Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for November 15 to November 21

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of November 15th to November 21st.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (November 16)
* Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, & Lana vs. Asuka, Dana Brooke, & Mandy Rose – 2.5
* RAW Tag Team Championship – Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin vs. New Day (c) – 2.5
* Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Sheamus, & Riddle vs. Retribution – 3.0
* The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt – 2.0
* WWE Championship No Countout, No Disqualification match – Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (c) – 3.0
Overall – 1.5
Best – The hype video package for Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton match.
Worst – WWE’s booking of the Team RAW Women’s stuff for the show.
Show Notes – Opening McIntyre, Orton, Miz, & Morrison segment was fine despite dragging at the end. Lana’s grand plan to prove she belongs on Team RAW Women might be the dumbest of 2020. Dana Brooke interview & Reckoning ambush segment were decent. Firefly Fun House segment was lame. Hurt Business and New Day promo segment was dull. RAW Tag title match was decent despite its plodding pace. Sheamus randomly being nice to McIntyre backstage was weird. Retribution managing to actually win a meaningful match was a legit surprise. McIntyre vs. Orton video package was great. Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce replacing Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke barely is an improvement for a very bad Team RAW Women. WWE title match was pretty good despite dragging too long. This week’s go-show for Survivor Series was one of the worst of the year overall.

NXT (November 18)
* NXT North American Championship – Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff (c) – 2.0
* Blindfold Match – Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis – 1.0
* Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae – 2.5
* Arturo Ruas vs. KUSHIDA – 2.5
* Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai vs. Ember Moon & Toni Storm – 3.5
* August Grey vs. Timothy Thatcher – 2.0 (Squash)
* NXT Women’s Championship – Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – NXT Women’s Championship match.
Worst – Blindfold Match.
Show Notes – Opening NXT North American title match was somewhat decent despite the lame DQ ending. Blindfold match was one of the dullest ever in NXT history. Damian Priest and Ruff backstage promo segment was okay. Guess WWE forgot they drafted Ruas to the RAW brand since he’s back on NXT. Moon & Storm interview segment was decent. Gonzalez & Kai vs. Moon & Storm was very good. Tommaso Ciampa teasing a feud with Thatcher was interesting. Priest, Gargano, and Ruff brawl segment was entertaining. William Regal and Boa segment was lame. NXT Women’s title match was amazing and one of the best matches of the year in WWE. While the Finn Balor, Pat McAfee crew, and Undisputed Era promo and brawl segment was good, not a fan of having it overshadow a great women’s match to end the show. This week’s episode was mostly enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (November 20)
* New Day & Street Profits vs. Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, & Robert Roode – 3.0
* Survivor Series Team SmackDown Women’s Last Chance Qualifier match – Tamina vs. Natalya – 1.5
* Seth Rollins vs. Murphy – 3.5
* Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso match.
Worst – Tamina vs. Natalya match.
Show Notes – Opening Big E and Street Profits promo segment was decent. New Day, Zayn, King Corbin, Ziggler, and Roode promo segment dragged too much. The 8-man tag match was pretty good. Bryan interview segment was terrific. Adam Pearce suddenly being able to decide on the spot who gets to be the final members of SmackDown’s Survivor Series teams was dumb. Rollins promo segment was fine. Drew McIntyre & Roman Reigns contract signing segment was fantastic, especially Reigns’ diss about McIntrye only being a champ because he doesn’t work on Mondays. Rollins vs. Murphy was very good but hope that legit was the end of the Rollins vs. Mysterio Family feud. Sasha Banks and Asuka interview and Carmella ambush segment was a bit flat. Bryan vs. Uso was very good. This week’s Survivor Series go-home show was enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark (November 17)
* BSHP King, Joey O’Riley & Sean Maluta vs. Gunn Club (Colten, Austin, & Billy Gunn) – 2.0
* Travis Titan vs. Ricky Starks – 2.0 (Squash)
* Joey Janela vs. Marko Stunt – 2.5
* Griff Garrison vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.5
* Rahne Victoria vs. Penelope Ford – 1.0 (Squash)
* Ryzin vs. Brandon Cutler – 2.0
* Tesha Price vs. Leyla Hirsch – 2.0 (Squash)
* TNT vs. Jurassic Express – 2.5
* D3 & Angel Fashion vs. The Acclaimed – 2.5 (Squashed)
* Alex Gracia vs. Ivelisse – 2.5
* Lindsay Snow vs. Thunder Rosa – 3.0
* KiLynn King vs. Big Swole – 2.5
* Jack Evans vs. Christopher Daniels – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Jack Evans vs. Christopher Daniels match.
Worst – Rahne Victoria vs. Penelope Ford match.
Show Notes – Opening 6-man tag match was somewhat decent. Jake Roberts & Lance Archer promo segment was fantastic. Marko Stunt’s new entrance theme sounds too generic. Yikes at Janela’s head getting spiked from a hurricanrana spot. Britt Baker’s Waiting Room segment was more miss than hit due to being too long and a bit too corny. Victoria vs. Ford was a disjointed squash match. Max Caster’s pre-match rap might have been his best one so far. Snow vs. Rosa was a pretty good hard hitting bout. Peter Avalon cab segment was okay. Darby Allin, Ricky Starks, Brian Cage, and Cody fight segment was decent. Evans vs. Daniels was pretty good. This week’s extra stuffed episode was mostly average overall.

AEW Dynamite (November 18)
* Top Flight vs. Young Bucks – 3.5
* Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian – 3.0
* The Blade vs. PAC – 3.0
* NWA World Women’s Championship – Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb (c) – 4.0
* Ricky Starks & Brian Cage vs. Darby Allin & Cody Rhodes – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – NWA World Women’s Championship match and amount of focus given towards AEW’s Women’s division on the show.
Worst – First hour having some odd pacing or flow issues.
Show Notes – Opening vignette and Top Flight vs. Young Bucks were a great showcase for Top Flight. AEW mini-documentary was great. Jon Moxley promo segment was terrific. Cassidy vs. Sabian was pretty good. AEW World title segment was interesting with Moxley being knocked out beforehand. Inner Circle’s Las Vegas trip Hangover style parody segments were hilarious. PAC vs. Blade was pretty good despite it dragging at times. Death Triangle reuniting was fantastic. Brandi Rhodes and Jade Cargill backstage segment was decent. NWA Women’s title match was amazing and Britt Baker’s involvement was very interesting. Jon Silver & Anna Jay promo segment was fine. Main event tag match was very good, especially the Avalanche Drill Claw finish. Will Hobbs surprise heel turn was great. This week’s episode was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW & OTHER

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 1 (November 15)
* World Tag League 2020 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Yuya Uemura vs. Master Wato – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. HenarACE – 2.0 (Squash)
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – DOUKI vs. Robbie Eagles – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – BUSHI vs. SHO – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – El Desperado vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – Guerillas of Destiny vs. FinJuice – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori match.
Worst – Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. HenarACE match.
Show Notes – Opening Fale & Owens vs. Yano & Ishii match was decent. Uemura vs. Wato was pretty good despite its very short length. Jeff Cobb being revealed as the mystery “X” partner for Great-O-Khan was interesting and same for Tanahashi getting squashed. Eagles vs. DOUKI was very good. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Dangerous Tekkers was pretty good. BUSHI’s new entrance mask looked cool. BUSHI vs. SHO was very good, especially the latter half. Bullet Club vs. LIJ was pretty good. El Desperado vs. Taguchi was very good and a bit surprised Taguchi won. Tama Tonga looks goofy with his new short hair and clean shaven combo. Guerillas of Destiny vs. FinJuice was very good. Takahashi vs. Ishimori was great. Night 1 of World Tag League & Best of the Super Jrs. was very entertaining overall.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 2 (November 16)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Guerillas of Destiny – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. FinJuice – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – HenarACE vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – HenarACE vs. Dangerous Tekkers match.
Worst – NJPW’s timekeeper’s well-being for the remainder of the World Tag League tournament.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was pretty good, especially the submission ending sequence. The all Bullet Club tag match was a lot better than I expected. The Empire vs. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI was pretty good and surprised Great-O-Khan ate the pinfall. EVIL really hates NJPW’s timekeeper for some unknown reason since that is three shows in a row he’s wiped out the timekeeper with an Irish Whip barricade spot. EVIL & vs. FinJuice was very good. Yano & Ishii vs. Takagi & SANADA was very good. HenarACE vs. Dangerous Tekkers was great and one of Toa Henare’s best outings in NJPW. Night 2 of World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 3 (November 18)
* Gabriel Kidd & Yuji Nagata vs. Tomoaki Honma & Satoshi Kojima – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Yuya Uemura vs. BUSHI – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Robbie Eagles vs. Master Wato – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – DOUKI vs. SHO – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taiji Ishimori – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi match.
Worst – Yuya Uemura vs. BUSHI match.
Show Notes – Opening Kidd & Nagata vs. Honma & Kojima match was pretty good. Uemura vs. BUSHI was decent despite it somewhat lacking in energy. Eagles vs. Wato was pretty good and bit surprised Wato won. DOUKI vs. SHO was very good, especially the latter half. Taguchi vs. Ishimori was pretty good and laughed at Taguchi’s having his butt partially exposed for his entire post-match antics. El Desperado vs. Takahashi was very good. Night 3 of World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors was enjoyable overall.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 4 (November 19)
* Yota Tsuji & Yuji Nagata vs. Tomoaki Honma & Satoshi Kojima – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – FinJuice vs. HenarACE – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Guerillas of Destiny – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – Shingo Takagi & SANADA vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Shingo Takagi & SANADA vs. Dangerous Tekkers match.
Worst – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb match.
Show Notes – Opening Tsuji & Nagata vs. Honma & Kojima match was pretty good. Bullet Club vs. The Empire was also pretty good despite its short length. FinJuice vs. HenarACE was very good and both Toa Henre and David Finlay have improved a lot in the ring since their return to NJPW. The all Bullet Club tag match was pretty good. Yano & Ishii vs. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI was a very good back-and-forth style match. Takagi & SANADA vs. Dangerous Tekkers was very good. Night 4 of World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors was very entertaining overall.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 5 (November 20)
* Gabriel Kidd & Yuji Nagata vs. Tomoaki Honma & Satoshi Kojima – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Yuya Uemura vs. El Desperado – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – DOUKI vs. Taiji Ishimori – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Master Wato vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Robbie Eagles vs. SHO – 4.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – BUSHI vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – BUSHI vs. Hiromu Takahashi match.
Worst – Everyone having to witness Taugchi’s exposed butt again.
Show Notes – Opening Honma & Kojima vs. Kidd & Nagata match was an entertaining back-and-forth style match. Uemura vs. El Desperado was very good, especially the latter half. DOUKI vs. Ishimori was pretty good. Wato vs. Taguchi was pretty good and laughed at the reactions of Wato, the ref, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan over Taguchi’s post-match exposed butt routine. Eagles vs. SHO was amazing and bit surprised Eagles won. BUSHI vs. Takahashi was great and a strong contender for best match of this year’s Best of the Super Jrs. tournament. Night 5 of World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors was fantastic overall.

NJPW Strong (November 20)
* Logan & Sterling Riegel vs. The DKC & Clark Connors – 3.0
* Rust Taylor vs. Rocky Romero – 3.0
* JR Kratos vs. Jeff Cobb – 2.5
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Right to Challenge Contract match – David Finlay vs. KENTA (rights holder) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Rust Taylor vs. Rocky Romero match.
Worst – The amount of shenanigans during the Finlay vs. KENTA match.
Show Notes – Opening Riegel Twins vs. DKC & Connors match was pretty good. Taylor vs. Romero was also pretty good. Kratos vs. Cobb was decent although the big post-match brawl with Team Filthy and others afterwards was very good, especially Danny Limelight’s surprise heel turn. The pre-match hype video and Finlay vs. KENTA were pretty good. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – BUSHI vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 5)
• Worst match of the week – Blindfold Match – Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 5
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW