Over the next two weeks AEW Dynamite will become Fyter Fest. Taking place on June, 1 and 8 this PPV level card features all of the AEW championships will be on the line. On the first night, Penelope Ford will challenge Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s Championship.
The match will be Hikaru Shida’s first defence of AEW Women’s Championship and easily the biggest of Penelope Ford’s career.
Ford’s Reward
The match was seemingly set when Penelope Ford pinned Shida with the help of a title belt headshot in a tag team match on the June 10th episode of Dynamite.
When Penelope Ford was named as Hikaru Shida’s first challenger for the title it did come as a bit of a surprise. But Ford has shown over the last couple of months that she is a deserving contender.
The title shot is a reward for all of the hard work Ford has put in this year. Ford as she has risen to the challenge and made the most of the opportunities presented to her during a time difficult time for the company and its women’s division.
At the beginning of COVID-19 quarantine, AEW has suffered from a depleted women’s division. In April, the company only had access to three fulltime members of the female roster. Since then two of their top stars, Britt Baker and Kris Statlander, have both suffered knee injuries and are out of action for months.
Penelope Ford has shone during this time both in and out of the ring. Ford’s star has been on the rise in 2020 and she must be one of the most improved wrestlers so far this year. She stands out every time she accompanies Kip Sabian to ringside by taking out his opponents with her flashy offence. In the ring, Ford has constantly honed her skills and stepped up to every chance and opportunity she gets.
Holy Shida
Unfortunately for Ford, Shida is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Shida constantly and consistently puts on the best and most exciting matches in AEW and more importantly picks up victory after victory.
Ever since joining the company, she has stood out as the most skilled and capable wrestler in the division and it was clear that it was only a matter of time before she was crowned AEW Women’s Champion.
Now that Shida is champion there isn’t anyone on her or even close to her level to take it from her. Even someone as hot as Penelope Ford.
Despite the talent involved the build toward this title match has been poor. The week after the tag team match Tony Schiavone announced the title match during an interview with Britt Baker that did not feature Shida of Ford.
On this past episode of AEW Dynamite, Hikaru Shida made very quick work of Red Velvet on this week’s Dynamite and then got into it with Penelope Ford at ringside.
The whole angle lasted all of sixty seconds and was therefore over far too quickly to add any further development and/or interest into their coming title match.
Despite the lack of effort put into the build, this match will deliver as both Shida and Ford are on a roll of great performances and impressive victories. No doubt both competitors will want to put on a banger to make up for the lack of story and there is no doubt that they will do just that.
Who do you see walking out of Fyter Fest Night 1 as the AEW Women’s Champion? Let us know in the comments below and feel free to discuss the match as it happens.
