7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (6 March - Review)
4. Kris Statlander Vs Riho
AEW
As usual, the task of the wrestlers competing in Dynamite's singular women's match was to try and entertain a crowd that have seen around 90 minutes of Dynamite and goodness whatever else was pre-taped beforehand. If they're able to do so, everything else is a bonus and a benefit depending on if there's any ongoing story or character development.
That remains too big an if in 2024 (and may be changed by force of will post-Big Business, but pleasingly there was much to enjoy about both the in-ring and post-match between Kris Statlander and Riho. A stiff showing that made the best of a complimentary styles clash, particularly when Stat rocked her smaller foe with wicked suplexes and strikes hard enough to spook the announcers.
The win went to Riho, and while it wasn't exactly a banana skin deal, it wasn't really for her. Stokely Hathaway continues to ask Statlander to cheat, and she continues to not. She'll change her mind at some point or another, and with partner Willow Nightingale throwing out singles challenges on the same show, the story will presumably pivot to Hathaway and Statlander trying to corrupt the ostensibly incorruptible. It's wafer-thin, but if it's the C or D story in a division with three or four on the go at once by next week, it'll at least reflect raising standards.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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
