#264: Mariah May vs. Willow Nightingale, AEW Dynamite (7/10/2024).
This is the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, with the winner challenging Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In: London in Wembley Stadium.
Mariah defeated Saraya and Hikaru Shida on her path to the finals, while Willow – the 2023 winner of this tournament – defeated Serena Deeb and Kris Statlander on her path.
Mariah makes her entrance dressed as the old version of Toni Storm, her mentor and friend. Storm, along with Luther, accompany her to ringside for this.
Willow’s attire for this one is a throwback to Owen Hart’s “Caution” attire from 1998.
They shake hands at the start, and the bell rings. They lock up, and Willow quickly takes control of the arm. Mariah slips free and takes control of the back. She twists the arm up, and hammerlocks it behind the back. Willow slips out and looks for a Full Nelson. She transitions for the Doctor Bomb, and Mariah gets to the ropes to block it. Willow forces Mariah into the turnbuckle, and lands a knife edge chop. Mariah runs away, and gets shoulder tackled by Willow.
Nice shotgun dropkick by Mariah, and a chop to follow. Hurricanrana sends Willow to the ropes, and Mariah hits a punch to the back of the head. She follows with a shotgun dropkick to the spine, and Willow kicks out at 1. More chops by Mariah, and Willow catches her in a side walk slam. She covers, and Mariah kicks out. Running crossbody by Willow, and Mariah kicks out again. Big forearm shot by Mariah.
Willow elbows Mariah off the apron and to the floor. She runs from the apron and hits a cannonball onto a standing Mariah. Toni Storm looks on in horror at all of this, clutching at her shoe. Back in the ring, Willow gets a nearfall off of that. Powerslam by Willow, and a senton gets her a nearfall. Mariah with some forearms in response, and Willow drops her with one single, followed by a powerslam for a 2 count.
Mariah with a double arm face lock submission, and Willow runs her back first into the turnbuckle. Side Russian Legsweep by Willow, and she goes into a head scissors submission. On the top rope, Willow looks for a suplex, but Mariah is fighting it off. She hits a top rope shotgun dropkick, Toyota style! Mariah hits the running hip attack and a DDT for a 2 count. Willow with a back splash and an elbow in the corner. She follows up with a spinebuster into the high stack, and Mariah is able to kick out.
Willow looks for the Sharpshooter, in Calgary, if you can believe it. Mariah kicks her way free, but Willow grabs her back. Mariah slips out and hits a German Suplex. Running uppercut in the corner by Mariah. Willow reverses an irish whip in the corner, but Mariah gets back in the lead with some elbows. Willow goes to the top rope, and Mariah chops her. She hits a hurricanrana to the mat, and Willow is able to kick out.
She blocks a knee strike from Mariah, and hits the Fisherman Bomb! Mariah is barely able to kick out. Willow goes for the Pounce, but Mariah counters it with a headbutt! Someone in a hoody is distracting Willow, and here comes Kris Statlander with a kick to the head! The hoody man was Stokely Hathoway. Willow and Kris have been feuding. Mariah takes advantage with a knee strike to the face. She covers, and Willow is still able to kick out!
Mariah looks for May Day, and Willow slips out. Mariah traps the leg and rolls Willow up for a quick nearfall. Toni is willing Mariah on at ringside, and then Willow hits a lariat out of nowhere! She covers, and Mariah is able to get the shoulder up. Willow pulls the straps down, and hits the cannonball in the corner. She lifts Mariah up in the fireman’s carry, and she goes for the Death Valley Driver, but Mariah reverses it into a victory roll to steal the win! Mariah May is the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament!
Post match, Willow acknowledges Mariah in a show of respect. Toni Storm enters the ring to celebrate with her protege, and they leave together. They literally skip up the ramp towards the trophy. Then, quite literally out of nowhere, Mariah unleashes a violent attack on Toni. She takes the title belt for the tournament and hits her across the head, then whips her with it. Mariah bashes Luther with it, and sends him flying off the stage.
Toni is busted open, as Mariah kicks her in the ribs. Toni is in tears, as Mariah looks on with no remorse. Mariah grabs her heel, and repeatedly stabs Toni in the head, and it’s rough. Mariah shoves referee Aubrey Edwards, and then grabs Toni’s head. She kisses her wound, and rubs her blood on her face. Mariah stands defiantly, and Toni is squirting blood out of her head, as the show goes off the air.
So, for the match itself, very good. It’s not often, sadly, that AEW affords its women the top spot on Dynamite, and gives them proper time to have a match, but with the stakes as big as they were here, Mariah and Willow got all the spotlight they needed. It was a good back and forth battle, as Willow was her usual lightning bolt self, while I felt this was a real coming out party for Mariah. I was already familiar with her work from STARDOM, but she still hadn’t had that break out performance in AEW yet.
Here, that changed. She looked every bit the equal of her opponent, and she stood toe to toe with one of AEW’s top female athletes. The finish wasn’t in doubt, as there was much speculation that Mariah would be getting the chance to face her teacher Toni Storm at AEW’s biggest event of the year, but it didn’t take away from the great work presented here. This match deserves to be remembered for the hard work they put in.
Alas, what people will forever picture on this night is the post match angle, and frankly, it’s hard to disagree. Mariah turning on Toni was expected, but the way it was done was absolutely brilliant. There was no buildup, and no suspense to it. As soon as Mariah locked in her ticket to Wembley Stadium, she didn’t need Toni anymore, and she unleashed her hatred in a barrage of violence rarely seen by the women in AEW.
It was uncomfortable, and Toni’s selling of the attack and betrayal was simply phenomenal. Credit to Mariah as well, who looked every bit as heartless and callous as the attack made her out to be. This was the start of the amazing feud these two would have, one that would finish at Revolution, which took place just 24 hours ago from the time I’m writing this. I haven’t gotten to see it yet, but I hear it was one of the best matches of the year. Guess what I’m doing tonight?