13 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Feb 12)

2. Riho & Rose Kill It… Again

Riho vs. Nyla Rose II went down halfway through Dynamite, and what an absolute triumph it was.

The first match slapped. The sequel slapped harder. They worked the best possible version of the fast, evasive babyface vs. imposing heel powerhouse format they could concoct at this stage in their careers. Riho was slippery, quick-witted, and never unrealistic, scoring her opportunities through intelligence, superior speed, and counters. Rose, meanwhile, went full 'Native Beast.' One particularly brutish moment saw her pluck Riho out of the sky, nail a rib breaker, then crush her spine against the apron. Later, she hit her awesome rope-draping knee drop before an arrogant hands-on-chest cover and a top rope Death Valley Driver that looked like it killed Riho. She is an evolving powerhouse and not yet the finished article, but performances like this suggest she'll be one of the best in the world in a few years' time.

"This is awesome" ringed out through the building as the match entered its fantastic, climactic final gear. Rose kicked out of the top-rope double stomp at one. Fuelled only by adrenaline, Riho took her broken body to the top turnbuckle, nailed two more, but still couldn't put Nyla away - Rose's foot on the rope saw to that. Seconds later, Riho's spine was split by a spear. The Beast Bomb ended her reign at four months.

Comfortably the best women's match in AEW history, this thing absolutely ruled. Let's hope this continues throughout Rose's reign.