9 Ups & 2 Downs For AEW Dark: Elevation

3. A Small, Good Thing

Tay Conti
AEW

Tay Conti defeated Ashley Vox by not using her dominant finisher and not only should every wrestler probably do that, this specific wrestler definitely should. Conti is the multi-skilled martial artist.

Finishing a match to showcase that range is so brilliantly in-character that it further legitimises her character. It was an impressive, tight and physical performance, too; with every appearance Conti appears to shed the hesitation and soft quality that marred her time in NXT. There's a great wrestler lurking within Conti, and if the idealised version of Dark: Elevation can coax that out, then it's worth bloating the schedule.

So long as the trope-y filler of the show-long angle doesn't interfere with AEW's wider approach and create a terrible habit.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!