Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for June 14 to June 20

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of June 14th to June 20th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE
WWE Backlash (June 14)
* Pre-Show: United States Championship – Andrade vs. Apollo Crews (c) – 3.0
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss vs. The IIconics vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) – 2.0
* Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – 2.5
* RAW Women’s Championship – Nia Jax vs. Asuka (c) – 2.0
* Universal Championship 2-on-1 Handicap match – The Miz & John Morrison vs. Braun Strowman (c) – 2.0
* WWE Championship – Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre (c) – 3.0
* “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” – Randy Orton vs. Edge – 4.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever”
Worst – WWE going overboard with the “enhanced” audio and camera work for the Edge vs. Orton match.
Show Notes – Women’s tag title match was somewhat decent despite the weak finish. Hardy vs. Sheamus was decent despite being a bit sloppy and dragging too much. RAW Women’s title match was decent despite the lame finish. Lashley vs. McIntrye was pretty good despite the dumb Lana spot. The Viking Raiders and Street Profits cinematic segment went from being very dumb to enjoyable by the end. “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” was very good. Backlash itself was mostly an average at best but forgettable show overall.

WWE RAW (June 15)
* Kevin Owens vs. Angel Garza – 2.5
* Street Profits & The Viking Raiders vs. Akira Tozawa & Ninjas – 0.5 (Squash)
* Liv Morgan & Natalya vs. The IIconics – 2.0
* Apollo Crews vs. Shelton Benjamin – 2.5
* Tag Team match for WWE Championship – MVP & Bobby Lashley vs. R-Truth & Drew McIntyre (c) – 2.5
* RAW Women’s Championship – Nia Jax vs. Asuka (c) – 2.5
* Unsanctioned Match – Christian vs. Randy Orton – 1.0 (Squash)
Overall – 2.5
Best – Christian vs. Orton storyline throughout the show.
Worst – Street Profits & Viking Raiders vs. Tozawa & Ninjas match and post-match stuff.
Show Notes – Opening Randy Orton and Christian promo segment was good. MVP, Lashley, & Lana segment was horrible. The in-ring stuff with the ninjas and Big Show was dumb and not in a enjoyable way. All of the R-Truth and McIntyre segments were enjoyable. Women’s tag title promo segment was decent. Jax vs. Nia was decent despite the screwy finish. Unsanctioned match was decent more so in terms of story. RAW was somewhat decent overall but the heavy focus on story stuff was mixed bag quality.

NXT (June 17)
* NXT Tag Team Championship – Breezango vs. Imperium (c) – 3.0
* Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain – 2.5
* Xia Lia vs. Aliyah – 1.5
* Kayden Carter vs. Dakota Kai – 2.5
* Bronson Reed vs. Leon Ruff – 1.0 (Squash)
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match.
Worst – The finish to Lia vs. Aliyah match.
Show Notes – Breezango’s parody of Imperium’s entrance was great. NXT Tag title match was pretty good despite the flat finish. Robert Stone’s vomit spot during Lia vs. Aliyah was stupid. Undisputed Era therapy segment and NXT title promo segment were decent. Mercedes Martinez vignette was pretty good. Santos Escobar and Drake Maverick segment was pretty good. Women’s Tag title match and post-match stuff with Io Shirai was very good. This week’s episode was good overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (June 19)
* Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles – 3.5
* Shorty G vs. Mojo Rawley – 2.0
* New Day vs. Lucha House Party – 2.5
* Nikki Cross vs. Sasha Banks – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Riddle vs. Styles match.
Worst – WWE’s poor timing of Riddle’s debut considering his accusations.
Show Notes – Opening Intercontinental title segment was decent. Riddle vs. Styles was very good despite WWE going with the very stale champion loses non-title match finish. Jeff Hardy’s interview was decent. Miz TV segment with Mandy Rose and Sony Deville was pretty good. Sheamus’ interview segment was decent. Cross vs. Banks was also decent. Firefly Fun House segment was somewhat dull. This week’s episode was somewhat decent overall.

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AEW
AEW Dark (June 16)
* Capital Vices & Jon Cruz vs. Jurassic Express – 2.0
* Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler vs. SCU – 2.5
* Dani Jordyn vs. Big Swole – 1.5 (Squash)
* David Ali vs. Lance Archer – 2.0 (Squash)
* Musa & Shawn Dean vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela – 2.5
* Red Velvet & Kenzie Paige vs. Brandi Rhodes & Allie – 1.5
* Lee Johnson vs. Shawn Spears – 2.0
* Brady Pierce & John Skyler vs. Dark Order – 2.0 (Squash)
* Griff Garrison vs. Jimmy Havoc – 2.0 (Squash)
* Skyler Moore vs. Penelope Ford – 1.5 (Squash)
* Robert Anthony vs. Scorpio Sky – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – The debut of Kip Sabian’s dog named Oscar.
Worst – Length of the show being way too long for the weak quality in matches.
Show Notes – A random fat guy’s butt crack is one of those things I didn’t expect to see on Dark. Kip Sabian bringing his pet dog was the highlight of the show. This week’s episode was somewhat dull and nothing special overall.

AEW Dynamite (June 17)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Natural Nightmares vs. Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega (c) – 3.5
* Anna Jay vs. Abadon – 1.5 (Squash)
* Billy vs. MJF – 2.5
* TNT Championship – Ricky Starks vs. Cody (c) – 3.5
* Superbad Squad vs. The Young Bucks – 3.0
* #1 Contender’s for AEW World Tag Team Championship – Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho vs. Best Friends – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – TNT Championship match.
Worst – TNT interrupting Guevara’s majestic musical performance with the quick cut to commercial.
Show Notes – Opening AEW Tag title match was very good. Dark Order gaining a new female member is interesting. Britt Baker and Big Swole segment was good. Starks’ pre-match promo was fantastic. TNT title match was very good. Superbad Squad vs. Young Bucks was pretty good despite dragging too much. Taz and Brian Cage promo was decent. Baker and Rebel’s segment was great. Guevara & Jericho vs. Best Friends was pretty good. This week’s episode was very good overall.

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NJPW & OTHER
WWE’s Undertaker: The Last Ride – Episode 4 (June 14)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – Episode 4 was pretty entertaining overall although Undertaker’s dilemma over retiring has started to lose its luster over the course of this series.

NJPW Together Project Special (June 15)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji – 2.5
* Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado vs. Yuya Uemura & Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* Taiji Ishimori, Gedo, Jado, & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto – 2.5
* BUSHI, SANADA, & EVIL vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 3.0
* Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & DOUKI vs. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Kota Ibushi, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* Roppongi 3K & Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Suzuki-Gun vs. Makabe, Nagata, Ibushi, & Tanahashi match.
Worst – Bullet Club vs. Yano, Honma, YOSHI-HASHI, & Goto match.
Show Notes – Kidd vs. Tsuji was a good Young Lions style match. Kanemaru & El Desperado vs. Uemura & Ishii was good. The first 8-man tag match was decent. The Grand Master vignette was interesting. LIJ vs. Taguchi, Kojima, & Tenzan was pretty good. The second 8-man tag match was also pretty good. NJPW Together Project Special was an entertaining show overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup Night 1 (June 16)
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Yota Tsuji vs. Togi Makabe – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Jado vs. Toru Yano – 1.5
* Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuya Uemura, Yuji Nagata, Kota Ibushi, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomoaki Honma – 3.5
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – El Desperado vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – El Desperado vs. Tomohiro Ishii match.
Worst – Jado vs. Yano match.
Show Notes – Tsuji vs. Makabe was pretty good. Jado vs. Yano was a lot more of a miss than hit in terms of a comedic match. 8-man tag match was pretty good. Takahashi vs. Honma was very good and one of Honma’s best matches in recent times. El Desperado vs. Ishii was very good and early contender for match of the tournament. Night 1 of New Japan Cup was very good overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2 (June 17)
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Gabriel Kidd vs. Taiji Ishimori – 2.5
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Yuya Uemura vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 3.0
* BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, SANADA, & EVIL vs. Roppongi 3K, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata – 4.0
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Gedo vs. Kazuchika Okada – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Suzuki vs. Nagata match.
Worst – Gedo vs. Okada match.
Show Notes – Kidd vs. Ishimori was decent. Uemura vs. Kanemaru was pretty good. 8-man tag match was good. Suzuki vs. Nagata was an amazing hard hitting bout. Gedo vs. Okada was decent at best. Night 2 of New Japan Cup was pretty good overall.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” – Randy Orton vs. Edge (WWE Backlash) and New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament First Round – Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2)
• Worst match of the week – Street Profits & The Viking Raiders vs. Akira Tozawa & Ninjas (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NJPW New Japan Cup Night 1
• Worst show of the week – AEW Dark