AEW Booms and Duds: Jake Roberts went full incel on us

Boom: another great highlight for the women’s division

Dud: am I the only one questioning the ending?

Whew, what a fun 4-way match!

Ever since the Rhio-Nyla Rose match in mid-February (aside from the Rose-Statlander match), the women’s matches in AEW have seen a gradual uptick in match quality and storyteliing. I’ve raved about how the women’s division has distinct angles heading forward, and what AEW has done to lend credibility to the division.

Last night was a great showcase for all four women involved. Yes, there were a few slight botches, but I was impressed with how seamlessly those spots were worked into the match as if they were supposed to happen.

Not everything in fights and sports always goes smoothly and without problems, right?

I’m glad Ford is receiving more time in the spotlight. Her athleticism is clearly evident, and she uses her facial expressions well to play a heel even while performing moves more apt for faces. She also takes bumps really well. I’m looking forward to whoever they match her up with next.

Statlander looked to be in tremendous shape, and showcased both her strength and athleticism, not to mention the “Greco-Roman Japanese Nostril Lock” she employed on Baker. It was nice to see her again after some time off television. My hope is that we have more character-building promos/vignettes so we know more about her than she’s from the Andromeda Galaxy.

Shida and Baker were the favorites coming into the match, with many (rightfully) picking Shida. Her lower third said she’s been the #1 contender for 11 straight weeks! How do you pick against that?

Considering Shida breaking Baker’s nose and all of the antics Baker’s done since to agitate Shida, I figured we would see these two go at each other. I was right and wrong.

They started off against each other, even teasing the enziguri spot that broke Baker’s nose. Baker countered into a Lockjaw attempt only to be thwarted by the other competitors.

The ending mystified me, though, because Baker completely removed herself from the decision by cinching in the Lockjaw to Statlander on the outside (“Where did she get that glove?” asked her best friend Tony Schiavone). This allowed Shida to hit Ford with her 3 Count knee strike for the victory.

I figured if anything, the person Baker would be so enraged with would be Shida. Instead, she decides to focus solely on Statlander to lose her shot at Rose.

Then again, I’ve stated as a heel, Baker doesn’t need the championship.

My mystification was cleared a little bit when AEW announced Baker and Statlander will face each other at Double or Nothing (yay, two women’s matches on the card!). I was still confused as to why this happened so suddenly.

Then Baker was interviewed by Alex Marvez (she asked where Schiavone was) where she explained why she focused on Statlander. Baker believed she had the match won until “E.T. decided to stick her extra-terrestrial fingers up my recently deviated septum, which I can still barely breathe out of.” This was the aforementioned Greco-Roman Japanese Nostril Lock. She then proceeded to say that since she’s such a role model (remember those first two rules?), “I actually want to rip all of her teeth out and donate them to space science!”

I chuckled; great heel promo.

While the confusing ending is not so confusing anymore, I only found clarification through Twitter, and not everyone is on Twitter. Hopefully, we receive these story-building clarification segments on the show more than having to peruse Twitter.