AEW: Big Swole vs. Diamante wasn’t that bad, you guys are just mean
You know that viral wrestling sequence from AEW Dark that’s catching heat on social media? Yeah, it’s not even that bad. You guys are just mean.
In case you were left out of the loop when it comes to all things Wrestling Twitter this week (first off, I’m jealous because I wish I could say the same), the internet got a hold of some quote-on-quote “controversial” footage from the latest episode of AEW Dark.
Said footage focuses on a match between Big Swole and Diamante, specifically the closing sequence of the match. This was the tweet to start it all, but if you’d rather lend your views to the actual YouTube video the match premiered on, check out the 9:30 mark of the match at this link and come back here.
You back? Saw it? Good. Didn’t see what the big deal was? Yeah, me neither.
Oh, wait, I misheard, you did think it was a big deal and have a problem with the sequence? Then, by all means, explain to me what the problem is, because I don’t get it.
The first time I saw what everyone was giving hullabaloo about, I’ll be honest, I had to watch the clip about five times in a row. I really did not understand what the problem was and why people were acting like this was the worst thing ever. It didn’t look that different from the average sequence you’d see in most wrestling matches, especially those at indy shows.
Then, I read further down into the comments to see people calling the sequence everything from “too slow” to “too choreographed.” All implications seemed to suggest this was an awful, embarrassing affair that both wrestlers should be ashamed of.
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First off, for those saying it’s too slow, keep in mind, context is everything. These women worked a nearly 10 minute match (an internet dark match, mind you, so it’s not like this was on TNT or something), with the story of it suggesting it to be a grueling one. Go back and watch the match in full to see why their sequence were so slow, but to put it simply, they were gassed.
As they should be after working for so long. I wouldn’t want to see, say, Will Ospreay and Ricochet do their flippy sequence picture perfect as if the last 20-odd minutes of their match didn’t happen (hence why their most famous sequences happen at the very start, when both men are fresh). Then it would’ve felt too choreographed.
Without turning this into a rant, I come to the defense of Swole and Diamante’s match less because I don’t think the match was as bad as people say this is, but more because I think it lends to a larger problem among the wrestling community: women’s wrestling is viewed too tightly under a microscope compared to men’s wrestling.
At first, I viewed this Diamante vs. Big Swole thing as just an isolated incident, but then another tweet trended, this time criticizing Rhea Ripley’s punches on Bianca Belair and comparing them to the controversial Dark Order punches from the end of 2019.
Again, context is everything. The punches looked fine (really good, actually) in real time, but anything looks bad when it’s slowed down 1000 frames per second. But why go through all the trouble to even point it out?
It’s almost as if some fans watch women in wrestling matches just waiting – begging – to find some way to criticize it. Just to make women’s wrestling look bad. It actually reads a little sexist to me. Maybe a whole lot of sexist, even.
This brings me back Diamante vs. Big Swole. People are already looking at AEW under a microscope (and rightfully so, in many cases) because they’re the proverbial “new kid on the block,” and some fans are anxious to criticize them.
Which, when they deserve criticizing, by all means, lay it into them, but this whole Diamante vs. Big Swole thing ain’t it.
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Simply put, Diamante vs. Big Swole wasn’t bad. In fact, the match as a whole was quite good. Swole showed potential as a top, fiery babyface at the center of AEW, while I was impressed with Diamante (someone I’m less familiar with her work) enough to hope the company decide to sign her.
Whether this is merely just another case of the internet losing their minds over a clip without context, or if it’s something with far more concerning and sexist implications, the backlash their match has received is unwarranted.