Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for April 19 to April 25

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of April 19th to April 25th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):
WWE
WWE RAW (Apr. 20)
* Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Austin Theory vs. Aleister Black – 2.5
* Shayna Baszler vs. Indi Hartwell – 1.0 (Squash)
* Cedric Alexander & Ricochet vs. Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink – 3.0
* Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax – 1.5
* Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – MVP vs. Apollo Crews – 3.0
* Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott – 1.5
* Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy – 3.5
* Charlotte Flair vs. Kayden Carter – 2.0
* Andrade vs. Akira Tozawa – 2.5
* Bianca Belair vs. Santana Garrett – 1.5
* Angel Garza vs. Drew McIntrye – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Mysterio vs. Murphy match.
Worst – The women’s matches in general on the show
Show Notes – Opening promo segment with McIntrye was good. Theory vs. Black was pretty good. Jax somehow managed to get worse in the ring since her return. Viking Raiders are now suddenly big goofballs based on their sing-a-along segment. MVP vs. Crews was pretty good. Morgan vs. Riott was mostly nothing. Mysterio vs. Murphy was very good. Main event was mostly decent. RAW was somewhat decent at best.

NXT (Apr. 22)
* Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez – 2.5
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament A Block – Jake Atlas vs. Drake Maverick – 2.5
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament A Block – KUSHIDA vs. Tony Nese – 3.0
* Mia Yim vs. Jessie Kamea – 2.0
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament B Block – Jack Gallagher vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma – 3.0
* Velveteen Dream & Dexter Lumis vs. Undisputed Era – 1.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – The video packages throughout the show.
Worst – Dream & Lumis vs. Undisputed Era match.
Show Notes – KUSHIDA vs. Nese was pretty good. The Karrion Kross and Io Shirai vignettes were pretty great. Gargano Family segment was good but a bit too over-produced. NXT turning Maverick’s firing into a storyline is a bit sleazy. Gallagher’s hype video and Fantasma’s debut match were very good. NXT really should invest in some anti-ninja security by now. Main event tag team match was a mess in terms of booking. This week’s episode was very good overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Apr. 24)
* Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Drew Gulak vs. King Corbin – 2.5
* Sheamus vs. Daniel Vidot – 1.0 (Squash)
* The Miz & John Morrison vs. Lucha House Party – 3.0
* Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans – 2.0
* Women’s Tag Team Championship – Carmella & Dana Brooke vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) – 1.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Triple H’s celebration segment that quickly went off the rails.
Worst – Lineup for Women’s Money in the Bank match shaping up to be the one worst ever.
Show Notes – The Jeff Hardy video segment was great. Gran Metalik is still among the best cruisers in WWE today. Women’s MitB match is going to be dire in quality based on these qualifiers. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman video package was very good. Women’s tag title match was mostly bland. The Triple H career highlights were pretty good overall. Triple H celebration segment was an entertaining train wreck. SmackDown itself was mostly forgettable.

AEW
AEW Dark (Apr. 21)
* Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford – 2.5
* Joe Alonzo vs. Cody – 2.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Jay vs. Ford match.
Worst – Alonzo vs. Cody match.
Show Notes – This week’s short length episode was somewhat decent but nothing special in the end.

AEW Dynamite (Apr. 22)
* TNT Championship tournament First Round match – Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin – 3.5
* Alan Angels vs. Kenny Omega – 2.5
* Jimmy Havoc vs. Orange Cassidy – 3.0
* Lee Johnson vs. Wardlow – 1.5 (Squash)
* Justin Law vs. “The Exalted One” Brodie Lee – 1.5 (Squash)
* TNT Championship tournament First Round match – Kip Sabian vs. Dustin Rhodes – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Bubbly Bunch segment.
Worst – The flat ending sequence for the Havoc vs. Cassidy match.
Show Notes – Opening video with Cody was pretty great. Guevara and Allin hype videos and match were very good. Matt Hardy promo segment and Scorpio Sky vignette were good. Havoc vs. Cassidy was pretty good despite the flat ending sequence. Poor MJF suffering from a devastating hangnail injury. Bubbly Bunch segment was hilarious. Sabian vs. Rhodes was mostly good despite the awkward ending. This week’s episode was very enjoyable overall.

Various Wrestling
Impact Wrestling Rebellion – Night One (Apr. 21)
* oVe (Madman Fulton& Jake & Dave Crist) vs. Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, & Crazzy Steve – 2.5
* The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) vs. XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) vs. TJP & Fallah Bahh – 3.0
* Impact X Division Championship – Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin (c) – 3.5
* Kiera Hogan vs. Kylie Rae – 3.0
* Unsanctioned Match – Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact X Division title match.
Worst – oVe vs. Dreamer, Rhino, & Crazzy Steve match.
Show Notes – Eddie Edwards revealing he prioritizes his family’s health over work was a very smart decision during these uncertain times. Michael Elgin interview was decent. Triple Threat tag match was pretty good. The pre-match video package and Mack vs. Austin match were fantastic. The pre-match video package and Hogan vs. Rae were good. Callihan vs. Shamrock was a decent brawl in the end. Night 1 of Rebellion was very entertaining overall.

Other
Viceland’s Dark Side of the Ring – Dino Bravo Episode (Apr. 21)
Overall – 3.5
Show Notes – An entertaining episode overall looking back on the wrestling career of Dino Bravo and his involvement in organized crime leading up to his murder.

Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week – Sheamus vs. Daniel Vidot (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown