Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for May 24 to May 30

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of May 24th to May 30th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE
WWE RAW (May 25)
* United States Championship – Apollo Crews vs. Andrade (c) – 3.0
* Kevin Owens vs. Angle Garza – 2.5
* Murphy & Austin Theory vs. Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black – 2.5
* #1 Contender’s for RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat match – Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Nia Jax – 3.0
* Street Profits vs. MVP & Bobby Lashley – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – WWE finally using wrestlers to act as the crowd for their empty arena shows.
Worst – The wrestlers crowd feeling too phony or robotic at times.
Show Notes – Having wrestlers as the crowd already making the show feel more lively. Opening Kevin Owens Show segment was weak. Andrade vs. Crews was pretty good. Seth Rollins’ group, Women’s tag title feud, and MVP Lounge promo segments were decent. Ivar’s turkey leg gags were the only good thing about the golfing segment. Women’s Triple Threat match was pretty good overall despite not caring for any of the challengers. This week’s episode was average at best overall.

NXT (May 27)
* Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament Triple Threat – Drake Maverick vs. KUSHIDA vs. Jake Atlas – 3.0
* Johnny Gargano Invitational match – Johnny Gargano vs. Adrian Alanis – 1.0 (Squash)
* Shotzi Blackheart vs. Raquel Gonzalez – 2.5
* Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair & Chelsea Green – 3.0
* Tommaso Ciampa vs. Leon Ruff – 1.0 (Squash)
* Cage match – Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Thatcher vs. Riddle cage match.
Worst – The wrestlers crowd giving the weakest and flattest ever “You Suck” chants for Kurt Angle.
Show Notes – Opening Triple Threat match was pretty good despite the flat ending. Gargano’s promo was decent. Mia Yim and Keith Lee’s Gargano Family parody was funny. Big yikes at Blackheart’s Coffin Drop spot botch. Women’s tag match was good despite the lame ending. Adam Cole and William Regal’s segment was decent. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vignette was pretty good. The pit fight style cage match was very good. This week’s episode was very enjoyable overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (May 29)
* Winner to Face Daniel Bryan in IC Tournament Semi-Finals Battle Royal – 3.0
* Lacey Evans vs. Sonya Deville – 2.5
* Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss – 2.5
* Cesaro vs. Shorty G – 2.5
* Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-Finals match – Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Nikki Cross and Bayley’s banter and antics during Sasha vs. Alexa match.
Worst – The opening car crash segment with Jeff Hardy.
Show Notes – Opening segment was decent but also a bit messed up considering Jeff Hardy’s real-life drunk driving issues. Battle Royal match was entertaining. Moment of Bliss segment was surprisingly decent. Nikki Cross and Bayley’s banter during Banks vs. Bliss was the best thing about the match. Otis and Mandy segment was amazing. Matt Riddle’s debut surprise felt anti-climatic. Bryan vs. Sheamus was pretty good despite the abrupt ending. This week’s episode was pretty good overall.

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AEW
AEW Dark (May 26)
* John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. Natural Nightmares – 2.0
* Michael Nakazawa vs. Brandon Cutler – 2.5
* Peter Avalon vs. Jungle Boy – 2.5
* Serpentico vs. Christopher Daniels – 2.0
* John Skyler & Brady Pierce vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela – 2.5
* Tony Donati & Faboo Andre vs. Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc – 2.5 (Squash)
* Grim vs. Wardlow – 1.5 (Squash)
* Lee Johnson vs. Colt Cabana – 2.0
* Kilynn King vs. Penelope Ford – 2.0
* Alan Angels & Shawn Dean vs. Best Friends – 2.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Skyler & Pierce vs. Kiss & Janela match.
Worst – The latter half of the show being weak in overall quality.
Show Notes – Being the Elite’s winless jobbers Cutler vs. Avalon feud being turned into an on-screen storyline for Dark is pretty interesting. This week’s episode was somewhat decent at best but also skippable.

AEW Dynamite (May 27)
* Private Party & Joey Janela vs. “Broken” Matt Hardy & The Young Bucks – 3.5
* Brian Cage vs. Lee Johnson – 1.5 (Squash)
* Christi Jaynes vs. Hikaru Shida – 2.5
* Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc vs. SCU – 2.5
* #1 Contender for AEW TNT Championship Battle Royal match – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Inner Circle Pep Rally segment.
Worst – Gooch’s antics from Mike Tyson’s posse of guys.
Show Notes – Opening Inner Circle and Elite segments were good. 6-man tag match was very good despite the rushed finish. FTR making their debut was great. Britt Baker’s Role Model segment was amazing. Cody’s promo segment was decent. Jaynes vs. Shida and SCU vs. Sabian & Havoc matches were decent. Battle Royal was pretty good despite the slow start. Inner Circle’s pep rally segment was very good despite Tyson and his posse’s antics. This week’s episode was very enjoyable and better than last week’s show.

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OTHER
WWE’s Undertaker: The Last Ride – Episode 3 (May 24)
Overall – 3.5
Show Notes – Another very interesting episode overall looking back on Undertaker’s struggles to find his perfect retirement moment. Triple H’s comments about Undertaker being stuck in a Catch-22 loop was spot on regarding the past few years of his WWE career.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Cage match – Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle (WWE NXT)
• Worst match of the week – Tommaso Ciampa vs. Leon Ruff (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – AEW Dark