9 Match Star Ratings For AEW Full Gear 2020
5. Hikaru Shida Vs. Nyla Rose - Women's Championship Match
The layout was incredible, and it all peaked to a glorious get the f*ck in let's go moment, when Shida lifted Nyla from the mat to avenge her bullying squash match flexing. And for a while, both women executed it well enough. But it fell apart by the finish, it went too long, and much of the work was loose and weak. The big moments connected so softly that it became very difficult to suspend one's disbelief.
Elements of this were fantastic.
Nyla Rose modifying her big high spot to crush Shida's knee was a great twist in particular. It was too late to elevate the closing stretch beyond the barely respectable, but Shida finally summoned the strength back to clobber Nyla in the face with an overkill barrage. It might have resonated as a great, protective finish, but by then, the spell of immersion had been broken. It's difficult to tell the story of tenacity overcoming the monster when there's so little fire and so little threat.
The post-match angle fell flat - the relationship between Nyla and Vickie Guerrero has barely been established - but an elusive long-term booking path is clear now: Britt Baker dethrones Shida, Nyla turns face to one day gun her down.
It's now a matter of the extent to which AEW is committed to treading it.
Star Rating: ★★★