— HIKARU SHIDA 志田 光 (@shidahikaru) August 3, 2023

Shida’s win means that she’ll very likely be holding the championship heading into the company’s massive All In pay-per-view at the end of the month. Taking place at Wembley Stadium in London, England, All In looks set to break the all-time record for paid attendance at a professional wrestling event.

The significance of the title change on last night’s 200th episode of “Dynamite” has much to do with the fact that Shida carried the championship through AEW’s time in Jacksonville during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, with no crowds in attendance. Now, Shida will almost certainly have an opportunity to defend the championship in front of more than 75,000 people (via Twitter).

Although Shida’s opponent for All In is still unknown, there are at least a couple of prospects. After her loss last night, Storm could be after a rematch. Though she grew up in New Zealand and Australia, Storm came up in the U.K. independent wrestling scene, and has a big following in the country. Another option could be Storm’s stablemate Saraya — herself a U.K. native, and a potential marquee opponent for Shida. It also remains possible the company could choose a different challenger from out of left field with more than three weeks left until the pay-per-view.