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

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

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14)
* 2021 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals – Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart – 3.5
* NXT North American Championship – KUSHIDA vs. Johnny Gargano (c) – 4.5
* 2021 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals – MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans – 4.5
* NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat – Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai (c) – 3.0
* NXT Championship – Pete Dunne vs. Finn Balor (c) – 4.0
Overall – 4.5
Best – 2021 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals match.
Worst – NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat match.
Show Notes – Opening Women’s Dusty Tag Finals match was very good, especially the latter half, and bit surprised Kai & Gonzalez won since the current WWE Women’s tag champs are heels. The height Gonzalez got with her chokeslam finisher was amazing. NXT North American title match was fantastic despite dragging a bit long and not being a fan of Gargano retaining. KUSHIDA vs. Gargano was easily KUSHIDA’s best match in NXT so far. Men’s Dusty Tag Finals match was amazing and one of the best ever tag matches in NXT history. Cameron Grimes music video was wonderful. NXT Women’s title match was pretty good but felt a bit weaker than it should have been. Eli Drake’s new WWE name of LA Knight might be one of the worst names ever in NXT history. NXT title match was great. Adam Cole turning heel was interesting since Undisputed Era breaking up has been long overdue in NXT. TakeOver: Vengeance Day was one of the best TakeOver events in recent years.

WWE RAW (February 15)
* 6-Man Tag Team match – Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, & MVP) vs. Lucha House Party & Riddle – 3.0
* Charlotte Flair & Asuka vs. Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans – 1.5
* Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz – 3.0
* Lana vs. Shayna Baszler – 2.0
* 6-Man Gauntlet match – AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus – 3.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – 6-Man Gauntlet match.
Worst – Ending to the Charlotte Flair & Asuka vs. Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans match.
Show Notes – Opening Miz & McIntyre promo segment was all right. Gran Metalik’s mask looks goofy with those new cat ears. 6-Man Tag match was pretty good. Miz & Adam Pearce segment was interesting. Damian Priest & Bad Bunny interview & 24/7 title shenanigans segment was all right. New Day, Pearce, & Miz segment was dull. Evans pre-match promo was horrible. Women’s tag match was mostly dull with a horrendous non-finish random Evans pregnancy announcement. Kingston vs. Miz was pretty good. The Alexa Bliss Satanic segment was cringey as hell. Styles pre-match promo dragged too long. WWE’s production crew botching the shot of Omos’ chokeslam of Xavier Woods is not surprising. The Styles vs. McIntyre and McIntyre vs. Hardy portions of the Gauntlet match were very good. Orton vs. McIntyre portion was a big bag of nothing. Gauntlet match was going on great until near the end. This week’s Elimination Chamber go-home show was average at best.

NXT (February 17)
* The Way (Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae) vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart – 3.0
* Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Leon Ruff – 3.0
* Aliyah & Jessi Kamea vs. Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter – 2.0
* Tyler Rust vs. KUSHIDA – 3.0
* Valentina Feroz vs. Zoey Stark – 2.5 (Squash)
* Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, & Danny Burch vs. Finn Balor & Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – 6-Man Tag team match.
Worst – The dumb ending sequence to The Way vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart match.
Show Notes – Opening O’Reilly, Strong, & Balor promo and Pat McAfee Crew ambush segment was excellent. Santos Escobar & William Regal video segment was decent. The Way vs. Moon & Blackheart was mostly good despite the dumb shenanigans with the mystery van and dragging too long. Pat McAfee promo segment was decent. KUSHIDA, Bronson Reed, & Malcom Bivens segment was fine. Scott vs. Ruff was a pretty good back-and-forth style bout. MSK’s promo portion of the Dusty Tag Classic winners segment was decent while the Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez and Nia Jax & Shayna Basezler portion was all right. Cameron Grimes music video was funny. Rust vs. KUSHIDA was pretty good. Zoey Stark vignette and LA Knight promo segments were fine. Stark’s flipping GTS style finisher looked great. Scarlett Bordeaux & Karrion Kross vignette was decent. 6-Man tag match was very good despite the shenanigans at the end. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (February 19)
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Apollo Crews – 2.5
* Riott Squad vs. Natalya & Tamina – 2.0
* Bayley, Nia Jax, & Shayna Baszler vs. Reginald, Sasha Banks, & Bianca Belair – 2.0
* Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Chad Gable & Otis – 2.0
* King Corbin, Jey Uso, & Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, & Kevin Owens – 3.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – 6-Man Tag match.
Worst – Bayley’s Ding Dong Hello talk show segment.
Show Notes – Opening Edge, Roman Reigns, & Zayn promo segment was entertaining. Crews’ pre-match interview segment was decent. Crews tripping over Big E after hitting him with the steps was a bit funny. WWE having shows in a row this week featuring a spot involving the ringside steps and stretcher was lazy. Seth Rollins promo segment was fine despite dragging too long. Edge & Owens segment was decent. Billie Kay showing up wearing little cat ears was the only good part about the women’s tag match. Edge & King Corbin segment was dull. Bayley’s talk show segment with Jax, Baszler, Reginald, Banks, & Belair was horrendous. Cesaro & Edge segment was okay. Not a fan of Otis’ random heel turn. Edge & Bryan segment was all right. Carmella & Reginald segment was decent although bit dumb to tease their this soon. 6-Man tag match was very good. This week’s Elimination Chamber go-home show was mostly boring and skippable overall.

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AEW

AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament Special (February 15)
* 2021 AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round – Mei Suruga vs. Yuka Sakazaki – 3.5
* 2021 AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round – VENY vs. Emi Sakura – 4.0
* 2021 AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round – Maki Itoh vs. Ryo Mizunami – 3.5
* 2021 AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round – Rin Kadokura vs. Aja Kong – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – VENY vs. Emi Sakura match.
Worst – Whoever made the booking decision to have Maki Itoh lose in her first match despite having the most hype out of everyone in the Japan side of the tournament.
Show Notes – Suruga vs. Sakazaki opener was a very good fast paced bout. VENY vs. Sakura was fantastic and one of the best women’s matches in AEW history. Itoh doing an elaborate pre-match dance and song routine in front of an empty crowd was a bit funny. Itoh vs. Mizunami was a very good hard hitting bout although not a fan of the decision to have Itoh be one and done in the tournament. Kadokura vs. Kong was pretty good. AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament Japan show was very entertaining overall.

AEW Dark (February 16)
* Jon Cruz vs. Jon Moxley – 2.0 (Squash)
* Bear Country vs. Chaos Project – 3.0
* The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jake St. Patrick & Sage Scott – 2.0 (Squash)
* Renee Michelle vs. Shanna – 2.5
* Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Eric James & VSK – 2.0
* Jurassic Express vs. Baron Black & John Skyler – 1.5 (Squash)
* Tay Conti vs. Vertvixen – 2.0 (Squash)
* Eddie Kingston vs. Aaron Solow – 3.0
* Ricky Starks vs. KC Navarro – 1.0 (Squash)
* Brandon Cutler vs. Misterioso – 3.0
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ryzin – 1.0 (Squash)
* Nick Comoroto vs. Fuego Del Sol – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Eddie Kingston vs. Aaron Solow match.
Worst – Half of the show’s card being just quick squash matches.
Show Notes – Opening battle of the Jons was a decent squash bout. Bea Country vs. Chaos Project was pretty good. Michelle vs. Shanna was decent despite Shanna botching the bridge of her Tiger Suplex finisher. Taz’s terrible singing of Jungle Boy’s theme was funny. Kingston vs. Solow was pretty good. Starks might have set the record for shortest match in AEW history. Cutler vs. Misterioso was a fine performance for Misterioso’s AEW debut. This week’s show was average overall and also one of the shorter length episodes of Dark in a while.

AEW Dynamite (February 17)
* The Hybrid2 vs. Hangman Adam Page & Matt Hardy – 3.0
* 2021 AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round – Serena Deeb vs. Riho – 3.5
* Orange Cassidy vs. Luther – 2.0 (Squash)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Santana & Ortiz vs. The Young Bucks (c) – 3.5
* FTR vs. Matt & Mike Sydal – 3.0
* The Butcher, The Blade, & Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer, Rey Fenix, & Jon Moxley – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Butcher, The Blade, & Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer, Rey Fenix, & Jon Moxley match.
Worst – Orange Cassidy vs. Luther match.
Show Notes – Hybrid2 vs. Page & Hardy was pretty good despite it being a bit sloppy at times. Page & Hardy post-match promo & brawl with Dark Order, Hybrid2, and Cassidy was entertaining. Inner Circle interview segment was fine. AEW having the bulk of the Women’s tournament only on YouTube is a mistake. Deeb vs. Riho was a very good hard hitting bout. Shaq & Jade Cargill vignette was okay. Team Taz & Sting segment actually being physical was a surprise. Kingston promo segment was great. Kenny Omega’s school segment was funny. AEW Tag title match was very good despite the abrupt ending. The Cody & Brandi’s baby gender reveal announcement segment was nice. FTR vs. Sydal bros was pretty good. Jon Moxley promo segment was superb. Fenix’s new mask looked cool. 6-Man tag match was very good, especially Fenix’s work during it. Omega’s post-match promo was terrific. This week’s show was very entertaining overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (February 16)
* X-Division Championship – Josh Alexander vs. TJP (c) – 3.5
* Four-way match – Willie Mack vs. Daivari vs. Suicide vs. Trey Miguel – 3.0
* Hernandez vs. Matt Cardona – 2.5
* Reno Scum vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 3.0
* Tenille Dashwood vs. Nevaeh – 2.5
* Old School Rules match – Moose vs. Tommy Dreamer – 2.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – X-Division Championship match.
Worst – Old School Rules match.
Show Notes – Opening X-Division title match was very entertaining and was the hottest start to Impact these past few months. Dreamer interview segment was fine. Brian Myers, Hernandez, & Fallah Bahh segment was decent. Four-way match was pretty good. Sami Callihan & Miguel post-match backstage segment was decent. Ace Austin, Scott D’Amore, & TJP segment was fine. Cardona & Myers post-match interview & brawl was all right. AEW paid ad segment was funny, especially Tony Khan’s persona growing more delusional and egotistic over the weeks. Reno Scum vs. FinJuice was a fine debut match for FinJuice. Good Brothers & FinJuice post-match segment was okay. Swinger’s Palace segment was corny but also funny. Violent By Design vignette was wonderful. Susan, Kimber Lee, Deonna Purrazzo, & D’Amore segment was decent. Old School Rules match was decent at best despite the flat finish. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong The New Beginning USA 2021 Night 1 (February 19)
* Barrett Brown, The DKC, & Rey Horus vs. Adrian Quest, Misterioso, & Rocky Romero – 3.0
* Hikuleo vs. Fred Rosser – 3.0
* Lio Rush vs. El Phantasmo – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Lio Rush vs. El Phantasmo match.
Worst – The early potion of the Rush vs. El Phantasmo match being very slow paced in action.
Show Notes – 6-Man tag opener was a nice entertaining bout. Hikuleo vs. Rosser was pretty good and same for the finish despite the match dragging a bit long. Hikuleo’s post-match attack on a ringside crew guy was all right. Rush vs. El Phantsamo was pretty good, especially the latter half. Phantsamo’s post-match promo was superb and him revealing he’s a big Rick & Morty fan was cool. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Game Changer Wrestling Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 5 (February 20)
* Bad Dude Tito vs. Calder McColl – 2.5
* Nolan Edward vs. Calvin Tankman – 3.0
* Superbeast vs. Kal Jack – 3.0
* Alex Coughlin vs. Royce Isaacs – 3.0
* Simon Grimm vs. Rocky Romero – 3.5
* JR Kratos vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.0
* “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb – 3.5
* Jon Moxley vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Jon Moxley vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. match.
Worst – Bad Dude Tito vs. Calder McColl match.
Show Notes – The show intro video and underground fight club style feel to the venue were cool. Opening Tito vs. McColl bout was decent. Edward vs. Tankman was an entertaining quick bout and Tankman demolishing Edward was fantastic. Superbeast vs. Jack was pretty good. Coughlin vs. Isaacs was a pretty good grapple based bout. Grimm vs. Romero was very good, especially the ending sequence. Kratos vs. Dickinson was a fine hard hitting and power style bout. Lawlor vs. Cobb was very good and bit surprised Cobb won. Moxley’s head getting busted open the hard way was brutal. Moxley vs. Smith Jr. was a great hard hitting bout, especially the finish. The pre-match fighter vignettes throughout the show were excellent. Bloodsport 5 was very enjoyable overall and the best Bloodsport themed show I’ve seen so far.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – 2020 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals – MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day)
• Worst match of the week – Charlotte Flair & Asuka vs. Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown