7/26 AEW DARK ELEVATION TV REPORT: Jungle Boy vs. Marq Quen, Lucha Bros vs. Dark Order, Eddie Kingston in action, more

AEW DARK: ELEVATION TV REPORT
JULY 26, 2021
RECORDED AT CURTIS CULWELL CENTER, GARLAND, TX
AIRED ON YOUTUBE.COM
REPORT BY PATRICK MOYNAHAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight.

Ring announcer: Justin Roberts

– Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight welcomed us to tonight’s show and previewed some of the card. They were joined by Eddie Kingston.

(1) JUNGLE BOY (w/Jurassic Express) vs. MARQ QUEN (w/H.F.O)

As per usual, the crowd was big into Jungle Boy. Jungle Boy and Quen worked the mat early on into a stalemate. The two continued to go back and forth until Jungle Boy locked in a side headlock. Jungle Boy took Quen over with an arm drag but Quen flipped right onto his feet. Kassidy assisted Quen with Silly String from the apron, but Jungle Boy met Quen as he flipped back toward him.

Kassidy tripped Jungle Boy from the outside, which brought Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt over to ward him off. Quen threw Jungle Boy hard into the corner. Quen charged in but was met by a boot to the face. Quen hit a sit-down side slam to regain the advantage. Quen took too long to follow up which allowed Jungle Boy to make a comeback with a few elbows to the face.

Jungle Boy took Quen out with a dropkick to the knees, then planted him to the mat. Quen went to the outside, and Jungle Boy followed by diving through the bottom rope. Jungle Boy followed it up with another onto Kassidy. Quen got back into the ring and spring boarded to the outside to take out Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy. Quen and Jungle Boy just made it back into the ring in time.

Jungle Boy hit a thrust kick on Quen, but Quen hit a Pele kick as Jungle Boy climbed the ropes. Jungle Boy threw Quen off the ropes as he climbed up. With the ref distracted, Private Party hit Gin and Juice on Jungle Boy, who kicked out at two. Quen dragged Jungle Boy toward the turnbuckle as he climbed the ropes. Quen missed a shooting star press, which allowed Jungle Boy to lock in the Snare Trap for the win.

WINNER: Jungle Boy in 9:00

(Moynahan’s Take: An enjoyable match between Quen and Jungle Boy, which incorporated Jurassic Express and the rest of H.F.O. fairly well.)

– An ad for the AEW Elite General Manager game aired.

(2) YUKA SAKAZAKI vs. AMBER NOVA

Nova hit a snap mare and covered for a close two count. Sakazaki took Nova down with an arm drag, then a dropkick for a nice pop from the crowd. Nova came right back and nailed Sakazaki with a neck breaker, and got another close two count, which impressed the announce team. The crowd had dueling chants going for both competitors. Nova pulled out a rag, which led Wight to mention that she is an actual mechanic (I finally get it). Nova hit Sakazaki with a northern lights suplex for yet another close count.

Sakazaki hit a knee on Nova in the corner, then came off the middle rope with a back elbow. Sakazaki went back to the top rope and hit a missile dropkick for a two count. Sakazaki set up for her finish, but Nova got her knees up in time and covered for another two count. The two battled back and forth in the middle of the ring, which Sakazaki won. Sakazaki got Nova in an airplane spin and covered for the win.

WINNER: Yuka Sakazaki in 3:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Nova worked well here, and as noted, got in a few close counts. Sakazaki looked good here and had the crowd behind her. Now let’s see her on Dynamite.)

(3) THUNDER ROSA vs. MYKA MADRID

Madrid made her AEW debut. The two traded holds as Rosa worked Madrid’s arm. Madrid and Rosa went back and forth with arm drags for one another until Rosa threw Madrid into the corner. Rosa charged in but was met with a back elbow. Madrid came off the middle rope, but Rosa hit her with a dropkick to the stomach. Madrid locked Rosa into the tarantula (a la Tajiri). Madrid couldn’t successfully follow up as she missed a leg drop from the middle rope. Rosa charged in with a clothesline, then a missile dropkick as Madrid laid in the corner. Rosa hit a one-legged dropkick, then synched in the Peruvian choke for the win.

WINNER: Thunder Rosa in 4:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Another solid match, and Rosa was clearly over with the crowd. I thought Madrid did well, especially with this being her AEW debut. Rosa moves to 20-2 in 2021.)

– An ad aired for this week’s Dynamite.

(4) LUCHASAURUS vs. JORA JOHL (w/H.F.O.)

Luchasaurus came to the ring without Jungle Boy or Marko. Luchasaurus laid Johl out with a huge slap across the chest. Johl grazed Luchasaurus with a thrust kick, which ticked him off. Luchasaurus hit a release German suplex, then choke slammed Angelico onto the rest of H.F.O. Luchasaurus hit his Tail Whip kick then covered Johl for the easy win.

WINNER: Luchasaurus in 1:00

(Moynahan’s Take: Well, I was initially concerned Luchasaurus would get overcome by the entire H.F.O. group, but silly me. This was an off-night for him.)

(5) SCORPIO SKY vs. FUEGO DEL SOL

Del Sol entered to a big reaction from the crowd. Del Sol used his speed early to maneuver away from Sky in the corner. Del Sol landed a dropkick on Sky, then took him down with a dropkick. Del Sol again used his speed to evade Sky, until Sky caught him smack in the face. Sky played to the crowd as he maintained the offensive advantage. Sky went to unlace Del Sol’s mask and was about to pull it off until the ref stepped in.

Del Sol hit Sky with a back elbow and a boot to the chin. Del Sol followed up with a shotgun dropkick and an enziguri. Del Sol speared Sky in the corner, but Sky missed on the second attempt. Sky was thrown over the top rope after Del Sol ducked a charge in. Del Sol flew off the ropes to the outside onto Sky, which fired up the crowd. Del Sol called for the tornado DDT, but Sky threw him off and hit him with a boot to the face. Sky hit the TKO for the win.

WINNER: Scorpio Sky in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: I was very impressed by the reaction to Del Sol, who continues to gain popularity with the crowds. A very fun match, with good work between both men and some strong crowd reactions.)

(6) MARKO STUNT vs. ANGELICO

Each man came to the ring alone. Angelico wasn’t taking Stunt seriously as he made his entrance, as he was visibly laughing. Stunt locked in a headlock, then used the ropes to snap Angelico to the mat. Angelico missed a pump kick and Stunt took him down yet again. Angelico caught him the second time and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Angelico played to the crowd a bit too much, which allowed Stunt to fight back. Angelico quickly went back on offense and synched in a head and arm submission. Stunt crawled to the apron and hung onto the bottom rope. Stunt nailed Angelico in the midsection, then laid in a series of punches, then a running pump kick to his face. Stunt used the ropes to his advantage again and flung Angelico across the ring.

Angelico rolled to the outside to regroup, but Stunt flew through the ropes and hit him with a tornado DDT. Back inside, Stunt came off the top with an elbow across Angelico’s back. Angelico caught Stunt, then locked in a torture rack submission for the win. Angelico continued to attack Stunt after the bell.

WINNER: Angelico in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: An okay match. The two worked well together, I just didn’t find myself all too invested in either act.)

– A recap from the last few weeks aired which covered the history between The Bunny and Kris Statlander. The Bunny was backstage with Alex Marvez to discuss tonight’s tag team match. Bunny was offended by Marvez’s question and said the only reason The Blade lost to Orange Cassidy was due to Statlander’s interference. She said she would rip Statlander’s face off tonight.

(7) KRIS STATLANDER & TAY CONTI vs. THE BUNNY & MADI WRENKOWSKI

Conti slammed Wrenkowski down hard to the mat for a two count. Statlander tagged in and helped Conti double team Wrenkowski by hitting her with a flip over slam. Conti tagged back in, booped Statlander’s nose, then nailed Wrenkowski with a thrust kick for another two. Conti nailed Bunny from the apron, which allowed Wrenkowski to hit Conti from behind and finally gain an advantage. Bunny tagged in and hit Conti with a sliding forearm in the corner.

Wrenkowski was back in and missed a charge into the corner. Conti and Wrenkowski hit one another with a kick to the face at the same time. They each crawled to their respective corners to make the tag. Statlander and Bunny went toe-to-toe. Statlander won the battle and hit a sit-down power move for a close two count. Statlander went for her finish, but Bunny countered it for her own two count. Bunny followed up with a kick to the head and another close count.

Wrenkowski tagged in but ran right into a powerslam. Bunny ran in to break up the count. All four women hit the ring, and Conti and Statlander made the rounds and nailed each opponent. Statlander hit the Big Bang Theory on Wrenkowski for the win.

WINNERS: Kris Statlander & Tay Conti in 5:00

(Moynahan’s Take: It was a nice change of pace to see a women’s tag team match. All four women worked well together and maximized the five minutes they were given. The Statlander/Bunny face off was well done and made me care to see them down the road — a little.)

(8) WARDLOW vs. BEAR BRONSON

Jake Hager joined commentary for this match. Wardlow turned his back to Bronson as he made his way to the ring. The two sized one another up and ended up in a stalemate after locking up. Bronson hit Wardlow with a shot to the chin. The two went back-and-forth trading rights. Bronson tried picking Wardlow up, but Wardlow countered and hit him with a German suplex. Wardlow threw Bronson down with a modified suplex. Wardlow picked Bronson up, but Bronson fought out of it.

Bronson flipped Wardlow over and sat on him for a close two. Bronson hit Wardlow from both sides with a series of clotheslines, but Wardlow would not go down. Wardlow nailed Bronson with a stiff clothesline, then charged him into the corner. Wardlow hit him with upper cuts and shoulder blocks, then slammed Bronson to the mat. Wardlow perched Bronson onto the top rope and hit the Casualty of War for the knockout win.

WINNER: Wardlow in 5:00

– After the match, Hager stared down Wardlow from the announce booth.

(Moynahan’s Take: A nice match between two big hosses. Wardlow looked great here, especially by getting over his knockout finisher, the Casualty of War. A nice touch by having Hager on commentary.)

– Alex Marvez was backstage with the AEW Elite General Manager game contest winner, James Darnell, who was allowed to choose a match for tonight’s show. He chose Luther vs. Lee Johnson. Aubrey came over and awarded him a custom AEW championship belt for winning the contest.

(9) LUTHER (w/Serpentico) vs. LEE JOHNSON (w/Dustin Rhodes)

Kingston was back on commentary for this match. Johnson took Luther down with a dropkick, then an arm drag. Luther nailed Johnson with a kick to the back of the head, then threw him to the outside where Serpentico threw Johnson into the guard rail. Luther flew off the apron right onto Johnson. Luther then threw Serpentico onto Rhodes, but he bounced right off. Luther brought Johnson over to the contest winner as an added bonus then took Johnson back into the ring. Luther dragged Serpentico into the right and tried slamming him onto Johnson a few times, but Johnson moved. Rhodes pulled Serpentico outside, which allowed Johnson to regain offense. Johnson hit Luther with a thrust kick and a slam, which fired up the crowd.

Luther nailed Johnson with a pump kick for a close two count. Luther climbed to the top, but Johnson met him with a right. Luther flew off the apron right onto Serpentico. Johnson flew over the rope onto both men. Back inside, Johnson nailed Luther with a shotgun dropkick, then went to the top. Johnson hit a spinning headbutt (not sure if that’s what he was going for) for the win.

WINNER: Lee Johnson in 7:00

(Moynahan’s Take: A nice little match. Both men worked well together, and it’s hard not to enjoy Luther and Serpentico’s antics.)

– After the match, Miro walked out with a mic in hand. Miro said Johnson’s match tonight was chosen by the fans, but his next will be picked by God. Looks like we’re getting Miro vs. Johnson on Dynamite in Jacksonville next week.

– An ad aired for AEW Rampage, which starts on Friday, August 13.

(10) EDDIE KINGSTON vs. SERPENTICO

Well, Kingston was clearly off commentary for this one. Serpentico attacked Kingston before the bell. Kingston took Serpentico down with one chop, then another. Kingston was in complete control. He took Serpentico to the outside, then threw him into the guardrails around ringside. Kingston finally threw Serpentico back into the ring. Serpentico was able to lay in a few shots, which only seemed to irk Kingston more.

Serpentico climbed to the top and hit Kingston with a cross-body for a two count. Serpentico went up top again, but Kingston caught him and hit a few side slams until he took Serpentico out with the back fist for the win.

WINNER: Eddie Kingston in 3:30

(Moynahan’s Take: The fans must have been tired by this point, as Kingston surprisingly came to the ring to little reaction. Luckily, Kingston is a pro and quickly got them to care. This was a fun one to check out for Kingston’s work alone.)

– An ad aired for All Out on September 5.

– Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling made their way to the ring. Sterling took the mic and ran down Texas BBQ, much to the dismay of the crowd. Sterling said they’ve been having a great time in Hollywood, but they had to fly to Texas for an opportunity, which benefited the fans at home “in smart states like New York.” Sterling said they were looking for the next partner for #JadeBrand. He added that anyone would want to partner with Cargill, as she’s going to be the next great crossover star in pro wrestling. Cargill ended things with her catchphrase, “I’m that bitch.”

(Moynahan’s Take: Well, shame on me for saying last week that I wanted to see Cargill in the ring. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Sigh.)

(11) LUCHA BROS. (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. ALAN “5” ANGELS & 10 (w/The Dark Order)

This was Fenix’s return to action after being out several weeks. Angels and Fenix squared off to start. Angels caught Fenix in a roll up for a close two. Angels went for another pin attempt for another two count. Each man tagged out. Penta received a noticeable reaction upon tagging in, then the crowd chanted his name. Penta took off his glove, and unlike last week, Abrahantes caught it on the first attempt. 10 landed a few chops to the chest on Penta in the corner, but Penta reversed and laid in a few of his own.

Penta was caught with a pump kick but came right back and hit him with a thrust kick. 10 hit Penta with a clothesline, but Fenix and Angels each came in and laid one another out. 10 and Penta got back to their feet and squared off. Fenix made the blind tag and helped Penta double team 10. Fenix flew off the ropes and hit 10 with a double stomp to the back. Angels tagged back in and came off the top onto Fenix. Angels dove to the outside onto Penta, then came back inside the ring and hit Fenix with an enziguri.

Penta and Fenix double teamed Angels and nailed him with stereo kicks to the head as the crowd cheered. 10 hit the ring and took out both opponents. Fenix hit him with a few chops to the chest but got caught by 10in a powerbomb. 10 was thrown to the outside by Penta, who then picked up Angels as Fenix went to the top. 10 pulled Fenix off and speared Penta. Angels went to the top and nailed Fenix with a Spanish Fly (on his second attempt) for a close two count. The crowd was totally into this.

10 locked in his full nelson on Fenix but Penta kicked 10 in the face. Angels tagged in but Fenix hit him with a spinning kick. Penta came for the top and hit a double stomp n Angels. Penta and Fenix hit the double Fear Factor for the win.

WINNERS: Lucha Bros. in 9:30

(Moynahan’s Take: Up until now this was easily the match of the night. Such quick action between all four men. You can read my match review all you want, but I can’t do that justice. Go watch. Oh, and it’s so great to see Fenix back in action.)

(12) THE GUNN CLUB (Billy & Colten) & BROCK ANDERSON vs. CHANDLER HOPKINS & CAMERON COLE & IZZY JAMES

Anderson went for an early pin attempt for a one count on Hopkins. Billy tagged in and received a good crowd reaction. Hopkins quickly flew across the ring to tag out to James. James nailed Billy with a few chops to no effect. Billy hit James in the stomach with a knee, then tagged Anderson back in who took James out with a clothesline.

Cole was tagged in and took it to Anderson who was kept in the opponent’s corner. Hopkins, Cole, and James traded quick tags as they cut off the ring from Anderson. Anderson took out each opponent then made it to his corner to tag Colten in. Colten hit James with the Colt 45 for the win.

WINNERS: The Gunn Club & Brock Anderson in 3:30

(Moynahan’s Take: A quick, rather uneventful, match to give Colten and Anderson some in-ring action.)

(13) CHUCK TAYLOR (w/Best Friends) vs. PAC (w/Lucha Bros. & Alex Abrahantes)

Taylor and PAC worked one another’s arms in the early going until Taylor took PAC down. PAC regained his composure and took Taylor over with a headlock. PAC flew over Taylor to evade a move but was flipped to the outside. Taylor flew over the ropes and landed on PAC. Taylor rolled PAC back inside and hit him with a modified powerbomb.

PAC threw Taylor to the outside, then head-first into the guardrail (a popular decision tonight). Back inside, PAC nailed Taylor with a kick to the face. PAC worked the mat as he synched in a headlock. The crowd tried to will Taylor back into action, but PAC cut him off. PAC went to the top and waited for Taylor to get back to his feet, then hit him with a shotgun dropkick. PAC went back to the top, but Taylor rattled him off and then hit him with a clothesline.

Both men went back and forth in the middle of the ring until Taylor hit Soul Food. PAC fought back but Taylor hit a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Taylor went to the top, but PAC nailed him with a kick to the head. PAC took Taylor off the top with a superplex for a two count. Taylor nailed PAC in the face with a knee, then hit a piledriver for a very close two count.

PAC rolled out of a pickup by Taylor, then nailed him with a thrust kick. PAC went to the top and hit the Black Arrow for the win.

WINNER: PAC in 11:00

(Moynahan’s Take: This was good, but just went on too long. After more than two hours of wrestling, I think it was time to cut this one short. Or even better, cut down on the prior matches.)

– After the match, Death Triangle posed in the ring until Andrade El Idolo’s music hit. Andrade, along with his consultant and Chavo Guerrero, made his way out to the ramp. He acted as if he was ready to fight but Chavo backed him up.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A long, but solid night of action. Please go out of your way and watch the Lucha Bros. vs. Dark Order match. With that said, I’m curious how much longer these shows can be, well, so long. With Rampage debuting in a few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out as I just can’t see crowds staying interested in so many hours of wrestling in one night. With Rampage in mind, this will in fact be my last week of covering Elevation as I move onto covering Rampage once it debuts on August 13. I’m super excited for the new show (both as a fan and contributor) and can’t wait to see how it’s presented.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S AEW DARK ELEVATION REPORT: 7/19 AEW DARK ELEVATION TV REPORT: Lance Archer in action, Best Friends vs. Chaos Project, Jungle Boy vs. Angelico, more