4 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Rampage (June 30)

2. A Disappointing Main Event

Taya Valkyrie AEW
AEW

Hikaru Shida vs. Taya Valkyrie wasn't the best choice to go on last.

Both women are a little directionless, and that made for a strange mix. The match featured a lot of heat sections for Taya, and her facial expressions are excellent, but this bout was a miss overall. There wasn't really much to see, and it crawled along at a snail's pace before a flat crowd for far too long.

This writer likes both wrestlers, but he'll maybe never understand the level of hype from some for Shida. Rampage's headliner was walking, talking proof that she's no in-ring general, because it was actually Valkyrie who set the pace and did most of the work out there.

Perhaps chemistry was an issue. Some combos just don't have any, so this could've been a styles clash. If so, then fair enough. If not, then it's worrying if AEW thinks this passes as a top women's match in 2023. The entire segment was a disappointment.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.