New TBS Champion crowned in first-ever AEW Survival of the Fittest match
After the title was vacated due to Willow Nightingale’s shoulder injury, a new TBS Champion was crowned on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
In the first-ever Survival of the Fittest elimination match in AEW, Hikaru Shida defeated former partner and rival Kris Statlander via referee stoppage to win her first-ever TBS title.
The final three were Statlander, Shida and Persephone, who stole two pins to eliminate Harley Cameron and Queen Aminata earlier in the match. Statlander pinned Persephone to eliminate her and focused on Shida. The two exchanged offense for a few minutes until Shida got an ankle lock on Statlander after a pin attempt exchange.
Rope breaks were illegal so Statlander crawled to and grabbed the ring apron to try and escape when Persephone hit her in the head with the title belt to knock her out. Shida then put on a submission for show and got the win after the match was called.
It’s Shida’s first title since her second AEW Women’s World title run ended in November 2023.
The match included Persephone, Statlander, Shida, Aminata, Maika, and Cameron — all of whom won qualifiers over the last few weeks.
Order of eliminations:
- Persephone eliminated Harley Cameron
- Hikaru Shida eliminated Maika
- Persephone eliminated Queen Aminata
- Kris Statlander eliminated Persephone
- Hikaru Shida eliminated Kris Statlander to win
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.