Thunder Rosa On The Importance Of Her Upcoming AEW Dynasty Title Match

AEW star Thunder Rosa is getting a shot at the Women’s World Championship just four months after returning from a serious injury. Rosa will face off against “Timeless” Toni Storm at AEW’s newest pay-per-view, Dynasty, on Sunday, after securing the spot as number one contender with a win over Mariah May on “AEW Dynamite.” Rosa never lost the championship she once held, as the decision for her to vacate the title was made in November 2022 after she suffered a back injury, which ended up keeping her on the shelf for more than 16 months. Rosa discussed her return to pay-per-view on the “KiddKris Show,” and described the impact she’s looking to make.

“I’m going to be on a pay-per-view in two weeks. I have not been on a pay-per-view in two years. This means a lot,” Rosa said. “This championship match means a lot because it’s that’s redemption of… It’s been a fight within myself the past two years to regain what I never lost. It’s very important to say that I never lost this, I had to relinquish because of an injury.” Rosa also called out Storm, due to Storm saying she got injured because she couldn’t carry the title. Rosa had previously taken shots at Storm on social media, where she accused the “Timeless” one of trying to disrespect and harass her on “Dynamite.” Rosa said that she has been in the business long enough to know that she was “living rent free” in Storm’s head.

“Delusional. She should be ‘Delusional Toni Storm,'” she said. “The woman [drank] so much in her lifetime that she lost her mind. She’s absolutely delusional. Everything that comes out of her … mouth, it’s crazy. She might have some sort of disease. She even described it one time when she was on commentary … She lost her mind.”

RENEE PAQUETTE NAMES RECENT ‘DISAPPOINTING’ AEW DECISION

AEW interviewer Renee Paquette has named a recent booking decision in the company that she thought was ‘disappointing’.

Saraya captured the AEW Women’s World Championship back at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in August in her home country.

However, Saraya’s reign with the title was short lived, dropping it back to Hikaru Shida on AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday on October 10.

Speaking with Women’s Wrestling Talk with TK Trinidad, AEW interviewer Renee Paquette discussed Saraya’s run, saying that her losing the title was ‘disappointing’.

She said:

“I mean, for sure, disappointing. I mean, you look at somebody like Saraya and what she brings to AEW, what she brings to that women’s division. And I think she kind of finding her footing again as well, after, you know, not wrestling for five-plus years. So for her to come back from this injury, thinking she was never gonna wrestle again, thinking she was fully retired, boots hung up to now coming back into this world and trying to figure it all out again. It’s been really cool to see her get into her groove, and I think are having that championship belt and being able to have a different run, I would have loved to have seen that I would have loved to have seen her be able to defend that title more and have some more of those matches and have more of those opportunities.

“Obviously, Shida is fantastic. We have so many great women. But yeah, Raya is my girl and I think that she just brings a certain cache to women’s wrestling. She really is that woman that… she didn’t single handedly but she was a big part of changing the way that we look at women’s wrestling and changing the mold of what female wrestlers are. I think that we all need to continue to slap a little respect on that woman’s name. She’s a badass.”

Saraya has been teaming up with Ruby Soho as the Outcasts on AEW television recently amid an ongoing love story between Ruby and Angelo Parker.

Toni Storm Wins AEW World Women’s Title For Record-Tying Third Time At Full Gear

“Timeless” Toni Storm has become just the second wrestler to claim the AEW Women’s World Title on three occasions, defeating long-time rival Hikaru Shida in their championship bout at Full Gear on Saturday night at the famous Kia Forum.

Storm started the match by tearing up a script and dominated large portions of the bout, including scoring a near-fall after blasting Shida with one of her shoes. The champion would also come agonizingly close to victory with a question-mark kick and Falcon Arrow combination, before landing a stiff elbow shot and hitting Storm’s manager, Luther, multiple times with a kendo stick. Unfortunately for the Japanese standout, Storm used a metal tray to hit her running hip attack in the corner to pin Shida and capture the gold.

After the bout, AEW’s recent signee Mariah May made her way down to ringside to embrace her hero, with the broadcast flipping to black and white for Storm’s celebration. 

Hikaru Shida Pins Saraya, Becomes First Three-Time AEW Women’s Champion On Dynamite

Hikaru Shida made history on “AEW Dynamite: Title Tuesday,” defeating Saraya and becoming the first-ever three-time AEW Women’s World Champion. She had to overcome the odds to do it, including interference from Ruby Soho, who was supposed to be banned from ringside, as well as a shot of spray paint to the face.

A hooded person revealed to be Soho ran to the ring during the match, but it was Shida who was able to spray the Outcast member with her own can of spray paint. Toni Storm then ran down to beat Soho with her shoe, and they both brawled into the crowd as Saraya gained control of the match. Shida was able to battle back, even after being sprayed with paint, and hit a Falcon Arrow on the champion for the victory after the two competitors traded roll-ups. Confetti sprayed throughout the arena and Shida celebrated her victory as Saraya looked on, distraught.

Shida intially lost the women’s championship to Saraya at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in August in a fatal four-way match that also involved Storm and Britt Baker. It was Storm who ate the pin in that match, however, not Shida, in Saraya’s first title win in AEW since getting cleared to wrestle again.

Saraya Pins Toni Storm, Wins AEW Women’s World Title In Wembley Stadium At All In

The Norwich native struck championship gold at AEW All In in London, Engldand’s Wembley Stadium.

Four weeks after regaining the AEW Women’s World Championship, Hikaru Shida was faced with the hefty task of defending the title against three other women at AEW’s biggest show in history. The champion headed across the pond to the home territory of Saraya, one of the three competitors who’d be challenging Shida for the title, alongside Toni Storm and Britt Baker.

As expected, Outcast members Saraya and Storm worked in tandem early on but quickly ran into problems when both women attempted to pin Baker in the corner. Saraya and Storm seemed to mend their partnership, but when Storm inadvertently struck Saraya’s mother, Saraya Knight, in the face, it became every woman for herself. The Outcasts’ third member, Ruby Soho, arrived to try and defuse the situation but was instead nailed in the head by Storm’s fist.

Shida and Baker eventually bounced back into the action as well, each scoring near falls, until Baker locked Shida into the Lockjaw. With Shida trapped in Baker’s submission, Storm reentered the ring equipped with the women’s title belt, presumably to break them apart. Unfortunately for Storm, Saraya retrieved a spray paint can just in time to mist her in the eyes and hit her with the Knight Cap to gain the pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s Champion. Following her victory, Saraya’s family joined her in the ring to celebrate.

With this win, Saraya begins her first championship reign in over nine years, when she defeated AJ Lee to clutch the WWE Divas Championship at SummerSlam 2014.

Britt Baker Talks Taking A Backseat To Rest Of AEW Women’s Division

Britt Baker will be one of four women vying for the AEW Women’s World Championship this Sunday at AEW All In London at Wembley Stadium. During a recent interview with DAZN Wrestling, Baker explained why it’s time for her to be back in the championship spotlight.

“I think right now is the time for sure to remind everybody who I am, that I am the first female signed,” Baker said. “Again, I sound like a broken record, but it’s because it’s true and I mean it and I believe it, that I am the face of the women’s division. You can’t say ‘AEW women’ without thinking of me. That’s a fact, and I know it, and I’m proud of that because I worked really, really hard for that.”

She continued, “With that being said, I’m well aware that I’ve taken a respectful backseat for the past few months, maybe even a year, and that’s okay. Maybe even taken quite a few losses, and that’s okay, and I’ve learned from it. But now I’m motivated more than ever and I’m ready to show everybody again who I am and I think it’s time for me to be the champ again. It’s time to take another step into the ‘DMD era.’ I think that was one of the highlights of the women’s division was when I was champion and I have a lot of pride in that. I think we had a lot of interest and a lot of eyes on it… I’m ready to do it all again and make it better.”

Baker previously held the AEW Women’s title from May 2021 until March 2022. Her last title match took place at “AEW Dynamite Grand Slam” last September.

Hikaru Shida Defeats Toni Storm, Captures AEW Women’s World Title On Dynamite

Hikaru Shida is back on top of AEW’s women’s division. She won the AEW Women’s World Championship for the second time by defeating Toni Storm in the main event of the 200th episode of “Dynamite” on Wednesday night.

Shida’s championship win comes more than two years after Britt Baker ended her record-setting first reign as AEW Women’s Champ at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2021. Shida held the title for 372 days, carrying AEW’s women’s division through the lean times of empty arenas and restricted attendances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now champion once again, Shida will likely carry the AEW Women’s Title into Wembley Stadium in London, England for the All In pay-per-view, where a crowd approaching 80,000 fans is expected – a stark contrast to the sparse and sometimes nonexistent crowds that Shida performed in front of during her first reign.

Storm was in her second reign as AEW Women’s Champion, which comes to an end at 66 days. Storm held the championship for another 76 days during her first reign, which began after she won the title vacated by Thunder Rosa.

Shida’s win also comes at a time when AEW’s women’s division is under increased scrutiny. A fan holding a sign reading, “Book the women’s division better” was shown during last week’s “Dynamite,” and Baker and Taya Valkyrie faced criticism following a match between them last month.

Skye Blue Wins AEW Rampage Four-Way, Earns Title Match Against Toni Storm On Dynamite

After coming out on top of a four-way match on “AEW Rampage,” Skye Blue will be moving forward to face AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm on “AEW Dynamite.” The match with Blue will mark Storm’s first defense of the title since winning it from Jamie Hayter at Double or Nothing.

Storm, now in her second reign as champion, previously defeated Blue on the March 22 episode of “Dynamite,” and more recently, Storm and Outcasts partner Ruby Soho defeated Blue alongside Riho in tag team action on the April 12 “Dynamite.” Throughout the ongoing Outcasts vs. Originals storyline, Blue has faced off with all three members of the Outcasts in singles matches and been defeated each time.

Wednesday will mark Blue’s first televised opportunity at the Women’s World Championship; she has previously unsuccessfully challenged Athena for the ROH Women’s title and Jade Cargill for the TBS title. The 23-year-old star has been making appearances for AEW since 2021, and she officially signed with the company earlier this year.

Jamie Hayter’s AEW Women’s Title Challenger At Double Or Nothing Revealed

As doubt clouds her on-screen medical status, the path Jamie Hayter must follow to remain AEW Women’s World Champion into the summer is coming sharply into focus.

During Wednesday night’s episode of “Dynamite,” it was announced that Hayter will defend her title at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view against The Outcasts’ Toni Storm. It’s a rematch of the bout at Full Gear last November that saw Hayter win the title for the first time, by defeating Storm.

Hayter did not appear on Wednesday’s “Dynamite,” despite being promoted for a trios match against Storm and the rest of The Outcasts. AEW President Tony Khan announced just hours before the broadcast that Hayter was not medically cleared. Her health has been a key component of her story since she was rammed shoulder-first into the ring steps by Storm during a match on “Dynamite” last month.

A lot has transpired since their previous encounter at last year’s Full Gear. On that night, Storm was the babyface trying to go from Interim to Undisputed AEW Women’s World Champion, determined to carry the AEW women’s division following Thunder Rosa’s untimely injury. Hayter, meanwhile, was still a heel and the story going into the match was that she had abandoned her former roommate — Storm — after they broke into the business together while living in the United Kingdom. 

As such, the roles have reversed this time around, with Storm portraying the heel and Hayter the fan-favorite champion. 

Since defeating Storm for the title last November, Hayter has proven to be a fighting champion, overcoming challenges from the likes of Hikaru Shida, Emi Sakura, Ruby Soho, Saraya, and Riho. If she retains against Storm, she’d further establish herself as the third longest-reigning AEW Women’s World Champion in history, trailing only behind Hikaru Shida (372 days) and Britt Baker (290 days). 

Britt Baker Discusses The Pressures Of Being Champion: More Than Having Matches

Despite feeling like she may have received the opportunity a little too soon, Britt Baker racked up nearly 300 days as the AEW Women’s World Champion. After defeating Hikaru Shida for the title at AEW Double or Nothing in 2021, Baker took control of the company’s women’s division.

During her reign as champion, Baker established herself as the undeniable face of the division, earning the honor of defending her title in the main event of two episodes of “AEW Dynamite.” Baker recently admitted that she experienced some stress in “carrying the weight of an entire division.”

Since she’s taken a step back from the spotlight to support her friend and current AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter, Baker was asked if she missed being a champion.

“There’s things I miss and things I don’t,” she told “Barstool Rasslin’.” Baker described the role of being a champion as an “awesome responsibility” and an “honor,” but at the same time, it’s also “really hard.”

“It’s a lot of pressure and it’s so much more than what you guys see on TV,” Baker explained. “It’s so much more than just walking out with the belt and having these great matches.

“It’s carrying yourself backstage as a leader. It’s doing these media interviews to promote the product, promote yourself, to talk about the belt and how much that means. It’s just being out anywhere you can be and trying to get more eyes on All Elite Wrestling.”

Baker believes that being a champion is a full-time job, and the best ones “go above and beyond” to draw viewers to the product.