This week’s AEW Dynamite showcased an incredible display of passionate physicality and beautiful violence in the main event match. Britt Baker clashed with Thunder Rosa in the first-ever women’s ‘Unsanctioned Lights Out Match’.
An intense feud locked the two enemies in a barrage of personal insults, sneak attacks, and pull apart brawls. Therefore, fans knew that it would be a thrilling and explosive encounter when they met in the ring. But what Baker and Rosa produced was far beyond expectations.
This event was revolutionary and a landmark moment not just for AEW but women’s wrestling as a whole. It was the most intense and violent women’s match shown on television in years.
Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa not only stole the show, but they were the show. They took the occasion of being the first-ever women’s headliners in AEW history and not only made the most of it but made it one of the best matches in the history of women’s wrestling.
Baker and Rosa tore the house down while tearing each other apart in a variety of violence and outstanding mayhem. The action in the fight came thick and fast. From the frantic start, which saw Baker hit an Air Raid Crash on the entrance, the brutal offence escalated with every sequence of chair shots, table bumps, ladders and thumbtacks, until they reached their epic crescendo.
The match was chock full of memory-making moments, from the blood-soaked maniacal smile of the crazed dentist to a Superplex onto steel chairs and a top rope Death Valley Driver on a ladder to a Powerbomb onto thumbtacks.
The punishment the two warriors both dished out and received was remarkable. There was no wasted motion, no strike without purpose and no move without harmful intent. There was brutality, blood, broken bodies, and it was pure brilliance.
Britt Baker is one of the most improved wrestlers in 2020, which is astounding as she spent six months on the shelf. During this time, Baker honed her craft to the point where is she one of the best heel personas in the business. Her in-ring work followed suit, and after this display, Baker must now be in the upper echelons of women’s wrestler on the planet. Baker showed an astounding amount of determination, resilience and toughness, which established her as the future of the division. The image of Baker strewn with blood and covered in pins is one that will live on forever. It was Baker’s Becky Lynch moment, which has taken her from superstar to bonafide megastar.
Thunder Rosa is terrific. There are no other words to describe what she has achieved in her wrestling career. She elevates herself and everyone around her wherever she goes. La Mera Mera flourished in NWA, became champion, fought for Combate Americas and then kicked down the door to debut in AEW, bringing credibility and legitimacy along with her. Her presence took the promotion’s women’s division to another level and continues to do so whenever she appears. Rosa’s triumph in one of AEW’s hardest-hitting matches to date solidifies her place as one of wrestling’s elite talents.
It was a jaw-dropping and breathtaking match and one that proved that AEW’s women’s division is heading in the right direction and is in great hands, with Thunder Rosa as the backbone and Britt Baker as the face of the division.
