5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (April 24 - Results & Review)

2. A Second Really Good Women's Segment

Mina Shirakawa
AEW

Anna Jay, much too young for the spot but there aren't too many others, did an effective, commendable job of showcasing Mina Shirakawa, who has vast potential as a star. Sultry and stiff, she exudes a domineering arrogance that should prove to be a great contrast when Toni Storm completes her "You love me, you really love me" babyface turn.

Shirakawa smacked Jay in the face after the longest-feeling ad break of the night - again! - and impressed a mostly subdued Daily's Place with her creative strikes. Jay floated over a Glamour driver attempt to lock in the Queenslayer in a lively strategic sequence - one thartdeserved a more protracted submission tease - but ultimately succumbed to it. Solid, lean, nothing great - but the match achieved its objective of elevating Mira and establishing her as somebody the obsessive May can idolise and Strom can fret over.

Through the lens of what the long-term storyline is striving to achieve - the break-up of Storm and May after May's torrid affair - this was especially impressive. It couldn't have been a dud, otherwise Storm looks threatened by nobody.

In the post-match, after Storm saved May from Anna Jay's post-match attack, Serena Deeb emerged to challenge for the Women's title. Now that Storm has dropped the strange, unnecessary idea to wrestle as a pure gimmick, that is set to be an outstanding encounter.

This was a really good night for the AEW women's division.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!