2022 was quite the year for pro-wrestling, and for Tony Khan's AEW, it proved to be a year filled with obstacles and publicity issues. Nonetheless, the company did provide a lot of very great wrestling in 2022, and they managed to begin addressing the issues within their women's division.
Adding more depth to the AEW Women's Division and building up a number of new stars, 2022 was undeniably a massive improvement for the overall quality of women's content within AEW. Looking back over the past 12 months, these are the 10 best women's matches in AEW from 2022.
10 Athena vs Kiera Hogan - AEW Rampage, 6/3/22
One of the most underrated AEW matches of the year came in the form of Athena's debut match on AEW Rampage this past June. Following a shock arrival during Double or Nothing, Athena would face off against one of Jade Cargill's Baddies in her first match, taking on the young Kiera Hogan in a singles match.
These two would give it their all, delivering a hard-hitting, fast-paced battle that was shockingly smooth and showed off what both women were capable of. Months removed, Kiera is now a babyface and seems to be breaking out as a singles star while Athena is one of the top heels in the women's division, reigning as ROH Women's Champion. Their match together back in June is worth going back to watch as one of the sleeper hits in the women's division this year.
9 Jamie Hayter vs Thunder Rosa - AEW Battle of the Belts III
Becoming AEW Women's World Champion in March 2022, Thunder Rosa would remain a fan-favorite for much of her reign. The issue that seemed to overtake the conversation was in regard to her overall booking as champion, and her less than impressive mic work. Still, during her reign, Rosa would have a few notable matches, with her final defense being her best.
Facing off against Jamie Hayter at AEW Battle of the Belts III, Thunder Rosa would put her AEW Women's World Championship on the line against Hayter, as the two women would put on an extremely physical war against one another. Rosa would retain, before stepping away due to injury, eventually vacating the championship.
8 Emi Sakura vs Toni Storm - AEW Dark, 10/11/22
After becoming AEW Interim Women's World Champion at All Out, something that would later be retconned in order to make her the official AEW Women's Champion, Toni Storm would remain a strongly booked talent in the women's division, regularly appearing on Dynamite and wrestling on a weekly basis. One of her strongest singles matches in AEW would come in the form of a Dark Match against Emi Sakura.
Sakura is an AEW Dark regular, rarely appearing on TV and instead being used to help build and teach the next generation of AEW women. This would be Toni & Emi's second singles match in 2022, with their first also being quite good, though the sequel surpassed the original. For Toni fans, it is worth seeking out on AEW's YouTube.
7 Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb - AEW Dynamite, 4/27/22
Two of the truly great stars of the AEW Women's Division, Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb have been tied to one another in AEW since the Fall of 2021. Wrestling a series of matches against one another, these two proved how great women's wrestling can be in AEW. In the Spring of 2022, they would face off in Philadelphia, the place where their feud first begun.
With the added stipulation of a Street Fight, the two ladies would deliver big-time with the blow-off to their longterm program. Shida would sport an entirely new look for the match as well, helping to add to the importance of it as they took one another to their limits in a great television match.
6 Emi Sakura & Mei Suruga vs Toni Storm & Hikaru Shida - AEW Dark, 11/8/22
Taking place during a special AEW Dark taping, fan-favorites Hikaru Shida and AEW Women's World Champion, Toni Storm, would team together against the heel joshi duo of Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga. In yet another example of Emi Sakura being the Queen of AEW Dark, this would be one of the most memorable AEW Dark matches of 2022.
For those unfamiliar with Mei Suruga, she is a young joshi star from Japan with enormous potential. With youth on her side, and having already worked in AEW, she could be one of the future stars of women's wrestling. This fun tag-team bout is one to seek out, with all four women shining in a bit of a hidden gem from 2022.
5 Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs Thunder Rosa & Toni Storm - AEW Dynamite, 8/3/22
Forming a brief tag-team known as ThunderStorm, Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa would bring the heat during their time together, delivering a great tag team match against Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter during an episode of AEW Dynamite. Britt & Jamie would don Wonder Woman-inspired gear, matching for the first time since aligning.
While Britt & Jamie would have a number of very fun tag matches in 2022, this was the best of the best with all four women clicking with one another and a fired up crowd being well-invested in the match.
4 Hikaru Shida vs Emi Sakura - AEW Dark: Elevation, 8/29/22
Once more, Emi Sakura would deliver big-time on AEW's YouTube programming in 2022 as she would deliver an electric match against Hikaru Shida. With the match being taped before AEW Dynamite, the two would have their work cut out for them in order to get the crowd, but thanks to great ring work from both Japanese stars, they did just that.
Shida would pick up the win, though it would not be an easy victory for her as Sakura would make her work for it. In short, Emi Sakura was the Queen of AEW's YouTube shows this year and her great performances are proof that she deserves a spot on television as a heel in the growing AEW Women's Division.
3 Thunder Rosa vs Serena Deeb - AEW Double Or Nothing 2022
A feud that seemed to be quite polarizing to some fans, Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb would meet in singles action at AEW Double or Nothing for the AEW Women's World Championship. The two would dazzle with one of the most technically-sound matches in the division's history, with chemistry clicking off the bat.
While the crowd may not have been fully invested in this, that was more due to the length of the PPV than the match quality, as Deeb and Rosa worked an incredibly strong wrestling match that holds up on repeat viewings. Rosa would retain her championship, with both deserving praise for their work at the PPV.
2 Jamie Hayter vs Toni Storm - AEW Full Gear 2022
Arguably one of the strongest women's outings in AEW, Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter would face off for the AEW Women's World Championship at Full Gear 2022. With great history between the two ladies, and with both becoming true stars within AEW over the past 12 months, this was their moment to shine.
At the PPV, Storm and Hayter would put on a show-stealing bout that proved why both are top stars in the company. It was a hard-hitting affair, with plenty of nearfalls and false finishes, that were elevated by an electric audience. Jamie Hayter would score the win, ascending to the top of the division as she became AEW Women's World Champion in one of the best women's matches of 2022.
1 Jamie Hayter vs Hikaru Shida - AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash 2022
Somehow, Jamie Hayter would surpass her own best match of the year from Full Gear just a month later. Making her first defense of the AEW Women's Championship, Hayter would put the belt on the line against Hikaru Shida in one of the best AEW Dynamite main events of the year, one of the best women's matches of the year, and one of the best women's matches in AEW history.
These two would be given ample time in the main event, with a split crowd that only continued to grow more electric as the match went on. These two went to war with a Japanese strong-style type of match, and it worked. This will be hard to beat for the women of AEW moving forward, but it kicked of Hayter's reign to great effect and capped off AEW's 2022 strongly.