Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for July 5 to July 11

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of July 5th to July 11th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (July 6)
* Drew McIntyre vs. Heath Slater – 1.0 (Squash)
* Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane – 3.5
* Rey Mysterio & Kevin Owens vs. Murphy & Seth Rollins – 3.0
* MVP & Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet & Cedric Alexander – 2.5
* Big Show & The Viking Raiders vs. Angel Garza, Andrade, & Randy Orton – 2.5
* Ruby Riott vs. Billie Kay – 1.0 (Squash)
* Asuka vs. Bayley – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Asuka vs. Bayley match.
Worst – New design for the United States Championship.
Show Notes – McIntyre, Slater, and Dolph Ziggler promo segment was good. Banks vs. Sane was very good despite the weak DQ finish. The K.O. Show segment was decent. Mysterio & Owens vs. Murphy & Rollins was pretty good. New U.S. title looks somewhat ugly and bland compared to the old title. 6-man tag match was decent. Wonder who Riott upset to become the personal jobber to the IIConics. Asuka vs. Bayley was very good despite the overbooked shenanigans at the end. RAW itself was mostly enjoyable overall.

NXT Great American Bash Night 2 (July 8)
* Street Fight – Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim – 3.5
* Bronson Reed vs. Tony Nese – 2.5
* Isiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Johnny Gargano – 3.5
* Legado Del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick & Breezango – 3.0
* Santana Garrett vs. Mercedes Martinez – 1.5 (Squash)
* Winner Takes All NXT Championship vs. NXT North American Championship match – Adam Cole (c) vs. Keith Lee (c) – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Winner Takes All NXT Title vs. NXT North American Title match.
Worst – Robert Stone segment.
Show Notes – Opening Street Fight match was very good. Post-match segment seemed like a potential NXT farewell moment for Yim. Martinez’s vignette was pretty good. Robert Stone, Aliyah, and Shotzi Blackheart segment was terrible. Scott vs. Gargano was very good. Io Shirai vs. Tegan Nox video package was nice. 6-man tag match was pretty good. Lee vs. Cole was very good and feel very happy for Lee since he’s been among my favorites in NXT. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (July 10)
* The Miz vs. Jeff Hardy – 2.0
* Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss – 2.5
* Lacey Evans vs. Naomi – 1.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. New Day (c) – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Banks & Bayley vs. Cross & Bliss match.
Worst – Evans vs. Naomi match.
Show Notes – Opening Miz TV with Jeff Hardy segment was somewhat decent. Miz vs. Hardy match was also somewhat decent despite the sloppy finish. Banks & Bayley vs. Cross & Bliss was decent despite the flat finish. Women’s Karoake Showdown segment was dumb but not as terrible or as big a waste of time compared to the Evans vs. Naomi match afterwards. SmackDown Tag title match was somewhat decent despite the overused DQ/No Contest finish decision by WWE. This week’s episode was very skippable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark (July 7)
* Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Shawn Spears – 2.0
* Rache Chanel vs. Big Swole – 1.5
* Luther vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.0
* Toni Donati, Faboo Andre, Joe Alonzo, & Brady Pierce vs. The Butcher & The Blade & Lucha Bros – 2.5 (Squash)
* Will Hobbs vs. Orange Cassidy – 1.5 (Squash)
* Shawn Dean vs. Michael Nakazawa – 1.5
* Serpentico vs. Scorpio Sky – 3.0
* “The Librarian” Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler vs. Dark Order – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Serpentico vs. Sky match.
Worst – Chanel vs. Swole match.
Show Notes – Brandi Rhodes and Allie interview segment was decent. The finish to the 8-man tag match was cool. Dean vs. Nakazawa was bad but it did have a few laughable comedy moments. Serpentico vs. Sky was pretty good. This week’s episode was somewhat decent but very skippable.

AEW Fyter Fest Night 2 (July 8)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Private Party vs. Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega (c) – 3.5
* Joey Janela vs. Lance Archer – 3.0
* Lucha Bros & The Butcher & The Blade vs. FTR & The Young Bucks – 4.0
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Nyla Rose vs. Kenzie Paige & KiLynn King – 1.5 (Squash)
* Colt Cabana, Stu Grayson, & Brodie Lee vs. SCU – 3.0
* Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – 8-man Tag Team match.
Worst – The Big Swole and Britt Baker segment.
Show Notes – Tag title match was very good and the best match from Private Party since the Young Bucks match. Janela vs. Archer was pretty good. 8-man tag match was amazing and surprised the Young Bucks took the loss. Big Swole’s segment was flat. Dark Order & Cabana vs. SCU match was pretty good. Swole & Baker’s segment was mostly a big swing and miss. Cassidy vs. Jericho was very good and one of the better main events by AEW in recent weeks. Night 2 of Fyter Fest was very entertaining overall.

AEW Puppy Battle Royale Special (July 8)
Overall – 6.0
Show Notes – What’s not to love about some very adorable puppies, some wrestling-based content, and Tony Schiavone on commentary.

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NJPW & OTHER

NJPW Lion’s Break Collision (July 10)
* The DKC vs. Rust Taylor – 2.5
* Danny Limelight vs. TJP – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Limelight vs. TJP match.
Worst – DKC’s name not standing for Donkey Kong Country.
Show Notes – Opening interview segment with Jeff Cobb was pretty good. Apparently The DKC’s name doesn’t stand for “Donkey Kong Country” which is a bit of a bummer. Limelight vs. TJP was pretty good. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2020 Finals (July 11)
* Yuya Uemura & Yota Tsuji vs. Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe – 3.0
* Gabriel Kidd & Hirooki Goto vs. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 3.0
* DOUKI vs. Master Wato – 2.5
* Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi vs. BUSHI & SANADA – 3.0
* Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, Zack Sabre Jr., & Taichi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuji Nagata, Kota Ibushi, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.5
* SHO, Toru Yano, & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito – 3.5
* New Japan Cup 2020 Tournament Finals – EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – EVIL’s post-match heel turn on Naito and joining Bullet Club.
Worst – DOUKI vs. Master Wato
Show Notes – Opening video for New Japan Cup Finals was fantastic. Young Lions vs. Honma & Makabe was pretty good. Kidd & Goto vs. Kojima & Tenzan was also pretty good. DOUKI vs. Master Wato was decent. Ishimori & Takahashi vs. BUSHI & SANADA was pretty good. 8-man tag match was very good. 6-man tag match was very good, especially the ending sequence. EVIL vs. Okada was very good but the post-match angle with EVIL joining Bullet Club was amazing. New Japan Cup 2020 Finals was very good overall.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Lucha Bros & The Butcher & The Blade vs. FTR & The Young Bucks (AEW Fyter Fest Night 2)
• Worst match of the week – Lacey Evans vs. Naomi (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – AEW Puppy Battle Royale Special
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown