Hikaru Shida's first appearance on Dynamite since January paid off everything that was going on with her when she was last aligned with Saraya and Toni Storm, and actually progressed the story between the warring sides for the first time in a while.
Saraya had just defeated Willow Nightingale in a decent effort with ample help from Storm and Soho, and the trio of heels were continuing to beat the popular star down post-match when Shida's music hit and her apparent heel turn was confirmed. The former Women's Champion joined up with the villains, but Dr Britt Baker DMD and Jamie Hayter appeared from behind in a mirroring of the Outcasts set-up alongside Chris Jericho a fortnight ago and revealed the ruse. The AEW original was indeed part of the Homegrowns, and the Outcasts ate sh*t for a change.
An unexpected return made for a great moment, and the story moving forward was a welcome break from the usual rinse-and-repeat formula with this story. That it paid off a loose thread was a reminder of what can make the organisation so great at its core, and hopefully bodes well for whatever grand payoff is coming for the ongoing turf war.
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
