8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (29 March - Review)
2. A Blockbuster Of A Women's Segment
The women's segment - it's still such a sh*tty thing to discuss it in the singular every week, incidentally - was fantastic. The creative followed a similar pattern to the last several weeks.
An Outcast heel defeated a homegrown babyface, who was attacked post-match and then saved. The individual performances elevated the segment. It felt more believable than any angle in the umbrella storyline thus far, and a not inconsiderable amount of work went into that. Willow Nightingale is exceptional.
The idea that she's a good babyface because she's naturally likeable needs to be retired; it's not untrue, but she works hard and smart to get over. Her facials and body language here were tremendous.
She looked consumed entirely by the grudge against her old turncoat partner. She modified her approach too. Instead of running through her usual arsenal with a bit more fire, she picked Ruby up and slammed her down over and over again, conveying the feeling that she wasn't bothered about a strategy. She wasn't concerned with building a plan of attack that would secure the three count. She just wanted to kick the sh*t out of Ruby Soho.
Soho won, after Toni Storm interfered, and the post-match beat-down summoned Jamie Hayter. This was nothing short of phenomenal, and particularly impressive, since a babyface-clears-house spot happens every week. This had no right to stand out. Every wrestling fan has seen this one million times.
Hayter looked like she'd broken Soho's spine with a backbreaker before - and this was so f*cking awesome - almost flying out of the ring and rebounding back into the middle of it with a narrow miss of a lariat attempt on Toni Storm. She'd have decapitated her if the timing went awry. She looked like a bullet train.
Intent in wrestling is fundamental to suspension of disbelief. You shouldn't throw something that looks like you aren't trying to connect, even if the spot calls for a reversal or duck.
Hayter continues to be amongst the very best wrestlers in the company.