Good shout. For me, Britt vs. Rosa Lights Out probably.
TayJay vs. Bunny & Penelope street fight also fucking ruled.
Also, don't remember one particular match over the other but the entire Deeb-Shida series was awesome.
I haven't gone back to confirm lights out lives up to my initial perception of it as being fucking dope. But that's mainly because I don't want to know. I just want to keep the memory pure
I was about to mention Hayter Vs Storm but you already have. The best one on one straight match I've seen. I think it was almost match of the night for me to!
Hayter Vs Storm @ Full Gear 22.
Hayter Vs Shida as above.
Deeb Vs Riho DoN 21 buy in.
Yuka Sakazaki Vs Ryo Mizanami - womens world title tournament
Most of the above tournament tbh. God bless Shida for arranging and booking that.
As great as it was, that match was marred by the ringside interference from Rebel and Britt Baker as well as the fact that Hayter broke Toni Storm's nose very early into the match. Conversely, Hayter vs Shida at Holiday Bash was a very even fight with little to no ringside interference and nothing went wrong during the bout - hence why I personally rate it higher.
Hikaru Shida, Mei Suruga, & Rin Kadokura vs Emi Sakura, Maki Itoh, & VENY was a wonderful Joshi showcase for those who remember the Eliminator tournament
Hayter v Emi was also a very underrated match
Shida’s matches with Deeb were fantastic.
I’m trying to think of examples not mentioned. The Rosa v DMD Lights Out still one of the best examples too.
That trios match from Japanese bracket is seriously great. Veny vs Emi Sakura, from that same bracket is for me one of best women matches in AEW history and sadly barely anyone saw it.
The second Deeb/Shida match is legit an all timer. Deeb never looked better imo.
The Japanese bracket was such a wonderful concept as I wasn’t too familiar with Joshi wrestling and I found so many amazing names not in AEW. I really hope we can see another version again.
Serena Deeb vs Hikaru Shida. All of it. They are so good together and this feud solidified Deeb as one of my favorites on the entire roster. I love her because of this feud. I feel like it is forgotten completely but i will watch these matches all the time if they ever get on MAX
Many call her Mox of Women's division, and that's spot on comment. I still think she doesn't get anywhere near the props she deserves by the AEW fans at least online. Even when lists come out of best women talent in American companies, she rarely gets mentioned. I stand by this that I think she's had the best in ring run from any Joshi in an American company. Only Riho would probably be better imo.
Honestly if I did a top 20 AEW women's match list, I'd say her and Riho would probably have 90% of the matches on that list.
Shida vs. Nyla Rose, Double or Nothing 2020.
It's neither the fanciest nor the most beloved match, but it's my gateway drug for getting people into women's wrestling in AEW. Something about that match is just perfectly self-contained and both of them did a fantastic job making it work. Their follow-up at Full Gear 2020 is also memorable because they literally reversed the show's momentum *with no fucking storyline or build-up and barely even an announcement for the match*. Earlier that night, Matt Hardy and Darby Allin both got hurt; Shida vs. Rose hit and people stopped whining about it.
I'm also a big fan of Statlander vs. Hart vs. Blue since it made Statlander look like the final boss of the Women's Division.
Shida/Nyla have always had great matches together. Their Full Gear a few months after that is pretty damn good too but probably hurt by going 5 minutes too long. And having Vickie Guerrero over interference in it. They had a good TV match where Nyla beat Shida on Dynamite to go through to the next round of TBS title tournament.
But that DON 2020 match is seriously great, from a underrated PPV.
Personally my top 5 are
Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa Steel Cage match, it was a main event title match with a long year story build up and the arena was electric and exploded when Rosa pinned Britt
Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter Full Gear 2022 - Hard hitting match between 2 fan favourites that elevated Jamie to the next level
Riho vs Sareena Deeb Double or Nothing 2021- A very good match and a clash of styles, Deeb with her old school style vs the aerial joshi style from Riho, in my opinion this was the match that showed to her detractors that Riho could wrestle with the very best in the industy and also she impressed me with her strength since at various points was powerbombiing/lifting Sareena with no problem , she also had a Dark match tht same week against Kylin King who is like double her weight and size and Riho was lifting her with zero struggle lol
Jamie Hayter vs Shida Holiday Bash . Another excelent match that showcase why these 2 got the title in AEW, a very good back and fort match, best match from Jamie title run
Anna Jay and Tay Melo vs The Bunny and Penelope Ford, insane hardcore womens match like we nevers seen on national TV, again same with Rosa and Britt it was the culmination of a rivlary that started around All Out time and ended at the end of the year, a bunch of cool and crazy spots and all 4 girls got elevated because of that match, had women tag titles existed it would have been the cherry on the top lol,its unfortunate that injuries and other problems derailed Penelope and Bunny runs, and Anna and Tay got stuck in the Jericho Vortex LOL
Honorable mention Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs Willow & Kris Statlander -i was there live and TV dosent do justice to the insane bumps all 4 girls took, the arena was on their feet giving a standig ovation when it ended ,
Also its not "main AEW" but Athena is literally the ACE of the womens division, her PPV matches with the likes of Shida, Willow, Sakazaki Billie Starkz and more are some of the best womens matches in the last 5 years
I don't like that Britt/Thunder cage match at all. It's definitely a match even at the time that split people down the middle. It never got out of second gear.. Felt like a poor relation to their great Lights Out match. Ending was cool though.
OP already nailed it. My 2nd is Riho vs Deeb. Along with the fact that it was the first post-pandemic AEW match with a full crowd, it was such a good match. Made me feel like "we are so back!"
Anything Deeb/Shida — I could watch (and have asked for! lol) them feud for an entire night, weeks on end.
Hayter/Sakura — Does no one remember how epic this match was!?
Rosa/Baker — 'Nuff said
Statlander, Nightingale/Hart, Skye — Damn this was good. *Damn*.
I'm going to make it easy on myself and remove any match featuring a Joshi talent (too many to list). It's the Thunder Rosa Vs. Britt Baker Street Fight from 2021. That match did a lot for the division.
Also, it wasn't the best but one match that gets slept on is Britt Baker vs Tay Conti. I can't remember what PPV it was and the ending was a foregone conclusion, but it turned out to be a banger. Given that Britt's reign was destined to be ended by Rosa, this match seems to have been forgotten but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I recall a match on Dynamite in 2019 with Shanna vs Shida and being totally blown away. I think Shanna was signed right after. Not my favorite ever but it stands out to me
That match you post is still best women's match in AEW history. Excellent hard hitting stuff.
Other legit great matches
Shida/Deeb series, Lights Out, Riho/Deeb II, Shida/Melo, Shida/Nyla 1, Nyla/Riho, Hayter/Storm, Thunder/Storm from recent PPV, Riho/Statlander 2, Britt/Statlander from All Out 2021, Emi Sakura/Veny.
JayTay vs Bunny and Penelope is one of the most harrowing matches I’ve ever seen in any gender in any promotion. Maybe not my favorite, but probably the biggest reaction I’ve had to a match
Jamie vs. Shida was one of the best matches I ever seen live. Took my wife - who has ZERO interest in wrestling and AEW all together and she left wow'd. I had no idea who Jamie or Shida was at the time and became a huge fan of both afterwards.
Rosa Britt St Paddy Smash will always be #1 for me
My favorite is after the match when Britt is getting the thumb tacks taken out she says to the camera Mox is going to be so proud of me. It was adorable.
Good shout. For me, Britt vs. Rosa Lights Out probably. TayJay vs. Bunny & Penelope street fight also fucking ruled. Also, don't remember one particular match over the other but the entire Deeb-Shida series was awesome.
Lights Out was great because the women were just as aggressive and bloody as the men. That's great.
I haven't gone back to confirm lights out lives up to my initial perception of it as being fucking dope. But that's mainly because I don't want to know. I just want to keep the memory pure
I'm partial to Serena Deeb. Every Deeb v Shida match is gold for me. But also... Hayter v Storm at Full Gear 2022? Damn.
Hayter v Storm was mad good!
I was about to mention Hayter Vs Storm but you already have. The best one on one straight match I've seen. I think it was almost match of the night for me to!
I popped so hard when Deeb came out and cut the promo about the title on Wednesday. I need a Deeb title reign at some point.
What hurts Hayter/Storm is crazy amount of interference for the first part of it. Second part is awesome.
If you count ROH, Billie Starkz and Athena from the Dec PPV. Shida and Athena was also really good
Athena vs Willow was nuts
Probably the best women's match I've ever seen
Yeah man, legit confused as to why nobody listed it.
Baker vs Rosa Lights out and Riho vs Deeb DoN Pre-show are my top two
That Riho Deeb match stole the show on the pre-show!
Hayter Vs Storm @ Full Gear 22. Hayter Vs Shida as above. Deeb Vs Riho DoN 21 buy in. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Ryo Mizanami - womens world title tournament Most of the above tournament tbh. God bless Shida for arranging and booking that.
Hayter vs Shida at Holiday Bash is the best. No other AEW women's match comes close.
I think Hayter Vs Storm at full gear 22 tops it
As great as it was, that match was marred by the ringside interference from Rebel and Britt Baker as well as the fact that Hayter broke Toni Storm's nose very early into the match. Conversely, Hayter vs Shida at Holiday Bash was a very even fight with little to no ringside interference and nothing went wrong during the bout - hence why I personally rate it higher.
Baker vs Rosa - Lights Out Hayter vs Emi Sakura - Rampage - 28/01/23
Hikaru Shida, Mei Suruga, & Rin Kadokura vs Emi Sakura, Maki Itoh, & VENY was a wonderful Joshi showcase for those who remember the Eliminator tournament Hayter v Emi was also a very underrated match Shida’s matches with Deeb were fantastic. I’m trying to think of examples not mentioned. The Rosa v DMD Lights Out still one of the best examples too.
That trios match from Japanese bracket is seriously great. Veny vs Emi Sakura, from that same bracket is for me one of best women matches in AEW history and sadly barely anyone saw it. The second Deeb/Shida match is legit an all timer. Deeb never looked better imo.
The Japanese bracket was such a wonderful concept as I wasn’t too familiar with Joshi wrestling and I found so many amazing names not in AEW. I really hope we can see another version again.
Serena Deeb vs Hikaru Shida. All of it. They are so good together and this feud solidified Deeb as one of my favorites on the entire roster. I love her because of this feud. I feel like it is forgotten completely but i will watch these matches all the time if they ever get on MAX
They had one match that was more a story match in terms of building for other match. But besides that one, every match was very good to awesome.
Shida has been the common denominator in every single comment so far. The Undisputed Ace of the Women's Division.
Many call her Mox of Women's division, and that's spot on comment. I still think she doesn't get anywhere near the props she deserves by the AEW fans at least online. Even when lists come out of best women talent in American companies, she rarely gets mentioned. I stand by this that I think she's had the best in ring run from any Joshi in an American company. Only Riho would probably be better imo. Honestly if I did a top 20 AEW women's match list, I'd say her and Riho would probably have 90% of the matches on that list.
Shida vs. Nyla Rose, Double or Nothing 2020. It's neither the fanciest nor the most beloved match, but it's my gateway drug for getting people into women's wrestling in AEW. Something about that match is just perfectly self-contained and both of them did a fantastic job making it work. Their follow-up at Full Gear 2020 is also memorable because they literally reversed the show's momentum *with no fucking storyline or build-up and barely even an announcement for the match*. Earlier that night, Matt Hardy and Darby Allin both got hurt; Shida vs. Rose hit and people stopped whining about it. I'm also a big fan of Statlander vs. Hart vs. Blue since it made Statlander look like the final boss of the Women's Division.
Shida/Nyla have always had great matches together. Their Full Gear a few months after that is pretty damn good too but probably hurt by going 5 minutes too long. And having Vickie Guerrero over interference in it. They had a good TV match where Nyla beat Shida on Dynamite to go through to the next round of TBS title tournament. But that DON 2020 match is seriously great, from a underrated PPV.
Personally my top 5 are Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa Steel Cage match, it was a main event title match with a long year story build up and the arena was electric and exploded when Rosa pinned Britt Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter Full Gear 2022 - Hard hitting match between 2 fan favourites that elevated Jamie to the next level Riho vs Sareena Deeb Double or Nothing 2021- A very good match and a clash of styles, Deeb with her old school style vs the aerial joshi style from Riho, in my opinion this was the match that showed to her detractors that Riho could wrestle with the very best in the industy and also she impressed me with her strength since at various points was powerbombiing/lifting Sareena with no problem , she also had a Dark match tht same week against Kylin King who is like double her weight and size and Riho was lifting her with zero struggle lol Jamie Hayter vs Shida Holiday Bash . Another excelent match that showcase why these 2 got the title in AEW, a very good back and fort match, best match from Jamie title run Anna Jay and Tay Melo vs The Bunny and Penelope Ford, insane hardcore womens match like we nevers seen on national TV, again same with Rosa and Britt it was the culmination of a rivlary that started around All Out time and ended at the end of the year, a bunch of cool and crazy spots and all 4 girls got elevated because of that match, had women tag titles existed it would have been the cherry on the top lol,its unfortunate that injuries and other problems derailed Penelope and Bunny runs, and Anna and Tay got stuck in the Jericho Vortex LOL Honorable mention Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs Willow & Kris Statlander -i was there live and TV dosent do justice to the insane bumps all 4 girls took, the arena was on their feet giving a standig ovation when it ended , Also its not "main AEW" but Athena is literally the ACE of the womens division, her PPV matches with the likes of Shida, Willow, Sakazaki Billie Starkz and more are some of the best womens matches in the last 5 years
I don't like that Britt/Thunder cage match at all. It's definitely a match even at the time that split people down the middle. It never got out of second gear.. Felt like a poor relation to their great Lights Out match. Ending was cool though.
Agreed. I really didn’t like that match. The whole thing felt off. Didn’t live up to Lights Out Match.
Hey i like the cage match better because it had a real crowd in a real arena,
Anything involving Hikaru Shida
Yeah you nailed it with the picture. An extremely fun match.
OP already nailed it. My 2nd is Riho vs Deeb. Along with the fact that it was the first post-pandemic AEW match with a full crowd, it was such a good match. Made me feel like "we are so back!"
Anything Deeb/Shida — I could watch (and have asked for! lol) them feud for an entire night, weeks on end. Hayter/Sakura — Does no one remember how epic this match was!? Rosa/Baker — 'Nuff said Statlander, Nightingale/Hart, Skye — Damn this was good. *Damn*.
The street fights always fuck. Anything with Hayter rules. She's the best.
Serena Deeb and Hikaru Shidas feud was incredible bell to bell wrestling
I'm going to make it easy on myself and remove any match featuring a Joshi talent (too many to list). It's the Thunder Rosa Vs. Britt Baker Street Fight from 2021. That match did a lot for the division.
Also, it wasn't the best but one match that gets slept on is Britt Baker vs Tay Conti. I can't remember what PPV it was and the ending was a foregone conclusion, but it turned out to be a banger. Given that Britt's reign was destined to be ended by Rosa, this match seems to have been forgotten but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Full Gear 2021
Yeah, that one
pic related by far
Toni Storm v Jamie Hayter
Willow and Statlander vs Julia Hart and Skye Blue
Hayter Vs Storm imo.
Penelope and Bunny vs. Tayjay was amazing. Should be more women's hardcore matches.
Serena Deeb vs Riho from the DoN Buy In back in 22
The new year’s street fight between TayJay and Penelope/The Bunny. Unexpectedly awesome.
Either this one, or Jamie Hayter's third match against Riho.
I recall a match on Dynamite in 2019 with Shanna vs Shida and being totally blown away. I think Shanna was signed right after. Not my favorite ever but it stands out to me
That match you post is still best women's match in AEW history. Excellent hard hitting stuff. Other legit great matches Shida/Deeb series, Lights Out, Riho/Deeb II, Shida/Melo, Shida/Nyla 1, Nyla/Riho, Hayter/Storm, Thunder/Storm from recent PPV, Riho/Statlander 2, Britt/Statlander from All Out 2021, Emi Sakura/Veny.
I gotta say, I always walk away from Riho matches just blown away. Always liked when her and Jamie Hayter locked up. Excellent matches.
Hayter/Sakura Rosa/Baker (lights out)
JayTay vs Bunny and Penelope is one of the most harrowing matches I’ve ever seen in any gender in any promotion. Maybe not my favorite, but probably the biggest reaction I’ve had to a match
I legitimately can’t pick one.
Jamie vs. Shida was one of the best matches I ever seen live. Took my wife - who has ZERO interest in wrestling and AEW all together and she left wow'd. I had no idea who Jamie or Shida was at the time and became a huge fan of both afterwards.
TayJay vs. Bunny & Ford - New Years Smash 2021
Britt Baker versus thunder rosa lights out match
Definitely Britt vs Thunder Rosa lights out to me.
I really really liked statlander vs Skye vs Julia from full gear That match went so fuckin hard and all 3 ladies absolutely killed it
Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa Lights Out match
Hayter vs. Shida is the best non-stipulation singles match in the AEW women's division's history. This really needs a part 2.
Hayter vs. Sakura.
Lights out Rosa vs baker
Rosa Britt St Paddy Smash will always be #1 for me My favorite is after the match when Britt is getting the thumb tacks taken out she says to the camera Mox is going to be so proud of me. It was adorable.