Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for March 28 to April 3

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of March 28th to April 3rd.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (March 29)
* Sheamus vs. Riddle – 3.0
* Jaxson Ryker vs. Braun Strowman – 1.0 (Squash)
* Bobby Lashley vs. Shelton Benjamin – 2.0
* AJ Styles vs. Xavier Woods – 2.0
* Shayna Baszler vs. Naomi – 1.5
* Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet – 2.0 (Squash)
* Drew McIntyre vs. Mustafa Ali – 2.0 (Squash)
Overall – 1.0
Best – Sheamus vs. Riddle match.
Worst – Toss up between Shane McMahon’s promo segment, Riddle’s backstage segments, and the New Day’s Game Night segment.
Show Notes – Opening Hurt Business promo segment was nothing special but not a fan of them breaking up since they were one of the very few good things about RAW in months. Riddle & Titus O’Neil backstage segment stunk. Sheamus vs. Riddle was a good had hitting bout. Shane McMahon promo segment was horrendous. Miz & Morrison’s music video was somewhat funny despite it dragging a bit long. Randy Orton promo segment was dull. New Day, Styles, & Omos Game Night segment was awful except for Omos trying to not laugh during his promo at the end. Styles vs. Woods was somewhat decent despite the lame DQ finish. Alexa’s Playground segment was cringey. McIntyre & RAW locker room segment was goofy. RAW Women’s title contract segment was fine but zero interest in Shayna & Jax being involved in another Women’s title Mania feud. McIntyre & Lashley promo was decent but the ambush attack with Corbin afterwards dragged and zero interest over Corbin’s involvement in their feud. This week’s show was one of the worst Road to Mania shows in recent years.

NXT (March 31)
* Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes – 3.0
* Santos Escobar vs. Tyler Breeze – 3.0
* Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs. Gigi Dolin & Zada Ramier – 1.5
* Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Gonzalez – 3.0
* Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs. Tian Sha (Mei Ying and Xia Li) – 1.5 (Squash)
* Gauntlet Eliminator Qualifying Battle Royal – Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Leon Ruff vs. Pete Dunne vs. KUSHIDA vs. Austin Theory vs. Dexter Lumis vs. Bronson Reed vs. LA Night vs. Jake Atlas vs. Tyler Rust vs. Cameron Grimes – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – The all-out warfare between Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez throughout the show.
Worst – Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs. Gigi Dolin & Zada Ramier match.
Show Notes – Opening Strong vs. Grimes match was quite good despite the ending shenanigans. Karrion Kross and WALTER vignettes were superb. Escobar & Breeze pre-match promo segment was fine. Escobar vs. Breeze was pretty good. Post-match Legado del Fantasma, MSK, & Grizzled Young Veterans stuff was decent. The Way’s interview segment was lame and same for the group in general since forming. LeRae, Ember Moon, & Shotzi Blackheart post-match promo segment was cringey. Strong “quitting” NXT is interesting. Stark vs. Gonzalez was pretty good. The Cole vs. O’Reilly Prime Target preview was fantastic. The smoke stuff with Carter & Ying was a bit dumb. The cute little dog vignettes were lovely overall but not a fan of Taya Valkyrie’s new NXT ring name of “Franky.” Tommaso Ciampa promo segment was fine. Finn Balor promo segment was splendid. Battle Royale was pretty good. The multiple Shirai & Gonzalez brawl segments throughout the show were amazing overall. This week’s TakeOver go-home show was mostly very entertaining.

Friday Night SmackDown (April 2)
* 8-Man Tag Team Championship – Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis), Dolph Ziggler, & Robert Roode vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio & Street Profits – 3.0
* Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya – 0.5
* Carmella vs. Bianca Belair – 2.0
* Street Fight – Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Seth Rollins & Cesaro in-ring interview segment.
Worst – Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya match and Women’s Tag division brawl afterwards.
Show Notes – Opening Edge promo was all right and was short by WWE standards for an opening promo segment. Gable pre-match promo segment was dull. 8-Man Tag match was mostly good. Seth Rollins’ suit this week might be his wackiest looking one since his return. Rollins & Cesaro interview segment was splendid despite Rollins being too goofy. Baszler vs. Natalya & the women’s tag division brawl afterwards were a big waste of time. The Snickers ad with Big E getting lost backstage was funny. Sami Zayn’s documentary trailer was superb while his segment was all right but not fond of Logan Paul being involved nor him being at Mania. Kevin Owens backstage interview & ambush by Sami was decent. Belair pre-match interview was very good but can’t say the same for her match against Carmella. King Corbin promo segment was dull. Apollo Crews promo segment was a bit goofy. Street Fight match was pretty good. Bryan’s post-match rampage was great. This week’s show was average at best overall but also somewhat skippable.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (March 29)
* “Hollywood Hunk: Ryan Nemeth & JD Drake vs. Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy – 2.5
* Bill Collier vs. Jon Moxley – 2.5 (Squash)
* Penelope Ford vs. Leila Grey – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Gunn Club vs. Rex Lawless & Milk Chocolate (Brandon Summers & Brandon Watts) – 2.0
* Joey Janela vs. Chandler Hopkins – 3.0
* Alex Gracia vs. Thunder Rosa – 2.5
* “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Vipress – 2.0
* Danny Limelight vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.5
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Ethan Page – 2.0 (Squash)
* Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida vs. Jazmin Allure & Tesha Price – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jack Evans vs. Jungle Boy – 3.0
* QT Marshall & Lee Johnson vs. Adam Priest & Aaron Frye – 2.0
* Kilynn King vs. Ryo Mizunami – 3.0
* Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels & 10) vs. D3 & Vary Morales – 2.0 (Squash)
* Bear Country vs. Private Party – 2.5
* Mike Sydal vs. Scorpio Sky – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Jack Evans vs. Jungle Boy match.
Worst – The very bloated card and WWE RAW-like runtime for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Opening Moxley promo segment was decent. Orange Cassidy’s new entrance theme is cool and fits his character well. The opening post-match promo & brawl by Kip Sabian & Miro was fine. Collier vs. Moxley was an entertaining squash bout. A tag team actually called Milk Chocolate is pretty cool. Rosa & Diamante backstage segment was fine. Janela vs. Hopkins was quite good. Angelico dancing during Jack Evans’ interview segment was funny. Limelight vs. Kazarian was mostly good despite dragging too long. Conti’s pump kick to Allure looked both vicious and cool. Evans vs. Jungle Boy was pretty good. King vs. Mizunami was a fine back-and-forth style bout. Page interview segment was decent. Bear Country vignette was superb. Bear Country vs. Private Party was mostly decent despite the shenanigans ending. The main event post-match brawl between Sky & Page vs. Sydal Bros. was all right. This week’s show was mostly average overall but was also way too long in length.

AEW Dark (March 30)
* The Butcher & The Blade vs. Milk Chocolate – 2.0
* Madi Wrenkowski vs. Jazmin Allure – 2.5
* Chaos Project vs. Dean Alexander & Justin Law – 2.5
* Angelico vs. Sonny Kiss – 3.0
* Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, & Colt Cabana) vs. Vary Morales, Bill Collier, & D3 – 2.5
* Jurassic Express (Marko Stunt & Luchasaurus) vs. Adam Priest & KC Navarro – 2.0 (Squash)
* Diamante vs. Vipress – 2.0
* Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, & Brian Cage) vs. Jake St. Patrick, Sage Scott, & Chandler Hopkins – 2.5
* Ashley Vox, Vertvixen, & Delmi Exo vs. Red Velvet, Kilynn King, & Big Swole – 3.0
* Michael Nakazawa vs. Mike Magnum – 2.0
* Kip Sabian & Miro vs. Baron Black & John Skyler – 2.0 (Squash)
* Alex Reynolds vs. Max Caster – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Ashley Vox, Vertvixen, & Delmi Exo vs. Red Velvet, Kilynn King, & Big Swole match.
Worst – Michael Nakazawa vs. Mike Magnum match.
Show Notes – The Butcher & The Blade vs. Milk Chocolate opener bout was somewhat decent despite going a bit overboard with the ringside shenanigans by Matt Hardy’s group. Wrenkowski vs. Allure was a decent back-and-forth style match. Kiss doing a handstand to counter an Inverted Single Leg Crab by Angelico was a pretty unique wrestling spot. Angelico vs. Kiss was quite good. Caster promo segment was all right. Cabana’s homage to Negative One at the start of the Dark Order’s trios match was nice. Luchasaurus’s one move destruction of jobbers was cool. Team Taz vs. Patrick, Scott, & Hopkins was an entertaining squash match and same for the boiling tension storyline within Team Taz. The Sea Stars making their tag debut in AEW is interesting. Women’s Trios match was pretty good. Nakazawa’s new gimmick as a corporate stooge for Kenny Omega has been a bit interesting. Caster’s pre-match rap was all right. Reynolds vs. Caster was pretty good despite the ending shenanigans. This week’s show was entertaining overall.

AEW Dynamite (March 31)
* Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian – 3.0
* Unsanctioned Exhibition match – QT Marshall vs. Cody Rhodes – 2.0
* Cezar Bononi vs. Jon Moxley – 2.5
* Trios match – Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid vs. Good Brothers & Kenny Omega – 3.5
* The Bunny & Nyla Rose vs. Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida – 3.0
* Arcade Anarchy match – Orange Cassidy & Chuck Tayler vs. Kip Sabisn & Miro – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Arcade Anarchy match with Kris Statlander & Trent’s surprise returns.
Worst – QT Marshall vs. Cody Rhodes match.
Show Notes – Cage vs. Kazarian opener bout was quite good despite its methodical pacing compared to typical AEW openers. Also was a fine debut performance by Cage. Darby Allin vignette was all right. Jade Cargill promo segment was a bit rough. Marshall vs. Rhodes was nothing special but the Nightmare Family Civil War storyline is interesting. Red Velvet & Cargill backstage segment was decent. Moxley promo segment was splendid. Team Taz promo segment was fine. MJF’s “Gift to the Pinnacle” & Inner Circle brawl segment was fantastic. Young Bucks & Don Callis segment was superb. Ouch at Omega’s head getting spiked by Kid’s Michinoku Driver spot. Lucha Bros & Kid vs. Good Brothers & Omega was very good, especially the latter half. Women’s tag match was pretty good despite the shenanigans at the end. Jurassic Express promo segment was decent. The carnival setting for the Arcade Anarchy match is cool. Kris Statlander & Trent’s surprise returns were great. Arcade Anarchy match was awesome. This week’s show was very entertaining overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (March 30)
* Havok & Nevaeh vs. Fire N’ Flava – 3.0
* Sami Callihan vs. Larry D – 2.5
* Brian Myers vs. Suicide – 2.5
* TJP & Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton & Ace Austin – 3.0
* Eric Young vs. James Storm – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Eric Young vs. James Storm match.
Worst – Rohit Raju & Hernandez backstage segment.
Show Notes – Women’s tag opener bout was quite entertaining. Nevaeh & Havok breaking up as a team is interesting. Storm interview segment was fine. Deonna Purrazzo & Susan interview and brawl with Jazz segment was okay. FinJuice vignette was all right. Don Callis, Kenny Omega, & Good Brothers backstage segment was a bit goofy but all right. Callihan & Trey Miguel segment was all right. Myers post-match promo was decent and short. Jazz & Tommy Dreamer backstage segment was also decent. Tony Khan acting as if he was on a huge caffeine buzz during the AEW paid ad segment was funny. Swinger’s Palace segment with Callis & Omega was splendid. TJP & Alexander vs. Fulton & Austin was pretty good. Callis trolling Willie Mack & Rich Swann was funny and the mass brawl afterwards was superb. Rohit Raju & Hernandez segment was nothing special. Dreamer’s Women’s Hardcore match announcement backstage segment was a bit goofy. Young vs. Storm was pretty good despite the shenanigans at the end. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong (April 2)
* Kevin Knight vs. Rocky Romero – 3.0
* Misterioso & Jordan Clearwater vs. Alex Coughlin & TJP – 2.5
* Team Filthy (JR Kratos, Chris Dickinson, & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) vs. Riegel Twins (Logan & Sterling Riegel) & Brody King – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Team Filthy vs. Riegel Twins & Brody King match.
Worst – Misterioso & Jordan Clearwater vs. Alex Coughlin & TJP match.
Show Notes – NJPW debuting a brand new title belt for the winner of this year’s New Japan Cup USA tournament is interesting. Belt itself looks nice and better than the new IWGP World Heavyweight title. Knight vs. Romero was a fine Young Lion vs. veteran style bout. Misterioso & Clearwater vs. Coughlin & TJP was mostly decent despite its somewhat slow pacing. Team Filthy’s pre-match interview was all right. Riegel Twins & King vs. Team Filthy was a very good hard hitting bout. This week’s show was entertaining overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Arcade Anarchy match – Orange Cassidy & Chuck Tayler vs. Kip Sabisn & Miro (AEW Dynamite)
• Worst match of the week – Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW