[7.0] "With the way this feud was built, you would have rightfully expected this match to be more lighthearted or goofy, but instead, they had one heck of a back-and-forth battle. That seriousness made the match all the better, and to me made more sense that they would embrace after a battle such as this then a more carefree outing."
[7.0] "Excalibur saying "How do they know what we did on the pre-show? " followed by Nigel standing up, clapping with tears in his eyes after the three-way kiss is one of the best moments in AEW history. Toni's germans in this were fucking disgusting as well. Way better than their future DoN match! ***1/2"
[6.0] "I liked this match more than the other Toni Storm match I saw at Worlds End. This was a good match with an amazing Toni Storm entrance gear this was the build to the amazing story of Toni Storm and Mariah May."
[6.0] "The post angle of this match and the entire storyline was fun and entertaining, but the match itself is not remind as much as this other stuff I said."
[8.0] "One of the more story driven entries in Toni's Timless run. I loved the emotional hook here, the three way relationship between Toni, Mariah and Mina got me so invested and clearly got over with the crowd too. Some of AEW's best storytelling, and the match itself worked really well too. No gimmicky comedy shit, Toni working a lot more rough than usual and it worked well for the story they were telling. Great stuff."
[7.0] "A nice, solid match between these two. I'm not incredibly familiar with Shirakawa outside of AEW, but she did good here and I thought this was a better match for Storm under her "Timeless" gimmick. At first, I think she struggled finding a good balance between her character and her in-ring work, but it seems that she's gotten a better grip on things now."
[8.0] "OK, I was watching a much different match than a lot of people here. This is the best match I have seen from Toni, and I mean that as a compliment. These two ladies hit some big moves on each other and there was a great story being told throughout. I have this second only to the main event."
[7.0] "This was once again, another really solid title defense from Toni Storm, while continuing one of the best gimmicks in wrestling history. Both wrestlers had great offense and Toni's story-telling abilities are fantastic and I overall had a very fun time watching this match. Toni needs to be in the question when discussing the best championship reigns in AEW because most the matches in this title reign have been hits and very little misses."
[6.0] "This match was pretty good. Definitely more interested than the last defenses Ive seen from Toni. Some very good moves and a nasty Storm Zero for the finish. It was not long enough to receive a better rating unfortunately. The story was compelling and the aftermath was acted out pretty well."
[6.0] "The best build of this event, the best story, I was extremely hyped for Toni Storm vs Mina Shirakawa, and the hype paid off in some ways, but in others it didn't, I was honestly expecting more drama here, not a straight up wrestling match, I know it's not an AEW characteristic to do matches based on little dramas, the focus is in the ring, but some drama here was necessary, the fact it was purely in-ring work made me feel that this was incomplete, that the feud didn't ended, I felt empty, but of course the match was a good one, just didn't had enough emotional angles - {**3/4}"
[7.0] "The love story behind this match was the most developed story in the company during the previous weeks heading to this event. Toni Storm as the Statue of Liberty during her entrance, matching perfectly with her character's aura, Mina Shirakawa with her charismatic happiness, which charmed the public, and Mariah May with her expressive grimaces were the mixture of personalities that created the intriging and dramatic match of the event. Mina's offence aiming intelligently at Toni's leg during the first half of the match, was cleanly executed, and Toni's selling was just as good. Then, Toni Storm, step by step, gained more weight on the match until she hit her finisher and retain her championship with a prestigious match which solidifies, even more, her reign. The conclusion to this confrontation was cloying and beautiful, with the three wrestlers leaving the ring in love with each other. Rating: 7.10 / 10. Stars: *** 3/4."
[3.0] "Somehow this match ran out of ideas in record time, I guess because they telegraphed it to be a 'chapter of the story' where the result is obvious and Shirakawa isn't an actual threat - by the time they did a Top Rope DDT, which was supposed to be the biggest false finish for Shirakawa, it already felt like the match overstayed it's welcome and they were just doing stuff. It simply didn't feel like a title match, it probably could work better as a non-title TV Main Event."
[2.0] "This feels exploitative in a way I'm not intelligent enough to explain. What exactly is the appeal here? The story of Toni and Mina fighting for Mariah seems to be played way to silly to be taken seriously and Is not particulary funny either. The wrestling looks bad (the elbows and slaps look fake) and I can't imagine they expect the sex appeal to be enough (they are both attractive, but they would be equally attractive with a better angle). I'm not very familiar with Mina Shirakawa, but she was too goofy for me to enjoy her work here. I used to like Toni but this is really bad."
[8.0] "I really enjoyed this. I thought they had great chemistry and had some really good exchanges towards the end. I wish it went a few minutes longer but overall great."
[7.0] "A good story driven match. The whole point wasn't the AEW World title but Mariah's love / loyalty. The same way as the previous match, Storm is dominated but capitalizes on the only error made by Shirakawa. Nigel McGuinness crying out of emotion in the post match is 1 second of pure fun."
[4.0] "As someone who was a huge Mina fan in Stardom, it seems like her AEW work is just an imitation of the wrestler she is. I carry on reading about what a great story and what great character work is in this feud and I really don't see it. It doesn't know if it wants to be dramatic, or comedy, or romantic. It gives serious male gaze HLA vibes, no matter how much it's defenders claim otherwise. As for the actual match, first of all it was absolutely heatless. At no point whatsoever did it feel Mina was in with a chance of winning. Toni's offence looked weak and sloppy and at times the two were all over the place. I can be forgiving of sloppiness in a match if there is some fire or speed there, but the pace of this was pedestrian and nothing seemed to be impactful. Mina and Storm just didn't click - there was no fluidity. Maybe I am spoilt by joshi elsewhere but I carry on checking out these 'great' matches recommended when the Stardom roster travel but this was disappointing throughout. A massively overrated story and a very average match. Mariah has great matches in her, but she's going to have her work cut out when she has to carry Toni Storm around when they face each other"
[7.0] "I feel like this is one of the better matches of Tonis reign, the wrestling was good but I feel like what made it a 7/10 for me was the story. One of my favourite stories in this PPV. Id give it a 3.75 stars."
[6.0] "I like all the competitors in this match and I was hoping for a banger. It never really reached that level. The story was strong & built off of Mariah May having to choose between her first tag partner & her current mentor Toni Storm. They did all the advertising around that only for Mariah to not choose. It was an ok match that wasnt top tier with a selling point that didnt even happen. I do want more Mina on AEW tho"
[7.0] "Truly obsessed with Mina, she and Toni (and Mariah! ) have great chemistry, and the possibilities for Mina's AEW future are incredible. The only complaint I could have for Toni would be a little bit of a lackluster/standard in-ring performance in what was otherwise an incredibly impassioned battle, a complaint which I think also extends to the slightly lazy three-way kiss to conclude the storyline, but an all-around enjoyable show regardless of those silly nitpicks. 7/10."
[7.0] "A great women's match and the one with arguably the most well-built story going into it. Both women were great and Shirakawa convinced me she might have won a couple of times. The ending felt a little sudden and the post-match could have been better but was fine the way it was. 7/10"
[8.0] "Great match but it kinda felt flat for the build. Could've used more Mariah or just shenanigans in general. The match itself just didn't feel like a big title match."
[7.0] "I thought this was a pretty good match, though it was admittedly held up a lot by the story going on during it rather than the actual match quality. Still, I enjoyed it a lot."
[6.0] "A quite enjoyable defense for Storm mostly due some really vicious spots. For the AEW standards this was surely great but in general it was just good in my opinion; still very high on the top of Toni's title defenses probably considering the low average. ***1/4"
[7.0] "I really enjoyed the match, a great conclusion for one of the most interesting rivalries AEW women's division ever had. The aftermatch was something else to... (***3/4)."
[9.0] "Really enjoyed this match, the angle has been silly as hell but in an enjoyable way and the match was a (surprisingly) straightforward fight. I'm not the biggest Toni fan but I thought she did quite well, and Mina did particularly well. The post match was... interesting? Perhaps they can all become the Criterion Collection together."
[0.0] "For a story about passionate... lovers(? ) wanting to win the heart of Mariah they really did not wrestle with much passion here. A recurring problem with this Timless Toni Storm run is none of her title matches actually feel like title matches. No one thought Mini was winning so it wouldn't have been the worst idea to involve Mariah somehow but they didn't do that and the match never took off. Just a match that makes me wonder what were the agents thinking and why didn't the wrestlers seem to know what to do with their own story. So yeah I consider this a failure given how much time and potential this one could have had. Hopefully the actual angle and match against Mariah will have been worth the slog of a run so at least they get a second chance here."
[10.0] "The in-ring action could've been better, but the character work around the match was unimpeachable - Toni as Liberty, Mariah with the flowers, Mina just being herself - and we got a happy ending to a rivalry, which is a rare occasion in pro wrestling."
[7.0] "Good match. Shirakawa has a lot of personality and her charisma is on the same level as that of Storm's. Crowd was real into this, you can hear the 'we want Mina' and 'Toni Storm' chants throughout the arena. Also, in the middle was Mariah May who stayed neutral throughout the end and didn't interfere in any way or capacity, though you can see the overdramatic reactions she had when two of her closest peers were beating the shit out of each other. This match was more technical that I expected, Shirakawa did a really fine job working the leg and she did a good job of dictating the pace, Toni also did a good job with the selling and allowed Shirakawa to lead here. The winner was predictable but still, these two worked a fine match and gave the fans a little service after the match. ***1/2"
[7.0] "My biggest complaint with this match was it being a title match. There's no way Toni was ever dropping that shit before Wembley, and the story they were telling didn't need it. The announcement of the title's inclusion made the result way too predictable to the point where I, a giant Mina Shirakawa fan, couldn't really get all that excited for a singles match featuring her. If this wasn't a title match, the way it was built, either woman felt like she could have won. That out of the way, Mina really delivered here, which was good, because it felt like she was in control for like 90% of the match. Toni sold the knee well, and that's the bulk of what was tasked with doing before her final comeback. It also helps that she's shed most of the annoying things she was doing early on in the life of this gimmick (I still hate the gimmick, but at least it's not imposing itself too much on her matches anymore). The finish felt abrupt which genuinely annoyed me; all it took was a single Storm Zero to put Mina away when it never felt like she took much offense during the rest of the match. All in all, I have my complaints with how Mina was booked in this program, but I can't be disappointed with her work and I'm glad she seems to have gotten a big popularity boost out of it."
[1.0] "As far as just the match goes, these two didn't even try to do anything special despite having what felt like months of build. Maybe they felt like they were just wrestling to their level but I'd give more credit if they actually tried to make something here rather than just going through the motions so they can get to the kiss after the match. And on that note pretty anticlimactic for that too, which is basically the same problem as the match, just a complete punt on trying to do anything interesting."
[8.0] "Lots of fun character play at work here, and the match itself was better than many of Toni's phoned in affairs since winning the title. Mina is a breath of fresh air and very charming. Loved the ending, subverting the trope of women always turning out of jealousy and tearing each other down, rather than finding common ground and support."
[10.0] "Literally perfect wrestling entertainment. From the entrances, to Mariah May's involvement, to Nigel hamming it up on commentary.. oh, and there was a really good wrestling match in the middle of all that. Toni Storm has begun to forgo some of the more comedic elements of her character between the ropes, and it's really helped match quality. The All About Mariah story continues to be the best long-term story on AEW. Mina should be a permanent fixture as well, she connected with the AEW audience almost instantly, something most joshis in AEW struggle with."
[7.0] "Am shocked to see such low ratings for what was a really strong, borderline great match. Storm's Hip Attacks were nasty, as were her suplexes. Shirakawa held her own too, though maybe had a little less flash in her arsenal. I thought this one could've actually used more involvement for Mariah May as she was such a key component of the build. How anyone could see this match and consider it below average is beyond me."
[8.0] "Many people in AEW who are currently doing schtick should look at people like Toni Storm and learn from her. I got to say I wasn't a fan of the earliest parts of her gimmick as it was way too haha and not enough seriousness for her to be the world champ but she dialed it back until she found the perfect balance and had some strong quality matches at her last 3 PPVs and her story with Mariah is pretty great can't wait to see what happens next with it which is rare for AEW at the moment. Mina is also someone who maximized her minutes on TV and is perhaps the biggest winner of Forbidden Door season, with the way she's taken to TV, I wouldn't be surprised if she's ALL ELITE soon."
[5.0] "***1/2 An interesting and entertaining match, although the start was comical, they got serious and gave a pretty good match even though in general terms it was not good."
[0.0] "I thought this was trash. This horrible angle is setting women's wrestling back 20 years. The wrestling was ok, , but it can't overcome the trashy angle. Shirakawa is very talented, but American fans will never be able to view here separated from this angle. Toni Storm is ok, but a black hole for any other wrestler to work with. I strongly view that professional wrestling should not be an advertiser for softcore pornography. Leave that to the Apter mags. Women's pro wrestling has been ran by sex traffickers for the last 70 years and now fans can't see any other vision for it and it aggravates me. It should be about who is the strongest, the toughest, the fastest, the most skilled. Instead it's about who can please men, the least progressive aim women's wrestling can have."
[3.0] "A very bizarre and unexpected ending to the story of Toni Storm... It began as a love story between well-known wrestlers in the company and ended up being a... love triangle, it was difficult to focus on the match when everything they do to you thinking is who will end up being Mariah May's crush. The match itself was not relevant either, it seemed more like a game between friends than a rivalry."
[4.0] "This was another underwhelming Timeless Toni Storm PPV match unfortunately. A lot of leg work that went nowhere and then into an abrupt end. Crowd was dead for this but they really didn't give them much to react to for something so story-driven until the post-match."
[7.0] "What a great match. Knowing that both Toni and Mina come from Stardom, I expected a hard-hitting match, and it definitely delivered on that. Toni and Mina went all out on each other from kicks and punches to great snappy moves. It's also great to have a good story leading to the match, as Maria could've been the deciding factor in this match, she stayed neutral all through it. I hope we see more of Mina in AEW in the future."
[3.0] "A bit of a mixed bag and the negatives here probably outweigh the positives for me. Certainly the 'story' behind the match is actually probably one of the best in a long time and I really like it. And there are moments where both shine. But some stuff in this match looks really sloppy and the selling from Shirakawa was kind of bad at times too. Storm has moments like this too but this is probably her best performance yet."
[0.0] "This dancing, shimmy thing going on is god awful and immediately drops this one down. First time seeing this person and I do not foresee me ever wasting my time on another match of hers. We get an awful top rope spot with a crossbody to a waiting Luther and Toni. Forget the rest of this. This person doesn't know how to wrestle.this person doesn't belong on tv let alone ppv. This company has a stacked women's roster but continues to give us matches with one good person and one terrible person. I see many mentions of "story". The story didn't play into the match the way it should've. you can build all the story you want before the match, if during the match it doesn't create teases, and references to the story to build to a big payoff then what was the point? back to the match, The most heartless elbows thrown from both in a 30 second exchange on the top rope. Miina doesn't sell anything correctly. Another embarrassing women's match from a company that should be churning out much better quality matches. DUD. Unless you're a 40 year old who has never seen a girl, pass this at all costs."
[5.0] "Solidly worked but similarly to the earlier 6 man tag, there wasn't anything particularly amazing going on here. In ring this was fine, with Mina working Toni's leg and Toni selling it pretty competently. This match was about the story though. Who would Mariah side with? Would it be her mentor and sort of girlfriend Toni or her former tag partner and also sort of girlfriend Mina? Well as it turns out, the answer is....both of them. After the match Toni and Mina shake hands and they all share a kiss. Bit of an underwhelming ending to what was a pretty entertaining story. This could have been a great moments which could've really set in motion what I think should be the Wembley match between Mariah and Toni. But instead they went for the most boring option and completed abandoned the "you must choose between us" part of the build. Decent enough match, but honestly a terrible end to what was the most compelling story in the women's division. **3/4"
[7.0] "Assisted by the build, I thought this had decent heat at the bell, then building on that with strong action. Mina takes most of it, which is to the match's benefit, working Toni's leg. The Timeless act is totally at home with Storm as the babyface, fighting from underneath to consistent "Toni" chants. With just shy of 12 minutes to play with, they push a serious pace also, giving this a refreshing intensity on a show that lacked that at times. Very good match, concluding a programme that did an awful lot for Mina's profile. ***1/2"
[3.0] "Toni Storm has had one of the most frustrating runs as Women's World Champion in AEW's history, which deservedly says a lot. She's got an outstanding character, but has failed tremendously at using it to build feuds or matches. She could be either an incredible heel or face but is determined to fail in both efforts, which makes her feuds both heatless and her matches low in audience investment. She has shown she is capable of fast-paced and heavy-handed workrate in the ring but instead has abandoned that for no-selling match-length beatdowns and winning off surprise finishes. And there's perhaps no better example of all the above criticism than this match against Mina. Just a failure to meet the moment in every way. And hopefully the end of the discussion to bring Mina fulltime into AEW. It just didn't work where it mattered most -- in the ring."
[1.0] "People keep going on about "story" yet the crowd didn't care at all about this match and nothing about the build played into the match and then the post-match rendered the whole thing meaningless. Of course, the reaction for the three way kiss says it all."
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