By Jon
VENUE: Daily’s Place (Jacksonville, FL)
COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight, & Mark Henry (and also Eddie Kingston)
VIEWING METHOD: YouTube
AEW Dark: Elevation kicks off its 2022 with Jay Lethal, Jake Atlas, and many more in action. Way more. Too many more for the time allotted, to be exact.
LINEUP
- Riho vs. Valentina Rossi
- Andrade El Idolo vs. JP Harlow
- Megan Bayne vs. Leila Grey
- Scorpio Sky vs. Ray Jaz
- John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. Mike Orlando & Shayne Stetson
- Jake Atlas vs. Serpentico
- Skye Blue vs. Angelica Risk
- Jay Lethal vs. Troy Hollywood (***)
*****
Riho defeated Valentina Rossi via pinfall after Somato (3:33)
- Valentina Rossi has only been wrestling for seven months and already has one of the greatest ring names in modern-day pro wrestling.
- Riho challenges Britt Baker for the Women’s World Championship at Battle of the Belts this coming Saturday. She’s 3-0 over the good doctor so her chances are looking pretty good.
- Mark Henry is a parody of Charles Barkley’s parody of Shaq from Saturday Night Live. It’s fascinating.
–
Andrade El Idolo [w/ Jose the Assistant] defeated JP Harlow via submission with La Muerta (2:58)
- This was Harlow’s AEW debut but the third appearance for his mustache. I can’t explain it either.
- Andrade worked the arm for the bulk of the match to set up the finisher, which was the first time I’ve seen it. That looked BRUTAL.
–
“The Greek Goddess” Megan Bayne [w/ Royal Servant Ladies?] defeated Leila Grey via pinfall with a Tombstone Piledriver (2:40)
- Bayne got a full-on flashy entrance here, fawned on by masked servant ladies and wearing the BIGGEST headpiece in the company. She and Malakai Black should hang out. This ruled.
- Both ladies came into this one with zero wins so far in their AEW careers, Bayne 0-6 and Grey 0-10.
- Bayne overpowered Grey for most of the match but almost got in her own way after stopping her own pinfall, allowing Grey a brief comeback. However, that got squashed pretty quick courtesy of a big ol’ Greek boot.
–
Scorpio Sky [w/ Dan Lambert] defeated Ray Jaz via pinfall with a TKO (2:40)
- I spent a lot of 2021 skipping Dan Lambert segments so this is the first time I’ve actually seen Scorpio Sky wrestle in awhile.
- Fun fact: in the Star Wars universe Ray Jaz is known as Ray Jiz.
- Ray Jaz got some moments in this one, showing off his athleticism and a near-fall with a floatover backslide. Not enough to win though.
–
The Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds [w/ -1] defeated Mike Orlando & Shayne Stetson when Reynolds pinned Stetson followed by a flurry of offense (3:48)
- Reynolds took a little offense just so Silver could get that BABYFACE HOT TAG and get the crowd pumping.
- Shayne Stetson is apparently only 18 years old. I am twice his age and I sit here starting and stopping a wrestling recap blog. What have I done with my life?
–
Jake Atlas defeated Serpentico via pinfall with a cartwheel off the top rope into a DDT (2:18)
- Atlas was last seen as part of WWE’s NXT/205 Live brands, and from what I had read retired following being released from the company. It’s pro wrestling though so that’s my fault for taking that somewhat seriously.
- Eddie Kingston replaced Paul Wight on commentary for this match, much to Henry’s dismay.
–
Skye Blue defeated Angelica Risk via pinfall with a full nelson into a faceslam (2:55)
- Kingston saving the commentary by clowning Henry’s bad jokes instead of letting him get away with it like Big Nasty.
- Angelica Risk might be 0-6 but goddamn is she intimidating.
–
Jay Lethal defeated Troy Hollywood via pinfall with Lethal Injection (3:56)
- This is Lethal’s first Dark: Elevation’s appearance and Hollywood’s AEW debut. HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE.
- A ton of fun, with Hollywood getting in much more offense than I was expecting. A surprise snap German suplex almost netted him the win AND got the crowd chanting his name. Don’t be a stranger, Troy Hollywood.
- RATING: ***
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS
Decided to check out Dark: Elevation to kick off 2022, see if it was worth adding to my weekly wrestling diet. And while there were some moments to be had, plus a surprisingly fun Lethal/Hollywood match, I’m not sure how consistent it’s going to be. Only 40 minutes long but they crammed 8 matches into it and the pacing was glacial. Also Mark Henry is like Bizarro Jericho where he sucks at commentary but in a boring way instead of a loud way. Kingston showing up for the final few matches saved it for me.
- MATCH OF THE SHOW: Jay Lethal vs. Troy Hollywood
- MOMENT OF THE SHOW: Hollywood impresses the crowd so much with his snap German suplex that they start chanting his name despite it being his first-ever AEW appearance.
