Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for April 26 to May 2

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of April 26th to May 2nd.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):
WWE
WWE RAW (Apr. 27)
* Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black, & Apollo Crews vs. Austin Theory, Angel Garza, & Andrade – 3.0
* Asuka vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler – N/A
* Bobby Lashley vs. Denzel Dejournette – 1.5 (Squash)
* Liv Morgan vs. Rubby Riott – 1.5
* Akira Tozawa vs. Jinder Mahal – 1.0 (Squash)
* United States Championship – Apollo Crews vs. Andrade (c) – 2.5
* Cedric Alexander & Ricochet vs. Ever-Rise – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Becky Lynch WWE 24 highlight video package.
Worst – Booking of the Women’s Triple Threat and US title matches.
Show Notes – 6-man tag team match was pretty good despite being a bit too long. The non-Triple Threat match was a big waste of time. Guess RAW Creative suddenly remembered Viking Raiders are not goofballs. Tozawa being a jobber to the stars on RAW doesn’t help the Cruiserweight tournament’s image. US title match was mostly good until the anti-climatic ending. WWE title contract signing segment was decent. RAW itself was very throw-away in terms of quality overall.

NXT (Apr. 29)
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament B Block – Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma – 3.0
* Candice LeRae vs. Kacy Catanzaro – 2.0
* Mia Yim vs. Charlotte Flair – 3.0
* Dexter Lumis vs. Shane Thorne -2.0
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament A Block – Tony Nese vs. Drake Maverick – 3.0
* NXT North Ameican Championship – Damian Priest vs. Keith Lee (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Scott vs. Fantasma match.
Worst – Lumis vs. Thorne match.
Show Notes – Opening match between Scott and Fantasma was pretty good. Did NXT layoff all their security since kidnapping attempts seems to be on the rise. Johnny Gargano as the hype man for LeRae is interesting. Newly Bros Show was both dumb and entertaining at the same time. Yim vs. Flair was pretty good. Maverick’s match vs. Nese and post-match promo were good. North American title match was good despite the goofy spot at the end. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (May 1)
* Daniel Bryan vs. King Corbin – 2.5
* Sheamus vs. Leon Ruff – 1.0 (Squash)
* Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Carmella vs. Mandy Rose – 1.0
* New Day vs. Forgotten Sons – 2.5
* Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler – 2.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Otis securing a spot in the Men’s MitB match.
Worst – Carmella vs. Rose match.
Show Notes – Opening promo by Bryan was decent. Bryan vs. Corbin was also decent despite the anti-climatic ending. Firefly Fun House segment was somewhat boring. The final part of the Jeff Hardy video series was good. Sonya Deville’s post-match attack was the only good thing about the Women’s MitB match. New Day vs. Forgotten Sons was typical WWE stale booking for title challengers Otis beating Ziggler was one of the very few bright spots about this week’s episode.

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AEW
AEW Dark (Apr. 28)
* Shawn Dean vs. Jimmy Havoc – 2.0
* Musa & Lee Johnson vs. Best Friends – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Musa & Johnson vs. Best Friends match.
Worst – The audio issues early in the show.
Show Notes – This week’s short episode was somewhat decent at best overall.

AEW Dynamite (Apr. 29)
* TNT Championship tournament Semifinals match – Darby Allin vs. Cody – 3.5
* Musa vs. Wardlow – 1.0 (Squash)
* No DQ & No Countout match – Jimmy Havoc & Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends – 3.5
* Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black – 1.5 (Squash)
* Marko Stunt vs. “The Exalted One” Brodie Lee – 1.5 (Squash)
* TNT Championship tournament Semifinals match – Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Bubbly Bunch and Britt Baker video segments.
Worst – Weak finish to Allin vs. Cody match.
Show Notes – The Allin and Cody video package was pretty good. Allin vs. Cody was very good despite the weak finish. Poor MJF suffering another devastating shaving injury. The Bubbly Bunch segment with all the random cameos was amazing. Havoc & Sabian vs. Best Friends was very good. Britt Baker’s segment was the best one of her heel run so far. Stunt vs. Lee was a nice brutal squash. Archer vs. Dustin was good despite it being too long. This week’s episode was very fun and enjoyable overall.

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Various Wrestling
Impact Wrestling Rebellion – Night Two (Apr. 28)
* Four-Way match – Suicide vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju vs. Trey – 3.5
* Joseph P. Ryan vs. Cousin Jake – 2.5
* Full Metal Mayhem match – Havok vs. Rosemary – 2.0
* Triple Threat match – Michael Elgin vs. Moose vs. Hernandez – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Suicide vs. Bey vs. Raju vs. Trey match.
Worst – Full Metal Mayhem match.
Show Notes – The opening Four-way match was very good. Tessa Blanchard’s interview segment was decent. Ryan vs. Cousin Jake match was mostly good. Enjoyed the pre-match video package for Havok vs. Rosemary the most out of all of them for Rebellion. Full Metal Mayhem match was decent at best. Triple Threat match was pretty good despite the flat ending. Night 2 was pretty good overall but the weaker of the two shows for Rebellion.

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Other
Viceland’s Dark Side of the Ring – David Shultz Episode (Apr. 28)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – An interesting episode overall looking back on the infamous John Stossel slap incident in WWF and the fallout it had on both wrestling and Shultz’s career.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – TNT Championship tournament Semifinals match – Darby Allin vs. Cody (AEW Dynamite)
• Worst match of the week – Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match Qualifier – Carmella vs. Mandy Rose (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown