Britt Baker is finally AEW Women’s World Champion. At Double or Nothing, she defeated Hikaru Shida in a hard-fought match to capture the title that eluded her for so long.
The victory saw Baker take her long-awaited place at the top of AEW’s women’s division, and in true Baker fashion, she has let us all know it.
But, one cannot blame her for having such a bold sense of achievement and taking every second to bask in the glory. Baker’s journey to the summit has been a lengthy and arduous one. It featured many twists and turns, challenges and ultimately triumph.
Having garnered attention as a fledgling indie star with bags of potential, Britt Baker was the first woman signed to AEW back in 2019. Starting her “All Elite” career, Baker was pushed heavily as an uber babyface. AEW mentioned her second profession as a dentist ad nauseam to help her connect with the fans. However, something was missing, and it just didn’t click with the AEW fanbase.
Not only was Baker not connecting with the fans, but AEW’s stop/start booking also wasn’t doing her any favours either. Baker lost her first crack at the title to Riho on the 16th October 2019 edition of Dynamite. She was victorious in her under-utilized feud with Bea Priestly at the Full Gear Buy In. However, the win streak halted. She lost a number one contender match to Kris Statlander followed by another unsuccessful title challenge in a Four-Way match that also involved Hikaru Shida and Nyla Rose.
Something wasn’t working – and Britt Baker and AEW went about changing it.
The Heel Turn That Paid Dividends
On the special edition of Dynamite, hailing from Chris Jericho’s cruise Baker defeated Priscilla Kelly before turning heel. The heel turn came during an interview with Tony Schiavone in which she called him a “sh*tty barista” and told the fans she was superior to every single one of them.
The heel was great and a perfect example of turning a negative into a positive. Now her double life as a wrestler and a dentist was no longer a tale of hard work and a dream-come-true scenario. It was now a way to patronize the crowds and show how much better Baker was than everyone else.
Since then, Baker hasn’t looked back and has gone from strength to strength. Her early days in the company are a far cry from the well-rounded performer and fantastic character we see every week on Dynamite. Baker’s transformation into one of the most entertaining stars in the entire company must be applauded. Her improvement in the ring admired, and her success well deserved.
Even an injury to her leg, which required surgery, couldn’t slow her momentum. Baker appeared on weekly television in a wheelchair, complete with excellent vignettes of her recovery. Her heel character evolved ten-fold during this time, her mic work was on point and she excelled every chance she got.
The History-Making Main Event – Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa
Baker exhibited her top-level quality when she and Thunder Rosa took part in the phenomenal Unsanctioned Lights Out Anything Goes match. This history-making match was a groundbreaking performance for Baker and one that put her in the upper echelons of women’s wrestling.
The brutally and beautifully violent match established Baker as the toughest and most undeniable star of the division. The image of a blood-soaked Baker maniacally laughing into the camera was a veteran move that showed her ability to capture the moment. It was her megastar moment that cemented her as the face of AEW’s women’s division.
The dentist with the superiority complex then took that momentum and ran with it. She had a tremendous match with Nyla Rose in the AEW women’s title tournament. Baker then openly and excellently exploited the promotion’s heavily criticized ranking system. Baker ran through all of AEW’s shows, picking up victory after victory en route to becoming the number one contender.
Baker is now the fourth women’s champion, and it is her time to use her superstardom to elevate the entire women’s division.
Baker’s improvement is a testament to her hard work and determination. But AEW’s help and support system helped greatly. Baker has gone on record to state that Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho and Dustin Rhodes are instrumental in her development.
AEW signed Baker fresh off the indies and just out of dental school. In just a short amount of time, she has become one of the best characters in the business.
There are other wrestlers in the promotion referred to as AEW’s “homegrown” talent. MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, and Adam Page are being nurtured and moulded in future legends of the business. But Baker has beaten them all to it and proven herself to be AEW’s best homegrown success story.