Xia Li had squashed Vanessa Bourne before taking a beating from The MMA Horsewomen in what will surely provide the up-and-comer and the underlings with something to do over the next few weeks as Shayna Baszler readies herself for the biggest challenge she's had in over a year.
The aforementioned resurgent Rhea Ripley showed zero fear going forward after her fantastic weekend, and forced a fearful Baszler to the back as a result.
Their eventual clash of the titans is TakeOver-worthy, but with February's Portland show three months away, it may now be best served as a counter-programmed ratings-winner for the black-and-gold brand. This was f*cking hot sh*t, thanks very much - the top two wrestlers in the company's top division lived up to their billing as such.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
