Quen tags in while he does that, and Yuta enters as well. Quen with a kick to the gut, but Yuta escapes a suplex and gets an armdrag and waistlock. Yuta slides around Quen and lands a dropkick. Kassidy bridges Yuta out, and Quen does a somersault senton onto him. He adds an elbow on the apron, and back in, Kassidy enters with a chop in the corner. Quen chokes Yuta behind the ref’s back, and Kassidy keeps up the choking as they switch off.

Yuta with a Manhattan Drop and dropkick on Quen, but Kassidy tosses in a rag for a distraction as Private Party hit Poetry in Motion for two. Kassidy in, and Private Party clear Taylor off the apron only for Yuta to kick both away and get a double dropkick. Only Orange and Johl remain on the apron, and Johl yanks the jersey off to stop Yuta… but he can’t and it’s “hot” tag Orange. I mean, if you can call anything he does hot. Orange is very over.

The two exchange waistlocks back and forth over and over as the crowd gets into it. Taylor with a blind tag, and Orange shoves Johl into Taylor’s running knee. Orange dives onto Quen, Taylor with a uranage, and Yuta in with a big splash for two, Kassidy saves. Private Party with Silly String on Yuta, and they toss Johl on to cover for two, Taylor saves. Taylor dumps Kassidy and follows with a plancha, so Quen holds up Yuta for Johl… who’d rather not fight that way. Orange taps Quen on the shoulder and gives him the Orange Punch, leaving Johl and Yuta. The cradle from last week gets the pin again at 6:23. Kris Statlander comes out so everyone can HUG IT OUT (even a befuddled Yuta). Good match with a good story being told, but the ending fell flat. Yuta should’ve had a legit finisher. **1/4 Private Party chews out Johl after the loss.

Hikaru Shida (#5 women, 7-1) vs. Julia Hart (w/The Varsity Blonds) (3-4). Like I said last week, Shida raises the game of everyone around her, so let’s see if the trend continues here. For those wondering why Hart wasn’t signed with the Blonds, she’s still a Factory student, so her time hasn’t come yet.

Lockup, and Shida shoves Hart off. Knuckle-lock try into a test of strength, and Shida powers Hart down into a bridge, but Hart backflips and armdrags Shida, who is actually kind of impressed. Shida with a headlock, and she blocks Hart’s hiptoss attempt before getting a dropkick. She takes her to the apron (as the Blonds step aside rather than stop her), landing the running kneelift. Back in, Hart tries to punch away only to get hit with a kneelift and Hammer Throw. Knee strike in the corner and Hart’s shoulder is hurt.

She tries to fight back with clotheslines, but Shida holds her ground. Forearms don’t do it either, and Shida tries a whip only for Hart to stop it and get roundhouse kicks and clotheslines this time. Handspring clothesline in the corner, then a second regular one, floors Shida. Split splash gets two. Another clothesline, but Shida shoves off on the bulldog. Katana misses and Hart cradles her for two. Shida ducks a clothesline and drops her into the top turnbuckle, then gets the Brisco cradle for two. Hart blocks a suplex and ducks an enzuigiri, landing Yes Kicks… but one of them is caught and Shida with a shinbreaker. Stretch Muffler gets the win at 4:40. They tried, but Hart was not ready for that match and it showed. *

Main Event: Angelico (w/Matt Hardy and Isaiah Kassidy) (7-4) vs. Darby Allin (w/Sting) (#4 men, 12-2). Given Angelico’s list of holds and how Allin loves to sell, the heat segment could be great. Darby gets a good pop for his music. But then, hearing Sting will be at ringside gets almost as big a pop, if not a bigger one. Two days away: Darby Allin faces Ethan Page in a coffin match.

Both men relax in their corners at the bell in their own way. Lockup, and Angelico backs Allin in the corner, but Allin reverses and gives a clean break. Knuckle-lock leads to Angelico wrapping Allin’s arm around his own leg, then he gets a headlock. We go International~!, ending with Allin ducking and dodging before getting an armdrag and lock. Angelico with a Hammer Throw, but Allin goes up and over and gets another armdrag. He blocks Angelico’s armdrag and gets thrown off the ropes, jamming his leg. Angelico instantly goes after it. He kicks away at the knee and gets a bow-and-arrow. Allin flips out of it and reverses to a Fujiwara armbar, but Angelico makes the ropes, albeit with his legs as Allin catches the other arm.

Angelico bails and gets coaching from Matt Hardy, but back in, Allin walks into a roundhouse kick. Angelico hooks a Cloverleaf Giant Swing and drop, adding a bodyscissors without losing grip on the Cloverleaf. Allin makes the ropes. Angelico punches away in the corner, adding a boot choke against the middle rope. Blind charge eats boot, but a second one has the boot caught and Angelico twists it in the middle rope and kicks it. Angelico puts Allin up top and follows, but Allin blocks a superplex and gets SMALL JOINT MANIPULATION to knock Angelico down.

Diving sunset flip gets two. Legsweep and cover gets two. Crucifix gets two. Angelico blocks the whip and kicks the leg out of the leg, but Allin goes to the back and comes over the top with Stundog Millionaire. Coffin Drop ends it at 6:49. Private Party and Matt Hardy threaten to attack after the match, but Sting says they have to get through him. And Christian Cage enters and it’s a Pier Six to clear the ring. Cage and Hardy go to the back, Stinger Splashes to both Private Party members, and Sting and Allin stand tall… until now Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky come out and promise to close the coffin on Allin on Wednesday. Allin’s selling may well be the best in the business. **1/2

After The Show, Sting addresses the crowd and says it’s great to be back in Miami and back with Darby (which gets him a huge chant). Survey says: AEW wins again. Then Allin says it’ll be his pleasure to put Ethan Page in the coffin.

The new setting made a huge difference, if you ask me. It’s not that Daily’s Place was a bad location – far from it – but going to a new place and seeing new fans meant a new energy, and man could you feel it during entrances. You can even tell who the crowd loves (besides the old legends, that’s a given) and it’s wild to get feedback like that. The Acclaimed and Varsity Blonds, for example, have a future in the tag division; and while this isn’t news, Darby Allin and Jungle Boy are future champions if everything goes well. The crowd tapered off as the taping wore on, but that’s to be expected with so many matches. In the future, I hope Dark and Elevation streamline a bit – two hours before the show will wear most crowds out, and if it was two hours after? Forget it.

STATS:

BELL-TO-BELL – 69:11 over fifteen matches (average time 4:33)

MATCH OF THE NIGHT – Perry/Johnson

FIVE STARS:

1. Jungle Boy Perry
2. Darby Allin
3. Lee Johnson
4. Yuka Sakazaki
5. Orange Cassidy

God bless you and rest in peace, Paul Orndorff.