6 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Rampage (Nov 26)
3. An Underdog Story Well Told
Want more honesty? You got it.
The dude scribbling this piece wanted to hate the idea of Riho getting back into the AEW Women's Title mix. He wasn't a fan of her own run with the strap, and actually thought the entire division sucked hard when she was its frontrunner. Even so, this match with Britt Baker was hard to dislike once it got going.
Britt and Riho worked the latter's underdog story so damn well. It's even difficult to sling sh*t at the roll-up finish too, because that suit the narrative they'd told all match - yep, this was really solid, and the stipulation that Riho gets a title shot after winning means there's more to come.
Riho can be effective babyface foil for Baker provided she works this kind of match. She's at her best when opponents are kicking lumps out of her. AEW will have to be careful not to stick too many non-title losses onto Britt's reign though.