The frequently maligned AEW Women's Championship was on the line in a contest which wasn't particularly good, was only really heated in all the worst ways, and fed into a development with confusing consequences that will make for a "Down" one click from here.
Knowingly daft but in weirdly charmless fashion, Soho attempted to pile cheating on top of cheating in order to dethrone the three-time champion, allowing Shida to look smarter when she outfought and outthought the challenger with a turnabout-is-fair-play finish using the turnbuckle. The Eddie Guerrero tribute spots are becoming the most overplayed in all of wrestling, and it's painfully evident when the building no longer comes unglued.
They didn't, and Shida is yet again making the best of a bad situation rather than holding gold while the division's on fire. She's due to fight the division's hottest star at Full Gear, but about that...
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
