8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (16 Feb)

5. Rosa & Martinez Drop Bombs

It wasn't the slickest match on the card, Thunder Rosa vs. Mercedes Martinez, but it was a lot of fun, with the warring parties dropping huge bombs on each other throughout.

Chairshots, crowd brawling, tumbling barricades, pipes, and tables were the name of the game here. Unintended moments like the table barely breaking when Martinez went for a Brainbuster from the apron added to the feeling that this was a nasty, attritional fight, too. Pro wrestling shouldn't always be slick and smooth. Sometimes, it's more believable when things get a little rough around the edges.

The match's gnarliest spot saw Martinez hit a top rope elbow drop that looked like it landed across Rosa's face. Later, the Fire Thunder Driver onto a pile of chairs followed a Crucifix Bomb, with Rosa taking the W (then the aforementioned post-match angle).

That Martinez scored a successful rope break on a pin attempt sparked confusion during the show. This is down to the stipulation. A No DQ match must finish in the ring, between the ropes. It isn't Falls Count Anywhere, so, at the promoter's description, a rope break isn't necessarily invalid. A hand on the ropes means the person isn't being felled between them.

Nonetheless, it makes little sense to hyper-focus on minor nitpicks here. The match was suitably violent for the feud, moving Rosa one step closer to the Women's World Title, and Martinez into a new role away from Britt Baker and her crew.