What do you get when one’s destiny collides with another’s vengeance? A spectacle, that’s what you get.
When last Hikaru Shida held the AEW Women’s Championship, it was on a night when COVID-19’s restrictions were lifted. It was the first big crowd she had when she was the promotion’s champion at Double or Nothing 2021. It was still in Daily’s Place, the home for All Elite Wrestling as the outdoor venue gave a somewhat safer environment for the weekly wrestling entertainment to unfold during uncertain times.
Since she had taken the belt off of then-champion Nyla Rose, Shida carried the belt during a hard time for the company, making history doing so as she would face off against the NWA’s Women’s Champion at the time in future AEW champ, Thunder Rosa.
However, there was a new star in the making who made it her time and at the aforementioned Double or Nothing event, that star in Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. would end the reign.
The belt has since hopped from Baker to Thunder Rosa to Toni Storm, until finally resting comfortably upon the built physique of Jamie Hayter, complementing the muscular figure of the Brit quite nicely as she stands with the D.M.D. and Rebel.
Hikaru Shida hasn’t been slouching either, however, as she’s had feuds among the likes of Toni Storm and Serena Deeb, but a visit to Japan would bolster her image as a fighter. In fact, she’s still a champion in Pro Wrestling Wave, as she holds aloft the Regina di Wave Championship (also known as the Wave Single Championship), which she defended on AEW Dynamite against The Bunny. She’s got momentum and power on her side.
Both of these women have made a name in Japan, but never crossed paths. See, initially an Ice Ribbon talent, Hikaru Shida became what is known as a freelancer, bouncing from promotion to promotion without being tied to neither, all as she wrestled stiff like a bully and being a powerful badass. There’s nothing else she’d rather do than leave opponents in a crumbled mess when she’s not starring in films and television programs or flaunting her latest cosplay.
Meanwhile, Jamie Hayter, when not in RevPro or WWE’s NXT UK, was battling in World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she would win gold as well. Hayter would be present in the early days of AEW, but nothing memorable would come of this due to the pandemic that saw her spend the rest of her time in Japan until restrictions were lifted. She too was a force to be reckoned with, but not at the level we’ve seen her at yet.
Upon Hayter’s return to AEW, the conversation and eyes of fans were firmly and stubbornly on her. There was tone and definition on her body that saw a toughness to reflect her experience in Japan, the likes of which left viewers salivating for violence, or simply because they were suffering from an unquenchable thirst. Respectfully, I get it. I get it.
The champion knows she’s champion material, too. Bold, brash, and cocky – humble is not on the menu. She’d rather crush you under her heels or punch you in the face until you look like chili made by a college kid who is incredibly high and doesn’t have their life together and just gave up when they realized the meat wasn’t even cooked. All with a sneer or a smirk, depending on what mood she is in. She’s Jamie Hayter, she’s got better things to do.
The two are set to collide on the December 21, 2022 episode of AEW: Dynamite, and if we get the same sort of performance they are known for, this could be a hard-hitting match. These women are going to be hurt and bruised. Don’t believe me? Watch some of Shida’s matches from her home country and rewatch the Full Gear 2022 match that saw Hayter dethrone Toni Storm in brutal fashion.
You’re either going to be filled with an unquenchable bloodlust as you cheer for carnage and agony, or you’re going to be watching through your fingers, mortified at what humans are capable of in hand-to-hand combat. Or, you’re probably desensitized and not fun.
But for the rest of us, we know it will be more than a test of sport for a prize. It’s going to be a brawl, a fight that gets downright nasty, with the pretty faces damaged by battle and no matter who leaves the victor, the rowdy fans will be the true winners. Violence will win this night.
It’s going to be ugly and unforgiving, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
