...didn't happen in the way it was promoted, as AEW tried a little bit to have its cake and eat it too in a way that made the experience of fan favourite Hayter losing her title feel more like a cheat code than a transgression.
It was after Wednesday's Dynamite/Rampage tapings that there were reports discussing the Champion's possible injuries, and though the angle here - The Outcasts cheat and cheat and cheat again - attempted to frame it as a work, it was the sort of thing the company wouldn't have done with the men's Championship and flew too close to deception rather than creative guile.
More's the pity - what little we got of the physicality was predictably great, but then that felt just as difficult to parse. Hayter did quite a bit for somebody that couldn't do anything, and deserves isolating for praise in that respect. Storm will make a great champion once again, but once again her reign has started under something of a cloud.
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
