On a night built around history and heartbreak, it was joy that rang loudest inside the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming opened with the coronation of its first-ever AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions, as the Babes of Wrath – Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron – defeated the Timeless Love Bombs, “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa, to etch their names into company history.
From Concept To Championship Gold
AEW’s Women’s World Tag Team Championship journey began months ago, when Tony Khan and Renee Paquette unveiled the brand-new titles on Dynamite after years of fan demand and internal discussion. The belts were introduced in late September, with Khan confirming that an eight-team single-elimination tournament would crown the inaugural champions.
Brackets for the tournament were revealed in October, featuring eight teams:
- Queen Aminata & Jamie Hayter vs. Sisters of Sin
- Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) vs. Mercedes Moné & Athena
- Alex Windsor & Riho vs. Timeless Love Bombs (Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa)
- Anna Jay & Tay Melo vs. Megan Bayne & Marina Shafir
The field was loaded with champions and fan favorites, but two teams quickly emerged as the heart of the story.
The Babes of Wrath stunned observers by eliminating the dream-team pairing of TBS Champion Mercedes Moné and ROH Women’s World Champion Athena in the first round after late-match chaos and a Doctor Bomb from Nightingale. They then defeated the dark, ruthless Sisters of Sin (Skye Blue & Julia Hart) in the semifinals to secure their place in the Winter Is Coming final.
On the other side of the bracket, the Timeless Love Bombs lived up to their hype. Storm and Shirakawa advanced past Alex Windsor & Riho before winning a wild, weapon-filled “Holiday Death Match” over the MegaProblems (Marina Shafir & Megan Bayne) to punch their ticket to Winter Is Coming.
By the time December 10 rolled around, the story was simple: two beloved teams, one brand-new set of titles, and a chance to define AEW’s women’s tag division from day one.
From Rivals To “Babes of Wrath”
Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron were not always on the same side. The two first crossed paths as rivals in AEW, but by late 2025 their chemistry – both in-ring and in personality – turned them into a natural pairing. Cameron’s charisma and edge meshed with Nightingale’s infectious energy and power, and AEW canonized their partnership under one of the company’s most memorable tag names: the Babes of Wrath.
In media interviews leading up to the tournament, the duo talked about how their bond formed quickly after Cameron’s early matches in AEW and how much it meant to be part of a division that had waited years to be fully realized. Nightingale framed the tournament as the payoff to Tony Khan’s patience, arguing that the timing made the chase for the belts more meaningful now than it would have been a year or two earlier.
Their opponents had their own story. “Timeless” Toni Storm, in perhaps the best character work of her career, found an ideal foil-turned-partner in Mina Shirakawa. Mina announced on Dynamite that the pair would be known as the “Timeless Love Bombs,” promising that they would become the first women’s world tag champions – a pledge that turned their run through the bracket into a mission of destiny. AEW later formally confirmed the name across its platforms.
Winter Is Coming, then, wasn’t just a tournament final. It was the collision of two fully formed acts that had helped justify AEW finally pulling the trigger on a women’s tag division.
Winter Is Coming: A Fast, Physical Final
Dynamite: Winter Is Coming opened with the Women’s World Tag Team Championship final, immediately setting a big-fight tone for the night. The crowd in College Park roared as Justin Roberts introduced both teams, with dueling chants greeting the Babes of Wrath and the Timeless Love Bombs.
Early on, the match reflected the contrast in styles. Storm’s theatrical “Timeless” mannerisms and Shirakawa’s striking met the raw, high-energy offense of Nightingale and the sharp athleticism of Cameron. Babes of Wrath controlled stretches of the opening minutes, stringing together double-team sequences and isolating Shirakawa to emphasize Willow’s power advantage.
The Love Bombs swung momentum back with a combination of veteran savvy and team timing – quick tags, misdirection, and trademark offense from Storm that left Harley Cameron fighting from underneath. Every Cameron hope spot, every Willow hot tag tease, drew louder reactions, with the stakes of crowning the first champions adding palpable weight to each near fall. Reports from multiple outlets described the bout as a fast-paced, physical showdown that balanced character work with serious in-ring urgency.
The finishing stretch centered, fittingly, on Willow Nightingale. After surviving a flurry from Storm and Shirakawa, Nightingale muscled Shirakawa into position and delivered a crushing Doctor Bomb. Cameron cut off Storm’s desperate attempt to break the pin as Willow held Shirakawa down for the three-count, making the Babes of Wrath the first-ever AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions.
The image of Willow and Harley hoisting the new belts high – confetti falling, the lower third graphic declaring them the inaugural champions – instantly joined the canon of AEW’s defining moments.
Respect, Emotion, And What Comes Next
Post-match, the emotion that had simmered beneath the surface of the tournament finally boiled over. In the ring, Nightingale and Cameron cut an emotional promo about their journey from rivals to partners, with Cameron specifically recalling how their bond began in just her second AEW match and grew into something capable of carrying a division.
In a fitting show of sportsmanship, Storm and Shirakawa stayed to share the spotlight instead of storming off, embracing the new champions and acknowledging that, on this night, history belonged to the Babes of Wrath.
For AEW, the result is more than just another title change. The women’s roster now boasts three active championships – the Women’s World Title, the TBS Championship, and the Women’s World Tag Team Titles – giving the division new storytelling avenues and tangible stakes for a deep pool of talent that includes Kris Statlander, Mercedes Moné, Jamie Hayter, and more.
For Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron, it is validation. Nightingale has long been one of AEW’s most beloved babyfaces, and Cameron has steadily transformed from an intriguing presence into a fully realized performer. Becoming the inaugural champions doesn’t just put gold around their waists – it cements them as the standard-bearers for a division fans have wanted since AEW’s inception.
And for the Timeless Love Bombs, the loss doesn’t close the book. Storm and Shirakawa remain one of the promotion’s most charismatic acts, and their claim that they should have been the first champions will hang over every interaction with the Babes of Wrath going forward. A rematch, and possibly a long-term rivalry, feels all but inevitable.
On a frigid Winter Is Coming night, AEW finally delivered on years of promise by crowning its first Women’s World Tag Team Champions. The Babes of Wrath walked in chasing history and walked out holding it in their hands – smiling, emotional, and ready to lead a new era for women’s tag team wrestling in All Elite Wrestling.
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