Riho looked impressive in her first Dynamite match since April, and there's possibly a supplemental "up" that could be afforded to AEW for tethering that to the present day drama with The Outcasts and reinvention of Toni Storm.
Unfortunately, what stood to tie everything together in fact ripped things apart.
Your writer is a fan of "Timeless" Toni Storm for the most part, in spite of how the character sometimes gets in the way of the product rather than contributes logically and positively to it. Unfortunately, this was the former rather than the latter. Storm in black and white with every cut was cute, but otherwise she was a distraction from a match that existed to convincingly sell a title match.
It's bad enough when women's storylines are virtually fight-for-a-championship or bust, but it's another when even that gets sidelined to a joke that has already worn thin for many. Storm Vs Riho will eventually rule, same conversation same problems etc etc etc forever nothing will ever change.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
