Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for October 4 to October 10

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of October 4th to October 10th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

NXT TakeOver 31 (October 4)
* NXT North American Championship – Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.5
* Velveteen Dream vs. KUSHIDA – 3.0
* NXT Cruiserweight Championship – Isiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Santos Escobar (c) – 4.0
* NXT Women’s Championship – Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai (c) – 3.5
* NXT Championship – Kyle O’Reilly vs. Finn Balor (c) – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – NXT Championship match.
Worst – The fake announcers at ringside and WWE going overboard with the fake crowd audio at times.
Show Notes – The throwback Capitol Wrestling hype video was great and same for NXT’s new stage. Opening NXT North American title match was very good. Dream vs. KUSHIDA was pretty good despite dragging a bit too long. The fake announcers at ringside is very weird. Cruiser title match was great. NXT Women’s title match was very good despite the shenanigans filled ending. Ember Moon being the mystery person is a bit of a bummer since Bo Dallas would have been a way more interesting surprise. NXT title match was great and one of the best WWE matches this year despite the Adam Cole and Ridge Holland stuff at the end overshadowing it a bit. NXT TakeOver 31 was very good overall and in the upper tier of TakeOvers.

WWE RAW (October 5)
* Zelina Vega, Lana, & Natalya vs. Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, & Asuka – 1.5
* Murphy & Seth Rollins vs. Humberto Carrillo & Domink Mysterio – 3.0
* Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee – 1.0
* Shelton Benjamin & Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet & Apollo Crews – 2.5
* Women’s Tag Team Championship – Riott Squad vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c) – 2.0
* MVP vs. Mustafa Ali – N/A
* Randy Orton, Robert Roode, & Dolph Ziggler vs. Street Profits & Drew McIntrye – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Ali revealing himself as the leader of Retribution.
Worst – All of the Rollins, Murphy, and Aalyah segments.
Show Notes – Opening Orton promo was a bit dull. Murphy & Rollins vs. Carrillo & Mysterio was pretty good. KO Show segment was somewhat boring. McIntyre interview segment was okay. Strowman vs. Lee double count out finish was lame. Bianca Belair segment was decent. 24/7 title segments were hilarious. The Aalyah-Murphy side story and it getting all the focus instead of Dominik for the Rollins vs. Mysterio Family feud has been stupid. Ruby’s brutal looking arm bending was the only real good thing about the Women’s Tag title match. The swerve of Ali being the leader of Retribution was amazing. 6-man tag match was pretty good. This week’s episode was mostly boring and very skippable overall.

NXT (October 7)
* Tommaso Ciampa vs. KUSHIDA – 3.5
* Ever-Rise vs. Drake Maverick & Killian Dain – 2.0
* Leon Ruff vs. Austin Theory – 1.5 (Squash)
* Austin Theory vs. Dexter Lumis – 2.5
* Ridge Holland vs. Danny Burch – 3.0
* Shotzi Blackheart vs. Xia Li – 2.0
* Rhea Ripley & Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Tommaso Ciampa vs. KUSHIDA match.
Worst – Ridge Holland suffering a brutal looking leg injury.
Show Notes – Opening Ciampa vs. KUSHIDA match was very good despite the lame DQ finish with Velveteen Dream. Ember Moon’s promo and Women’s brawl segment was decent. Undisputed Era segment was nothing special. Maverick & Dain’s new entrance music is funny. Toni Storm vignette was very good. Holland vs. Burch was good despite its very short length. Feel very bad for Holland after that horrific injury and it derailing NXT’s big plans for him. Gargano Family segments were a somewhat dull. Thatch-as-Thatch-can segment was great. Moon’s old entrance theme was a lot better than her new one. Ripley & Moon vs. Gonzalez & Kai was pretty good. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown WWE Draft Night 1 (October 9)
* Falls Count Anywhere match – Big E vs. Sheamus – 3.0
* John Morrison & The Miz vs. Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle – 2.0 (Squash)
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (c) – 1.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (c) – 3.0
* The Fiend vs. Kevin Owens – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The amount of times I laughed at RAW’s bad draft picking.
Worst – The people running RAW’s draft team.
Show Notes – RAW brand’s first three picks being people they already had is laughably dumb. Falls Count Anywhere match was pretty good. New Day backstage segment was okay. Roman Reigns promo was great and he’s been on an amazing roll since his heel turn. Lars Sullivan making his WWE return is a big surprise but not in a good way. SmackDown Tag title match was pretty good although laughed at SmackDown losing their new tag champs afterwards. New Day being split up was interesting. RAW’s draft team must be run by morons based on how bad they were at drafting people not already on their brand. Otis lawsuit segment was lame. Fiend vs. Owens was pretty good. This week’s Draft episode was enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark (October 6)
* Kenzie Paige vs. Brandi Rhodes – 1.5
* Ray Rosas & Eric Watts vs. Jurassic Express – 3.0
* Anthony Bowens & Lee Johnson vs. Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico) – 2.5
* Ryzin vs. Will Hobbs – 1.5 (Squash)
* John Silver vs. QT Marshall – 2.5
* David Ali & Cezar Bononi vs. Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr. – 2.0
* Skyler Moore vs. Big Swole – 2.0
* Michael Nakazawa vs. Matt Sydal – 1.5
* M’Badu vs. Eddie Kingston – 1.5 (Squash)
* Shawn Dean vs. Angelico – 2.0
* Lucha Bros vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Ray Rosas & Eric Watts vs. Jurassic Express match.
Worst – Michael Nakazawa vs. Matt Sydal match.
Show Notes – Anna Jay and Red Velvet post-match scuffle was the only notable thing about a forgettable Paige vs. Rhodes match. Rosas & Watts vs. Jurassic Express was pretty good. Chris Jericho & Luther vignette was good. Kingston’s promo segment was fantastic. Garrison & Pillman Jr. picking up their first ever AEW win is interesting. Matt Sydal promo segment was decent. Kingston’s post-match promo was fine. Janela backstage promo segment was decent. Lucha Bros vs. Kiss & Janela was pretty good. This week’s extra stuffed episode was mostly entertaining overall.

AEW Dynamite Chris Jericho 30th Anniversary Show (October 7)
* FTW Championship – Will Hobbs vs. Brian Cage (c) – 3.5
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – The Hybrid 2 vs. FTR (c) – 3.0
* TNT Championship – Cody vs. Brodie Lee (c) – 3.0
* Serena Deeb vs. Big Swole – 3.0
* Chaos Project vs. Jake Hager & Chris Jericho – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – The show closing MJF segment and Jericho SNL credits roll gag.
Worst – The booking decision and finish to the TNT Championship match.
Show Notes – FTW title match was a very good hoss style bout. NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi giving a video shout-out to Jericho was a huge surprise. Lance Archer video promo was fine. AEW Tag title match was pretty good. The “weenies” gag by the Best Friends was more miss than hit. TNT title match was pretty good despite not being a fan of the finish and Lee losing the belt that quickly. Kenny Omega interview and Jon Moxley promo segments were good. Deeb vs. Big Swole was pretty good. The Jericho shout-out videos were great overall. The MJF post-match celebration segment and Jericho show ending credits roll were amazing. This week’s show was enjoyable overall but more in the middle tier for Dynamite shows.

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NJPW & OTHER

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 9 (October 5)
*Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii match.
Worst – Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was decent. Takahashi vs. Takagi was pretty good, especially the latter half of the match. White vs. Cobb was very good and the announcers going crazy after Cobb won was wonderful. Suzuki vs. Okada was very good despite the abrupt finish. Taichi vs. Ishii was a very good hard hitting bout. Ospreay vs. Ibushi was very good. Night 9 of G1 Climax 202 was very entertaining overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 10 (October 6)
* Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto – 1.0 (Squash)
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – EVIL vs. Juice Robinson – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – YOSHI-YASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – YOSHI-YASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito match.
Worst – Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was one of the best Young Lion matches of this year’s tournament. SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. was very good. EVIL vs. Robinson was pretty good. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Naito was great and one of YOSHI-HASHI’s best matches in recent times. Tanahashi vs. KENTA was very good. Night 10 of G1 Climax 2020 was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 11 (October 7)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jay White vs. Taichi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi match.
Worst – Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was decent. Takahashi vs. Ishii was pretty good, especially the latter half of the match. Cobb vs. Okada was very good despite the abrupt finish. Ospreay vs. Suzuki was very good. White vs. Taichi was also very good. Takagi vs. Ibushi was fantastic. Night 11 of G1 Climax 2020 was very entertaining overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 12 (October 8)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – SANADA vs. KENTA – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito – 4.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – EVIL vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito match.
Worst – EVIL vs. Tanahashi match going overboard with the shenanigans.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was decent. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Goto was very good. Yano vs. Sabre Jr. was pretty good and full of wonderful comedic moments. SANADA vs. KENTA was very good. Robinson vs. Naito was one of the best matches in this year’s G1 tournament. EVIL vs. Tanahashi was pretty good despite the overboard Bullet Club style shenanigans. Night 12 of G1 Climax 2020 was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong (October 9)
* Logan Riegel, Blake Christian, & Misterioso vs. Barrett Brown, Adrian Quest, & Fred Rosser – 3.0
* Lion’s Break Crown tournament Finals – Danny Limelight vs. Clark Connors – 3.5
* 12-man Tag Team Elimination match – Hikuleo, Chase Owens, Gureillas of Destiny, KENTA, & Jay White vs. Rocky Romero, Karl Fredericks, ACH, TJP, Jeff Cobb, & David Finlay – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Lion’s Break Crown tournament Finals.
Worst – The 12-man tag team match being a bit messy due to mixing regular match rules and Battle Royal rules together for eliminations.
Show Notes – Opening 6-man tag match was pretty good. Finals of the Lion’s Break Crown tournament was very good and same for the tournament in general being a very good showcase for Connors. The 12-man Elimination match was pretty good even if it was a bit odd in terms of the rules and match flow. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 13 (October 10)
* Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Jay White – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Taichi vs. Will Ospreay – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Minoru Suzuki vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – Okada still stubbornly sticking with the Cobra Clutch for his finisher instead of the Rainmaker.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was pretty good and Uemura’s Double Overhook suplex & bridge combo finisher looked cool. Cobb vs. Ishii was an amazing hard hitting bout. Takahashi vs. White was mostly entertaining due to its antics and less due to its ring action. Taichi vs. Ospreay was very good. Milano’s post-match reactions and praise of Ospreay was hilarious. Suzuki vs. Okada was a fantastic slugfest brawl topped by Suzuki busting out Chris Jericho’s Liontamer move. Takagi vs. Okaga was great and Okada’s best match of this year’s G1. Night 13 of G1 Climax 2020 was one of the best shows of this year’s G1 tournament.

GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 (October 10)
* Rickey Shane Page Open Challenge match – Rickey Shane Page vs. Orange Cassidy – 3.0
* IronBeast (KTB & Shane Mercer) vs. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) – 3.5
* Lee Moriarty vs. Jonathan Gresham – 3.5
* Alex Zayne, Blake Christian, & Jordan Oliver vs. Team Pazuzu (Chris Dickinson, Ortiz, & Santana) – 3.5
* Tony Deppen vs. Alex Shelley – 3.0
* Lio Rush vs. ACH – 3.5
* Joey Janela vs. Ricky Morton – 3.0
* 53-person Clusterfuck Battle Royal – 3.5
* Deathmatch – Alex Colon vs. Matt Tremont – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Clusterfuck Battle Royal match.
Worst – The almost five hour run-time for the show.
Show Notes – Opening 440H pre-match shenanigans and Page vs. Cassidy match were pretty good. IronBeast vs. Rascalz was very good. Moriarty vs. Gresham was very good despite being too long. 6-man tag match was also very good despite some botched moments. Depen vs. Shelly was pretty good. Rush vs. ACH was very good. Janela vs. Morton was a lot better than I expected and Morton busting out a Canadian Destroyer was amazing. Clusterfuck Battle Royale was very entertaining and the best one in the Spring Break series in terms of ring action despite also dragging at times. Colon vs. Tremont was a pretty good bloody match. Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 was very entertaining overall despite being way too lengthy in time.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Tie – NXT Championship – Kyle O’Reilly vs. Finn Balor (c) (NXT TakeOver 31) and G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 13)
• Worst match of the week – SmackDown Women’s Championship – Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (c) (Friday Night SmackDown WWE Draft Night 1)
• Best show of the week – NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 13
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW