One more step before AEW Revolution!

Before meeting Ryo Mizunami on AEW Dynamite, Thunder Rosa and Nyla Rose must battle! Who meets Aneki as the US Finalist in this tournament?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Madi Wrenkowski VS Leva Bates; Wrenkowski wins.
• Leyla Hirsch VS Miranda Alize; Hirsch wins.
• AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament US Finals: Nyla Rose VS Thunder Rosa; Nyla wins and advances to the tournament finals on AEW Dynamite.

PLAY BY PLAY

Madi Wrenkowski VS Leva Bates!

Ms. Reality was a last-minute substitute for Anna Jay, but Britt Baker got the jump on her to kick her from the tournament. Will she make the Librarian face reality in the shadow of the bracket finals?

The bell rings and Madi circles with Leva. Madi grabs Leva’s copy of the Young Bucks’ biography, and THROWS it at her! Leva gets mad, dodges Madi and SUPERKICKS her out of the ring! Seems Leva’s been studying the Bucks’ form. Madi staggers and Leva is on the apron, for a CROSSBODY! Leva drags Madi up and into the ring, throws forearms, then whips her to a corner. Madi reverses, runs in but Leva dodges and Madi hits buckles! Leva snap suplexes Madi then hits a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Leva keeps her cool as Madi bails out to the apron. Leva taunts Madi, then storms over, but Madi hotshots Leva down! Cover, TWO!

Madi rains down furious fists, drags Leva up and runs to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Madi snarls but she stalks Leva to ropes. Madi fires forearms, whips Leva to ropes, but Leva ducks to CHOP back! Leva bobs ‘n’ weaves to then ROCK Madi, mule kick and front kick! Madi staggers into a corner, Leva runs in to KNEE her, then ROUNDHOUSE her, then BULLDOG! She’s been studying Nick Jackson’s combos! Cover, TWO! Leva keeps her cool, takes aim again, and SUPERKICKS Madi again! Then a cradle, TWO! Madi has the cradle now, TWO!! Madi kicks low and hits an X-FACTOR! Cover, TWO!! Leva lives and Madi can’t believe it!

Madi goes after the Bucks’ book and she starts tearing pages out! Leva trips Madi up to fire off furious fists! Leva will not stand for book abuse! Leva grabs what’s left of the book, glares at Madi, but the ref won’t let her smack Madi with it. The ref puts the book away, Madi uses one of Leva’s other books to CLOBBER her! Cover, Madi wins!

Winner: Madi Wrenkowski, by pinfall

Leva let her love of books get the better of her, and the reality is, Madi wins! Will Madi take this first career and run with it to follow in the footsteps of her teacher, Thunder Rosa?

Leyla Hirsch VS Miranda Alize!

#LEGIT tried but couldn’t get to the end of the tournament! But will she rebound against the Princess to be ready on the other side of Revolution?

The bell rings, Alize and Leyla circle, and Alize offers a handshake. Leyla doesn’t trust that, so they tie up instead. Leyla throws Alize down, Alize gets up to throw Leyla. They stay locked up and stand back up, and Leyla headlocks. Alize fights out, but Leyla runs her over! Leyla runs, Alize drops down then hurdles, but Leyla leaps over! Leyla arm-drags Alize, Alize arm-drags back! They speed up again, Alize tilt-o-whirl headscissors Leyla out of the ring! Leyla cools off, avoids the baseball slide, and runs back in, into a KNEE! Alize brushes herself off, gets in and runs to corner forearm smash! Alize fires off stomps, the ref counts, but Alize lets off to RAM her shoulder in!

The ref counts, Alize digs her shoulder in but lets off at 4. Alize sweeps the legs, rolls, but Leyla gets up to shotgun dropkick Alize down! Fans fire up with Leyla as she drags Alize up in a corner. Leyla throws big forearms, whips Alize corner to corner, but Alize reverses. Leyla goes up and over and runs to back slide flip Alize for a KNEE! And then a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Alize lives but Leyla keeps her cool. Leyla drags Alize up, fireman’s carries, but Alize elbows free. Alize shoves, Leyla gets around, but Leyla ripcords to KNEE her down! Alize sets Leyla up, to springboard TORNILLO ELBOW! Cover, TWO!! Alize is furious but fans fire up!

Alize runs at Leyla but Leyla gets the arm for an ARMBAR! Alize taps out, Leyla wins!

Winner: Leyla Hirsch, by submission

That armbar is too legit, Alize had to quit! Will Leyla keep climbing the ladder until she’s too legit to deny a title match?

AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament US Finals: Nyla Rose VS Thunder Rosa!

Every rose has its thorn, and every night has its dawn! But in the battle of the Native Beast and La Mera Mera, only one can rise up and go to the true tournament finals! Who takes one step closer to Hikaru Shida and the AEW Women’s World Championship?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally up as Rosa and Nyla tie up. Nyla throws Rosa down hard but Rosa shrugs that off. Fans sing Thunderstruck by AC/DC for Rosa as she circles with Nyla. They feel out the grapple, knuckle lock and Rosa gets to a waistlock. Nyla tries to pry the hold apart but Rosa shoves her to a corner. Nyla shrugs that off as Rosa grins, and they go again. Rosa dodges, kicks away on a leg, but Nyla kicks her back. Rosa kicks again, whips, but Nyla reverses and Rosa dodges. Rosa springboards but Nyla catches her! Nyla shifts Rosa around but Rosa slips off to waistlock.

Nyla backs Rosa up into a corner, but Rosa avoids the back elbows! Rosa fires off more kicks, Nyla shoves her and then clamps on a choke grip! Rosa turns the lift into a wheelbarrow and takedown to a KNEEBAR! Rosa also has an ankle lock, but Nyla endures! Nyla powers up and out, but she still hobbles. Rosa goes after that leg, but Nyla clubs Rosa away. Rosa drop toeholds but Nyla stays standing! Nyla jumps but the elbow drop misses! Rosa kicks away on the bad leg, drops elbows down on the knee, then hits a leg DDT! And another! Rosa turns Nyla over for a HALF CRAB! Fans rally as Nyla endures and Rosa sits deep!

Nyla drags herself and Rosa around, and flips the ref off for asking if she’s quitting! Nyla gets the ropebreak, Rosa lets go. Rosa runs in but Nyla throws her out! Nyla pursues, hobbling on the bad leg, and she RAMS Rosa into barriers! And then Nyla flips off her fellow wrestlers in the front row! Nyla RAMS Rosa into the apron, stomps her down, but Rosa kicks back. Nyla stomps Rosa, throws her into the ring, and then drags her up to bump her off buckles. Fans rally and duel as Nyla keeps bumping Rosa off buckles. Rosa flops down, Nyla stomps her, then runs to SPLASH! Nyla isn’t done there, she turns Rosa over for another SPLASH! Cover, TWO!

Nyla is annoyed with Rosa, and she stomps away! Fans still sing for Rosa but Nyla chinlocks and digs a knee in. Rosa fights back but Nyla clubs her on the chest! Nyla bends Rosa back against her knee, but Rosa endures, so Nyla hits a BACKBREAKER! And another BACKBREAKER! Nyla covers, TWO! Rosa throws body shots, Nyla elbows her down! Rosa fires body shots, Nyla CLUBS her down! Nyla whips Rosa to a corner, then runs in, but Rosa moves and Nyla POSTS herself! Fans fire up as Rosa goes after Nyla but Nyla ROCKS her! Rosa blocks the buckle bump to fire off haymakers! Rosa bumps Nyla off buckles and Nyla falls to the floor!

Rosa goes to the apron, takes aim as Nyla stands, and hits a BIG CROSSBODY! Rosa leaves Nyla behind while the ref checks on her. Nyla is okay to continue, fans sing for Rosa again, and Rosa refreshes the ring count. Nyla manages to stand as the ring count starts again, and she SLAMS Rosa on the apron! Nyla gets back in, brings Rosa around and hits a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Nyla drags Rosa up, reels her in and hits a BACKBREAKER! Nyla presses Rosa against her leg, then brings her up for another BACKBREAKER! Rosa fights back with haymakers and is free! Rosa runs, but into Nyla’s URENAGE! Cover, TWO!! Fans fire up while Nyla grows frustrated!

Nyla puts Rosa in a drop zone, climbs up the corner, but Rosa gets up! Rosa YANKS Nyla off the corner! Nyla may have clipped buckles on the way down and now a standing count begins. Rosa has fans rallying behind her and Rosa stands at 6. Nyla follows, they’re in opposite corners, but Rosa runs in for the A-LIST LARIAT! SWINGING METEORA! Rosa fires up, runs corner to corner again, and BASEMENT DROPKICKS! Rosa fires up even more and she climbs again! Fans fire up with her, and she leaps, for a BIG missile dropkick! Cover, TWO!! Nyla is still in this but Rosa isn’t giving up just yet!

Rosa drags Nyla up, reels her in, but her back won’t let her suplex. Nyla CLUBS Rosa, reels her in, and hangs her out to dry on the ropes. Nyla goes to the corner, her bad leg slows her down, but she gets up to the top. Nyla leaps for the GUILLOTINE KNEE! Cover, TWO!! Rosa survives and Nyla can’t believe it! Fans are thunderous for this, and Nyla drags Rosa up. Rosa resists the bomb and Nyla’s leg gives out! Rosa manages a fireman’s carry?! DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!?! Rosa can’t believe Nyla survives! Rosa drags Nyla up again, but Nyla wrenches out to waistlock. Rosa fights off the lift, wheelbarrows and STUNNERS! Then DANGEROUS SAIDO! Cover, TWO!!!

Fans are going nuts with how close that was! But Rosa goes to a corner and powers herself up the ropes! Rosa reaches the top, Nyla stands back up, Rosa LEAPS, into a BEAST BOMB!! Cover, Nyla wins!!

Winner: Nyla Rose, by pinfall (advances to the tournament finals)

Thunder Rosa tried to strike like lightning, but she was the one who got Thunderstruck! The Native Beast meats Aneki this Wednesday, but who will be going to Revolution?

My Thoughts:

Not bad for just half an hour, but I’m oddly disappointed the entire half hour wasn’t just Nyla VS Rosa. The AEW Dark bonus matches put on here were, well, typical AEW Dark matches. Leyla winning is good for her, she is a very promising talent, and Madi getting her first AEW win here was cool for her. One thing I did like about that match was that Leva Bates was trying to use the Bucks’ moves to help her. I hope that is her thing for a little bit, that’d be pretty great if Leva became like a big Young Bucks fan and started looking impressive because of their moves in her arsenal.

The US Bracket Finals was a really good match for being just under 15 minutes, but again I kinda would’ve liked if they’d gotten maybe 20 minutes. I suppose one thing is that Rosa VS Riho just happened yesterday, 2/28, so maybe that could be a reason at least in kayfabe. I thought Rosa was going to win, but Nyla winning does follow with what I was feeling about giving us a rematch with Shida from Double or Nothing. Me predicting Nyla winning doesn’t change that Nyla VS Ryo Mizunami is going to be a lot of fun, though, as both are about power and strikes, but it maybe seemed more unpredictable if it was Rosa VS Ryo.

My Score: 8/10