Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Thunder Rosa

[7.0] "I liked this way more than I thought I would, tbh. Very much had the intensity you'd expect and the finish was very solid as well."

[9.0] "Really exceptional stuff that built upon an established narrative in the division and allowed them to do some really intricate and exciting technical wrestling. This is destined to be overshadowed by their unprecedented classic in the Lights Out match but it's more than worth praise on its own terms."

[3.0] "The beginning of this match was them just stalling and Britt Baker tensing up anytime she had to take a strike instead of actually selling the shots. Once in the ring they never turned it into anything substantial, just a screwy finish that could be seen coming from a mile away, except Rosa completely missed the exposed turnbuckle, so even that didn't work."

[3.0] "Hadn't seen this prior to the lights out match, which I thought was mostly good, but this was... not. A lot of stalling and bad selling at the start only to finish with goofy manager interference. Thumbs down."

[1.0] "Like with all of Baker's matches, i didn't like this. The brawling was drawn out, sloppy and didn't lead to anything. The moves had such little impact and Baker's selling is just terrible. The finish was flat and botched because Rosa didn't even touch the exposed turnbuckle and we had the same interference spot from Reba again. Not good at all. No interesting action whatsoever."

[2.0] "Thought this was really weak honestly. Rosa has no handle on how to make any of her moves feel earned and Britt Baker can't sell them anyway so you're left with a lot of sloppy exchanges here. Then there's Reba..."

[1.0] "Watched this after last night's Dynamite because I was perplexed at Baker's performance, and wanted to see how she would stand against Thunder Rosa. Not very good, as it turns out. Between the Reba stuff and her tripping over herself on the last stretch of the match, I don't think the good doctor has improved as much as people say. Thunder Rosa, for her part, looked good, though nothing she did stood out."

[7.0] "The start was sloppy but then it gained its direction with Rosa connecting with beautiful basement dropkicks and unleashing her hard hitting strikes on Britt . I personally liked the heel/face dynamic here with Britt actually doing very good heel work than expected and Rosa playing a good babyface who got her breakthrough after a opening which lead to her working on the arm . Britt quit selling it a few moments later but the work done by Rosa is appreciable . The in ring quality was very good back and forth action with crisp momentum shifts without any lag throughout . The curb stomp was good and the death driver on the stage was also a nice touch to the match . Great and intelligent finish except that it was botched. Maybe , leads to a match in the future and finish made Rosa look strong and saves her for the future . The best Britt has looked ever and Rosa deserves the credit for it . ***1/2"

[1.0] "This didn't feel like it ever quite came together but they tried hard. Rosa especially really has a great attitude in her matches. Crazy to think she's only been wrestling for like 5 years but comes off as a veteran. I kept waiting for it to kick into the next gear but it never seemed to get there, then the finish was really deflating (even without the camera showing Rosa was nowhere near hitting the buckle). Also the story to this feud was nonsensical and repeated over and over."

[8.0] "Good match, among the best of the women's division during the last months. The best thing is that it is a well-armed story and that it is most likely to have a continuation. 8/10"

[2.0] "Thunder Rosa's intensity was a pretty stark contrast to Britt's complete non-selling and overall awkwardness. This all led to Reba interference of course, which every time she gets involved in a match it looks like she has no idea what she's doing. Rosa tried hard, but there wasn't much for her to do."

[6.0] "Started very slowly with aimless brawling and had me worrying that we were going nowhere. Thankfully it picked up and became a solid match with good stakes that had some high impact moments. Good heel and babyface work, and Britt used some fresh moves that I hope she keeps in her arsenal. I had a good time and I hope for revenge from Rosa."

[8.0] "Good match, a bit sloppy at times but the ending stretch was really solid, great reversals and shifts in momentum"

[6.0] "A very solid, hard-fought match here, as the two tried to lay into one another nicely. There was perhaps a bit more Reba interference than I might have liked, but that's part of the current Britt gimmick, and it keeps Rosa looking strong - like dominating most of the match doesn't do that already - so I get it. A little sudden with Britt locking in the mandible claw and just forcing a submission, but Britt seems like the next champion so that works, too. Good storyline builder with some heavy hits in there. Can't complain."

[2.0] "A lot of non-existing selling and attempts to work stiff (that were thankfully abandoned) to compensate for the inability of Baker to do convincing offensive moves. The finish was anticlimactic but leaves the door open for the rematch, which hopefully will be better."

[6.0] "As much as I hate Reba doing her heel stuff, I guess it's necessary she helps her friend. Britt Baker did a few moves well there, but her performance was even below some low indie wrestling promotion level. Thunder Rosa was basically carrying this match. Too bad she lost..."

[4.0] "Much of this was an extended Rosa control segment, which is the easiest way to hide Britt's shortcomings. I didn't really see anything in this one."

[6.0] "The first minutes of the match were kinda boring, but then thunder rosa tried to save the match, and she kinda saved it . Thunder rosa is so talented. 3 stars match."

[6.0] "They tried hard, but it only got good in the second half. The first was disjointed and looked amateurish, both the brawling on the outside and the work inside the ring. I usually don't take notice of these things, but while Baker's facial expressions are good when she's on offense, her selling was really horrible on this night. She went from almost dead to back in control without as much as a twitch in her eye, forget about selling any pain in her body. As a heel she's got to work on that, as I feel all great heels must be great sellers in the ring."

[9.0] "My favorite match of the night, a pretty great encounter for TV that I'm glad we had a chance to see fully play out. Rosa is great in the ring and Britt is a great character, it all meshed together well."

[2.0] "They had the right idea starting out with the brawl but it was awkward with no real big moment to set it off. Just a lot of trading turns striking for an unusually long time. Thunder Rosa I think looked really good in these moments, but the brawling never escalated to a satisfying match. Especially how in the end it turned into pinning predicaments? A bizarre choice for a rivalry based on jumping each other."

[10.0] "Screw it; this is a 10. I absolutely loved this match. It's easily been the best built up women's match AEW has done since the Riho-Nyla Rose days and these two lived up to the build. It is amazing how much better a performer Britt Baker is compared to a year ago when she was floundering as a babyface; now she has a character that she owns through and through, her confidence in the ring is through the roof and her improvement is dramatic. This was her most complete performance to date, even better than the famous Shida match where her nose was bloodied up. Thunder Rosa was just as excellent; her corner kicks are just glorious and her selling, particularly at the end of the match, is just top notch stuff. Throw in some outstanding mat work towards the back end, the great striking, a really well done back and forth pace and I'm not sure what more you could ask for. Just an outstanding match, easily my favorite AEW women's match since that awesome Serena Deeb-Rosa match on Dynamite from a few months ago, ironically the bout that kicked off this whole program."

[5.0] "Average match. The two wrestlers don't have any chemistry. There is nothing to say, all is forgetable"

[7.0] "Great, basic match with lots of good striking. Felt less like a payoff and more like a setup for the AEW Women's tournament coming up."

[8.0] "probably the best match of Britt Haker's career. Thunder Rosa is absolutely awesome and every time she steps foot into the ring I know that an amazing match is coming up. easily ****."

[6.0] "I don't like women's matches at AEW, but this one wasn't bad. They were able to tell us some chemistry. A decent match. I hope that Thunder Rose has a great future in the company. She's a gifted wrestler. 3 stars"

[8.0] "A well-established rivalry with a nice job from the two who gave us a great match with the manner, a lot of nearfall and turnaround. Rebel still so annoying in her role as manager but why not. The final went well with a Thunder Rosa who remained strong and a very possible follow-up during the women's tournament. Note: *** 3/4"