AEW Dynamite (Aug. 2, 2023) emanated from Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL. Fun was on tap as the show featured Hikaru Shida becoming a two-time women’s champion, MJF turning a new leaf as an official babyface, Rob Van Dam with a surprise appearance, the Elite running wild, and more in the 200th episode.
Get caught up on all the Dynamite details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
Holy Shida!
Hikaru Shida pulled a shocker to win the AEW Women’s World Championship from Toni Storm in the main event of Dynamite.
The match was hyped as Shida carrying the division during the COVID pandemic era without fans. She wanted a second run with the title to share with the fans this time. Storm shot back that the competition was weak at that time. It is now the era of the Outcasts.
The match played out as expected until the unexpected finish. Shida brought the fight to Storm. The tide turned in Storm’s favor with help from Saraya and Ruby Soho interfering. Shida showed fighting spirit to rally, then it was cut short by more interference.
The wrinkle came when Saraya slid the kendo stick in the ring. Shida snatched it first, so Storm begged to take a hit. The idea was for the referee to disqualify Shida. She didn’t take the bait, but she did crack Soho on the head.
When the referee retrieved the foreign object, Storm sprayed paint in Shida’s eyes. Piledriver. 1, 2, Shida kicked out of Storm’s finisher! Storm went for another piledriver, however, Shida reacted out of instinct to counter for a back body drop. Even though Shida could not see clearly, she still managed to reverse a roll-up for the stunning win. Shida is the new women’s champion.
AEW played me hard on that one. The direction lulled me into thinking it would be another cheap win by the Outcasts. My eyes were rolling at the tired script that we’ve seen so many times before. All of a sudden, Shida triumphed. I was not expecting that result whatsoever. That’s credit to AEW realizing the routine and pulling a left when I think they are going right. For that reason, the surprise factor was off the charts.
It will be a touching story to see Shida have her moment in front of the fans at the largest show in AEW history at All In. I’d like to see Shida run with the title for a while. The Outcasts formula has grown stale with the absence of Jamie Hayter as a rival. Saraya, Storm, and Soho should still stick together, but they need to evolve as a unit. Chasing Shida with the title could be the jolt needed to shake things up.
MJF honors his word
MJF is officially a babyface. MJF arrived in the ring to deliver an emotional promo from his raw soul. He spoke about his trouble dealing with rejection due to being bullied as a child. It made him believe everyone is evil, and it was best to screw them before they screwed him. MJF’s friendship with Cole showed him a better way to live. MJF clarified that he can’t change overnight, and that he will still act out like a scumbag. However, he is ready to be the fans’ scumbag. MJF is embracing his role as a fan favorite.
MJF called Cole into the ring to keep his word about a world title shot. MJF pulled out a contract for the match to main event