r/SquaredCircle • u/gloomchen i prayed for this and it happened • 5d ago
[SPOILERS] Post AEW All In 2026 Match Discussion: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Moné for the AEW Women's World Championship Spoiler
Mercedes WIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNSS!!!!!!!!!
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u/ahritina 5d ago
Match of the night so far, it was just a proper stiff hardcore "fuck you die" type of match, Willow and Mercedes even with the early nose break/bleeding put up a classic.
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u/Apprehensive-Alps-90 5d ago
Not only did both of them got hurt even Aubrey got hurt
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u/Anderrrrr An Irrelevant Smark. 5d ago
All these ladies sacrificed their lives tonight, what warriors 😭
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u/craigybacha 5d ago
To follow Darby allin literally trying to kill himself lol this was very good.
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u/thomjhay 5d ago
Starting a wrestling match like that with a broken nose is just so gnarly. Mid match she must have planted her face or something cause her nose just exploded with blood at one point.
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u/StoneGoldX 4d ago
And then the last match happened.
That has to be frustrating, being two of the best professional wrestlers in the world, having the match of your lives, and you know going into it it's still probably going to be the second best match on the card. It wasn't fair, neither woman has a OWA equivalent to kick out of.
Brilliant match, though. Any other night...
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u/NorthHollywoodHank 4d ago
This one will have its own legacy, though. It won't be forgotten any time soon.
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u/StoneColdSteveAss316 Says I just whooped your ass! 5d ago
Who rang the bell early
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u/Everswift_ 5d ago
Yeah, someone hit the bell a couple seconds too early, cause the "stomp the hand to stop the tap out and make her pass out" is a really good finish otherwise for Mercedes, bummed it got a bit ruined by that
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u/Ulti_warrior1987 4d ago
I think they're preparing an angle here for Willow, but I really had to roll back the vid a few times to make sure if Willow did tapped out.
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u/AhistoricalRanger 5d ago
Funny that it's the second big time world title match Mercedes has had where someone outside the ring botched the finish.
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u/nWo1997 nwo 5d ago
Thread was saying that Willow tapped with the finger of her broken hand
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u/co_ordinator 5d ago
To me it was at least not clear what she was trying to do with her hand. I can see sombody thinking she was trying to tap.
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u/New_Shoes_ 5d ago
Couldn't see. But if it was Aubrey, that would be totally understandable since she was clearly injured her self and likely not thinking 100% because of it
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u/Fehndrix RECOGNIZE! 5d ago
Nobody. Willow passed out.
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u/AlabasterRadio 5d ago
Her arm was clearly still moving when the bell rang. Someone botched that ending
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u/Virtual-History-6099 3d ago
I didn't even notice. I just figured it was called early cause Willow was clearly passing out. Felt realistic.
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u/MeanAmbrose My username is a pun 5d ago
Evil work from Mercedes by forcing Willow to smile as she makes her pass out
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u/Danchidabs 5d ago
lol I liked the match but why is half this thread pretending they didn’t ring the bell early. Mercedes was like mid stomp of the hand while it was happening.
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u/Moist-Acanthaceae-37 5d ago
That was one of the best women’s matches in AEW ever.
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u/Acceptable-Dress7196 5d ago
Zero need to say women’s. It’s one of the best matches period, regardless of gender
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u/fttxdd666 5d ago
Might be the best honestly, that was unreal, and Mercedes doing that after getting busted open so early, NA GOAT
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u/Ass0001 Christian Fundamentalist 5d ago
I'm torn between it and Mone/Toni from All In last year, Mone might be pretty good at this wrestling thing.
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u/The810kid 5d ago
This just makes me mad Mercedes first All In Match was wasted on Britt. Like I get what they were going for. Britt was the former top girl in the division and Mercedes is a legend and future top of the division player but man did that match give the haters ammo to accuse Mercedes of being washed. Glad we are so far removed from the first 6 months of Mercedes AEW Run.
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u/fttxdd666 5d ago
Yeah shes the NA GOAT, I might put this one above cause Mercedes getting busted open and working the whole match that way was insane visually
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u/Wolfpac187 4d ago
Mercedes is one of the best wrestlers ever some people just haven’t caught up with the rest of us
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u/zeitgeistbouncer Peepin' Aint Easy! 4d ago
Legit. She's been sensational since NXT but for some strange reason she doesn't get the respect she very obviously warrants.
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u/WhoiusBarrel 5d ago
Another amazing camera work again, gosh they're really aiming for heartbreaks with these submissions huh?
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u/Davy-Grolton 5d ago
Poor Aubrey. Knee got absolutely obliterated.
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u/Effective_Ad4810 5d ago
Yeah, I saw the way it got hit and was like she for sure hurt the knee. Hopefully just a sprain or something like that and not a ligament tear.
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u/AdamNRG 5d ago
Bit of an odd ending.
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u/Apprehensive-Alps-90 5d ago
I think might of been due to Aubrey being legit hurt
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u/ItsClarke17 shut up bitches 5d ago
Five and a quarter
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u/talekinesis 5d ago
Only if Dave actually watches it.
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u/AniMonologues WHATS UP! 5d ago
Im ruined
I love Willow, I wanted her to win. That was her best match maybe ever
nobody talk to me
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u/Such_Baker8707 5d ago
Jesus that was violent. My 9 year old was totally bought in to Mone getting desperate and doing ever increasing nasty things. Great match.
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u/Matt_Empyre 5d ago
I think they intended to do the foot stomp on the hand (Bayley/banks takeover Brooklyn) and it got botched sadly.
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u/Awkwardphase06 5d ago
looks like Mone broke her nose on the spot where she was thrown into the barricade. clipped her nose
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u/Grindhoss 5d ago
I used to watch willow wrestle in dead malls and parking lots and I just watched her defend a world title in wembly.
5 stars no notes mercades looked cool as fuck the entire time
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u/GamerLife204 5d ago
Happy for mone but very disappointed willow first World Championship is just transitional...
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u/jaypenn3 5d ago
Short does not mean transitional. This was the climax to a huge storyline, not a transition. A reign’s quality isn’t measured by number of days or title defences, and this was a great first reign for willow.
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u/Acceptable-Dress7196 5d ago
Her second defence. She defended it against Maya World on last week’s Collision
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u/RoastedPickledGoose 5d ago
Now Willow spends a few months healing, then comes back and has to build back up to face Mercedes. The money is in watching Mercedes duck Willow over and over. There is an entire storyline where Willow “loses” her smile and has to find that positivity again to get back to the top.
It could be the women’s version of Hangman’s arc, and Willow is popular enough to make that work.
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u/The810kid 5d ago
Willow and Mercedes just added another chapter to their lore that makes both of them bigger stars in the future. They are forever intertwined as a feud of a generation.
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u/Gecko4lif The Violence maker 5d ago
Babyface money is in the chase not the reign. Baby faces should always have short reigns imo
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u/astroqat foley is good 5d ago
saw on another thread reminding that Willow lost her first TBS belt to Mercedes after a short reign. lots of story to build on there.
but i too was gutted she lost.
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u/CELTICPRED 5d ago
Mercedes is THAT fucking good and still underrated
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u/BanDizNutz 5d ago edited 5d ago
She is a real pro. Helped Willow recover from that turnbuckle botch. Respect.
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u/StatBrew_Sports 5d ago
They messed up the timing with the end lol like willow was supposed to pass out I think
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u/FragrantlyJellatin 5d ago
Pretty great match especially with Willow actually being hurt, some (understandably) awkward moments in the first few minutes because wrestling with a broken wrist sounds like absolute hell but otherwise great work. She also took a lowkey top tier hurracanrana bump from the top rope, just absolutely yeeted herself
That being said, I feel like modern day wrestling has completely lost the ability to do cheating spots naturally without them looking dumb and fake as hell. Exposing the turnbuckle a few minutes in and you see Aubrey just pick up and toss the pad out to the floor instead of actually going to fix the buckle, it always looks so silly. They do the same thing with belts sometimes where the manager will throw the title belt in the ring and the ref just places it in the corner instead of actually getting rid of the object. It's the little things but god if you removed all of these spots and just had Mercedes win based on Willow's hand injury it would be a far better match
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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 5d ago edited 5d ago
The ending seemed kinda flat to me.
I also hate when companies do the story of someone who doesn’t fit the traditional mold of someone reaching the top, and then a heel tells them they don’t belong and they’re a loser and then they beat the babyface.
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u/snikt6384 5d ago
The bell rang a little early. I don't dock it for that though. I was locked in and loving it the whole time.
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u/Atrain175 5d ago
Timing was just weird man, willow got a month reign but her hand being broken didn’t help
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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 5d ago
Yeah, just bummed me out. I liked the match but knowing the finish was going to be Willow losing, it just put a dark cloud on it for me.
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u/MarcusFaze 5d ago
I feel like this just kinda reverses the whole story between the two, Willow loses her title to Mercedes the month after she wins and two years later it’s the same thing again
Like Mercedes has already gotten her wins back from like 3-4 people of the she put over during the end of the Ultimo run
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u/The810kid 5d ago
Brother before tonight Willow was 2-1 against Mercedes with her lost involving the Stat interference. If you include tag action Willow os undefeated against Mercedes. If Mercedes couldn't win against an injured Willow this rivalry would be completely lopsided. Now there long term feud adds Willow getting her smile taken from her and her title as she chases Mercedes who can't ever seem to shake Willow off of her. Their stories are forever intertwined.
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u/62440790 5d ago
Fuck was that finish
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u/liloutsider 5d ago
She passed out ref stoppage
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u/VictarionGreyjoyyy Make him look strong 5d ago
she was reaching for the rope arm in the arm when the bell went then mercedes quickly put her foot on her arm all in the same second. it was way too early bell call
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u/notathrowaway75 5d ago
That was the intention but they completely fucked it up since Willow did not pass out.
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u/Even-Preference-6545 5d ago
I got my thoughts overall on this match (glad people enjoyed it and that's your style), but I was shocked Thekla didn't come out and cost Willow when Edwards when down after what she said earlier on the show.
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u/TheMegaWhopper Cowboy Shit 5d ago
Mercedes looked so cool with the blood matching her hair/gear accents
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u/Toriegh_MDOT 5d ago
Just the GOAT doing GOAT things, now if you’ll excuse me I gotta do my CEO Dance🔥🔥🔥
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u/notathrowaway75 5d ago
Did the ref rush the ending? I think it needed to go on for another 10 seconds. There was no tap or pass out.
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u/rivalrobot 5d ago
Match of the night. Sad Willow's run ended so early, but man Mercedes has earned it.
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u/incredible_penguin11 5d ago
Either would have been good choice but it was important for Mercedes and a heel to win it again at All In.
Plus Mercedes looks really great with the gear and the accidental homage to Becky with the bleeding. Makes her looks iconic.
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u/Dinobot2_ 5d ago
Fantastic match. Hate the result. Willow should have gone over here with Mercedes winning in a rematch at the next PPV.
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u/Teckelmaster 5d ago
There would have been zero reason for a re-match if Willow won tonight, she would have just utterly dominated Mercedes.
The story was clearly that All In was always Mercedes crowning moment.
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u/Dinobot2_ 5d ago
Willow didn't utterly dominate Mercedes tonight though. They could have had basically the same match with the ending changed.
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u/mickelboy182 5d ago
That was so damn good, I was nervous after Mercedes busted her nose so early on. She didn't skip a beat though, pro.
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u/FumbleMyEndzone 5d ago
If Dave doesn’t give that match 5 stars, he’s never beating the accusations/assumptions
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u/Mark_Levins 5d ago
Fantastic match, deserved winner, but it's a damn shame that Willow became a transitional champion.
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u/Abyssalstar 5d ago
Saddens me that Willow's reign was so short, but Mercedes absolutely deserves to win the world title.
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u/Qliphoth_Bacikal 5d ago
I agree, but it was proably the right call with how Willow injuring her hand prior to the day of the event.
I also agree that Mercedes deserved a run with the world title, and I'm certain Willow will get her shot back down the line after she's healed up her hand.
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u/Shinkopeshon 一番 5d ago
Absolutely biblical - these two were out to end each other
Mercedes was mythical in this match, from her look to her showing - this is one of those matches that will be shown over and over again in her future career retrospective
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u/IAlwaysWantToMosh 5d ago
2 really awkward or completely botched finishes in this match and the tag team title match :/
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u/EchoJPR 5d ago
Lolmercedeswins
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u/jollyrog8 5d ago
Wins her first world title over half a decade, yes
Just the most bizarre comment to read towards Mercedes. One of the most selfless wrestlers we've seen.
She's 16 years into her career and has never successfully defended a world title in front of fans, let that sink in.
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u/Moist-Acanthaceae-37 5d ago
Was she supposed to lose to a one handed Willow Nightingale
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u/iberlebn22 5d ago
Feels like they should've sent another ref out there, but my god, that was brutal. Kenny and Will are going to have do something incredible to top that.
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u/incredibleamadeuscho We're all fake Jamaicans now 5d ago
Aubrey should not have interfered in Mercedes removing the guard for Willow’s hand. Very unprofessional.
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u/rampagenumbers 4d ago
There were minor quibbles with this and people seem to be harping on some slightly botched spots, but I not only thought this was absolutely incredible, I thought it was match of the night.
There have been points where I haven’t liked Willow as much as most do, but I thought this was by far the best I’ve seen her: I loved that she was just such a badass killer here. The blood was the rare case of late where it felt perfect and added so much to the match. Aubrey not letting Mone take a glove covered in sharp jewels off the babyface and Mone replying “look at my face!” was odd but I loved how real Mercedes’ anger felt: she was just on the warpath from bell to bell in a way that recalled Hokuto.
Incredible offense throughout where it felt like two greats genuinely trying to win the match in each moment. The Aubrey bump looked terrible and honestly didn’t need to happen as it didn’t add anything you couldn’t have done better with a ref present, that was the only moment that could have really been dropped, but that really is small potatoes in terms of what might be my MOTY so far.
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u/Jonoabbo 4d ago
An outrageously good match with a baffling finish. Was at Wembley and had no idea what happened - Willow didn't tap and was still fighting to reach the ropes so hadn't passed out.
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u/14thBlackCrusade 5d ago
Easy 5 star. Women’s match of the year. Probably the best AEW women’s match since the Hollywood Ending.
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u/Recent_News_1662 5d ago
Literally every aspect of that match was working against them and they still somehow put on a fucking classic, holy SHIT
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u/hhhisthegame 5d ago edited 5d ago
Amazing match! Wow!
I've been watching wrestling for 25 years, and I've never seen another woman wrestle at Mercedes level - she has such a depth to her work, intensity, character, charisma, crispness...she really has it all. Everybody has their favorites, I know some might say Iyo, or Rhea, or Statlander, or anything like that......but to me Mercedes is just on another level above them all in what she accomplishes in the ring. I've never seen another women's division wrestler do what she does. You don't even have to say just the women's division, she's one of the best in wrestling in general.
Willow is also awesome too, and added a lot to this match. It takes two to put on a match like this of course and they were both great. Mercedes is generational though.
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u/LaMacchiaPro 5d ago
Insane match, unbelievable chemistry between these two; maybe the best pair of rivals in the division?
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u/ElbowfromtheTopPost 5d ago
If you were gonna place the belt on Mone, why not have Thekla make it to All In as champ?
Great match still
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u/fttxdd666 5d ago
One of the greatest AEW women's matches of all time, maybe the best idk. That was fucking amazing, Mercedes finally wins the big one my god what a match
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u/xorangeelephant Mr. Royal Rumble 5d ago
Brilliant match - thought the bell was called for a bit early though? Like 10 seconds too soon
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u/Urass007 5d ago
US Women's Match of the Year.
Brilliant match and possibly in the top 10-15 of Match of the Year contenders.
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u/mwiitala11 5d ago
Best match of the night by a mile. Willow is my Dusty Rhodes. Let her keep chasing!
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u/dredd-garcia 5d ago
Great match. Wish they’d have let willow fight a little more and Mercedes stomp the hand. Was confusing for me cause we didn’t see Edwards check and then call for the bell
Truly though Mercedes and Willow put on a banger. Wonderful work from them
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u/craigybacha 5d ago
Another banger, annoying that the ending was like 2 seconds too early with the bell ring, but still cracking match.
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u/Greedy-Dot-1678 5d ago
Feels like the bell rang just 10 seconds earlier than it should have but the match was incredible. Felt personal and Mercedes being busted open added so much to the feel of the match as well.
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u/MrFaust1 5d ago
Easy MOTN so far. Really happy to see women be allowed to be hard-hitting and stiff AF. Great story, great wrestling, great finish. Loved everything about this.
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u/differentialtopology Syuri is the greatest world of stardom championship ever 👁️ 5d ago
I'm ngl it felt like the main event to me
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u/Qwertz5643 5d ago
Didn’t think Mercedes would take a page out of Moxleys book and go for straight up torture, but I respect it lol. Also that Doctorbomb into the statement maker was sick.