8/23/21 AEW Dark Elevation Recap

The show opens with a quick recap of CM Punk’s arrival in AEW this past Friday on Rampage.

The opening credits roll. Eddie Kingston, Paul Wight, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary from Houston, Texas.

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Match #1 – Singles Match: Anthony Bowens vs. Dante Martin
Bowens taunts Martin, but Martin applies a wrist-lock. Bowens comes back and grabs Martin’s hair, and then applies a hammer-lock. Martin gets free and slams Bowens to the mat and taunts him a bit. Bowens backs Martin into the corner and delivers a few chops. Bowens sends Martin across and charges, but Martin gets his boots up. Martin slams Bowens’ head into the turnbuckle and goes to the ropes, but Bowens kicks his knee and Martin falls to the floor. Martin gets to the apron, but Bowens slams him shoulder-first into the ring post. Martin gets back into the ring, but Bowens grounds him with a series of rights. Bowens drops a knee on Martin’s shoulder, and follows with forearm shots. Bowens goes for the cover, but Martin kicks out. Bowens wraps Martin’s arm in the ropes and uses the five count. Bowens applies a cravat, but Martin delivers right hands to Bowens’ midsection to get free. Martin sends Bowens away, but Bowens kicks him in the midsection. Bowens slams Martin to the mat and goes for the cover, but Martin kicks out. Martin comes back with forearm shots, but Bowens kicks his knee.
Martin comes back and drapes Bowens’ leg on the ropes, and uses the leg as a step for a kick to the face. Martin delivers more forearm shots and drops Bowens with a dropkick. Martin kicks Bowens in the corner and drops him with the double springboard moonsault. Martin goes for the cover, but Bowens kicks out. Martin goes up top, but Bowens moves out of the way. Bowens shoves Martin into the corner and rolls him up for two. Bowens hits a rolling elbow and drops him with a face-buster. Bowens goes for the cover, but Martin kicks out. Bowens delivers an enzuigiri and drops Martin with the spinning DDT in the ropes. Bowens goes for the cover, but Martin kicks out again. Martin comes back with a Pele kick and drops him with a leap frog stunner for the pin fall.
Winner: Dante Martin

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Big Swole and Julia Hart are backstage. Swole says Diamante beat them both by cheating, but that’s all she can do. They challenge her to find a partner to meet them in a tag team match.

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Match #2 – Tag Team Match: Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison) (w/Julia Hart) vs. Warren Johnson and Zack Mason
Pillman and Mason start the match, and Pillman drops him with a side-headlock take down. Mason gets up and sends Pillman off the ropes, but Pillman goes for a shoudler tackle. They get face-to-face and exchange chops. Mason delivers a right hand to the midsection, but Pillman tags in Garrison. The Blonds double-team Mason for a bit and Garrison delivers a leg drop. Mason tags in Johnson, and Garrison keeps control. Hart sits on the apron to cheer them on, and Johnson gets in her face. Pillman tags in and goes after him, but Mason drops Pillman with a clothesline on the floor. Mason tags in and keeps Pillman grounded in the corner. Johnson tags back in and Mason sends him into Pillman for a splash. Johnson delivers a shotgun dropkick and goes for the cover, but Pillman kicks out. Johnson applies a headlock and takes Pillman to the corner, and Mason tags in and stomps Pillman to the mat. Johnson tags back in and tries to superkick Pillman, but Pillman dodges it and Johnson kicks Mason. Garrison tags in and sends Mason to the floor. Garrison delivers a clothesline to Johnson, and follows with a scoop slam.
Garrison splashes Johnson in the corner and takes him down with a back-body drop. Pillman tags in as Garrison kicks Mason back to the floor. Garrison delivers a back elbow to Johnson, and Pillman comes off the top with an elbow drop for the pin fall.
Winners: Varsity Blonds

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Alex Marvez interviews Diamante backstage. She says she doesn’t know why Swole and Hart challenged her since she already beat them. Diamante says she went ahead and found her the “Beast” suitable partner, and Nyla Rose walks up.

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Match #3 – Trios Tag Team Match: Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, and Wheeler Yuta (w/Kris Statlander) vs. The Hardy Family Office (Angelico, Jack Evans, and The Blade) (w/The Bunny)
Taylor and Angelico start the match with a lock-up. Taylor takes Angelico down, and they counter each other for a bit. Taylor catches Angelico in a roll-up for two, but Angelico kicks out and tags in Evans. Yuta tags in, as well, and they lock up. Yuta turns it into a headlock, and then drops Evans with a wrist-lock take down. Yuta turns it into an octopus hold and grinds his elbow into Evans’ ribs. Yuta takes Evans down and goes for the cover, but Evans kicks out. Taylor comes in with a shot to Evans and drops him with a back-suplex. Taylor goes for the cover, but Evans kicks out. Yuta tags back in as Taylor suplexes Evans to the mat. Yuta comes over the ropes onto Evans and goes for the cover, but Evans kicks out. Yuta delivers a back elbow and comes off the ropes, but Evans dodges it and connects with a few shots to the back of the head. Blade tags in and delivers chops to Yuta in the corner. Blade grinds his boot in Yuta’s face and delivers a series of left hands. Blade suplexes Yuta and goes for the cover, but Yuta kicks out. Angelico tags in and delivers kicks and punches to Yuta in the corner.
Evans tags in and TH2 double-team Yuta for a bit. Evans goes for the cover, but Yuta kicks out. Evans takes Yuta to the corner and tags in Blade. HFO try to triple-team Yuta, but Yuta gets free. Cassidy drops Blade with a shot as Yuta drops TH2 with a double dropkick. Cassidy tags in and delivers devastating kicks to TH2. He takes them down with a double hurricanrana, but Blade comes back with a kick to the midsection. Cassidy slams Blade’s head into the turnbuckle a few times and drops him with a cross-body. Cassidy goes for the tornado DDT, but Blade counters. Cassidy takes TH2 down with a dive on the floor and Taylor drops Balde with Soul Food. Taylor drops TH2 with a dive and Yuta tags in. Cassidy drips Blade with a DDT and Yuta connects with a splash. Yuta goes for the cover, but Blade kicks out. Cassidy gets taken down and TH2 double-team Yuta. Blade drops Yuta with a pile-driver and goes for the cover, but Taylor breaks it up. Taylor shoves Evans into Angelico and drops them with a flat-liner/DDT combination. Blade drops Taylor with a clothesline, but Cassidy tags in and delivers the Orange Punch. Cassidy delivers the Beach Break to Blade for the pin fall.
Winners: Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, and Wheeler Yuta
-After the match, Matt Hardy and Private Party come to the stage. Hardy does the “Delete” taunt to Cassidy, but Cassidy just puts his hands in his pockets. Cassidy, Statlander, Taylor, and Yuta share a hug and give thumbs up.

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Match #4 – Singles Match: Tay Conti vs. Promise Braxton
Conti drops Braxton to the mat immediately, and then delivers a knee strike to her face. Conti delivers shots to Braxton’s chest and rolls her up for two. Conti delivers another shot and pulls Braxton to the floor. Conti delivers a kick to the face and tosses Braxton back into th ering. Braxton goes back to the apron and guillotines Conti over the top rope. Braxton drops Conti with a clothesline and delivers a series of right hands on the mat. Braxton goes for the cover, but Conti kicks out. Conti comes back and slams Braxton to the mat with a crusher. Braxton comes back and they exchange shots. Conti backs Braxton to the ropes with forearm shots, and then drops her with Judo throws. Conti delivers a face-buster over her knee and then slams her to the mat. Conti delivers a few pump kicks in the corner and follows with a knee to the face and the DD-Tay for the pin fall.
Winner: Tay Conti

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This Wednesday on Dynamite:

-CM Punk makes his first Dynamite appearance
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament – Semifinal Match: Lucha Brothers vs. Varsity Blonds
-Jamie Hayter vs. Red Velvet
-Malakai Black vs. Brock Anderson
-Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy

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Match #5 – Trios Tag Team Match: Dark Order (Alan Angels, Colt Cabana, and Evil Uno) vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix) (w/Alex Abrahantes)
The bell rings, but then Andrade El Idolo and Chavo Gurrrero Jr. come to the stage, with interpreter Jose. They show tickets and go sit at ringside. Penta and Uno start the match. Penta does his “zero miedo” taunt, but Uno bits his fingers. Penta comes back and tags Uno down with a Slingblade. Fenix tags in and splashes onto Uno from Penta’s shoulders. Fenix goes for the cover, but Uno kicks out. Uno comes back with a few chops, but Fenix gets to the ropes and takes him down with a springboard arm-drag. Cabana tags in and Fenix delivers a few chops. Fenix goes to the ropes, but Cabana pulls free and drops Fenix with an elbow strike. Cabana goes for the cover, but Fenix kicks out. Angels tags in, but Fenix kicks him in the head. PAC tags in and tries to double-team Angels with Fenix, but Angels delivers kicks to both of them. Angels drops PAC with a leg lariat, and follows wiht a flat-liner. Angels applies a submission, and then Cabana and Uno put the Lucha Brothers in submissions as well. PAC gets to the ropes and all the holds are broken. PAC comes back with a kick to Angels’ head and then he stomps Angels into the mat.
Penta tags in and delivers a kick to Angels’ leg. Penta slaps Angels in the chest and tags in Fenix. Fenix slaps Angels in the chest and tags in PAC. PAC kicks Uno in the face and knocks Cabana to the floor. PAC takes Angels down and stares down Idolo. Penta gets in Idolo’s face and Angels takes PAC down in the ring. Cabana and Fenix tag in and Cabana delivers shots to the Lucha Brothers. They come back with chops to Cabana’s chest, but he takes them down with a springboard moonsault. Cabana hits the Flying Apple in the corner and takes Fenix down to the mat with a pile-driver. Cabana goes for the cover, but Fenix kicks out. PAC tags in and delivers a kick to Cabana’s face. PAC holds Cabana as Penta tags in and hits a double stomp. Penta goes for the cover, but Uno breaks it up. Cabana slams Penta and Angels tags in. Angels takes PAC out with a dive on the floor and Uno tags in and hits a senton on Penta. Uno goes for the cover, but Penta kicks out. Angels tags in, but Penta sends him into Uno’s elbow. Penta and Fenix take out Cabana with kicks, and then deliver the assisted Fear Factor t0 Angels. PAC goes up top and hits the Black Arrow on Angels for the pin fall.
Winners: Death Triangle
-After the match, PAC and Idolo stare each other down. In the ring, Uno and Angels begin to argue, but the rest of the Dark Order come out to try and calm them down.