9 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

2. A Worthy Main Event

Really, beyond one quiet match and a crowd that while still hot never reached the white-hot apex of the opener, this was a flawless show - and Dr. Britt Baker Vs. Ruby Soho was a worthy closer of it.

It didn't reach the awesome heights of the Kris Statlander defence, but in something of an equaliser, more doubt was cast over the finish, which hooked a tired crowd into the key moments. This was another shorter, compact and crisp match from Baker, whose individual work has rarely looked better. The twisting velocity on her swinging neckbreaker and the crunch on her curb stomp were both excellent - miles removed from the careful, tentative movements she worked through a year ago. The layout wasn't too ambitious - Baker worked Soho's repaired shoulder and employed a defensive strategy against her fiery babyface opponent - but it was worked with a unique bent, particularly when the steps came into play.

Baker has long mastered the art of owning the camera. She has now graduated to utilising the ringside environment to create moments of pulsating, unforeseen in-ring drama.

If this was the hot opener, it easily reaches the **** level, but the gravity of the spot counted for much. Also, AEW in laying out the card as they did prevented the complaints levied against the commercial interruption of Blood & Guts.