Toni Storm vs Kilynn King

Amazingly, for someone who felt like such a staple of AEW’s “Pandemic Era”, it’s felt like forever since we saw KiLynn King in an AEW ring. In fact, we haven’t seen her since March. When she’s not in AEW, KiLynn has been KiLling (see what I did there) it on the Indies. She’s the current CCW Women’s Champion as well as their World Champion, and the GWA Women’s Champion. She’s been a regular on NWA Powerrr beating some big names, going 17 minutes with NWA World Women’s Champion Kamile, and she’s gotten a big wins over Allysin Kay, Chelsea Green and Jennacide. This match was a great showcase for her.

The one thing I wasn’t thrilled about with KiLynn King’s former presentation in AEW was her music. And 99% of that was how it opened with “Why be Queens and have some when we can be Kings and have it all” and I get it’s wordplay on the fact her last name is King and she’s wrestling women/queens but I couldn’t decide whether it felt sexist or just cringe.

In either case, it left me feeling at a deficit for her when she’d come out. Her new music isn’t a bopper and to be honest, it’s a little on the generic side but it fits okay and I sympathize with Mikey Rukus who must churn out music nonstop. Okay, that’s enough music talk.

As #1 Contender Toni Storm walks out we get a shot of Thunder Rosa watching on a monitor in the back. I can’t help but feel like she’s got an insincere smile pasted on her face. Match opens slowly with grapples and holds. JR puts over King as being 6’1”. KiLynn gets to show her power advantage over Toni and not being a slouch in the speed department either! She manages to knock Toni to the floor with a flying knee to Toni who was hung up on the apron.

KiLynn pursues, Storm tries for a Swinging DDT but KiLynn clinches Storm and rams her back against the edge of the apron and barricade. This is a very good showing for King. Toni is rolled back in as KiLynn delivers a big chop in the corner. Toni ducks the next attempt and returns fire. King pulls off and overhead throw for two.

King stops Toni from going to the top rope and tries for a back suplex from there but Storm reverses it into a cross body splash as we return from PIP. Fisherman Suplex from Storm for two. King blocks the Pendulum DDT. Spinebuster on Toni for a 2-count. JR mentions again for the umpteenth time that KiLynn King is 6’1″.

Toni hits the Hip Attack, which Tony Schiavone informs us Storm is calling the “Sweet Cheeks Music” (love it). She follows that up with a Swinging DDT and then Pendulum DDT for the win. I wonder why we’re seeing the Pendulum DDT more than the Storm Zero Piledriver? I thought that looked awesome. Maybe it’s being saved as an even bigger Finisher like how the Undertaker usually used the Chokeslam but levelled up to the Tombstone when he needed to.

We get a shot of Thunder Rosa watching from the back and the smile has fallen off her face and she slow claps for Toni’s win. Uh-oh. Sometime after the match, it’s officially announced that it’ll be Thunder Rosa vs Toni Storm at All Out for the World Title. Welp… I guess that shits on my theory, lol.

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• ONE Opinion

A Familiar 4-Way?

byTravis

August 14, 2022

I always try not to be the guy who complains when the thing they fantasy booked doesn’t happen. I’ll just say that I thought I saw a direction but it looks like Tony Khan has something else up his sleeve. I guess maybe Britt Baker wasn’t just projecting when she was accusing ThunderStorm of not really being on the same page? Maybe we’ll still get the 4-way at Grand Slam? We’ll see!