10 AEW Matches We Most Want To See

9. Britt Baker Vs. Hikaru Shida

Kenny Omega PAC
AEW

Britt Baker got over at Double Or Nothing. Not to a huge extent, but she got over.

Engaging in her crowd manipulation and composed in the face of the moving parts of a multi-person match, there remains clear scope for improvement. She didn't really lay her sh*t in, nor did she work with a surging intensity. Obviously positioned as the beaming, marketable face of AEW's Women's division, the hero role might not serve her best spots. Her momentum-building, OTT rope run into a...chinlock spot is good smug sh*t, but it appears the company have a more sincere role in mind.

In pro wrestling, iron sharpens iron. CM Punk said, in his Best In The World DVD, that he thought he was something special - until he got in the ring with Eddie Guerrero. "Boy, do I suck," ran the headline of his instant reassessment.

Baker is an above-average performer, and in no way warrants that self-deprecation - but stick her in there against the face-scraping striking and wrenching submission game of aggressive joshi standout Hikaru Shida, and AEW fans will determine whether there is real substance behind the doubtless style.

Contributor
Contributor

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!