8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Nov 9)

4. The Women FINALLY Get Some Weighty Material

Saraya Britt Baker
AEW

The segment building to Saraya Vs. Britt Baker was exceptional - or very close to it. The woman received the spotlight and used it sell a match that feels like it could not possibly mean a thing more to them. It is everything to them. Baker was on great form.

She dislodged the tongue from her cheek and put over her opponent and the gravity of the occasion without losing the crucial thread of disrespect that informed Saraya's response.

That response was uneven, as frankly a lot of her work in AEW has been thus far. She felt like the heel at first, and should have grasped in the wake of the All Out press conference that fans have a near reverent respect for the talent credited with making AEW what it is today. But then her voice cracked and a flood of emotion broke through it, and her promo evolved from shaky and ill-advised into something special and thoroughly believable.

You'd have to be something close to a sociopath not to respect Saraya's journey to get here. With a slight tweak, this could have been perfect. Saraya should have said something to put over the fact that Britt did eventually earn the forced push. It's not as if it would have detracted from her own journey.

As it happens, it was, as the very least, more than worthy of the go-home standard.

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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!