9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (27 Oct)
3. Is...Is The AEW Women's Division Good Now?
Jamie Hayter Vs. Riho told a simple, absorbing story and executed it tremendously well.
The crowd weren't red-hot for all of it, which was a shame - this week really felt like it was set to buck a bleak trend - but Hayter was at least received as a star during her entrance and the crowd popped big for her win. This, then, was another small, vital step in repairing a division that has quietly excelled over the last two months. On Dynamite, anyway.
The match was premised on Hayter boasting a death blow of a lariat, if only she could hit it. She failed to do so on several occasions when Riho used her speed and wit to evade into several, super-close pinning combinations and incredulous big bomb moves. Watching Riho power up in such a way is always a joy, and Hayter is one of the best bumpers in the entire company irrespective of gender.
They explored a gorgeous dynamic very well, even if they have something better in them, but whatever happened to Paul Turner tightening up the officiating?
Tony Khan made a rod for his own back there.