Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for December 6 to December 12

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of December 6th to December 12th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 (December 6)
* Women’s WarGames match – Team Candice (Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai, & Candice LeRae) vs. Team Shotzi (Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, & Shotzi Blackheart) – 3.5
* Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher – 3.5
* Strap Match – Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes – 2.0
* NXT North American Championship – Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff (c) – 3.5
* Men’s WarGames match – Undisputed Era vs. Team McAfee (Pete Dunne, Danny Birch, Oney Lorcan, & Pat McAfee) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Men’s WarGames match.
Worst – Strap Match.
Show Notes – Intro hype video for WarGames was pretty good. Blackheart’s new mini-tank looked cool. Women’s WarGames match was very good in terms of action but also the weakest ever in NXT WarGames history in terms of pacing and booking. Ciampa vs. Thatcher was a very good hard hitting brawl. Strap match was somewhat dull and sluggish. Karrion Kross return tease via the vulture was very cool. North American title match was going on very well until the shenanigans happened. Austin Theory’s surprise reveal as one of Gargano’s masked guys was lame. Men’s WarGames match was amazing despite dragging a bit too long near the end. Pat McAfee was crazy with some of the spots he did and was willing to take. TakeOver WarGames 2020 was very enjoyable and would put it in the upper mid-tier for TakeOver shows.

WWE RAW (December 7)
* Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler – 2.0
* Mixed Tag Team match – Reckoning & Slapjack vs. Dana Brooke & Ricochet – 2.0
* Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin – 3.0
* Kofi Kingston vs. Cedric Alexander – 3.0
* 3-on-2 Handicap match – Drew McIntyre & Sheamus vs. The Miz, John Morrison, & AJ Styles – 3.5
* Bobby Lashley vs. Jeff Hardy – 3.0
* Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt – 1.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Drew McIntyre’s amazing in-ring toss of the MitB briefcase that broke part of RAW’s stage video tron.
Worst – Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt match.
Show Notes – Opening Orton & Firefly Fun House segment was mostly dumb. Nia Jax and Baszler’s pre-match promo was laughably bad. Asuka vs. Baszler was somewhat decent despite falling apart near the end. Ricochet & Brooke’s interview segment was okay but can’t say the same about Riddle’s lame bronutts gag. Mixed tag match was somewhat decent but the finish was utterly baffling. Miz TV segment was pretty good. Kingston vs. Benjamin and Kingston vs. Alexander were pretty good despite WWE’s 50-50 style booking in the end. 3-on-2 Handicap match was very good. Asuka, Lana, & Jax segment was okay. McIntyre & Sheamus backstage segment and brawl was fine. Riddle’s backstage segment with Hardy was extra lame. Lashley vs. Hardy was pretty good. Orton vs. Wyatt was mostly boring. This week’s episode was skippable overall.

NXT (December 9)
* Jake Atlas vs. Isiah “Swerve” Scott – 2.5
* Ever-Rise vs. Imperium vs. Grizzled Young Veterans – 3.5
* Cameron Grimes vs. Tommaso Ciampa – 3.0
* Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain – 3.0
* Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Ever-Rise vs. Imperium vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Worst – Gargano Family promo segment.
Show Notes – Opening Finn Balor, Dunne, Kyle O’Reilly, and Damian Priest promo segment with Scarlett Bordeaux was decent. Dain and Dunne backstage brawl segment was fine. Tommaso Ciampa promo segment was pretty good. Triple Threat tag match was very good although GYV working as faces still feels weird. Toni Storm & Io Shirai interview and brawl segment was entertaining. Grimes vs. Ciampa was pretty good. Boa and Xia Li’s bloody training segment was a bit weird. Karrion Kross sneak attack on Priest was the only good thing about the Gargano Family promo segment. Malcolm Bivens wanting to sign Tyler Rust to a business deal was interesting. Dunne vs. Kain was a pretty good hard hitting bout. Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano, and Austin Theory segemnt was decent. Gonzalez vs. Moon was very good. This week’s episode was very enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (December 11)
* Montez Ford vs. Dolph Ziggler – 2.5
* Sami Zayn vs. Big E – 2.5
* Riott Squad vs. Billie Kay & Natalya – 2.0
* Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Chad Gable & Otis – 3.0
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Carmella vs. Sasha Banks (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, and Jey Uso promo and brawl segments.
Worst – Ending to the SmackDown Women’s title match and post-match stuff.
Show Notes – Opening Carmella and Sasha Banks contract signing segment was fine. Street Profits interview segment was decent. Ford vs. Ziggler was mostly decent despite the dumb commercial break spot with the raining Solo cups. Zayn and Big E segment was funny, especially Big E’s comedic shirt of Zayn. Zayn vs. Big E was decent despite the flat ending. Bayley & Bianca Belair promo segment was okay. Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, & Kevin Owens promo and brawl segment was very entertaining and same for the backstage brawl segment afterwards. Gable & Otis training vignette was wonderful. Cesaro & Nakamura vs. Gable & Otis was pretty good. Carmella’s new entrance theme sounds a bit goofy for her new heel character. SmackDown Women’s title match was pretty good despite the dumb DQ finish. This week’s episode was mostly fine overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark (December 8)
* Baron Black vs. Sonny Kiss – 2.5
* Danny Limelight vs. Brian Cage – 2.5
* Alex Gracia vs. Nyla Rose – 1.5 (Squash)
* Aaron Solow vs. 10 – 2.0
* Louie Valle vs. “Pretty” Peter Avalon – 2.0 (Squash)
* Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta, & Ryzin vs. Gunn Club – 3.0
* Dani Jordyn vs. Red Velvet – 2.5
* Falco & Mike Magnum vs. Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt) – 2.5 (Squash)
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Brandon Cutler – 2.5
* Skyler Moore vs. Ivelisse – 2.0
* Lindsay Snow vs. Big Swole – 2.0
* Sotheara Chhun & VSK vs. The Hybrid2 – 2.5
* Tesha Price vs. Diamante – 2.5
* Freya “The Slaya” States vs. Shanna – 2.0
* Jon Cruz & Michael Nakazawa vs. The Acclaimed – 2.5
* Varsity Blondes (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.) vs. Dark Order (Colt Cabana & Alex Reynolds) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Varsity Blondes vs. Dark Order match.
Worst – Alex Gracia vs. Nyla Rose match.
Show Notes – Opening Black vs Kiss match was mostly solid. Rose’s post-match promo by Vickie Guerrero was decent. Stunt’s musical bit during the Waiting Room segment was pretty good. Avalon issuing a Pretty Peter’s Pageant Provocation open challenge series was interesting. Gunn Club’s “Taz Taxi” entrance and Taz’s disgust was funny. Dean, Maluta, & Ryzin vs. Gunn Club was pretty good. Falco & Magnum vs. Jurassic Express was an entertaining squash match. Price vs. Diamante was a decent hard hitting bout. Hybrid2 interview segment was okay. Justin Roberts’ Nakazawa entrance call was a bit funny. Max Caster’s intro rap was one of his best in AEW. Varsity Blondes vs. Dark Order was pretty good. This week’s lengthy episode was average overall.

AEW Dynamite (December 9)
* The Young Bucks vs. The Hybrid2 – 3.5
* Varsity Blondes (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.) vs. FTR – 3.0
* 10 vs. Dustin Rhodes – 2.5
* Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, & The Blade vs. The Lucha Bros & Lance Archer – 3.5
* Abadon vs. Tesha Price – 1.5 (Squash)
* Dynamite Diamond Ring Final – MJF vs. Orange Cassidy – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – MJF vs. Orange Cassidy match and Kenny Omega & Don Callis interview segment.
Worst – The fake crowd audio being obnoxious at times during the show.
Show Notes – Young Bucks vs. Hybrid 2 opener was very good. Darby Allin’s vignette was his best one of the year. Cody Rhodes and Sting promo segment was wonderful. Hangman Page, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds segment was funny. Evil Uno’s offering “7” to Dustin was funny considering his past WCW history. Brandi Rhodes & Shaq interview segment was decent. Inner Circle segment was very entertaining. 6-man tag match was very good despite the abrupt finish. Women’s backstage brawl segment and the post-match Abadon & Hikrau Shida stuff were pretty good. Kenny Omega’s helicopter entrance was cool. Don Callis & Omega interview segment was amazing, especially Omega’s new over-the-top delusional heel persona. MJF vs. Cassidy was great and same for Miro’s post-match rampage. This week’s episode was fantastic overall.

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NJPW & OTHER

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Night 16 (December 6)
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Yuya Uemura vs. Robbie Eagles – 3.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – DOUKI vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – HenarACE vs. Guerillas of Destiny – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 match – Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA – 4.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori – 4.0
* World Tag League 2020 match – Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 4.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 match – El Desperado vs. BUSHI – 4.0
* World Tag League 2020 match -Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. FinJuice – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. FinJuice match.
Worst – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi match.
Show Notes – Uemura vs. Eagles match was a solid opener. The all Bullet Club tag match was decent at best but also had some entertaining antics. DOUKI vs. Taguchi was very good. HenarACE vs. Guerillas of Destiny was decent and shocked that Tanahsahi actually submitted. Wato vs. Takahashi was very good. Empire vs. Takagi & SANADA was great, especially the latter half. SHO vs. Ishimori was also great. Yano & Ishii vs. Dangerous Tekkers was amazing, especially the ending sequence. El Desperado vs. BUSHI was fantastic. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. FinJuice was terrific and one of the best matches of this year’s World Tag League tournament. Night 15 of NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 was one of the best night’s of this year’s joint tournament.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (December 8)
* Josh Alexander vs. Chris Sabin – 3.0
* Brian Myers vs. TJP – 2.5
* Eric Young vs. Cody Deaner – 2.5
* Knockouts Tag Team Championship tournament First Round – Kimber Lee & Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary – 3.0
* Chris Bey & Moose vs. Willie Mack & Rich Swann – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Don Callis & Kenny Omega interview segment.
Worst – Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards segment.
Show Notes – Alexander vs. Sabin match was a solid opener. Moose and Bey segment was decent. AEW’s “paid commercial” break spot was cool and Tony Khan’s digs at Kenny Omega was funny. The Deaners promo segment was okay. Rohit Raju and TJP backstage segment was decent. The back-to-back Tommy Dreamer promo segments with Larry D and Scott D’Amore were a bit dumb. The classic Steiner Math recap video was just as amazing as it was back then. Purrazzo, Lee, and D’Amore segment was decent. Sami Callihan promo and Eddie Edwards brawl segment was a bit boring and dragged too long. Bey & Moose vs. Mack & Swann was pretty good. The “Greatest Moments” videos were great overall. Swann & Impact security guy parking lot segment was a bit funny. Don Callis & Omega interview segment was wonderful. Tonight’s episode was mostly enjoyable overall.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals (December 11)
* Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens, & Bad Luck Fale vs. Robbie Eagles, SHO, & Toru Yano – 3.0
* The Empire (Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, & Will Ospreay) vs. Toa Henare, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL vs. SANADA & Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* Master Wato & Kota Ibushi vs. BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito – 3.5
* World Tag League 2020 Finals – Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 4.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals – Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado – 5.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals.
Worst – El Desperado’s bruised and bloody back after getting tossed into the exposed turnbuckle post.
Show Notes – Opening Bullet Club vs. Eagles, SHO, & Yano match was pretty good. Ospreay’s new entrance theme sounds nice although not as good as Elevated was. Empire vs. Henare, Tanahashi, & Okada was very good. Takahashi & EVIL vs. SANADA & Takagi was pretty good but SANADA snapping and pummeling EVIL afterwards was even better. Wato & Ibushi vs. BUSHI & Naito was very good. World Tag League Finals was great and surprised GoD won since that makes it a heel vs heel match for the IWGP Tag titles at Wrestle Kingdom 15. El Desperado’s new mask looked really cool. Desperado taking off his mask during the match was a huge shock. Best of the Super Jrs. Finals was terrific and in the top tier of my favorite matches this year. NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals was amazing overall.

NJPW Strong Detonation Night 1 (December 11)
* The Regiel Twins (Sterling & Logan Regiel) vs. The DKC & Clark Connors – 3.0
* Hikuleo, Chase Owens, & Tanga Loa vs. Misterioso, David Finlay, & Juice Robinson – 3.0
* Tama Tonga vs. ACH – 3.0
* Karl Fredericks vs. Jay White – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Hikuleo, Chase Owens, & Tanga Loa vs. Misterioso, David Finlay, & Juice Robinson match.
Worst – Tama Tonga vs. ACH being a few minutes too long in terms of pacing and energy.
Show Notes – Opening Regiel Twins vs. The DKC & Connors match was pretty good. Bullet Club vs. Misterioso, Finlay, & Robinson match was also pretty good. Tonga vs. ACH was a solid bout despite dragging a bit too long. Fredericks vs. White was an entertaining bout. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

AAA Triplemania XXVIII (December 12)
* Tito Santana, Carta Brava Jr., & Mocho Cota Jr. vs. Mr. Iguana, Dinastia, & Maximo – 3.5
* AAA World Tag Team Championship – Jinetes del Aire (Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.) vs. Los Mercenarios (Texano Jr. & Rey Escorpion) vs. Los Lucha Brothers (Fenix & Pentagon Jr.) (c) – 3.5
* Copa Triplemania Battle Royale – Lady Maravila vs. Lady Shani vs. La Hiedra vs. Faby Apache vs. Mamba vs. Hades vs. Chik Tormenta vs. Big Mami vs. Pimpinela Escarlata – 3.0
* Los Psycho Circus (Psycho Clown, Monster Clown, & Murder Clown) vs. Blue Demon Jr. & La Familia Real (L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A. Park) – 3.0
* Aracno & Leyenda Americana vs. Terror Purpura & Venenoide – 3.5
* AAA Mega Championship – Laredo Kid vs. Kenny Omega (c) – 4.5
* Lucha de Apuestas, Hair vs. Hair match – Pagano vs. Chessman – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – AAA Mega Championship match.
Worst – AAA’s production and audio issues at times during the show.
Show Notes – Intro hype video was cool. Trios opener was a very good fast paced action bout. La Parka, not famous one from WCW, tribute ceremony was touching. AAA World Tag title match was very good and same for the post-match Mercenarios & El Hijo del Vikingo brawl. Women’s Cup Battle Royale was pretty good despite dragging too long. Lady Shani’s submission finish looked brutal. The second Trios match was pretty good. The comics style entrance trons and themes for the Marvel-based masked wrestlers were cool. The Marvel themed tag team match was very good. AAA Mega title match was fantastic and same for the Super One Winged Angel finish. AAA commentator mentioning Omega’s belt collector storyline was very interesting. Pagano vs. Chessman was a very crazy entertaining bout. AAA Triplemania XXVIII was a very fun show overall.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals – Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado (NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals)
• Worst match of the week – Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2020 Finals
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW