Mariah May Retains AEW Women's Title On Dynamite: Grand Slam, Next Contenders Emerge

After defeating "Timeless" Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship at All In 2024, Mariah May has locked up with several of AEW's best in her 32-day reign. On Wednesday's edition of "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam," Arthur Ashe saw May add another victory to her impressive resume, as "The Glamour" retained her title in a high-energy fight against Yuka Sakazaki.

Sakazaki wasted no time starting the match as she dived onto May during the champion's entrance. May responded in kind with a series of chops and dropkicks as she began to close the energy gap between herself and "The Magical Girl." Sakazaki's energy waned as May's dominance grew over the course of the match, and a Storm Zero from the champion allowed for "The Glamour" to successfully retain her title.

May was not satisfied with her victory over Sakazaki, however. After a brief post-match celebration, May geared up to strike Sakazaki, AEW Women's World Championship in hand. Willow Nightingale responded in kind, and dashed to the ring to stand nose-to-nose with "The Glamour." Arthur Ashe erupted as Mina Shirakawa's music echoed through its speakers, and May took advantage of her friend's return to strike Nightingale with the title. Shirakawa appeared on the ramp, and was confused as May dashed out to greet her previous love affair. Sakazaki also left the ring to make her way towards the ramp, and the two Japanese wrestlers had a brief argument before May whisked Shirakawa away.

Wednesday's match marked May's second title defense, her first being a successful title retention against Nyla Rose on the September 4 episode of "AEW Dynamite." As of writing, May's next challenger — whether that is Nightingale, Shirakawa, or another one of AEW's esteemed female talent — is unclear.