6 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday (Results & Review)

4. A Quite Thrilling Over-Delivery

Hikaru Shida Women's Champion
AEW

Hikaru Shida defeated Saraya to once again become AEW Women's champion. And, for the third consecutive match, the much-maligned Saraya executed a loud, dramatic, and entertaining bit of business.

Not that such tedious loops of conversations will ever go away, but if people weren't mental, the finish here would act as evidence that you can do anything in a pro wrestling match and if it works, it works. Shida took an avalanche Knight Cap and then took another after her face had been spray-painted. She kicked out of both. Fans didn't care about the excess because they didn't want the heel to win and were overjoyed when it really, really looked like she was going to, but then didn't.

The match needed a bit of excess at the finish, and while the work was tepid and unconvincing in the first half, a resoundingly popular result followed a loud and well-worked finishing sequence that nobody would have put money on even 10 seconds before the finish.

Saraya being an Eva Marie-calibre wrestler is a false narrative. She's not great, but a lot of people, your writer included, should raise their expectations in future.

She's earned more than blanket cynicism.

Advertisement
 
Posted On: 
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!