AEW Dark Elevation Women's Matches- March 21, 2022 (Episode 55)

 By Mark Rodriguez

We got three matches in tonight's episode of AEW Elevation. These match ups are pretty interesting so I was looking forward to seeing these as soon as work is over. 

Match 1- Nyla Rose v Robyn Renegade

The match opens with Vickie Guerrero walking in to Nyla's theme music. She tells Robyn to turn around where she gets blindsided by Nyla who is already in the ring. Nyla quickly picks her up and slams her then squashes her with a senton. Robyn gets up against the ringpost and Nyla slams into her with a running elbow. Nyla runs over and hits Robyn with a cannonball senton. 

Vickie is arguing with the ref and while they're distracted, Robyn switches with her twin Charlette. As Nyla goes to pick her up, Charlette goes for the roll up pin. Charlette throws a lot of chops and elbows that doesn't effect Nyla one bit. Nyla grabs her and slams her with a Samoan Drop. Nyla kicks Robyn off the ring and destroys Charlette with the Beast Bomb. Nyla wins the match and Vickie sets a 'I Survived Nyla' shirt upon Charlette's face.

Match 2- Skye Blue v Julia Hart

Both women lock up with Skye going for rear wristlock transitioning into a crucifix pin, which Julia kicks out of. Julia goes for the roll up pin but Skye gets out of it. Both women do a good job avoiding each other's moves, especially them trying to thrust kick each other. The crowd is impressed and Skye offers a handshake of respect, but Julia chooses to pie-face her. Skye shoves her and Julia shoves her back which leads to both of them trading blows with each other.

Skye topples Julia down and lets loose with a barrage of punches. Julia rolls out of the ring and out of harm's way. Skye runs towards the ropes to get out of the ring, but Julia gets back in. With Skye still on the ring apron, Julia delivers a thrust kick to the face, knocking her to the ground. Julia gets out of the ring and grabs Skye, sending up against the steel steps.

Skye struggles her way back into the ring, avoiding the count-out but Julia was waiting to kick her on the side of the head as she climbed back in. Julia gets Skye up against the ropes and starts throwing elbows. Skye falls to the mat and Julia starts stomping away at her until the ref breaks it up. 

Skye tries to go for a punch but Julia grabs her and kicks her across the back. She then legsweeps her. Julia goes for a moonsault press and a pin but Skye kicks out. Julia is furious and flings Skye towards the turnbuckle. She goes for a handspring but Skye thrust kicks her in the face before she could complete it. Skye runs over and goes for the pin but Julia kicks out.

Skye goes for a waistlock but Julia reverses into her own rear waistlock. Skye goes for the ropes and positions herself so she can just drop on Julia and try for a pinfall. Julia kicks out. Skye gets her against the turnbuckle and hits her with some elbows and a loud chop. Skye throws Julia up against another turnbuckle, opposite side of the ring and runs towards her. Julia gets out of the way and shoves Skye's face into the turnbuckle. Julia goes for the leverage pin, the ref not seeing her feet on the ropes and gets the win over Skye.

Match 3- Emi Sakura & The Bunny v Ruby Soho & Anna Jay

The match opens with Ruby Soho and Emi Sakura squaring off. Ruby gets her in a headlock, but Emi shoves her off. Ruby runs into Emi but can't knock her down. Emi goes for a punch and Ruby ducks and knocks her down. As Ruby runs for the ropes, Bunny taps her on the head, distracting her long enough for Emi to clock her from behind. 

Emi grabs Ruby and bounces her off the ropes to make her fall backwards on the mat. She tries again with another side of the ring but Ruby bounces back with a roll up pin. Emi kicks out and Ruby socks her in the face, using this chance to tag Anna Jay in. Both women bounce Emi up against the ropes and slam her with a Double Flatliner. Anna Jay goes for the pin but Emi kicks out. Emi tags The Bunny in.

Anna Jay and The Bunny face off, having had many matches in the past. Bunny shoves Anna Jay back and both women come to blows. Anna Jay grabs her arm and flings her towards the turnbuckle. She then run and hits The Bunny with a back kick. Number 99 of the Dark Order then throws The Bunny back and goes for a pin. Bunny kicks out and tags Emi back in. 

Anna Jay grabs Emi Sakura in a suplex. Emi rakes her across the the eyes and grabs her in an underhook. She rakes her nails across her back and then grabs her upside down. Emi takes her sweet time turning to her all 4 corners of the ring before dropping her into the back breaker. Emi tags The Bunny back in. Bunny starts kicking and stomping on Anna Jay. She hits her with overhead elbows and then flings her towards the turnbuckle where she continued to kick her until the referee stops her. 

Bunny tags Emi in where she starts her 'We Will Rock You' chants. She runs into Ann Jay with the flying crossbody, and then gets out of the ring and trips up Ruby. Ruby hits her face against the apron on the way down. Ruby tries to into the ring to get at Emi and the referee holds her back. Meanwhile Anna Jay lands a running elbow on Anna Jay. Emi climbs the ropes and poses for the crowd, but as she goes for a body splash, Anna Jay gets out of the way and Emi slams against the mat. Emi and Anna Jay tag in their respective partners.

Ruby kicks at The Bunny and hits her with a high knee. The Bunny goes for a kick but Ruby catches her foot and hits her with another high knee strike to the face. With The Bunny dazed, Ruby grabs her and rocks her head against the turnbuckle. She runs at her but Bunny gets out of the way. The female member of the newly formed AFO goes for a strike, but Ruby catches her arm and hits her with her own series of strikes and a headbutt. Ruby gets Bunny up against the turnbuckle, but Bunny is able to get out of the way of her attack a second time. This time Ruby goes for the ropes and grabs Bunny with her legs and pulls her face into the turnbuckle as Ruby hangs off her.

Ruby goes for the pin but Emi comes in to break it up. Ann Jay jumps in to take down Emi, but Emi ducks her punch and knocks her down. Ruby tries to hit Emi but is grabbed by The Bunny. Emi grabs Anna Jay and both women are ready to send Anna Jay and Ruby 'Down the Rabbit Hole'. Ruby manages to hit The Bunny with No Future and Anna Jay locks Emi in the QueenSlayer. Ruby pins Anna Jay and wins the match for the team.

My Opinions- 

The Nyla match was a quick squash but it was cool to see the Renegade Twins together. They did their version of 'twin magic' but it felt more like one twin 'volunteering as tribute' as Charlette was the one to take the Beast Bomb. Even the commentary was confused because they kept referring to Robyn as the twin outside the ring even though the match started with Robyn actually being in the match. They only got it right after the switch.

The second match was pretty good as I enjoyed seeing Skye and Julia sizing each other up. I was surprised Julia got the win though. I guess it makes sense to further her storyline as a heel and showcase her more vicious style. This was probably the first match on Dark Elevation where I didn't know who was going to win, and even when I thought for sure that Skye would get this one, Julia surprised me with the win.

Speaking of surprise wins, I really thought Emi and The Bunny were going to win this one in the end. Just the way Bunny caught Ruby off guard like that made me think both her and Anna Jay were going down the rabbit hole. While I understand Dark Elevation is to help elevate newcomers and help some of the mid-carders hone their craft, I wouldn't mind actually seeing Ruby and her teammates take a loss. In this case all 4 women were veterans, it's just a matter that Emi Sakura and Anna Jay don't have the star power that Ruby and Anna Jay have. I wouldn't have minded if these two took the win this time and I doubt it would have hurt Ruby and Anna Jay much since they're still on TV. While The Bunny still appears on Dynamite and Rampage, at least when it involves the AFO, I still say we need Emi Sakura back on TV. Or at least show the heel team of Nyla, Bunny and Emi. 

Pretty good matches all around. This was actually a more star-studded edition of Dark Elevation to be honest. I mean even the Renegade Twins have been making a name for themselves on Mission Pro Wrestling and other venues. I hope they have more AEW appearances.