10 AEW Revolution 2021 Impulse Reactions
7. Hikaru Shida (c) Vs. Ryo Mizunami
Excalibur was on hand to fill remind audiences of the tension that existed between these two long before Ryo Mizunami won the Women's Eliminator tournament.
Shida had been battered by the Challenger in the past, we were told, which informed a thread of disdain shown to the Champion throughout the match. Mizunami was a hoot posing and posturing in between violent chop streaks and wicked stretches. It'd be called "maximising your minutes" if she was a newcomer, but there was a deeper story of disrespect being shown.
That changed when Shida hit violent reverse tombstone on the ramp.
The titleholder licked her lips as she found the hard camera after the spot, before deadlifting her opponent back into the ring for what looked like a finishing sequence ahead of its actual conclusion. In truth, the laboured final third felt a little like an epilogue - both women lost control of the flow a couple of times in spite of several awesome killer blows and quality near falls.
It felt as though neither could win nor afford to lose until Shida secured it with the last of about forty knees to Mizunami's head. A new heel alliance between Nyla Rose, Britt Baker, Rebel and Maki Itoh made themselves known to both after the bell too, supplementing a good match with a great post-match angle. In terms of overall execution, all of this had to be viewed as another win for the division at large.