SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW DARK ELEVATION REPORT
NOVEMBER 29, 2021
CHICAGO, ILL.
AIRED ON YOUTUBE.COM
REPORT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Excalibur, Paul White, and Eddie Kingston
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
-Dark Elevation opened with sweeping shots of an excited crowd featuring an “AEW” sign and an absolute sea of C.M. Punk shirts.
-Excalibur called Justin Roberts the “Dapper Yapper.” (That’s great.)
(1) JULIA HART & SKYE BLUE & RYO MIZUNAMI & LEYLA HIRSCH vs. NYLA ROSE & EMI SAKURA & DIAMANTE & The BUNNY (w/ Vickie Guerrero & Mei Suruga)
Nyla Rose, Emi Sakura, Diamante, and The Bunny came out first; Rose was accompanied by Vickie Guerrero, and Sakura was accompanied by Mei Suruga. Vickie wore a stunning gold shirt that glittered like the sun. (This is very much worth outfit-repeating.) The Bunny jumped at the camera and gnashed her teeth like she might bite the cameraman’s face off. The whole team then posed in the ring, with Sakura looking the most devious of the bunch. The faces were out second and posed on the ramp way while Hart waved her pom-poms.
Mizunami and the Bunny started things off with the Bunny hopping around Mizunami, who looked annoyed to no end. The Bunny hit Mizunami with a forearm which Mizunami no sold before roaring to life and knocking the Bunny off-kilter. Mizunami swung the Bunny into the ropes and shoulder tackled her to the mat. She followed up with a body slam and attempted a leg drop, but the Bunny slid out of the way. The Bunny seized this opportune moment to knee to Mizunami in the face and tag in her teammate, Rose.
The Bunny and Rose attempted to double team Mizunami, but she hit both of them with a double clothesline as the babyface team cheered her on from their corner. Mizunami repeatedly chopped Rose, and Rose did a good job selling the chops. Mizunami tagged in Hirsch and slung her into Rose’s chest, which caused Rose to crumble. This got a decent reaction from the crowd, and Mizunami decided to rerun the same concept by using both Blue and Hart as human lawn-darts, launching them feet first into an already annihilated Rose (who I’m now starting to feel bad for).
Diamante ran in to make the save only for Mizunami to counter this by using her as yet another human lawn-dart. Mizunami flips Diamonte onto Rose, causing Diamonte to senton her own partner. After that, both Diamante and Rose were down and out. Hirsch went for a pinfall on Rose; however, Rose kicked out and utilized Hirsch’s frustration over the kick-out to score a clothes-line and finally gain the upper hand.
Rose delivered a crisp body slam before shouting with pent-up rage at the audience. Then, she pounded Hirsch’s back and mocked the babyfaces, smashing her palm straight into Blue’s nose, causing her to stagger on the apron. Rose dragged Hirsch back to the heel’s corner and tagged in Sakura. Sakura barged through the ropes, filled to the brim with energy, and elbowed Hirsch before racing into her opponent’s corner and randomly striking Blue in the face a second time. (Did Blue take the last cupcake in catering?)
Sakura celebrated her advantage by leading the crowd in a stomp-stomp-clap rendition of “We Will Rock You.” She then delivered a running crossbody to Hirsch’s midsection, followed by a double-hook backbreaker. Sakura made the cover, but Blue broke it up, getting a small measure of revenge for whatever they’re mad at her about. Sakura was having none of it and grabbed both Hirsch and Blue’s arms. She pulled them apart before swinging their bodies into each other with such force that Blue “accidentally” gave Hirsch a sunset flip. (That is not a typo, but it’s also not how physics works.) She then put Hirsch and Blue in a double submission that looked just a smidge too easy to escape. In response, Hart and Mizunami ran in to make the save only for the Bunny and Diamante to intercept them and trap them in identical submissions. (I am finding it hard to root for such an incompetent a face team.)
Sakura cleared the ring and tagged in Rose. Rose kicked Hirsch in the back, but when the Bunny jumped on the second rope to yell something at her (I think), Rose got distracted, and Hirsch used the opportunity to pummel Rose with multiple forearms. Hirsch then ran into the ropes, hoping they’d serve as a launching pad, but Guerrero snatched her waist and yanked her over the second rope, dragging her to the floor. Guerrero held Hirsch in place by her hair, and Suruga struck her in the stomach with a gleaming scepter. They both worked together to roll Hirsch back into the ring, and Rose ended whatever random conversation she was having with the referee, because that makes sense.
Rose tagged in Diamante and aided her in delivering an assisted splash to Hirsch’s prone body. Diamante went for an immediate cover but got only a two-count. Hirsch managed to pull off a nice fisherman’s suplex and rushed over to her corner to make a quick hot tag to Blue. Blue entered the ring and knocked Sakura back with a thrust kick followed by a leg lariat. (She is impressively bendy and more talented than this match portends.) Blue then headed up top, but Sakura capitalized on the time it took her to make this aforementioned ascent and rolled across the ring to her heel team’s corner and tagged in Rose.
Blue made a fast tag to Hart, who jumped in the ring and took Rose down with a double whammy of a chop block followed immediately by a bulldog. Hart went for the cover but got just a one-count. At the same time, Diamante attacked Blue and had her hanging off the apron by a single leg. Diamante kicked Blue to the floor while the legal women, Hart and Rose, battled somewhere in the background.
Excalibur declared, “This is pandemonium!” and he is not wrong.
Hart climbed to the top rope yet again but had not learned her lesson from earlier in the match, and once more took far too long. This repeated ineptitude allowed Rose to swat her out of the air like a fly.
The Bunny and Sakura double-teamed Hirsch on the outside while Blue remained down from Diamante’s earlier attack. Rose delivered a truly explosive Beast Bomb, and that proved to be enough for a three-count. Afterward, the heels celebrated in the ring, and two replays of Rose’s vicious Beast Bomb flashed across the screen.
WINNER: Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura & The Bunny at 6:30.
(David’s Analysis: Sakura, Mizunami, and Rose had an excellent tag match just the other week, making this one a bit of a letdown. Hijinks are fun, but the face team should look like they want to win. I’m sure this was just due to an off night because they really did make magic a couple of Elevations back.)
-An advert aired for Battle of the Belts on Jan. 8 in Charlotte, N,C. (I’m thinking of going; their last show at the Bojangles Coliseum was a blast! If you haven’t seen AEW live, do.)
(2) ALICE CROWLEY & MISSA KATE vs. TAY CONTI & ANNA JAY
Tay Conti and Anna Jay made their way to the ring first. They both waved at the crowd, and Conti high-fived a fan in the front row.
Their opponents were already in the ring.
Eddie Kingston ribbed Conti and Jay, saying something along the lines of: “I’m sick of all their fake smiley stuff. Stop being smiley and waving at the fans. You’re here to fight.” It was an interesting take, and I’ve personally enjoyed Kingston on commentary thus far.
Conti and Missa Kate started off the match, locking up early on. Kate got thrown into the corner, and Conti tagged in Jay. Jay went for a judo throw (a/k/a a drop Seoi Nage) three times in a row, and her opponent did a good job taking them. Jay swung Kate into the corner and attempted a thrust kick but missed as Kate lurched out of the way and scurried to make a tag.
Jay didn’t seem at all phased and grabbed Alice Crowley’s arm. She then hit her with a kick and flung her into a neutral corner. Jay landed a leg lariat, swiped both of her opponent’s legs, and then fell to the ground to kick Crowley directly in the face. (Great action here.)
Jay rolled up Crowley for a cover, but Kate broke up the pinfall, elbow-dropping her teammate in the process. Tay Conti jumped in and delivered a pump kick to knock Kate backward as Jay did a standing switch that allowed her to lock on a Queen Slayer. Jay and Crowley quickly fell to the mat as Crowley tapped in desperation.
Winner: Tay Conti & Anna Jay in 2:00.
Jay and Conti hugged in the ring, and the director rolled replays of the finish.
(David’s Analysis: Despite being three times shorter, this was three times better than the first match. Everything looked well-executed, and Anna Jay looked like a total star.)
(3) SANTANA & ORTIZ vs. BRANDON LEE & ISAIAH MOORE
Brandon Lee and Isaiah Moore waited in the ring while Santana and Ortiz made their way down the ramp. Santana and Ortiz both sported their usual ghost-white face paint.
Excalibur pointed out that Santana and Ortiz were currently ranked number 4 on AEW’s tag team rankings list. (Given AEW’s wealth of tag teams, that’s pretty impressive.)
Santana and Lee started things off with a short whirlwind of offense and counter offense before Lee took Santana down with a hard shoulder tackle. Santana popped back up, then both wrestlers hit the ropes. Lee scored two arm-drag takedowns in a row and a picture-perfect dropkick but then chose to set up for what might have been a spear. This brief respite allowed Santana time to regroup. Santana grabbed Lee’s waist, but Lee countered with a back elbow. Santana easily shook that off and delivered a sharp back elbow of his own.
Both wrestlers went back into the ropes. Santana’s arm dragged Lee into a sitting position and landed a dropkick to the back of Lee’s head. Lee clutched his skull, dazed and confused, while Santana took a moment to gloat, and Paul White said, “That’s gonna hurt for days.”
Santana made the tag to Ortiz, and both men gave Lee a massive powerbomb. However, Ortiz willing allowed Lee to make the tag and then locked up with Moore.
Eddie Kingston said, “Why settle for less when you can have Isaiah Moore?” (Reading that doesn’t do justice to how funny it was in the moment.)
Ortiz grabbed Moore’s arm, but Moore wrenched free. Ortiz then caught him in a headlock, and Moore countered with a headlock of his own. Ripping his head out of Moore’s headlock, Ortiz plowed Moore into the ropes and hit a leg lariat.
Both men traded strikes. Moore attempted a roll-up, but Ortiz managed to escape only to run face-first into an agile back kick. Moore went for the cover, but it was too soon in the match, and Ortiz kicked out at one.
Both men jumped up and tossed each other toward the ropes. Moore countered; Ortiz countered; Ortiz performed a crisscross, and Moore tried to beg off but was quickly pulled into a northern lights suplex. With Moore in a pinning prediction after the suplex, Ortiz hoped to score the pinfall. However, Lee leaped in the ring and crashed into both men, breaking up the hold before the referee could even get down to the mat to start a count. (This is like watching a match in fast forward, and I am sooo here for it.) Lee rolled out of the ring, but Santana was infuriated by his interference and landed a moonsault out of nowhere off the second turnbuckle to the floor.
The crowd erupted into fresh applause as Ortiz ducked Moore and put him in a lock-up. Moore countered; Ortiz countered that counter, and then Ortiz drove Moore into the second turnbuckle. Santana tagged himself in and flipped over the ring ropes, using Moore’s back for added leverage. Moore zipped to his feet but got zapped by three clothes-lines and a lightning-fast kick to the head. Santana delivered a lariat and went for the pinfall, getting the three-count.
WINNER: Santana and Ortiz in 4:00
(David’s Analysis: That had so much action; it felt like three matches in one!)
(4) TONY NESE vs. VIC CAPRI
Tony Nese sauntered his way down the ramp as Vic Capri awaited him in the ring. The announcers noted that this was Capri’s AEW debut. When Justin Roberts announced Capri’s name, applause rang throughout the crowd. (I was not expecting that. Good for Capri.)
Nese got up in Capri’s face, flexing like the blusterous buffoon his character is, and the referee separated both men. They then locked up, but Nese shoved Capri out of the way so he could do things he apparently found more important than wrestling, like… getting down on one knee and flexing his bicep while simultaneously kissing it? (This is insufferable. Someone, please punch him in the face.)
They locked up a second time, only for Nese to knee Capri in the stomach and pound the back of his head like a drum. He hung Capri’s arms across the ropes and chopped his chest. Nese looked obnoxiously pleased with himself.
Nese decided now was a good time to bless us with even more showboating but finally got his due when Capri punched right him in the stomach. (Hurray!) Capri delivered a series of elbows to the face, followed up with some punches Paul White referred to as “snug.”
Nese gathered his bearings and pushed Capri into the ropes, tripping him with a baseball slide. Nese then jumped over the top rope to the apron, then from the apron back into the ring, landing on the second rope. Nese used the second rope he’d landed on as a springboard to backflip onto Capri, taking him down. (Great athleticism.) He then pinned Capri but was unable to score a pinfall because he was too busy admiring his biceps while doing so.
Nese wrapped Capri up in a headlock and yelled at nothing. (He probably saw a cloud.)
Capri then fought to his feet, tossed Nese into the corner, and kicked the side of his head. Capri went for a pinfall and snatched Nese’s leg (because that works better than kissing your bicep), but he was still unable to score a three-count, unfortunately.
Capri delivered a right hand to Nese, which Eddie complimented on commentary. He tried swinging Neese into the ropes, but Nesse caught him and countered into a belly-to-belly piledriver for the win.
Nese then flexed his biceps because reasons.
WINNER: Nese in 2:15
(David’s Analysis: This definitely made me want to see Nese get his face smashed in by Guevara. So, if that was the goal, this match was an unqualified success. As for Vic Capri, I’d heard of him but hadn’t gotten a chance to see his stuff. I’m glad I got to see this. He was solid in the ring and had a great look despite being 48 years old. Given the crowd’s reaction, Tony Kahn should consider bringing him in every time they’re in Chicago.)
(5) DARK ORDER (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson & Alan “5” Angels) vs. HARDY FAMILY OFFICE (Matt Hardy & The Blade & Isiah Kassidy)
Hardy Family Office entered first, and Matt Hardy looked smug as his pyro went off. (I enjoy his facial expressions.) The members representing HFO were Matt Hardy, Isaiah Cassidy, and the Blade. The Bunny also accompanied them to the ring, looking refreshed from her earlier match.
Dark Order entered second, and the crowd jumped to their feet. The members representing Dark Order were Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, and Alan “5” Angels. Grayson hyped the crowd before Dark Order performed their signature salute. Several audience members performed the salute as well.
HFO then attacked Dark Order from behind, interrupting their salute and upsetting the crowd. Hardy stomp-kicked Angels before the bell and continued his flagitious assault with a leg drop after the bell. He repeated the leg drop two more times before posing with his hand in the air and running Angels headfirst into the top turnbuckle. He then tagged in the Blade, who kicked Angels in the corner and pinned his head to the second turnbuckle with his kneecap. An overwhelmed Angels tried to stand up, but Cassidy joined in to choke him from behind.
The Blade tagged in Cassidy, who proceeded to mudhole-stomp Angels in the corner. Cassidy strangled Angels with the sole of his boot and then pulled Angels up only to knock him back down with an elbow. He tossed Angels back into the heel team’s corner, and all three members of HFO took turns antagonizing the poor guy. Hardy got tagged in and bent down for Cassidy to use his back as a springboard for whatever his next move might’ve been. However, Angels derailed their plan by overtaking Cassidy and lurching toward Dark Order’s corner. He almost tagged in Grayson before Hardy grabbed hold of his boot and dragged him back to the center of the ring.
With his boot still in Hardy’s hand, Angels delivered a kick to Hardy’s head and ran to the Dark Order’s corner, but before he could get a tag, the Blade flew across the ring and interfered. Hardy then picked Angels up, but Angels squirmed out of Hardy’s grip like an angry cat and rolled across the mat to, once again, almost get the tag. Moments before he could touch Grayson’s hand, both members of Dark Order were dragged off the apron to the floor by HFO.
Hardy delivered a Side Effect to Angels and went for a pin, but Uno broke it up. Frustrated, Hardy dragged Angels back into the center of the ring and tagged in Cassidy. Cassidy headed up top for a gargantuan senton, only for Angels to roll out of the way, sending him crashing to the mat. (That had to have knocked the wind out of him.) This allowed Angels to finally tag in Grayson, who entered the match guns blazing. Grayson shoulder tackled Cassidy multiple times before wrapping him up and carrying out a belly-to-belly suplex.
Hardy jumped on the second rope, and Grayson punched him back down to the floor while Cassidy tagged in the Blade. The Blade and Grayson got into a punching contest, which Grayson settled with two intense knees to the Blade’s chest. Grayson swung the Blade toward the ropes, but the Blade countered. Grayson then countered the Blade’s counter and hit a clothes-line that took them both down. Grayson popped up, and the crowd was elated. Grayson went for a fireman’s carry, but the Blade wriggled out, not noticing as Uno scored a blind tag.
Uno and Grayson double-teamed the Blade with a roundhouse kick into (yes into) a reverse DDT. Uno went for the cover and got very, very close to a three-count. The crowd booed as the referee held up a two, signifying that Dark Order had not yet won.
Uno tried to suplex the Blade, but the Blade escaped his hold. He then punched the Blade and ran into the ring ropes to gain further momentum but was stopped when he crashed into the Blade’s elbow. The Blade tagged in Hardy, and Uno tagged in Angels. (Things are really picking up!)
Hardy ran across the ring to attack Angels while he was still halfway through the ropes. He landed nearly a dozen forearms across Angels’ back and shoulders before doing his signature “Delete” chop. Surprisingly, the crowd got moderately into the “Delete” chop despite Hardy’s opponents being the Dark Order.
Hardy kicked Angels in the guts and set up a Twist of Fate, but Angels rolled out and countered with a Twist of Fate of his own. Hardy crashed down so hard he bounced right off the mat. (Dang.) Angels ripped off his shirt and climbed to the top rope. The crowd was on fire.
Angels hit a frog splash on a devastated-looking Hardy to score a believable near-fall, but the Blade and Cassidy interfered. (I was so sure this was the end, I almost missed the Blade and Cassidy breaking up the count.) The crowd booed! Uno and Grayson hit the ring to fight off the Blade and Cassidy. All the while, Hardy struggled to so much as sit up. The announcers all agreed, there was no way Hardy could have kicked out of that pinning predicament had it not been broken up by his teammates.
Chaos ensued as members from both teams jumped into the ring and fought each other across the mat and back to ringside. Grayson dove over the top rope with a tornado onto the Blade, who was standing on the floor to sort of catch him.
Hardy attempted to superplex Angels off the top rope, but Angels fought back, punching him down. Angels leaped off the top rope onto Hardy, but Hardy caught him and set up a Side Effect, and the Side Effect was reversed into a near fall. Then, out of nowhere, Cassidy jumped onto the apron and kicked Angels in the back of the head. A gleeful Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate and got a very, very tainted victory.
Ever the sore winner, Matt Hardy screamed at disappointed fans, telling them to remember his name. Great heel work.
WINNER: Hardy Family Office in 6:30
(David’s Analysis: This was the best match on the show and probably should’ve been the main event — not that the main event was bad, just that this one was better. Hardy isn’t as dynamic in the ring as he used to be, but I think he makes up for it with his character work. I don’t think anyone looked weak due to the way Hardy got the win, and I think HFO needed this win far more than Dark Order, at least, for now.)
(6) JAY LETHAL vs. TRENTON STORM
Trenton Storm stood in the ring as Jay Lethal made his ring entrance. The chyron noted this is Trenton Storm’s AEW debut.
Lethal and Storm circled each other, but not for long because Storm kicked Lethal in the stomach, doubling him over. Storm pounded Lethal’s back, punched his face, and chopped his chest. Lethal was reeling. Storm pushed Lethal into the ropes near the corner and delivered another hard chop. He then slung Lethal back first into the ropes and went for a dropkick, but Lethal baseball slid underneath him, caught him with an arm drag, did a one-handed backflip into a dropkick of his own. (That was spectacular.)
Lethal then did the “Ric Flair strut” to celebrate. (He should re-think that one.) He then delivered a hard chop of his own, and Storm stumbled across the ring, clutching his chest. Lethal went for an Irish whip into the ropes, but Storm reversed and ran toward Lethal. Lethal jumped over Storm, getting a good amount of height, and it looked like Lethal would regain control of the match. However, Storm gouged Lethal’s eyes to stop his momentum. With Lethal clutching his face, Storm rolled him up.
Lethal quickly escaped the roll-up, but Storm immediately responded with a kick to the jaw. Lethal was then down as Storm stood tall. Storm then rolled up a writhing Lethal to score a two-count.
Lethal still held his jaw as Storm decided to slow the match’s pace and put Lethal in a sleeper. Lethal “hulked” himself back to his feet with the support of an enthusiastic crowd. He elbowed Storm repeatedly in the stomach until he was finally able to free himself.
Lethal then chopped Storm and bounced off the ropes, only for Storm to attempt to kick him. Lethal caught Storm’s foot and doled out a stiff clothes-line. He followed that up with a dropkick, a chop, and what appeared to be a Side Effect transitioned into a forward powerbomb. I’m not sure what that move was called, but it looked great. Lethal then did a springboard summersault into the ropes and used the momentum to deliver a devastating diamond cutter.
Lethal goes for the cover and gets the win!
WINNER: Jay Lethal in 2:15.
(David’s Analysis: Before the match, I thought this would be an instantaneous squash, but that was clearly not what they were going for. They gave Storm a chance to look dominant before his inevitable loss. I like when AEW does this. Just because someone needs to lose a match quickly doesn’t mean they have to also lose potential future value. Lethal was good, but everyone already knew that. Regardless of whether he is guilty of the things he was accused of, he should seriously reconsider doing the Flair strut for now. There’s no need to draw attention to a potentially damaging situation. Doing so would be an unforced error, IMHO.)
(7) THE ACCLAIMED & CHAOS PROJECT vs. VARSITY BLONDS (w/Julia Hart) & JOHN SILVER & ALEX REYNOLDS
The Varsity Blonds (w/Julia Hart) came out first, followed by their one-off tag partners for the night, John Silver and Alex Reynolds. Hart did a pre-match flip in the ring and got lifted onto the Varsity Blonds’ shoulders. They struck a celebratory pose.
Next up, Chaos Project made their way out. As the streamers used in their entrance finished falling, Luther tried to eat them — yes, eat them. After that, The Acclaimed made their way to the ring with Max Caster rapping on the microphone. (I’m sure will be both innocent and polite.) Caster finished up with the line: “You’re just like Aaron Rodgers; you’ll never get a shot.” He seemed very… pleased with this. Anthony Bowens ended the routine with his usual, “The Acclaimed have arrived!” (I love to hate these guys.)
Luther and Reynolds started things off. They circled one another until the Acclaimed distracted Reynolds, and Luther used the moment to kick him while his head was turned. Luther tagged in Serpentico and tried to fling him into Reynolds, but Reynolds got his foot up, and Serpentico ran right into it. Reynolds delivered a high boot to Serpentico’s shoulder, which sent him spinning through the air.
Reynolds tagged in Silver, and together, they executed a double drop-toe on Serpentico. Silver tagged in Griff Garrison, who was immediately blind tagged by Brian Pillman Jr. The two Varsity Blonds proceeded to double-team Serpentico, beating him down in one neutral corner before slinging him into the other neutral corner where the beatdown continued. Pillman Jr. delivered a clothes-line, a back elbow, and a chop. Then, Pillman Jr. bent over so Garrison could use his back as a springboard to jump onto Serpentico with a big splash. Garrison then yanked Serpentico’s arm and swung him in a circle, which sent him barreling toward Pillman Jr., who nailed him with a shoulder tackle. (How long are they allowed to double team? This seems excessive.) Pillman Jr. grabs Serpentico and pulls him up for a powerbomb. (Oh good, Garrison’s got back on the apron.) Serpentico counters the powerbomb with a hurricanrana.
Caster reached over the ring ropes and clotheslined an already stunned Pillman Jr., who crashed back-first onto the mat. Serpentico tagged in Caster, who kicked Pillman Jr. in the stomach before turning right around to tag in Bowens. Bowens attacked Pillman Jr. from behind and then alternated between forearms to the back of Pillman Jr’s head and blows to the side of his head. This continued until Pillman Jr. fell to his knees and then onto his back. Pillman Jr. rolled away from the onslaught of offense. Bowens chased Pillman Jr. down and wrapped him in a headlock. He then tagged in Luther, who kicked Pillman Jr. in the stomach while Bowens held his head.
Luther tagged in Serpentico and, without Serpentico’s consent, smashed his head into Pillman Jr’s. (I feel bad for Serpentico right now.) This seemed to have hurt Serpentico more than it did Pillman Jr. because Pillman Jr. was left standing while Serpentico writhed on the ground in pain. Luther helped Serpentico up because he’s a good — Wait. No. He’s using him as a weapon again. This time, instead of hitting Pillman Jr. in the head, Luther missed with his… Serpentico, and Serpentico’s skull is smashed into a turnbuckle. Luther then ran at Pillman Jr., who grabbed the top rope, pulled it down, and allowed Luther’s own momentum to send him out of the ring and to the floor.
Regaining consciousness, sort of, Serpentico made an attempt to grab Pillman Jr.’s ankle as he rushed toward the face team’s corner. Pillman Jr. tagged in Garrison, who backdropped Serpentico and slung him into the corner. Caster ran in, followed by Bowens. Garrison tossed Caster right back out, but Bowens was able to get in a few shots before being slung into the ropes and caught by a high boot. Garrison then splashed both Bowens and Serpentico, in that order. Garrison tried to lift Serpentico into a standing backdrop, only for him to escape just in time for Bowens to go to town, chopping the ever-loving you-know-what out of Garrison’s chest. Bowens landed a superkick to Garrison’s jaw, but despite this, Garrison managed to pull out a rolling elbow, knocking Bowens clear out of the ring. Garrison tagged John Silver.
Silver swung Serpentico into the ropes, but Serpentico quickly put on the breaks. Serpentico hurried up to the top rope, only for Silver to kick him off balance. Silver then executed a running cannonball senton off the apron onto Caster, a running elbow into Bowens, and pump kicked Luther before climbing to the top rope.
Serpentico was now in the center of the ring, still punch-drunk from his opponents’ (and partners?) devastating offense, and this set him up to take a high crossbody from Silver. Silver went for the pin but only got a two-count. Reynolds then jumped into the ring to help Silver, but Silver, for some reason, immediately tossed him outside to the floor where a bunch of people happened to be serendipitously standing around.
Serpentico caught Silver off guard and rolled him up, clutching his tights for leverage, but Silver kicked out at two. Silver then slung a still half-collapsed Serpentico into the ropes, kicked him in the back of the head, lifted him onto his shoulders, and delivered a Spin Doctor.
Silver mercifully covered Serpentico and scored the three-count for the win.
WINNER: Varsity Blonds (w/Julia Hart), John Silver & Alex Reynolds in 4:45
(David’s Analysis: This was a fun match. It wasn’t Dark Order’s best work, but it’s still worth catching. Dark Order is very, very over.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a nice show. The only match I didn’t care for was the first one, and even that wasn’t so bad. It’s certainly impressive how much energy AEW puts into everything they do.
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