We’re back for the first episode of Dynamite in 2020 and they certainly kicked off the year with a bang by giving us a 4-way match for the AEW Women’s Championship. The title match saw Riho vs. Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker in an absolute cracker.
The show was originally slated to host the much-anticipated title match between Rhio and Kris Statlander but the match had to be called off due to scheduling conflicts. AEW stated that Statlander would face the winner of the 4-way match and receive her shot at the championship at the Jan. 8 episode of Dynamite.
The match was hard-hitting, high-impact and fast-paced with strong moves and near falls aplenty. All competitors would get a chance to shine during the match. A great clash of different and eclectic styles that meshed will in a fast-paced and frantic medley.
The match was everything it needed to be with Nyla Rose playing the monster heel perfectly, Baker as the frustrated babyface, Shida, the rising star and Riho, the tenacious underdog. This match was easily one of the best AEW women’s matches so far. Read the full report here.
Let’s take a look at this week’s winners and losers
Winner: Hikaru Shida
Great look, great move set and over with the crowd and fans. She constantly delivers in the ring by putting on strong performances and proving she can go with any opponent, be it, Shanna, Riho or Nyla Rose. Shida is a can’t miss star but AEW needs to pull the trigger on her this year and capitalise on her momentum. I feel that the title may be out of her reach for a while as Statlander’s reign is required to give it some emphasis. A strong feud with Shanna, Big Swole, Britt Baker or Nyla Rose would be perfect. However, this could be said for the entire roster but Shida seems to be the only wrestler in the division that has connected with the crowd and therefore needs to remain strong to become AEW’s driving force of the women’s division.
Winner: Nyla Rose
Another strong and dominant showing from Rose as she proceeds to capture some of the awe and power she had when she first appeared for AEW. This was one of her best outings as she continues to improve in the ring. AEW are wise in using the old Paul Heyman/ECW trick by hiding her weakness and showcasing her strengths, which was evident in her performance as she smashed her opponents mercilessly and looked strong, dominant and a force to be reckoned with.
A monster heel doing monster heel things is everything we need from Nyla Rose. More of this, please.
Loser: Riho
Nothing against Riho here at all she is an amazing talent but she has been a poor champion and her run has done little if anything to help the division look strong. It most certainly isn’t her fault either. She was the wrong choice to lead the women’s division from the beginning and to make her struggle harder the booking has weak at best. Her one and only storyline with teacher and mentor, Emi Sakura was so underwhelming I doubt most people remember it at all. Unfortunately, due to these reasons plus the fact she has been absent for long periods of time, project Riho just hasn’t worked.
Final Thoughts
A really good match that allowed all involved to showcase what they can do particularly Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida. That being said I feel that AEW may have missed an opportunity here by keeping the title on Riho. I believe that it is a foregone conclusion that Kris Statlander will become the new AEW Women’s Champion next week and Riho will return to Japan
To give Britt Baker or Nyla Rose a title victory only to lose it a week later would give them a character shift and vital storyline. In Rose’s case, she could continue her reign destruction full of rage after losing the title so quickly. This storyline would hugely benefit Baker’s as it was assumed that she was the chosen one and would be AEW’s first women’s champion but something just didn’t seem to click (the whole dentist thing) and they went with Riho instead. You can see the legit and kayfabe frustration growing within her, as seen in the awkward confrontation she had with Riho, and a quick title loss would tip her over the edge and give her much needed purpose and focus.
We have a match next week that could potentially reset and refresh the entire AEW women’s division and I for one look forward to that.
What did you make of the match and do you think Statlander will be our next champion? Let us know below and as always stay tuned to Diva Dirt for all of your AEW news and updates.
