Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for March 15 to March 21

Mar 22, 2020

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of March 15th to March 21st.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):
WWE
WWE RAW (Mar. 16)
* Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade – 2.5
Overall – 1.5
Best – Steve Austin’s show closing segment.
Worst – WWE’s handling of a empty arena show.
Show Notes – Opening promo by Edge was pretty great. WWE was extra lazy with airing the whole 2020 Men’s Rumble match instead of finding a better use for the time. The Undertaker & AJ Styles contract segment was terrible. Becky Lynch’s promo was decent. Steve Austin’s segment was amazing. RAW was very skippable overall.

NXT (Mar. 18)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – The three mini-documentaries show were very good. This week’s episode was a good showcase for new viewers or for those catching up on NXT’s notable feuds but entirely skippable otherwise.

NXT UK (Mar. 19)
* Kay Lee Ray vs. Dani Luna – 2.0
* Joseph Conners vs. Ridge Holland – 2.5
* Kassius Ohno vs. Kenny Williams – 3.0
* Gallus vs. Flash Morgan Webster, Dave Mastiff, & Trent Seven – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Gallus vs. Webster, Mastiff, & Seven match.
Worst – Ray vs. Luna match.
Show Notes – Both Ohno vs. Williams and the 6-man tag team match were pretty good overall. This week’s episode was one of the better ones in recent weeks.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Mar. 20)
* Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro – 3.0
* The Miz & John Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Miz & Morrison’s Dirt Sheet’s segment.
Worst – Opening segment with Gronk, Mojo Rawley, and King Corbin.
Show Notes – Opening segment was very cringeworthy. Everything about Paige and Bayley’s segment was bad. The John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt WrestleMania 30 replay reminded me of how much I ended up hating it on an otherwise great WrestleMania show. Dirt Sheet’s segment was hilarious. Otis snapping was the best thing about the Miz & Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery match. Contract signing segment was dull. This week’s episode was nothing special.

AEW
AEW Dark (Mar. 17)
* “The Librarian” Peter Avalon vs. Colt Cabana – 2.5
* The Hybrid 2 vs. Brandon Cutler & Michael Nakazawa – 2.5
* Penelope Ford vs. Riho – 3.0
* Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Grayson vs. Daniels match.
Worst – Cabana vs. Avalon match.
Show Notes – Grayson vs. Daniels match and post-match brawl were good. Dark was a nice enjoyable episode overall.

AEW Dynamite (Mar. 18)
* Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros – 3.5
* Fatal Four-way match – Penelope Ford vs. Riho vs. Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida – 3.0
* The Bucther & The Blade vs. Jurassic Express – 3.0
* Inner Circle (Jake Hager, Sanata, & Ortiz) vs. The Elite (Cody, Matt Jackson, & Hangman Adam Page) – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy’s debuts.
Worst – Awkward ending to the Butcher & Blade vs. Jurassic Express match.
Show Notes – Opening segment by the Elite was very good. MJF & Shawn Spears providing crowd banter already making the show feel better than WWE’s shows. Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros was very good. Brodie Lee’s debut was great. Lance Archer’s vignette was pretty good. Inner Circle vs. The Elite was very good and same for Matt Hardy’s surprise debut. This week’s episode was amazing considering the circumstances and AEW’s handling of a no crowd show.

Various Wrestling
GCW Acid Cup 2 Night 1 (Mar. 19)
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – KTB vs. Cole Radrick – 2.5
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Lucky 13 vs. Shane Mercer – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Allie Kat vs. Atticus Cogar – 2.5
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Jordan Oliver vs. Ellis Taylor – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Jimmy Lloyd vs. Matthew Justice – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Benjamin Carter vs. Blake Christian – 3.5
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Chris Dickinson vs. Sanchez – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Opening Round – Manders vs. Nick Gage – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Carter vs. Christian match.
Worst – KTB vs. Radrick match.
Show Notes – First half of the Acid Cup 2 tournament was pretty good overall. Carter vs. Christian was fantastic. Everything about the concert break with the Pitbull cardboard cutout was great. Joey Janela on commentary was also great. Night 1 of the Acid Cup 2 tournament was an enjoyable show overall.

GCW Acid Cup 2 Night 2 (Mar. 20)
* Acid Cup 2 Quarterfinal Round – KTB vs. Shane Mercer – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Quarterfinal Round – Matthew Justice vs. Blake Christian – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Quarterfinal Round – Allie Kat vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Quarterfinal Round – Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Gage – 2.5
* Social Distancing match – Jimmy Lloyd vs. Joey Janela – 3.5
* Acid Cup 2 Semifinal Round – Shane Mercer vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.0
* Acid Cup 2 Semifinal Round – Jordan Oliver vs. Blake Christian – 3.0
* 13-Man Clusterf*ck Match – 3.5
* Acid Cup 2 Finals – Blake Christian vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Acid Cup 2 Finals match.
Worst – Oliver vs. Nick Gage match.
Show Notes – The Quarterfinal matches were good overall. Social Distancing match was an amazing comedic match. Both Semifinal matches were very good. Clusterf*ck match with surprise John Cena cardboard cutout appearance was great. Christian vs. Dickinson match was very good. Night 2 of the Acid Cup 2 tournament was very good overall.