Wrestling Wednesday: AEW Dark Elevation Debut was Dynamite
It wasn’t going to take much for me to tune into All Elite Wrestling’s newest show, AEW Dark Elevation. Fitting it into my Wrestling Wednesday, however, would have been difficult, so I watched it Monday night shortly after it debuted on YouTube. In a word, it was dynamite.
If the debut is any indication, AEW Dark Elevation is better than AEW Dark but not on the level of AEW Dynamite. Paul Wight, formerly known as “Big Show,” provides great color commentary and is an upgrade from Taz on AEW Dark. Tony Schiavone is no Excalibur on play-by-play commentary, but he was quite good nonetheless.
What was most impressive was the quality of matches offered free of charge. I was especially thrilled to see Big Swole back in action after missing time due to complications from Crohn’s disease. No wrestler’s introduction gets me more amped for a match than Big Swole’s, and there are plenty that get me plenty amped. None get me out of my seat and make me swing my head around like I’ve got Big Swole’s extensions, though.
The best men’s match of the AEW Dark Elevation debut was a singles match between two halves of my two favorite tag teams: The Acclaimed and my hometown heroes, Top Flight. The Acclaimed’s Max Castor performed maybe his best diss track introduction yet, and then he and AEW’s youngest full-time wrestler, 20-year-old Dante Martin, “Gravity’s Only Exception,” put on a helluva show.
The best women’s match of the inaugural AEW Dark Elevation broadcast was the main event between two of my favorite Japanese wrestlers, Riho and Maki Itoh. Itoh cut off Justin Roberts‘ introduction with her usual pop song performance and proceeded to go straight from whimsical singer to violent wrestler. Like Big Swole, she also throws her hard head around, but during matches, using a falling headbutt she calls the “Kokeshi.” She missed two of them and hit on one. I was sad to hear after her loss to Riho due to the second “Kokeshi” miss, this time off the top rope, that she returned to Japan. I hope AEW doesn’t waste too much time in bringing her back. She’s a popular ball of fire the AEW women’s division might not need, but one its fans certainly deserve.
So now my Wrestling Wednesdays could include seven consecutive hours of watching professional wrestling, but I don’t think I can put off AEW Dark Elevation until Wednesdays. If the quality remains consistent, the show is just too good not to consume when it premieres on Mondays. Watching AEW Dark on Wednesday prior to AEW Dynamite is like watching a junior varsity game held prior to the varsity game. AEW Dark Elevation is just another varsity game on the AEW schedule, and you don’t need TNT to watch it. Look for me to cover more AEW Dark Elevation news on Wrestling Wednesdays to come.
Let’s not forget the varsity game this Wrestling Wednesday, however. The St. Patrick’s Day Slam is headlined by a match to settle the biggest, baddest beef in the AEW women’s division. Thunder Rosa, “from the graveyards of Tijuana, Mexico,” will get another crack at the heel wearing high heels on her high horse, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. in the first ever women’s main event on AEW Dynamite. It’s an unsanctioned, lights-out, anything-goes match. And if that doesn’t get you to tune in tonight, consider checking out the reunion of Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston in a tag team bout against IMPACT Tag Team Champions and all-around bad guys, The Good Brothers. Oh, and Jurassic Express will team up with Bear Country to take on Matt Hardy, Private Party, and The Butcher and The Blade (with The Bunny, of course). Here’s a full preview of tonight’s show on TNT.
