8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (1 May - Results & Review)
3. Serena Deeb Vs Mariah May
AEW
Yet another great television contest for Serena Deeb and a return to form for Mariah May after a couple of outings that didn't quite hit the heights of her start in the company, this was also perfect matchmaking for the ongoing story between both women and 'Timeless' Toni Storm.
The AEW Women's World Champion has shown an overt affection towards her understudy of late, and that extended to the finish of this match too - by throwing the towel in, she opened the door for Deeb to challenge her and Double Or Nothing, and it was all in service of ensuring May wasn't brought to anymore harm after the 'Professor' had pounded her leg into mush.
Or was it?
Is Storm now acutely aware of May's threat to her throne and working to keep her away from the title with these "accidental" losses. And all while May's head was previously being turned by the recent arrival of Mina Shirakawa? It's a series of net gains either way. This was a killer match for the time allotted, Storm/Deeb is very possibly this roster's best match, and the plot continuing to thicken just adds to the prevailing feeling that the women's division is in the best health it's ever been.
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
