AEW Women’s Division Takeaways: All eyes on Swole v Baker

What went down in the women’s division on AEW’s go home show before All Out?

The latest episodes of AEW Dark and Dynamite set out the finishing touches before the big show this Saturday at All Out. Here are five takeaways from its women’s division.

Everything surrounding Brandi is confusing

Brandi appeared on AEW Dark with Tony Schiavone to address what transpired two weeks ago between the Dark Order and the Nightmare Family, when Brandi was choked out by Anna Jay.

She began addressing her loss in the tag tournament by saying most people would be understandably upset that they lost a tournament “they created for the sole purpose of succeeding,” but she wasn’t most people.

She then addressed Jay, saying “maybe daddy Brodie told you you were young and pretty and the whole world owes you something – I’ve been pretty a long time, it don’t mean s**t anymore.”

Brandi added that the only thing that matters is being smart and she doesn’t have much confidence in Jay’s intellect level considering she joined a “goon squad.”

She then referred to herself as the queen and said she was as confident and cocky as ever.

The energy Brandi put into this promo was good and her overall delivery was solid. However, this, along with the content of the promo has caused confusion.

Brandi delivered this promo like the well-established heel she’s been trying to be for some time. Which is confusing to some, because Jay is the obvious heel in this feud due to her attacking Brandi from behind.

Not only that, but Brandi’s claim to the nickname ‘the queen’ has also been called into question, given that Brandi lost in her own tournament and has never been in the title picture. But that’s a whole other discussion.

Red Velvet brought it on Dark

This week’s AEW Dark saw Red Velvet take on the previously mentioned, Anna Jay.

Red Velvet’s AEW career record stands at zero wins and four losses, as she has been commonly used as enhancement talent for the likes of Abadon, Mel, and Shida.

This match against Jay looked like it was to be no different, however, that’s not quite how it went down.

For almost the entirety of the match, Red Velvet impressively held her own and ran rings around Dark Order’s number 99.

Velvet’s previous in-ring appearances have always proven she’s a very capable in-ring competitor, and this particular matchup, against someone who has been in the spotlight these past few weeks, she did an incredible job of grabbing some of that limelight for herself.

Tay Conti is still undecided

Last week we saw Evil Uno and Anna Jay invite Tay Conti to join the Dark Order.

Conti looked unsure about whether this would be the right decision, and it seems she’s still weighing up her options.

She’s done a great job, however, of hyping up her decision on social media, as well as reminding us of her close relationship with Anna Jay, which does hint at Conti accepting the invitation to join her former tag partner.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpzwLvhyE2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Rosa’s hyped debut ended up getting someone else over

Thunder Rosa made her AEW Dynamite in-ring debut before her highly anticipated match against Hikaru Shida at All Out.

Her opponent was someone very familiar to wrestling fans, most likely known for her more recent stint as a coach at the WWE Performance Center, the over 10-year vet, Serena Deeb.

Thunder Rosa really brought it in this match and demonstrated herself as an all-rounder with her hard strikes and excellent technical ability, which blended very well with Deeb who is also brilliant from a technical standpoint.

The 10-minute match wasn’t as one-sided as people may have predicted, with Deeb exhibiting her own in-ring prowess, gaining a few nearfalls on Rosa in the process.

Rosa eventually came out on top, but Deeb certainly made a name for herself within AEW.

Everyone’s talking about Swole v Baker

Big Swole revealed her chosen stipulation for her match against Britt Baker at All Out will be a Tooth and Nail match.

It was later revealed that it will be a cinematic match – the first-ever women’s cinematic match in AEW – and it will be on the Buy In, which has been met with a lot of criticism.

Fans have expressed their anger at this match being left off the main card, taking into consideration the fact it has been building for months and has been one of the most entertaining feuds on the men’s and women’s roster.

Big Swole addressed the backlash in an interview with Kristen Ashly of Bell To Belles, saying: “I’m grateful. Last year I didn’t have a match and this year I do. Sure I’d love to be on the ppv, but I’m going to give it my all and hope everyone who complained tunes in.”

On the other hand, many are justifying the placement as a way to entice fans to buy the PPV by airing this match for free during the Buy In, given that it is such a highly anticipated match.