Though the company have to be extremely careful with the 'Everything you see here is REAL, unlike all that other stuff!' mantra that Vince Russo dug his own grave in WCW with, Shayna Baszler's convincing dismantling of Dakota Kai was a fabulous exhibition of her cut-throat cruelty.
Baszler brushed aside Kai via stoppage before attempting to injure her arm further with a vicious-looking stomp and submission hold after the bell. Brushing off William Regal's post-battle b*llocking was an exquisitely understated way to end her night.
Women's Champion Ember Moon making the save suggested that the company may rush to book the match at TakeOver: Philadelphia, perhaps indicating a call-up for one or both of them as early as the Royal Rumble the next night or WrestleMania in April. Baszler's credibility (and well-known relationship with Ronda Rousey) stands her good stead to make a big splash on the biggest stage, particularly if she can harness her knack for nastiness against some of the featherlight faces on SmackDown Live! and Monday Night Raw.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 over 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 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana 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
