3 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Deadly Draw: Women's Tag Team Tournament (Aug 3)
AEW's first women's tag team cup starts with a splutter.
Much of the pre-fight build-up for AEW's 'Deadly Draw' Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament was focused on the promotion's chosen method of delivery, not the competition itself.
This was understandable but ultimately counterproductive. Arguing that the matches should have gone down on Dynamite, not YouTube, was noble, as pushing out content on a smaller platform automatically tells viewers that it isn't as important. That the AEW women's division has never been consistently well-booked compounds this. Regardless, this discourse did more harm than good, shifting attention away from the performers it was intended to stand up for, diminishing the Deadly Draw's hype across the board.
In the end, much of this show wasn't TV-ready anyway.
The event's worst moments would have drawn derision had they aired on TNT, mobilising the hordes of trolls and bad faith actors ready to strike at AEW's every misstep. It wasn't a bad show, and nothing was outright awful, though it lacked the sheen, polish, and fluidity required for primetime - particularly between the ropes.
Highlighted wrestlers included Nyla Rose, The Nightmare Sisters of Allie and Brandi Rhode, Penelope Ford, Anna Jay, and more. Let's light the fuse.