AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament semifinals recap: Dr. Nightmare

The semifinals of AEW’s The Deadly Draw women’s tag team tournament featured the Nightmare Sisters as influencers, Dr. Britt Baker DMD butting in to distract Big Swole, and Ivelisse & Diamante doing it for their people.

Watch the full episode here.

Let’s break down the semifinals of The Deadly Draw.

Tony Schiavone and Veda Scott were on commentary. Shaul Guerrero handled ring announcer duties.

Big Swole & Lil’ Swole vs Nightmare Sisters

Dustin Rhodes, QT Marshall, and two Lil Bran Bran action figures were ringside. Brandi asked to be announced as the only woman in AEW to have her very own action figure. She helped Lil Bran Bran do a suicide dive to QT on the floor. That wasn’t the only action for Lil Bran Bran during the bout.

As QT was counseling Allie, Lil’ Swole attacked with a suicide dive. Brandi ran over to snatch Lil Bran Bran from QT and make sure her toy was safe. Later, Big Swole kicked Lil Bran Bran off the apron.

Brandi and Allie worked as a tight team without any conflicts and bent the tag team rules when opportune. Lil’ Swole was the most exciting wrestler in the match with a variety of slams and suplexes. Lil’ Swole almost won with a fallaway slam then a suplex, but Brandi made the save to break the pin on Allie.

Big Swole tossed Brandi out of the ring then the Swoles pounced on Allie. A Lil’ head kick and a Big headbutt set the stage for a combo Flatliner finisher. That’s when a voice could be heard on a megaphone.

It was Dr. Britt Baker DMD. She felt sad for Big Swole’s daughter since she didn’t have a mother to look up to. Dr Baker will gladly be the role model of Big Swole’s daughter.

As Big Swole was distracted, Allie took advantage of Lil’ Swole with her inverted DDT elbow drop to win. Brandi grabbed Big Swole’s leg to prevent a pin break-up.

After the match, Big Swole sprinted toward Dr. Baker as the Roles Royce sped away.

Big Swole ran back to the ring to chase away the victors. QT tripped over the ropes upon exit.

Tay Conti & Anna Jay vs Ivelisse & Diamante

The entire Dark Order, including Mr. Brodie Lee, escorted Jay during her entrance. They left before the bout began. Veda Scott mentioned that Jay has not officially joined the Dark Order.

The best moment was a hot tag to Conti. She wrecked shop on Diamante with clotheslines, a unique jumping knee strike, a swinging side slam variation, and a big pump kick.

The finish began with the women pairing off as all four exchanged blows. Ivelisse and Diamante came out on top with a DDT and stunner in stereo.

That led to a teamwork assisted sliced bread for Diamante to pin Conti for the win.

Alex Marvez interviewed the winning teams backstage. Brandi placed Lil Bran Bran in Marvez’s jacket pocket. She took credit for the victory by saving Allie on a pinfall. Allie protested since she was the one to actually win the match. Brandi replied, “Sometimes when I get excited, I remember incorrectly.” She gave Allie credit for kicking ass. They both agreed to winning as a team. Now, it is time to do some influencing on Instagram.

In the other interview, Ivelisse and Diamante spoke of their time in the business. 16 years for Ivelisse and 10 years for Diamante. This tournament is bigger than them. They have to win for their people. By any means necessary.

The Nightmare Sisters will wrestle Ivelisse & Diamante in the finals of The Deadly Draw. The bout will take place on Saturday night Dynamite (postponed from Wednesday due to the NBA playoffs).

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The opening bout had too much fluff for the stakes involved. As a regular match, it would have been fine. Brandi’s hijinks with Lil Bran Bran are quite amusing. As a tournament contest, it felt like winning was not the primary focus. I understand Brandi takes great pride in her action figure, but it overshadowed her desire to advance to the finals. The Swoles had a moment of dance kicks. It was a cool concept, however, the impact was softer than Charmin. That made it feel more like a comedy move than a wrestling attack.

The distraction from Dr. Britt Baker DMD had a negative effect on my view of Big Swole. It showed that Swole can’t control her emotions. It’s only words. Win the match, then celebrate by kicking Baker’s teeth in. This was most likely done to protect Big Swole in defeat, but it backfired in my eyes.

Ivelisse and Diamante looked good in victory. Their duo was the most focused on winning. They have a legit reason to care. The Nightmare Sisters want to win as well, but it feels more for vanity. Ivelisse and Diamante want to win for a higher purpose. That’s solid development of their motivation. From a sporting aspect, Ivelisse & Diamante are the favorites to win. In a sports entertainment world, the Nightmare Sisters have the edge.

Of all the newcomers for The Deadly Draw, Tay Conti is the one I most want to see more of in AEW. I like her energy in the ring. Conti’s judo background continues to bring a unique style to the AEW women’s division. I enjoyed the technique of grabbing wrist control so Ivelisse couldn’t get out of range from a striking barrage.

Veda Scott has been better each week on commentary. She was more animated with her reactions and also popped several good jokes. I don’t know if there is any room for Scott on commentary after the Deadly Draw. Her style of analysis thrives in a two person booth. I think she would be drowned out in a three person booth. If AEW can find space, Scott would be a quality asset.

Give us your take on the semifinals of The Deadly Draw. Which team are you predicting to win? Who stole the show in the ring?

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