It seems futile hoping AEW will completely break free from putting the women in the same spot to do nearly the same thing every week, but the very end of Hikaru Shida's functional win over Alex Gracia was a reminder not to lose hope entirely.
Shida's interactions with Abadon were strong here. Playing out like a course correct from the company, it was as though the Champion had realised exactly how to face her fears - kicking the f*ck out if them. The next Women's Title challenger took a beating before Shida polished off Gracia, but got her revenge when the war continued after the match. Taking a chunk out of her neck and shoulder, the fake blood and fury flowed with the Challenger claiming dominance in an admittedly odd context.
The bite won't be for everybody and will likely draw bad faith comparisons to Shayna Baszler doing the same to Becky Lynch, but look at Abadon rather than ex-MMA super-worker Baszler for why that's a dumb take. And if anything, it was warranted after Shida tried to blow her off as a cosplayer just to deal with her own panic. The match will be a steep climb for the titleholder, but this planted a flag halfway up.
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
