Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for May 9 to May 15

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of May 9th to May 15th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (May 10)
* 6-Woman Tag Team match – Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler, & Nia Jax vs. Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, & Asuka – 2.0
* Jinder Mahal vs. Jeff Hardy – 2.0
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Riddle, Randy Orton, & New Day vs. Elias, Jaxson Ryker, AJ Styles, & Omos – 3.0
* Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo – 2.5
* Cedric Alexander vs. Shelton Benjamin – 2.5
* Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley – 2.0
* John Morrison vs. Damian Priest – 2.0
* Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre – 3.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre match.
Worst – Ending to the 6-Woman Tag Team match.
Show Notes – RAW starting off with the rare instance of a match and not a long winded promo segment is a surprise. Opening 6-Woman Tag match was somewhat sloppy topped by an odd ending sequence. Riddle & New Day backstage promo segment was cheesy. MVP & Braun Strowman backstage segment was all right. Miz, Morrison, & Priest segment was decent. Mahal pre-match promo segment was decent. Elias, Ryker, Styles, & Omos backstage tomatoes-based segment was lame. 8-Man Tag match was a pretty good back-and-forth match. Orton’s post-match RKOs to New Day was interesting. Sonya Deville, Asuka, & Rhea Ripley backstage segment was decent. Ouch at the botched sunset flip powerbomb by Carrillo to the outside. Sheamus vs. Carrillo was going on well until Carrillo got hurt to end the match. Angel Garza & Drew Gulak backstage segment was nothing special. Asuka vs. Ripley was a bit dull and plodded too much in pacing. Ouch at Morrison getting spiked on his head from Priest’s post-match attack. Lashley vs. McIntyre was very good despite the lame DQ finish but Strowman’s post-match rampage was nice. This week’s WrestleMania Backlash go-home show was mostly boring overall.

NXT (May 11)
* Austin Theory vs. Karrion Kross – 2.0
* Breezango vs. MSK – 3.0
* Pete Dunne vs. Leon Ruff – 2.5
* NXT Women’s Championship – Mercedes Martinez vs. Raquel Gonzalez (c) – 3.0
* Oney Lorcan vs. Kyle O’Reilly – 3.0
* NXT Cruiserweight Championship Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match – Santos Escobar vs. KUSHIDA (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – NXT Cruiserweight Championship Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match.
Worst – The Hit Row’s group debut promo segment.
Show Notes – Opening Theory vs. Kross match was decent at best. Kross & Finn Balor post-match face-off was all right. Leon Ruff needs to visit Dr. Shelby to sort out his anger issues. The running of the ropes spot with the ref during Breezango vs. MSK match was funny. Breezango vs. MSK was entertaining. Gargano & Regal office segment was okay. Ruff being able to compete in a match despite Regal not clearing him earlier was a bit dumb. Legado Del Fantasma promo segment was decent. NXT Women’s title was pretty good hard hitting match despite dragging a bit at times. Isiah “Swerve” Scott & his new Hit Row stable promo segment was somewhat awful. Ted DiBiase trolling Cameron Grimes during the house auction segment was funny. Zoey Stark vs. Toni Storm match hype vignette was all right. Lorcan vs. O’Reilly was pretty good. Bobby Fish’s surprise return saving O’Reilly during the post-match beatdown was all right. Bronson Reed promo segment was fine. Ouch at Escobar landing on his head from KUSHIDA’s overhead suplex to the corner. NXT Cruiser title match was very good, especially the latter half, despite the abrupt finish. This week’s show was very entertaining overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (May 14)
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Tamina & Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c) – 2.5
* Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler – 3.0
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. King Corbin – 2.5
* Jimmy Uso vs. Cesaro – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The show opening Roman Reigns, The Usos, & Cesaro promo segment.
Worst – Apollo Crews’ “medal award” ceremony segment.
Show Notes – Opening Roman Reigns, The Usos, & Cesaro promo segment was superb, especially the latter half. Jimmy Uso not wanting to be in a group with Reigns while also wanting to be in charge of a group with Reigns is a bit weird though. Women’s Tag title match was decent but laughed a lot at Baszler & Jax losing the titles because of Jax being a moron for the finish. Paul Heyman interview segment was fine. Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez “medal award ceremony” & promo segment with Big E and Sami Zayn & brawl with Kevin Owens was a bit too all over the place in terms of quality. Mysterio vs. Ziggler was a pretty good back-and-forth match. Cesaro interview segment was all right. Bianca Belair & Bayley promo segment was decent. Nakamura vs. Corbin was decent at best despite the flat finish. Crews, Adam Pearce, & Sonya Deville backstage segment was decent. Aleister Black new story time vignette was all right. Jimmy Uso pre-match interview segment was decent. Uso vs. Cesaro was going on very well until the lame DQ finish. The post-match brawl with Jey Uso & Reigns was quite good. This week’s WrestleMania Backlash go-home show was enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (May 10)
* David Ali vs. Lee Johnson – 2.5
* Eddie Kingston vs. VSK – 2.0
* Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky vs. Fuego del Sol & Baron Black – 2.0 (Squash)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Renee Michelle – 2.0 (Squash)
* Chuck Taylor vs. Vary Morales – 2.0 (Squash)
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Dani Jordyn – 2.0
* Matt Sydal vs. Manny Smith – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Reka Tehaka – 1.5 (Squash)
* Hardy Family Office (Matt Hardy & Marq Quen) vs. Dean Alexander & Dillon McQueen – 2.0 (Squash)
* Dr. Britt Baker vs. Raychell Rose – 1.5 (Squash)
* Madi Wrenkowski vs. Tay Conti – 2.5
* Chaos Project vs. Jurassic Express (Marko Stunt & Jungle Boy) – 2.5
* Isiah Kassidy vs. Alex Reynolds – 2.5
* Danny Limelight vs. Jon Moxley – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Eddie Kingston’s promo segment and the Danny Limelight vs. Jon Moxley match.
Worst – The almost two-hour run time for this week’s show and the first half of the show mostly lacking in energy.
Show Notes – Ali vs. Johnson opener was a decent competitive bout. Page got some really good air with his Ego’s Edge to del Sol. Paul Wight’s Showcase interview segment with Danny Limelight was superb. Rosa’s Peruvian Choke submission to end her match looked cool. Kingston locker room promo segment on the Young Bucks was fantastic. Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky interview segment was all right. MJF’s former lawyer making a surprise appearance and joining the growing line of people offering their managerial services to Cargill is interesting. Conti’s Senton to Wrenkowski’s back on the top rope corner looked brutal. Rosa interview segment was fine. Chaos Project vs. Jurassic Express was a decent back-and-forth style bout. Britt Baker backstage promo segment was decent. Moxley vs. Nagata match hype video was fantastic. Limelight vs. Moxley was pretty good. This week’s show was average at best overall.

AEW Dark (May 11)
* Milk Chocolate (Brandon Watts & Randy Summers) vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston – 1.5 (Squash)
* Dark Order (Evil Uno, Alan “5” Angels, & Colt Cabana) vs. Spencer Slade, Cole Karter, & Andrew Palace – 2.5
* Lance Archer vs. Angel Fashion – 2.5 (Squash)
* The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solow, & Nick Comoroto) vs. Jake Logan, Ryzin, & Rick Recon – 2.5
* Varsity Blonds vs. Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan – 2.0
* Diamante vs. Willow Nightingale – 1.5 (Squash)
* Dante Martin vs. Aaron Frye – 2.5
* Nyla Rose vs. Ashley D’Amboise – 2.0 (Squash)
* Cezar Bononi & “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth vs. Liam Gray & Adrian Alanis – 2.5
* Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jungle Boy vs. Marty Casaus – 3.0
* Big Swole & Red Velvet vs. MK Twins (Ashley & Steff) – 2.5
* JD Drake vs. 10 – 3.0
* Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela vs. The Acclaimed – 3.0
* Bear Bronson vs. Brian Cage – 3.5
* Mike Sydal vs. Powerhouse Hobbs – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Bear Bronson vs. Brian Cage match.
Worst – The almost two hour runtime for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Milk Chocolate vs. Moxley & Kingston opener was a nice quick squash match. Diamante interview segment was all right. Taz & Jake Roberts cracking up on commentary during Archer’s match was funny. Archer vs. Fashion was an entertaining jobber destruction match. Pretty Peter Avalon, Bononi, Nemeth, & Drake backstage segment was decent. Julia Hart joining the Varsity Blonds is interesting. Dark Order interview segment was all right. Bononi pulling out the “Sensual Sled” for Avalon’s appearances on Dark continues to be one of the little enjoyable things about AEW’s Dark shows. Statlander and Bryce Remsburg’s nose boop antics at the start of Statlander’s match was a bit funny. Statlander’s Big Bang Theory finisher to Hart looked brutal. Jungle Boy vs. Casaus was pretty good. Drake vs. 10 was also pretty good. Max Caster’s pre-match “Booty butt, Booty butt cheek” rap was both his best and funniest one in AEW soo far. Kiss & Janela vs. The Acclaimed was a quite good competitive match. Bronson vs. Cage was a very good hard hitting hoss battle. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall despite the long runtime.

AEW Dynamite (May 12)
* United States Championship – Yuji Nagata vs. Jon Moxley (c) – 3.5
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – SCU vs. Young Bucks (c) – 3.5
* #1 Contender for AEW World Championship – Orange Cassidy vs. PAC – 3.0
* Thunder Rosa vs. Jazmin Allure – 2.0 (Squash)
* TNT Championship – Miro vs. Darby Allin (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – TNT Championship match and Miro finally winning some gold in AEW.
Worst – Cody Rhodes’ promo segment.
Show Notes – AEW getting Nagata’s “Blue Justice” theme for his match was cool and same for Moxley coming out to “Wild Things.” Ouch at Moxley getting busted open. IWGP US title opener was a very entertaining hard hitting match. Cody Rhodes’ promo segment was mostly dull and dragged too long. SCU pre-match promo segment was wonderful. Yikes at Daniels’ head gushing blood. AEW Tag title match was very good despite going overboard with the ending shenanigans. Christian Cage & Matt Sydal interview segment was all right. Cassidy vs. PAC was going on well until it fell apart near the end although Cassidy suffering a potential legit injury might explain why. Hangman Adam Page & Dark Order interview segment was all right. The Pinnacle “Coronation” promo segemnt was all right but the Inner Circle giving a “bubbly” bath as a gift was hilarious. Inner Circle having to break up if they lose the rematch at Double or Nothing is interesting. Britt Baker interview segment was superb. Jade Cargill interview segment was decent. Allin pre-match promo vignette was splendid. TNT title match was a very good physical bout and Miro winning was great. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (May 13)
* #1 Contender for Impact Knockouts Championship match – Rosemary vs. Havok – 2.5
* #1 Contender for Impact X-Division Championship 6-Way match – Petey Williams vs. Acey Romero vs. TJP vs. Rohit Raju vs. Ace Austin vs. El Phantasmo – 3.5
* Sam Beale vs. Willie Mack – 2.0 (Squash)
* Karl Anderson vs. David Finlay – 2.5
* Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve – 2.5
* 6-Man Tag Team match – Moose, Sami Callihan, & Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona, Trey Miguel, & Chris Sabin – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – #1 Contender for Impact X-Division Championship 6-Way match.
Worst – Kaleb with a K’s very questionable fashion decision to wear the most wacky and/or tacky clothing possible on the show.
Show Notes – Rosemary vs. Havok opener was a decent hard hitting bout and bit surprised Havok won. Good Bros, Kenny Omega, & Don Callis interview segment was okay but Omega wearing all of his titles like it was body armor was a bit funny. El Phantasmo’s rope walk into a top rope DVD on Austin to the outside was amazing. 6-Way match was very entertaining. Susan, Kimber Lee, & Scott D’Amore office segemnt was decent. Violent By Design promo segment was great. Swinger’s Palace segment featuring Williams channeling his inner Scott Steiner was all right. Tenille Dashwood’s “All About Me” talk show segment with Taylor Wilde was decent. Kaleb’s sense of fashion must have taken the night off based on that very wacky looking clothing he wore. Sabin’s backstage promo segment was fine. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering backstage promo segment was all right. Callis & D’Amore interview segment was fine. Moose catching Miguel’s flip to the outside and Miguel countering right after with a hurricanrana to the post was awesome. 6-Man Tag match was quite good, especially the latter half. This week’s Under Siege go-home show was enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Under Seine (May 15)
* Brian Myers vs. Black Taurus – 2.5
* Kimber Lee & Susan vs. Tenille Dashwood & Taylor Wilde – 2.0
* #1 Contender for Impact World Tag Team Championship Four-Way match – Madman Fulton & Ace Austin vs. XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero) vs. Rohit Raju & Shera vs. TJP & Petey Williams – 3.0
* W. Morrissey vs. Willie Mack – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship match – Fire ‘N Flava vs. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) – 3.0
* Impact X-Division Championship – El Phantasmo vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 4.0
* Impact Knockouts Championship – Havok vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c) – 3.0
* FinJuice & Eddie Edwards vs. The Good Brothers & Kenny Omega – 3.5
* #1 Contender for Impact World Championship Six-Way match – Sami Callihan vs. Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Trey Miguel vs. Chris Sabin vs. Moose – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact X-Division Championship match.
Worst – Kimber Lee & Susan vs. Tenille Dashwood & Taylor Wilde match.
Show Notes – Myers vs. Black Taurus opening match was mostly decent despite dragging a bit too long and surprised Myers won. Lee & Susan vs. Dashwood & Wilde was a bit dull. Impact Tag titles #1 contender’s match was quite good, especially the latter half. Fire N’Flava interview segment was decent. Mack’s spin kick to Morrissey’s head looked cool. Morrissey vs. Mack was a pretty good hard hitting match despite the weak looking finisher kick by Morrissey. Knockouts Tag title match was a pretty good back-and-forth bout although not that big of a fan of Grace & Ellering’s reign ending way too soon. Swinger’s Palace segment was funny. El Phantasmo managed to get some really nice air and distance with his top rope splash to Alexander. X-Division title match was an amazing action packed bout. FinJuice & Edwards pre-match interview segment was all right. Impact Knockouts title match was pretty good. FinJuice & Edwards vs. Good Bros & Omega was a very good back-and-forth action bout. Six-way match was very good and Moose vs. Omega for the Impact World title should be really good when it happens. Under Siege was mostly a very enjoyable show overall.

Dark Side of the Ring – The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage (May 13)
Overall – 4.0
Show Notes – Jon Moxley’s story of the first time he faced Nick Gage in the ring involving him getting sliced in the mouth by a pizza cutter was crazy. The story of Gage getting an artery slashed during a CZW Tournament of Death 2009 match and him being legally dead for a few minutes on the way to the hospital was insane and wincing inducing. Gage’s life hitting rock bottom due to drugs and personal issues leading to the infamous bank robbery incident was interesting chapter of the episode. The story of the Gage vs. David Arquette match involving Arquette getting a gash in his neck was crazy, especially since I watched that match as it happened live back then. The episode ending on a somewhat somber note of Gage being fully aware of all the damage he’s done to his body likely means he won’t get to live to old age was a bit depressing. Dark Side of the Ring’s Nick Gage episode was an excellent look into the life and career of one of the legends in deathmatch wrestling.

NJPW Strong “Collision” (May 14)
* AJZ vs. Rocky Romero – 3.0
* Hikuleo & El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush & Fred Rosser – 3.0
* 8-Man Tag Team Elimination match – Team Filthy (Danny Limelight, JR Kratos, Chris Dickinson, & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) vs. Clark Connors, TJP, Brody King, & Karl Fredericks – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – 8-Man Tag Team Elimination match.
Worst – Hikuleo & El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush & Fred Rosser match dragging in action during the middle of it.
Show Notes – AJZ sort of looks like a long lost son of AEW’s Billy Gunn. Opening AJZ vs. Romero match was pretty good and a fine JPW Strong debut performance by AJZ. Bullet Club vs. Rush & Rosser was pretty good despite dragging a bit too long. Rosser & Rush post-match promo was excellent. Connors’ new entrance theme and gear was a nice surprise reveal. Brody King being the first eliminated in the 8-Man tag match was a bit of a surprise. Team Filthy vs. Connors, TJP, King, & Fredericks was a very good hard hitting bout. Post-match Team Filthy beatdown of Dickinson & King run-in save was all right. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Impact X-Division Championship – El Phantasmo vs. Josh Alexander (c) (Impact Wrestling Under Siege)
• Worst match of the week – Diamante vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW Dark)
• Best show of the week – Dark Side of the Ring – The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage Episode
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW