2021 Ongoing MOTY List: Blood In, Lights Out

6. Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Thunder Rosa AEW Dynamite 3/17

ER: Blood is maybe AEW's greatest contribution to modern TV wrestling (outside of giving Eddie Kingston a contract), and this was a match with some great blood. This started with Baker hitting a nice spear through the ropes during Rosa's entrance and dropping Rosa with an air raid crash on the ramp, which felt like a cool way a NOAH title match would have opened in 2003. It was a hot start, but lead to a little pedestrian patch, as the NOAH start turned into a kind of meandering ECW house show feel. These two have shown good hate through this feud, and while I like the old school feel of narrowly missed chairshots and chair choking, I'm glad we moved past it. After the hot start I think they ramped things up well, getting slightly more dangerous or violent before giving us a truly great Baker blade job. The big spots looked good, like that crazy Death Valley driver on the ladder. Baker's superkicks were both used really well, making contact at full extension to look really impactful. There were a couple of big reaction table spots, with Rebel getting knocked off the apron through one, and Rosa hitting a wild air raid crash of her own off the apron. 

The double juice was a real treat, something that still feels shocking on television in 2021. Baker hits a real gusher, a real classic mask that mats her hair and darkens her braid roots. Usually the most blood dentists see is when they floss a delinquent flosser. The thumbtacks were really well done, and had strong psychology with the way they were used. Commentary was surprised when Baker kicked out of a powerbomb into the tacks, but in this case the tacks were used as a revive. If you fall into fire, your brain will respond to the pain of the fire as more important than the pain of the fall. These tacks overwhelmed the back bump. Baker is a total nut to get thrown into that many tacks, and I loved how Rosa used them in the finish. I wanted to see Baker win with the lockjaw, but I exclaimed loudly when Rose broke the sub by rolling Baker into a cradle, holding her down in the tacks. It was real gross and a surprise, and made it all feel worthy of a feud culmination. 

PAS: I agree that the blood really made this match. Without it, this was basically a 2020s plunder street fight match with all of the ladders, tables and chairs which have become really perfunctory lately. When you add that claret though it really makes all of the big spots and bumps way more meaningful. Baker doesn't just get her face smashed into a ladder, she gets her face smashed into a ladder and pulses blood. All of the thumbtack stuff is a bit passé too, but I did like how gross Baker's bumps into it were, and countering Baker's crossface submission by rolling her into the tacks was nasty stuff. By the end it really did feel like a war, and a heck of an effort.

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST