11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Mar 31)
2. Tay Conti: Hot Tag Specialist
A decent if not great nor memorable tag team match, it wasn't blow-away awesome but it did achieve two objectives: it further put Tay Conti over and delayed her challenge of the AEW Women's Title by reintroducing a forgotten player into the mix.
The booking of contenders used to be far more route one than this: X woman wins a few, challenges Hikaru Shida, loses, vanishes. In losing - through nefarious means that do not constitute some aimless setback - Conti has to earn the shot again. She has to bring yet more fire, and she brought it here with an electric hot tag. This performer is unrecognisable from the one that worked nothing matches at Full Sail in slow motion.
She exploded across the ring to deliver safe but super stiff-looking kicks in a frenzied cameo. AEW, by booking her to take the fall, delayed the short and obligatory journey and deepened fan investment in the performer. Wins and losses matter, and she has to beat the Bunny to get the shot.
Last night's Dynamite was a quietly strong showcase for an emerging Women's division in general. Tay Conti, Red Velvet, the Bunny and Jade Cargill all made strides, and Dr. Britt Baker was great value in a bragging promo segment. That new nickname - the Legend - is wonderful also.