Since the September 1st rankings were released, Jade Cargill has occupied the number five spot, inching herself closer to an AEW Women’s World Title match with every win she scores. Going into ALL OUT 2021, Cargill assumed an alliance between herself and Nyla Rose might be the ticket to getting the title opportunity that came with winning the Women’s Casino Battle Royale, and Jade may have been right if she had eyes in the back of her head. One of the most prolific eliminators in the chaos, Cargill tossed three other women in three minutes but found herself removed from the championship equation by “The Native Beast”, a clear violation of their supposed agreement. While that is an issue Cargill will surely want to address, this week on DYNAMITE she must contend with one of those three women she eliminated: “Legit” Leyla Hirsch.
As seen in the clip embedded above, Cargill pressed Hirsch over her head and threw her to the outside of the ring, right on top of several other eliminated competitors. It was an impressive feat by Jade, no doubt, but on Wednesday night the situation is not the same and that moment won’t be so easy to repeat. This time the interaction between Jade and Leyla will take place one-on-one inside the squared circle, and while the size advantage clearly leans towards the former, the latter is a powerhouse in her own right.
On top of Hirsch’s own power, and impressive amateur credentials, with her four year wrestle-versary coming at the end of September, Leyla has a distinct experience advantage over Jade Cargill. Her amazing performances and athletic prowess notwithstanding, Cargill is still a rookie with less than seven months of ring time in her boots. While it’s an impressive feat to dispatch her opponents so fast, Jade’s last eight matches combined have barely added up to ten minutes. She hasn’t been in the deeper waters since a near-eight minute battle with Red Velvet back in April while Hirsch, just a few weeks ago, went 13 minutes with Kamille over the NWA Women’s World Title and has both finished foes with ruthless efficiency as well as delved into longer frays.
Perhaps that is the key to conquering the advantages Jade brings into the confrontation; Leyla either needs to finish the fight with rapid efficiency courtesy of that nasty armbar she employs, or drag Jade into those deep waters and territory which the blue chip athlete has never experienced as a pro wrestler. This is one of the sternest tests Jade has experienced in her rookie year, but one in which she must excel if her hopes of a future title match are to remain a possibility. Still, in Hirsch, Jade faces an opponent who has won 13 of her last 14 matches, with that one loss coming at the hands of Nyla Rose coincidentally, and who is hungry for the spot in those rankings that will likely come her way should she best Cargill. There is also the fact that, much like Adam Cole, Hirsch is coming back to the state where she cut her teeth wrestling in towns like Blackwood, Vorhees, Asbury Park, and Rahway, to gain the experiences that eventually got her to All Elite Wrestling.
As a bit of of preview for what’s to come Wednesday, Jade and Leyla even got into it on DARK! There’s a lot to prove for both women in this battle at The Prudential Center; who will come out on top?