On AEW Collision it was revealed in a teaser clip that Dr. Britt Baker DMD would be returning on the AEW 5th Anniversary of Dynamite.
Baker has not been seen since her TBS Championship match against Mercedes Moné, a match that did not go her way in more ways than one. The match was a general letdown in-ring with Moné at times looking like she had to slow herself down for the Doctor. Baker is just returning from a long term injury but the match certainly left a bad taste in a lot of fans mouths (yeah yeah dentist let’s move on) as to how Baker is getting these shots over other wrestlers in the division.
To make matters worse, it felt like Britt Baker was completely forgotten after. On a media call for All Out, AEW President Tony Khan was asked about Mercedes Moné and spent that time to praise her main event match at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Capital Collision against Momo Watanabe and said nothing about the match the week prior between Mercedes and Britt Baker on the biggest AEW pay per view of the year.
It was also interesting that Jamie Hayter made her return to AEW at All In 2024 and it had nothing to do with Britt Baker. I was convinced the whole point of Moné bringing Brickhouse Kamille as her bodyguard was for Baker to even the odds with Jamie Hayter. Instead, Hayter made her return on the Zero Hour pre-show and Baker simply lost.
It’s easy to sympathize for Britt. The way we talk about the AEW World Tag Team Championship division for the men was essentially how we talked about the AEW Women’s World Championship division early on. Not enough star power, not enough depth, not enough attention, not enough stories, not enough quality, not enough. Britt Baker breaking out as a top heel ended up being one of the only shining stars of the division, along with Hikaru Shida’s ability to have a good match with anyone put in front of her.
Baker continued to improve and took over the division in 2021, just as fans began returning from the pandemic. The division absolutely revolved around her, with the first AEW Rampage built around her main eventing in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Baker has been at the top or near the top of the AEW women’s divisions ever since, only up and down due to multiple injuries.
Fortunately, the AEW Women’s division in 2024 isn’t what it was in 2021. Unfortunately for Britt Baker, that means she has to be more than just one of the most recognizable faces in the company. Baker has never been a great wrestler, but she is capable of a strong match with the right story and circumstances. With the recent injuries, it’s hard to say if he’s 100% and if she isn’t? It’s not a great wrestler unable to move the same way but a limited wrestler unable to move at her previous limitations.
I’m not a fan of the way some AEW fans are quick to throw someone in the trash who worked hard for the company for years. I’ve fought the narratives about Dark Order, so I’m not going to be enjoying it about Baker. But The New Standard has been set, and if Britt Baker can’t wrestle at that level? It’s going to be a struggle for her going forward in All Elite Wrestling.
Mercedes Moné, Toni Storm, Mariah May, Jamie Hayter, Athena, Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Willow Nightingale are all far ahead of Baker in-ring even when she’s 100%. Then you have Billie Starkz, Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb, Kamille, Deonna Purrazzo, Emi Sakura, Taya Valkyrie, Diamante, Nyla Rose, and Leyla Hirsch, who Baker has to be 100% to work at their level. Baker might be a bigger star than most of them, but that only goes so far in AEW.
Deonna is interesting because I know that Deonna and Britt for years wanted to work together as they are old friends. Whether it’s working with her or against her, I think that might be the best place for Britt Baker to return to if she wants to get back to 100% and prove she can still hang in AEW in 2024 and beyond. Mariah May might need babyface challengers but Baker trying to go after that title after losing to Mercedes would feel like more of the same. It’s likely she faces Deeb but I don’t know if that’s a full-term feud.
Of course, if she’s fighting Deonna and Taya, she would need a partner. It puts her once again looking for someone to work with her and it seems pretty clear the connection with Jamie Hayter has been disconnected. My first thought was actually Thunder Rosa, with two rivals coming together to fight Purrazzo’s new family of connections, but the program between Rosa and Deonna seems exhausted.
Baker could tag team with Madison Rayne (she is still with AEW right?) who she did tag team with in ROH, but I would actually team her up with another AEW OG which would be Nyla Rose. Rose is finally a babyface and can finally provide her sense of humour but she needs promo time. Britt Baker always gets promo time. Put the two together and they can help each other out as a tag team, and work as a good matchup against Deonna and Taya. It isn’t likely to crack a pay per view main card, but it could go a long way in getting Britt Baker back to 100% and calm some of the vitriol she has been getting online.
If you think I sidestepped the uncomfortable conversation on if Britt Baker even fits in AEW anymore? You would be correct. Because that’s not really up to me or the fans. That’s up to AEW President Tony Khan. For however long he has Baker on contract it’s up to him to find a place for her to work, and then make the decision if she should stay or go.
It would be unfortunate for AEW to lose one of the stars they’ve made in their five years in the company, but even in the unreal world of professional wrestling? It’s still professional wrestling. This company is supposed to be for those who are All Elite, and if Britt Baker can’t perform in the ring to the level of her peers? She shouldn’t get the TV time.
I think the hate on Britt Baker online is exaggerated at this point, but I don’t think people are wrong to ask where she fits. She has to find a place to work at her speed and build back credibility as a top contender. We will have to see where AEW goes with the good doctor on the 5th Anniversary on October 2.
