With AEW’s next pay-per-view a little less than two weeks away, the card is slowly but surely beginning to take shape. Assuming they’ll want every championship defended at ‘Full Gear,’ we’ve decided to look at three potential opponents for Riho’s Women’s Championship.
While the fledgling promotion’s inaugural Women’s Champion has loads of in-ring experience under her belt, not many pundits predicted a victory over Nyla Rose ahead of their clash. Needless to say, her win over the ‘Native Beast’ on the premiere episode of AEW Dynamite left many people surprised.
The dynamic, ring-savvy Riho has not let her diminutive stature define her presence among arguably larger and stronger opposition.
With a 6-1 record overall under her belt – and a flawless record in singles competition – Riho is one of AEW’s most dominant wrestlers. Britt Baker (4-2) and Brandi Rhodes (1-0) are the other two wrestlers with top winning records in the women’s division. Her seven total matches also make her one of the busiest individuals on the AEW roster along with Rey Fénix, Darby Allin and her long time friend Kenny Omega.
It could be argued that the AEW’s Women’s division is a little slim, but that does not mean that the competition for the 22-year-old’s title won’t be stiff.
Dynamite has yet to provide us with any true set up for a Women’s Championship match at ‘Full Gear’ but with two episodes remaining before the next pay-per-view, we are envisioning three potential opponents for Riho on Nov. 9.
3. Britt Baker
I’ll just come out and say it: Britt Baker is not my personal favorite wrestler among the women’s division, gimmick-wise. While she doesn’t offer Isaac Yankem levels of cringe, it is damn near close.
My eyebrow raises at every mention of her six-year journey and her adventures into the grueling world of professional dentistry.
Not to sound too cynical regarding someone who is arguably one of AEW’s most marketable talents, I’m also unsold on her microphone skills. Aside from her feud with Bea Priestley and the recent ‘Brittsburgh’ segment, Baker often feels uninspired and demotivated.
Having said all this, Britt can wrestle. And this is All Elite Wrestling after all, isn’t it?
Baker and Riho faced off on ‘Dynamite’ after teaming up together a week prior. The champion got the best of this tilt and the two even exchanged a very quick hand shake after the fight.
I’ve placed Britt on this list because I’ve seen this face-off before in a national television setting, perhaps AEW could set up a number one contender match between Bea Priestley and Baker that could potentially add more fuel to what has already been a fiery feud between the two.
2. Bea Priestley
The aforementioned Priestley (1-2) would make a tremendous opponent for Riho at ‘Full Gear’ for a myriad of reasons.
For starters, we’re not leaving out the possibility of a triple threat match with rival Dr. Britt Baker as the other opponent. A DQ or a draw between Baker or Priestley could potentially set up a three-way title match.
Secondly, Bea Priestley – having previously locked horns with Riho in Stardom and in a pair of AEW tag matches – would make for a compelling one on one match on AEW soil. Her familiarity with the joshi style could help the two produce one of the best matches on the card.
This is, unfortunately, the least likely match-up of the three entries on the list based on the fact we’ve yet to see Priestley in singles action. Currently, she is the only woman on the roster who has no single matches on her record.
1. Hikaru Shida
Again, these are the after effects of a very thin AEW women’s division.
The two Japanese performers faced off at ‘All Out’ on Aug. 31 and we haven’t seen Hikaru Shida on an AEW broadcast since. That’s all about to change since Shida has officially made the trip to the west and is beginning her American professional wrestling journey with All Elite.
There hasn’t been much of a storyline built towards anything regarding a Women’s Championship match at ‘Full Gear’ and it would take a pair of matches on Dynamite for AEW to create an alluring narrative.
What helps is the two have previously met in an AEW ring, both familiar with the joshi style and have proven they can put on a fluid, riveting pay-per-view quality match. Give them little to no motive for clashing and they’ll still come out as two of the top performers of the night.
That could be said for all of the joshi matches we’ve seen so far.
What about you? Who meets Riho for the AEW Women’s Title at ‘Full Gear’? Comment below.