7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Big Business (Results & Review)

6. Super Effective Main Event

Riho Willow Nightingale
AEW

Riho Vs. Willow Nightingale was a blast: a heated, exciting, dramatic TV match. It was a great, proper TV match too.

It didn't strain for epic, it didn't go long for the sake of it. It was punchy, lean, brimming with the trademark AEW energy. The dynamic was simple, logical, wholly engaging. Riho was slippery and evasive; when Willow finally hit her moving her target, her strikes were backed by missile power. Her pounce looked evil. There was one terrifying moment, in which Willow landed on her head when taking a northern lights suplex, but it added to the drama.

The momentum shifted at a dizzying rate that inched the fans towards the end of their seat. In a great sequence constructed as the match sprinted towards its conclusion, after the pounce, Willow missed with a cannonball to the floor. Riho took advantage with a double foot stomp.

As both women recovered and slowly moved towards the ring, Riho - who literally every single time catches an awe-struck crowd unaware with this move - blasted Willow with a dragon suplex. In a beautiful display of counter wrestling, one that again was faithful to the dynamic, Willow reversed a jack knife pin, seamlessly, into a dead-lift Doctor Bomb. Willow scored the win, after which she was attacked by Julia Hart and Skye Blue and subsequently saved by Mercedes Moné.

A cynical thought, but did Tony Khan need to hire Jennifer Pepperman at great expense, just to do the imminent rivals team together first trope?

Probably not - but Moné's glowing star signing aura will undoubtedly transcend the familiar pattern.

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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!