8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (6 April)
2. Too Little, Too Slow
Hikaru Shida and Julia Hart worked an underwhelming match, with the former Women's World Champion qualifying for the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament after putting the Varsity Blonds affiliate down with a Falcon Arrow.
The bout attempted to tap into Hart's shifting character after eating a face full of mist from Malakai Black late last year. As part of this, Julia irritated Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr. by playing rough, attempting to fight with increased aggression to show her transformation. It's unfortunate, then, that this did not come across in her work. Hart's kicks were mere whispers of violence, barely grazing Shida, who is hardly Stan Hansen herself. It's impossible to buy this "aggression" when it isn't coming across in the ring.
After a limp bout, Serena Deeb hit the ring with a steel chair. She was foiled by Shida, who saw her coming, brandishing her kendo stick in a standoff. This is good in that it shows both women have learned from recent assaults on each other. The problem is that these two go so long without touching each other (or even cutting promos) that the feud has lost its heat.
What started as a good, intense rivalry between bitter rivals has spent too long off the stove. Shida and Deeb now face an uphill battle between the ropes to regain what they've lost.