2022 may be coming to a close, the women in wrestling are going out with a bang. Jamie Hayter & Hikaru Shida main event AEW Dynamite. Raquel Rodriguez earns a title shot. The Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame begins their inductions. B3cca speaks with WrestleZone, and more! Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
AEW Women’s Championship Match Main Events Dynamite
Last week on AEW Dynamite, Jamie Hayter faced her first title defense. The star first won the AEW Women’s Championship at Full Gear last month, dethroning Toni Storm. Now, Hayter pivoted to another former champion in her first defense of the title.
In the main event of last Wednesday’s Dynamite Holiday Bash, Hayter battled Hikaru Shida in a back-and-forth bout. Shida earned her way into the title match after overcoming The Bunny on a previous episode of Rampage. The two women pulled out all the stops in the main event, garnering “this is awesome” chants from the San Antonio crowd.
Hayter’s allies Britt Baker and Rebel soon turned the tide in her favor, though. In the end, Hayter landed a ripcord lariat to finally clutch the three count for the win. After the match, the trio began to beat down the fallen Shida, until Toni Storm and Saraya made the save.
Regardless, Jamie Hayter remains the AEW Women’s Champion.
Check out a full recap of the match below, courtesy of our live coverage page.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Jamie Hayter (c) (with Rebel and Britt Baker) vs. Hikaru Shida
Shida is firmly in control early on, as she continues the opening stretch of the match. Hayter gains momentum with a hard Irish whip. The champion gains the upper hand and slams Shida into the barricade. Hayter maintains the advantage. Shida rallies with a Brainbuster. She goes on the offensive and overwhelms Hayter with a flurry of offense. Shida hits a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Hayter fires back and goes for a moonsault, but Shida evades it and hits a running knee for a two count.
Hayter hits a sliding lariat for a two count. Shida drills Hayter with some stiff kicks. Hayter ducks the Katana, but Shida hits a German suplex. Britt Baker gets on the apron, but Shida takes her out with a kick. She hits Baker with a kendo stick. Shida counters one powerbomb, but Hayter slams her with another attempt for a two count. Hayter gets the win with the Hayter-ade.
Winner and still AEW Women’s World Champion: Jamie Hayter
RELATED: AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash Results (12/21/22)
#AEW Women's World Champion @jmehytr retains the title after an ABSOLUTE WAR against @shidahikaru!
It’s #AEWDynamite: #HolidayBash LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/xFtUsas8W4
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 22, 2022
According to Fightful Select, the main event match between Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida gathered a “unanimous positive reception backstage.” In addition, Hayter’s title reign and work of herself, Baker, and Rebel as a trio has also earned high praise.
While Hayter’s next challenger remains uncertain, she will soon lace up her boots for a high-profile tag team match on January 11th. There, she teams with Britt Baker to take on Saraya and a mystery partner at AEW Dynamite in Los Angeles.
New Number One Contender Named SmackDown Women’s Championship
Raquel Rodriguez will once again gear up to face Ronda Rousey for gold.
In May, “The Baddest Woman On The Planet” held an open challenge for her SmackDown Women’s Championship — later answered by Rodriguez. Rousey would retain the title, but now, the two will meet again.
Last Friday on SmackDown, a gauntlet match unfolded to determine the next challenger for Rousey’s championship. Six competitors were originally announced for the match until Rousey attempted to skew the decision with a last-minute addition. Raquel Rodriguez, Emma, Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, Tegan Nox and Xia Li were the initial participants, until Rousey’s ally Shayna Baszler joined the mix for the final matchup in the gauntlet.
Xia Li started off strong, advancing through two matches, before meeting some stiff competition in the form of Raquel Rodriguez. Even with her bad arm taped up, Rodriguez powered through the remaining bouts, defeating Li, Morgan, Deville, and eventually, Shayna Baszler to earn a future title opportunity.
The order of elimination is as follows:
- Emma (Eliminated by Xia Li)
- Tegan Nox (Xia Li)
- Xia Li (Raquel Rodriguez)
- Liv Morgan (Raquel Rodriguez)
- Sonya Deville (Raquel Rodriguez)
- Shayna Baszler (added last minute by Ronda Rousey – pinned by Raquel Rodriguez)
#SmackDown Women's Champion @RondaRousey tried to cheat the system but it backfired! @RaquelWWE has earned a title shot NEXT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/B5ndtchp2p
— WWE (@WWE) December 24, 2022
Rodriguez must now pivot to Ronda Rousey, as the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be on the line for the December 30 edition of the blue brand.
RELATED: WWE SmackDown Results (12/23/22)
Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductions Begin
The Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame recently began their official inductions.
On Saturday, December 17th, the first three inductees received their rightful spot in the respective Hall of Fame. During a ceremony at the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Madusa (Alundra Blayze), Jazz, and the late Gertrude “Luna” Vachon joined the inaugural class. Vachon’s ex-husband Dave “Gangrel” Heath stepped in to represent her for the prestigious honor.
The following will receive their official inductions at a later date:
- Mildred Burke
- Rita Marie Chatterton
- Cora Livingston
- Iryna Merleni
- Susan “Tex” Green
- Toni Rose & Donna Christanello
- Beverly “Hammer” Shade
- Marva Scott
- Ethel Johnson
- Babs Wingo
- The original GLOW promotion
The Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame aims “to educate, promote, and preserve the history of women’s wrestling,” across four different categories: pioneer, amateur, professional, and non-wrestling.
RELATED: Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up: Jazz Headlines Women’s Wrestling Hall Of Fame, All Elite Willow
INTERVIEWS:
The “International Pop Sensation” B3cca spoke with WrestleZone’s own Ella Jay about her upcoming European tour, her recent appearance on WWE RAW, her character evolution, finding her confidence in wrestling, her bold ring gear, music plans, and much more!
Former Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo appeared on Counted Out with Mike & Tyler to discuss her opinions on Mickie James, Josh Alexander, Impact returning to Canada, the Queen of the Mountain match, and more.
WWE Hall of Famer Madusa chatted with The Wrestling Perspective Podcast about how she got into pro wrestling, how she got involved with Monster Jam, the double standards in wrestling, and more.
“The Hellbent Vixen” Viva Van appeared on The Hardy Wrestling podcast about her first memories of the sport, balancing college and wrestling, holding 5 championships at once, her hobbies outside of wrestling, and more.
