The PG Era Rant for AEW Elevation, Episode 32 (“Let’s Get Some Chikara Up In Here”), October 4, 2021.
From Rochester, NY.
Your hosts are Tony, Paul, and Eddie.
TONIGHT! Skye Blue looks for her first win as she takes on Emi Sakura! Shawn Spears and Wardlow look to avoid an upset from Marko Stunt and Fuego Del Sol! CHIKARA IS IN THE HOUSE as Santana and Ortiz face The Batiri! And The Acclaimed are back in action as they go against To Infinity… And Beyond!
PLUS — 2point0 and Daniel Garcia in a trios match, Lance Archer, Abadon, Sonny Kiss, Kris Statlander, and FTR!
Opening match: Skye Blue (0-5) vs. Emi Sakura (w/Lulu Pencil) (6-1). Blue gets an entrance! Good for her. Kingston intentionally leaves Schiavone hanging so he can mark out for Pencil, then tells Skye to get over outside of her hometown of Chicago. We’re off and running.
Sakura refuses Code of Honor from Skye. Skye backs Sakura into the corner, then gives a clean break before grabbing the arm. Sakura slaps to break, so Skye with a double-leg and they fight on the ground. Sakura gets the better of that and picks her up to deliver some hairpull slams. Corner crossbody, but Skye kicks away only to get knocked to the floor. Pencil stomps away behind the ref’s back, much to Kingston’s chagrin, and back in, Sakura with the Romero Special into a camel clutch. (Kingston: “You got another weird name for that, Excalibur?”) Skye fights out and slugs away, but Sakura keeps cutting her off with knees to the ribs.
A big chop sends Skye to the corner, where Sakura smacks her again. Blind charge eats elbow and Skye with a diving rana into a running roundhouse kick. She goes up, and a diving bodypress gets two. Shiranui try, but Sakura breaks with the hair. Skye escapes the tiger backbreaker and lands a SUPERKICK, but Sakura clutches the rope at two. Skye ties a casadora, but Sakura shoves off into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and pulls her up at two. Double underhook into a body vice into a spinning slam – Schiavone calls it the Queen’s Gambit – wins at 4:02. Great bit: Kingston notes that Sakura usually saves that move for tougher matches, so what does that say about Skye? That definitely adds to the goodness of the match. *3/4
Full Gear is coming to Pay-Per-View and Minneapolis, November 13.
Daniel Garcia (5-6) and 2point0 (Matt Lee and Jeff Parker) (6-3) vs. Shayne Stetson, Justin Corino, and the 1 Man Thrill Ride (debut as a trio). Kingston: “The ugliest trio in AEW.” Part of that has to be that 2point0 insists on Nasty Boys’ cosplay. Roberts screws up and calls Stetson “Anthony Greene”.
Garcia and Stetson start, and Garcia just pummels him. Hammer throw and big chop, and Parker and Lee come in. They clear the apron, but Garcia reminds them of Stetson, so the trio get a dropkick into a double Russian legsweep. Garcia’s legal again, and he yanks Thrill Ride in and gives him a Saito suplex. Parker joins, so he yanks Corino in, but Corino with a left hook before escaping… and running into Lee’s lariat. Parker then stomps away on Stetson (remember him? Legal man?), but Corino is thrown back in and 2point0 and Garcia destroy him with their corner combo. Parker and Garcia in – very quick tags mean they can all be in at once – and Garcia tosses Stetson into Two for the Show. Sharpshooter ends Stetson at 2:29, and Garcia being a jerk keeps it on for another 10 seconds. Total slaughter. 1/4*
Something something Long Island.
Marko Stunt and Fuego Del Sol (1-0) vs. Wardlow and Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) (5-0). I think Wardlow outweighs the opposition by himself. Spears is wearing a special Jon Huber forever shirt. Fuego is still very over wherever he goes. Kingston: “I don’t get this Fuego guy.” Wight: “He’s a luchador from Alabama; what’s there to get?”
Spears and Fuego start as the crowd chants for Fuego. He does circles around Fuego, snapmares him, and gives him the old TEN off of a cartwheel. Spears gets a wristlock, but Fuego backflips and steps over to break it, then makes Spears run away from a springboard handspring elbow and spin kick. So Spears brings in Wardlow to make Fuego pay. Marko wants in, for some reason, and Fuego obliges. Wardlow looks amused at Marko standing up to him, and after a pat on the head, Marko charges for a crossbody and just bounces off. A chop by Marko does nothing but anger Wardlow, but Marko dodges in the corner and gets a chop and dropkick. Marko charges, and Wardlow LAUNCHES him 10 feet in the air before catching him in a powerslam!
Spears in, and he mocks Fuego while Marko looks for his spleen. Spears with a slam and he tells Fuego to watch this. He goes up top, but Marko rolls across the ring. So Spears climbs the other corner, and Marko rolls away from that too. Try the first corner again, and Marko rolls away again. Spears finally gives up and picks Marko up, and Marko with an enzuigiri and hot tag Fuego. Fuego kicks hard against Spears, ending with a SUPERKICK to a kneeling Spears. Wardlow charges and is low-bridged, and Fuego gets a Lionsault on Spears.
Fuego and Marko dive onto Wardlow to keep him away, and back in, Fuego tries the TORNADO DDT OF DEATH. Spears shoves him off and catches both men at once with the running Death Valley Driver, and Wardlow wants the coup de grace. Powerbomb to Fuego, then he powerbombs Marko ONTO Fuego. Marko’s legal, and a press slam into Casualty of War ends it at 6:08. A very nice big/little match. **1/4 And yes, at least half a star of that is for the hangtime Wardlow gave Marko.
AEW Elite GM app ad.
Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts) (#5 men, 23-3) vs. Louis Bruno (debut). Schiavone claims Archer has his work cut out for him, which… yeah, no. Archer gets a huge ovation, and thankfully Bruno is already in the ring. And wow, Bruno is maybe taller than Archer!
Bruno smacks Archer at the bell and exits the ring to stalk Roberts. The referee tries to pull him away, but Archer’s more successful and slugs him down. Roberts with a receipt to a big pop, and Archer with a cannonball off the apron! Back in, Archer with a HARD forearm to Bruno and he clubs away. Archer with a crossbody off the ropes (!!) and he follows with running back elbows in the corner. The third one eats boot, though, and Bruno goes up, but Archer catches him up there and brings him down with the Blackout to win at 1:39. Can you believe how good someone can look in a two-minute match like this? Archer salutes Brodie Lee post-match.
Abadon (20-2) vs. Davienne (0-1). Davienne is someone who’s gotten some airtime in Beyond and Limitless up in New England. Kingston (as Abadon enters): “Schiavone! Get in front of me!” Abadon has a long mohawk for a new hairstyle, and Davienne is… freaking out just from the entrance.
Abadon takes her down with a double-leg and clubs her. Davienne with a forearm that Abadon tanks, then a kick and Hammer Throw. Abadon slips to the outside and catches Davienne with a kneelift. Guillotine Stunner by Abadon, and back in, a half-senton crushes Davienne. Leg hook DDT ends it at 1:16. Wight: “And October is her month, too, with Halloween!”
Meanwhile, Gunn Club want to talk. Colten says they’ve been overlooked all the time they’ve been in AEW. Austin says they went out of their way to cheer with the crowd during the pandemic, but no one thanked them or gave them any credit. Same when they were taking over AEW’s Instagram. Billy summarizes: you don’t want the Gunn Club fired up, but remember, what they do best is not lose.
Santana and Ortiz (9-3) vs. Obariyon and Kodama (debut… in this gimmick). Mark Henry takes over on commentary for Kingston. Obariyon and Kodama are the Batiri from Chikara. Everyone in the match is wearing face paint – well, except the ref.
Ortiz and Kodama (Chris Peaks) start. Ortiz with a lockup takedown and clothesline, and Santana in to toss Kodama to Obariyon (Louis Valle). Obariyon attacks Santana and tries a rana, but Santana catches him with a powerbomb and dropkick. Ortiz back in, and PnP catch Kodama with a javelin cannonball into Obariyon. Spin Cycle slam ends Obariyon at 1:47. New look, same result.
Kris Statlander (w/Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta) (#5 women, 19-1) vs. Becca (debut). Or, as AEW spells it, B3cca. Not sure why. Now, if you follow my night threads, you’ll recognize Becca from the scrunchie match I posted a while ago. Statlander spent a lot of time with Beyond in New England, so odds are these two know each other a little.
Statlander with a standing chinlock, but Becca blocks the BOOP. Statlander follows with an armdrag, but Becca stops the BOOP again and kick saway. Statlander runs Becca over with a shouldeerblock, then catches Becca trying a monkey flip with a cradle for one. Powerslam follows, then a running forearm in the corner. Becca kicks Statlander away and goes up, but Statlander catches her in mid-flight with the Falcon Arrow. BOOP. Big Bang Theory ends at 1:32. By the way, not that anyone asked, but I think I’d rather have Eddie Kingston than Mark Henry, who seems to be a dud as an announcer. And now, we HUG IT OUT.
The Acclaimed vs. Colin Delaney and Cheech. Yes, THAT Colin Delaney. Here we go. “Wait, that’s Colin Delaney? I thought it was an extra from Real Slim Shady! And that guy must be a genius; his big bald head looks just like a penis!” No chyrons. Cheech and Delaney were in Chikara as To Infinity And Beyond.
TIAB attack the Acclaimed at the bell, but on the double-whip, Bowens murders Delaney with a lariat. Cheech is blasted with a gamengiri and back suplex, and Bowens with a slingshot elbowdrop. Bowens goes CLUBBERIN, THEY BE CLUBBERIN on Cheech, but Cheech recovers with a suplex. Hot tag Delaney, but after some chops he runs into a back elbow and SUPERKICK from Bowens. Double Russian Legsweep by the Acclaimed, then a running kick by Bowens and a full senton by Caster, Cheech saves.
Bowens with the inverted Olympic Slam to Cheech, but Delaney flies in with a springboard cutter to Caster for two, Bowens saves. Rolling elbow by Delaney, but Caster with a sort of TKO to Delaney. Bowens catches Cheech with a spinning hanging DDT, then Acclaim To Fame ends it at 3:05. Delaney got a few hope spots, but that’s about it. *1/4
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, w/Tully Blanchard) (#5 team, 21-3) vs. Zach Nystrom and Elijah Dean (debut). FTR has a new theme track, which I’m guessing is inspired by the Midnight Express.
Dean charges at the bell and runs into the Big Rig. They take time to knock Nystrom off the apron before pinning Dean at 16.7 seconds. They never took their jackets off, and Harwood’s cover made it seem like he was surprised there wasn’t a kickout.
Sonny Kiss (9-10) vs. Kevin “KM” Matthews (debut). Remember KM from Impact? It’s okay if you don’t. Kiss has new music too. I can’t place who the singer is imitating.
Matthews yanks Kiss down off the lockup and tosses him into the corner, but Kiss catches him coming in and tries a sunset flip and inside cradle. Matthews blocks both and tries to Roll the Dice, but Kiss with a head kick (from that position) and running headscissors. Kiss with the handspring heel kick and he tries to lift Matthews, but Matthews is too big and changes it to a full nelson slam for two. Announcers say Kiss’s back is still sore from Kayla Rossi’s attack as Matthews twists Kiss in the ropes and gets a rear choke.
Matthews with a big slam and he goes to the apron, but the slingshot splash airballs. Kiss with kicks to turn the tide, then knees to the jaw and a punt kick. He ducks a big boot, but Matthews tosses Kiss down off a casadora attempt. Matthews goes up, but Kiss catches him with a gamengiri to knock him back down. Now Kiss gets him up to a nice pop, and the split TKO wins at 3:14. They packed quite a bit in those three minutes, lemme tell ya. *1/2
But before we can get excited, here’s Kayla Rossi making her way to the ring. There’s a staredown as the crowd is looking for when Joey Janela enters, and here he is ready with a chair… only Kiss catches him and slugs him out! Kiss picks up the chair and Janela bails out of the ring (into Rossi’s arms) as the crowd loves it. This Is Not Over – the feud, I mean. The show is.
DYNAMITE!
- Sammy Guevara defends against Bobby Fish!
- Hikaru Shida faces Serena Deeb!
- The Casino Ladder Match is back!
- And it’s an 8-man tag of Team Danielson vs. The Elite!
You know, when I saw the lineup I wasn’t impressed with it as I figured there wasn’t really a match that would be in doubt. There wasn’t, but even though you could call all 10 winners before the matches began, they didn’t let that get in the way. Cheech and Delaney, Marko and Fuego, and Matthews each got some shine, and Skye Blue looks like her first win will be a big deal when it happens. Hopefully, though, Dark will have some better matches, and man that Dynamite just feels loaded.
STATS:
BELL-TO-BELL – 25:29 over ten matches (average time 2:33)
BEST MATCH – Spears/Wardlow vs Marko/Fuego
FIVE STARS:
- Wardlow
- Emi Sakura
- Sonny Kiss
- Lance Archer
- Eddie Kingston on commentary
See you tomorrow!