The SmarK Rant for AEW Dark Elevation – 07.18.22

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dark Elevation – 07.18.22

Taped from Savannah, GA

Your hosts are Excalibur, Caprice Coleman & Mark Henry. I’m not a fan of the ROH thing overall but I really like Coleman as an announcer.

Bobby Fish v. Blake Li

Fish takes him down and goes for a sleeper right away, but Li fights out of it. Fish hits him with a slingshot senton for two and then slams him into the ropes. Li tries to fight back from the apron, but Fish SWEEPS THE LEG and then slams him into the railing and slaps the beer right out of some guy’s hand. Beer is gross anyway, he’s better off. Back in, Bobby finishes with the kneebar at 3:00. Destroying jobbers on this show is a good spot for Fish, and I imagine he’ll end up in ROH. 1 for 1.

Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir v. Skye Blue & Brittany

Shafir beats on Brittany in the corner and no-sells the girl’s attempts to mount a comeback, and then Nyla comes in with a running splash. Brittany manages to make the tag to Skye, who runs wild on the heels and superkicks Nyla to set up a flying bodypress for two. But then she runs into a clothesline and Marina does some awkward attempts at a judo throw before suplexing Skye for two. Shafir continues to wrestle like a mannequin who was brought to life by a voodoo spell in an 80s movie. Back to Brittany and she gets murdered by Nyla and powerbombed, and Shafir wraps her up in something for the submission at 4:35. She looked like she was making up that submission hold as she went along. 1 for 2.

Julia Hart v. Amber Nova

Thank god they finally have a new graphic for Julia now that she’s evil. Julia chokes away in the corner, but Amber slugs back, so Julia cartwheels into a kick in the corner and submits her with a neck crank at 1:32. See, compare that to Shafir’s submission hold, where you had no idea what was actually being done. Julia grabs the neck and wrenches it, simple. 2 for 3.

Ethan Page v. Leon Ruffin

Leon tries a headlock and that goes badly for him and he probably regrets doing it now. Page runs him into the corner, but Ruffin necks Page and flips in for a kick in the corner that gets the crowd hyped, but Page just bowls him over to cut him off again. Meanwhile, Henry points out that Page is a pretty man, and every man with dimples has had to fight in his life. Page continues to take out his dimple-related aggression on Ruffin and flattens him with a slam and beats on him with a backbreaker, but Ruffin fights back with a rebound lariat and a springboard cutter for two. Ruffin tries a double springboard, but Page catches him on the second one, and Ruffin counters him into a rollup for a hot two. But then Page presses him into a powerslam…for two. Ruffin tries to fight back one more time, but Page just smacks him down and goes for the Edge, but this time Ruffin reverses to a sleeper and beats on him with elbows. But he goes for a springboard again, and Page boots him down and finishes with the Ego’s Edge at 5:28. This was a GREAT match and you should go out of your way to watch this show and check it out. 3 for 4.

Evil Uno & 10 v. Terrence & Terrell Hughes

I was gonna say that the Hughes brothers look a lot like D-Von Dudley, and that’s apparently because they’re his sons. Well that makes sense. God wrestling is making me feel old lately. Terrell gets trapped in the Dark Order corner and suplexed by 10 to start, and then Terrence comes in and 10 holds him in a delayed suplex, so delayed that it should be called the Chinese Democracy. Uno gets his own suplex, but the Hugheses double-team him in the corner to cut him off. Terrell steps on him for two and goes to a chinlock. Uno fights them off with the neckbreaker spot and makes the hot tag to 10, who hits them with spinebusters and finishes with a discus lariat at 4:47. Little clunky but the Hughes looked solid for a team that green. 4 for 5.

Angelico, Butcher & The Blade v. Jameson Ryan, Brandon Bullock & Bryce Cannon

Angelico trying to groove to the ring while Butcher & Blade’s heavy metal theme blares is a legit LOL moment for me. Blade beats on all three geeks as they struggle to find someone who wants to give it a go, and they pick a guy and powerbomb him, before Angelico finishes with the death roll at 1:53. This gets a point for Angelico’s entrance alone. 5 for 6.

Tony Nese v. John Walters

Well I’m disappointed that we don’t get a Factory tag team match in the main event like we usually do, but Nese is pretty good. Nese whips him into the corner and hangs him in the Tree of Woe and then does situps while kicking him in the head. Walters fights back with armdrags, but Nese necks him on the top rope and then fires him into the corner with the shotgun dropkick and running knee to finish at 2:32. 5 for 7.

The Ruffin-Page match is the big winner this week, but there was nothing bad here. Except Marina Shafir, as usual.