It has been over three years since the last time Riho and Nyla Rose collided inside the squared circle one-on-one, and on that night, as seen in the video embedded above, Rose defeated Riho to claim the AEW Women’s World Championship for herself. It evened up their head-to-head series at one win apiece, with Riho having defeated Nyla a few months prior to become the very first AEW Women’s World Champion.
And while they’ve collided several times in the intervening years in Trios matches, there has not been the opportunity for a rubber match between the two former champions, not until this Friday night on RAMPAGE! In the main event of AEW’s Friday night spectacular, the 1st and 2nd Women’s World Champions will lock horns for the third time in singles competition. The physical differences are obvious, Riho fighting from underneath in terms of size, Rose not being able to match the speed and technique of her foe, but each time the two women have found ways to compensate for what they lack, and score victories over the other.
Will it be Riho or Nyla Rose who gets the “W” in this long-awaited rubber match of former champions? And what will a victory here mean for each women’s future championship endeavors?