30 Best AEW Matches Ever (So Far...)
22. Jamie Hayter Vs. Hikaru Shida (AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash ‘22)
The women’s division isn’t well represented on this list because the lack of parity is grim, mostly. Something like Hayter Vs. Shida is almost as depressing as it was outstanding, because why can’t this happen far more often?
This was phenomenal. The thrill of watching a wrestler become invincible before your very eyes is unlike anything else - and Jamie Hayter felt like the next best women’s wrestler in the world that night.
The intent behind everything was deadly - when Hayter throws a lariat, her opponent best duck - and every creative counter was exchanged at a blistering rate. The moves that did land were tooth-rattling bombs.
A shoot-out pitting the new champ against the old division Ace, the basic thrust of the story was simple, but the drama was arresting. Several cool tweaks on that back-and-forth competitive template elevated this.
As an example, Hayter missed a moonsault. Shida blasted her with a Three Count knee. Hayter found the wherewithal to kick out. Shida, undeterred, appealed to the crowd as she picked Hayter back up. Hayter slumped to the ground, deflating the atmosphere, but in a great act of deception, Hayter had recovered, and tricked Shida into taking her Death Valley backbreaker as the fans gasped. This created a wonderful soundscape.
Not knowing what noises to make, at times, the fans made every noise. This was a rare, magic, involuntary crowd reaction earned by a very thoughtful and intricate take on the counter dance.