AEW Dark Elevation results: Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue vs. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh

It’s Monday and you know what that means: AEW Dark: Elevation with matches taped last Wednesday in Charleston, West Virginia. Excalibur and Matt Menard were on commentary.

Anna Jay A.S. (w/ Angelo Parker) defeated Nikki Victory (1:02)

The commentary team didn’t inform us if there was any relation between Nikki Victory and Jack Victory. Jay won quickly with a hook kick into the Queen Slayer for the tapout.

Ruby Soho & Ortiz defeated Nikki Midas & Queen Aminata (1:52)

Soho hit the No Future on Midas, who then walked right into a fisherman’s bomb from Ortiz for the pinfall. Ortiz did his best Rick Rude imitation to all four sides of the arena to give Soho the vapors.

Dante Martin defeated Jackson Drake (2:26)

Drake hit a fantastic fisherman’s suplex early for a near fall. Drake countered Martin’s attempt at a vertical suplex, but Martin reversed the reversal and got the suplex anyway. Martin got a near fall after a top rope crossbody and later got the pin after a half and half suplex that he turned into an uranage. They might have gone home early here. Drake was bleeding from the nose and/or mouth right before the finish.

Serena Deeb defeated Megan Meyers (2:56)

I don’t know why Excalibur needs to do commentary on every show, but he and Menard make a fantastic team. Deeb tied up Meyers in an Indian death lock and clawed at Meyers’ face while soaking in the boos from the crowd. Meyers mounted a brief comeback and then ran into a stiff clothesline from Deeb. Deeb hit a twist & shout neckbreaker and got the submission with the Serenity Lock.

Dark Order’s John Silver, Alex Reynolds & 10 (w/ Evil Uno) defeated D’Mone Solavino, Alexander Apollo & RC Dupree

There was a huge “Johnny Hungie!” chant from the crowd before the match started. Reynolds got caught in the heel corner after an eye rake from Solavino. 10 got the hot tag and overpowered all of his opponents. Dupree got hit with Silver and Reynolds’ rapid fire finishing sequence (rolling elbow into a gamengiri into a stunner into a german suplex), and then 10 finished off Dupree with a clothesline. Silver was so excited to celebrate the win he almost forgot to get the pinfall.

Julia Hart defeated Hayley Shadows (2:06)

Just based on surnames, Shadows should be in the House of Black. Hart should walk to the ring a lot slower to really sell her character change. I will say her new theme is a great fit for the character change.

Shadows walked into a kick from Hart immediately and then Hart dominated. Shadows got a flash rollup for a near fall and Hart responded with a thrust kick. Hart locked in a variation of the Rings of Saturn to get the tapout.

Tony Nese & Josh Woods (w/ “Smart” Mark Sterling) defeated Andrea Guercio & Logan James

Woods got Guercio with a doctor bomb for a near fall that was broken up by James. Nese disposed of James while Woods caught Guercio with an Olympic Slam out of the corner as Nese ran in to add a swinging neckbreaker at the same time. Woods then got the pinfall.

Death Triangle (AEW All-Atlantic Champion PAC, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo) defeated Rosario Grillo, Dean Alexander & “Manscout” Jake Manning

Everything PAC does in the ring is so smooth. This was a warm-up for Death Triangle before their match on Wednesday with Will Ospreay and Aussie Open. Penta got the win with the Fear Factor Package piledriver.

After the match, they brought a kid in the ring to celebrate his birthday and Penta gave him his gloves.

Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue (7:10)

The crowd was very into Itoh as she sang her way to the ring. 

Shida wore the Regina Di WAVE championship belt to the ring that she won recently in Japan. The heels jumped Shida and Blue before the bell. Shida hurt her hand trying to punch Itoh, but avoided the kokeshi headbutt. Sakura dominated Blue, catching her in the corner with “We will chop you!” and a crossbody. Blue caught Itoh with an enziguri and got the tag to Shida.

Shida caught Ito with an elbow to the jaw, giving Itoh ten punches in the corner (and the camera work did them no favors; it was clear that Shida was hitting her own hand, not Itoh’s head). Shida caught Itoh with a brainbuster and got involved in a tussle in the ropes with Sakura, but got caught from behind with a headbutt from Itoh.

Itoh hit the kokeshi diving headbutt and got the tag to Sakura. Shida came back with forearms on Shida, but Sakura connected with a boot. Shida caught Sakura with a step up hurricanrana, and tags were made on both sides.

Blue tried to send Itoh into the turnbuckles headfirst, but Itoh has an iron head so that didn’t work. Itoh dropped Blue with a headbutt, and then held out her knee for Sakura to drive Blue into gut first. Shida broke up a pinfall attempt and all four women started brawling.

Sakura dropped Shida with a backdrop suplex. Blue went for a superkick, but Sakura ducked and Blue caught Shida with the kick. Itoh came off the middle ropes with a DDT on Shida, and they both fought to the floor. This left Sakura alone in the ring with Blue. Sakura hit Blue with a spinning backbreaker and finished her off with the Queen’s Gambit (Stormbreaker) for the pinfall.

After the match, Sakura challenged Shida for a Regina Di WAVE championship.

Final Thoughts:

It’s a shame that Shida and Sakura are only mixing it up with each other on AEW Dark as they should be on the main shows and in the mix with other performers. This was the best Skye Blue has looked. 

Elevation has a fresher energy than Tuesday’s Dark shows, probably because it’s being taped right before Dynamite. They really only need one of these shows.