This match of course was originally slated to be a 3-way match which included Britt Baker but hours before the show, AEW announced that Britt would be out due to an injury. According to Dave Meltzer it’s not a serious injury thankfully.
PIP Promos
During each woman’s entrance we got a little picture-in-picture promo from each. First Toni Storm who scolds Ruby for helping “homegrown idiots” like Willow Nightingale. Next Ruby extols the virtues of AEW and basically tells Toni “the buck stops here”.
Toni Storm drops a line about Ruby acting like a “misfit”.
The Match
Prior to Ruby Soho’s injury I would’ve said that my one issue with her in-ring was that she sometimes looked too careful with her striking game. Well we seemed to have had enough of that because these last two matches I feel like we’ve seen her really pick up her physicality. Not just her strikes but how hard she bumps.
Toni Storm meanwhile has taken the witchcraft that is her Hip Attack and has found a separate use for it in matches where she Hip Attacks a seated opponent off the apron to great effect!
Ruby’s suplex game looks great in this match and she displays this intangible ability to evoke a response from the crowd not with something overtly expressive but with a slight pause or look.
Toni Storm expertly sells a broken nose after a flush knee to the face from Ruby. Storm takes advantage of that, setting up the Hip Attack and just as she’s going for the Storm Zero, Britt Baker’s music hits. Toni, in a fit, drops Ruby to go call out Britt. This distraction is key in Ruby getting the win with the Destination Unknown.
HOMEGROWN ASSIST
Firstly, I usually hate the entrance theme distraction finish but for some reason this worked. Maybe it’s because the new tron is so blindingly bright that it would make for a good distraction or maybe because Britt was supposed to be in this match it was easier for Toni to consider this to be a threat? Or maybe this is Britt’s cute way of saying “Yeah, I’m not from WWE but I know what fools people there every single time”?
In any case, the match was decently well worked, had a screwy finish and, let’s face it, was a triumph given these two women delivered on a night that honoured the late, great Jay Briscoe.
