AEW and NXT Wednesday Night Wars: 3 winners of night #3

Riho

Through her first few months in the company, AEW has booked Riho the way WWE should’ve booked Kairi Sane on the main roster. Like the now-heel Sane, Riho is effortlessly affable and combined with her slight build and in-ring skills, making her a great choice as the centerpiece act in their women’s division.

Thus far, AEW has successfully walked the creative tightrope of maintaining that underdog aura without chipping away at her credibility as a skilled, swift competitor who keeps her opponents off-balance with her technique and quickness.

We saw this when she beat Nyla Rose on the debut episode of Dynamite and in her first title defense against Britt Baker this past Wednesday, the formula was put to good use again. These two had the crowd on the edge of their seat for most of the match, as the crowd reacted to nearly every near fall all the way up to the finish, where Riho countered Baker’s attempt to apply her Lockjow submission hold into a pinning combination to retain her championship.

The finish in this one shows how high the promotion is on both ladies — Riho gets a scrappy win in a very good match and the fluky pinfall loss protects Baker — but judging by how badly the crowd wanted to see Riho win, they clearly made the right choice putting the title on her.