Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for May 30 to June 5

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of May 30th to June 5th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (May 31)
* 2 Minute Beat The Clock Challenge – Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki Cross – 0.5
* Xavier Woods vs. Randy Orton – 3.0
* Shayna Baszler vs. Reginald – 1.5
* Mace & T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party – 2.0 (Squash)
* Sheamus vs. Ricochet – 1.5
* Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo – 2.5
* Lana & Naomi vs. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke – 2.0
* Shelton Benjamin vs. Cedric Alexander – 1.0 (Squash)
* RAW Tag Team Championship – Elias & Jaxson Ryker vs. AJ Styles & Omos (c) – 2.0
* #1 Contender for WWE Championship – Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre – 3.5
Overall – 1.5
Best – Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre match.
Worst – Opening Miz TV segment and Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki Cross match.
Show Notes – Miz not being a zombie his first night back since WrestleMania Backlash is lame and made that Lumberjack match even more lamer in retrospective. Opening Miz TV segment with Flair, Rhea Ripley, & Cross was horrible. Flair vs. Cross was a big pile of nothing. Damian Priest, Riddle, & Orton backstage segment was funny. Woods vs. Orton was a quite good back-and-forth style match. Reginald getting some good air with his moonsault was the only good thing about a forgettable Baszler vs. Reginald match. McIntyre interview segment was fine. Sheamus pre-match promo mocking Carrillo & Ricochet was decent. Yikes at Sheamus’ bloody nose. WWE was extra lazy with the booking of Sheamus’ matches tonight. It really does feel like WWE suddenly changed their minds during the filming of these vignettes for Eva Marie since her new one was also more face-like than the early ones were. Kingston interview segment was splendid. RAW Tag title match was mostly dull and have zero interest in watching a potential Elias vs. Ryker feud. Baszler beating up Reginald was the only good part of a cringey Alexa’s Playground segment. Mansoor, Viking Raiders, & Mustafa Ali backstage segment was a bit goofy. MVP & Bobby Lashley interview segment was all right. Kingston vs. McIntyre was a very good action filled bout. This week’s show was mostly very boring overall.

NXT (June 1)
* #1 Contender for NXT Championship Triple Threat match – Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly – 3.0
* LA Knight vs. Jake Atlas – 2.5
* NXT Cruiserweight Open Challenge match – Carmelo Hayes vs. KUSHIDA – 3.0
* Zayda Ramier & Zoey Stark vs. The Way (Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae) – 2.5
* NXT Tag Team Championship – Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. MSK (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – NXT Tag Team Championship match.
Worst – Ending to the NXT Championship #1 Contender’s match.
Show Notes – Yikes at Dunne getting spiked hard on his head from Gargano’s Tornado DDT counter. #1 Contender’s opener was a very good match that got marred a lot by the Adam Cole shenanigans & lame no contest finish. Ember Moon, Raquel Gonzalez, & Dakota Kai brawl was nice but tonight’s show quickly turned into a mess. LA Knight pre-match promo segment was nothing special. Drake Maverick, Ever-Rise, Hit Row, & Killian Dain parking lot segment was all right. Knight vs. Atlas was decent at best despite dragging way too long. Knight’s booking since his NXT debut has been really odd. Cole, Karrion Kross, & William Regal promo segment was all right but not a fan at all of NXT Creative pulling a main roster creative with the lame booking setup for the NXT title match at TakeOver. LeRae & Hartwell interview segment was dumb. Hayes vignette was okay. Xia Li promo segment on Mercedes Martinez was splendid. NXT Cruiser title match was quite good. MSK backstage promo segment was decent. Franky Monet’s adorable dog showing up was the best part about her backstage segment. Martinez promo segment was very flat. Bronson Reed popping out of nowhere and smooshing Santos Escobar on the barricade was cool. NXT title match was a very good action filled bout, especially the latter half. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall but also was one of NXT’s weaker shows in recent times.

Friday Night SmackDown (June 4)
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – The Usos vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio (c) – 3.0
* Carmella vs. Liv Morgan – 2.0
* King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – 2.0
* Intercontinental Championship – Kevin Owens vs. Apollo Crews (c) – 3.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship Part Deux – The Usos vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio (c) – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – The first SmackDown Tag Team Championship match.
Worst – Bianca Belair & Bayley promo segment.
Show Notes – Opening Roman Reigns & Usos promo segment was all right. Jey Uso’s Samoan Drop counter of Rey’s slide to the outside onto a table was cool. Ouch at Jimmy Uso’s head from Dominik’s ugly Tornado DDT spot. SmackDown Tag title match was quite good despite the odd decision to book a “botched” finish. Reigns’ angry backstage promo to the Usos was superb. Rollins’ sense of fashion for his suits has been very weird these past few months. Rollins sit-down interview segment was a waste of time. Carmella & Morgan’s pre-match promos were nothing special. Bianca Belair’s promo was rough and probably just a small case of the nerves based on her delivery but Bayley’s laugh antics during her promo part was awful because it dragged on too long. Rick Boogs being the hype man and personal entrance theme player for Nakamura has been wonderful so far. Pat McAfee dancing on the announcer table during Nakamura’s entrance was goofy but still funny. Corbin’s match with Nakamura was a dud though. IC title match was pretty good, especially the latter half. Street Profits & Alpha Academy backstage segments were okay overall. SmackDown Tag title match was decent despite the lame DQ finish by Reigns. Reigns’ post-match attack on the Mysterios was interesting in terms of potential future Universal title feuds. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Double or Nothing 2021 (May 30)
* Buy-In: NWA World Women’s Championship Match: Riho vs. Serena Deeb (c) – 4.0
* Brian Cage vs. Hangman Adam Page – 3.5
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley vs. The Young Bucks (c) – 4.0
* 21-Man Casino Battle Royale – 3.0
* Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes – 2.0
* TNT Championship – Lance Archer vs. Miro (c) – 3.5
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Dr. Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida (c) – 3.0
* “All Ego” Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky vs. Darby Allin & Sting – 3.5
* AEW World Championship Three-Way match – PAC vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Kenny Omega (c) – 4.5
* Stadium Stampede match – The Pinnacle vs. The Inner Circle – 4.5
Overall – 4.5
Best – Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle Stadium Stampede match.
Worst – Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes being a mostly dull and dragged out match topped with an anti-climatic finish.
Show Notes – NWA Women’s title match was amazing and arguably AEW’s best Buy-In match so far. Cage vs. Page opener was a very entertaining physical bout despite the ending shenanigans. AEW Tag title match was fantastic despite the flat finish. Lio Rush being the surprise “Joker” entrant was interesting. Casino Battle Royale match was mostly good but the ending sequence and Jungle Boy winning were great. TNT title match was a very good hoss fight. AEW Women’s title match was mostly good despite its sloppy pacing. Tony Schiavone hugging Baker after she won the Women’s title was sweet. Sting diving off the giant casino chips was awesome. Holy crap at Page chucking Allin into the crowd spot. Page & Sky vs. Allin & Sting was very entertaining. Omega’s back-to-back Snap Dragon suplexes to Cassidy looked brutal. Omega beating up the ref to break up PAC’s Brutalizaer on Cassidy was both funny and smart. AEW World title match was an incredible action packed bout. Inner Circle rappelling down the stadium wall was crazy. Konnan being the DJ for the club brawl part was cool. Santana & Ortiz vs. FTR club room fight was awesome. Jericho’s stapler spot to MJF was crazy. MJF and Jericho’s antics during their brawl parts was funny. The Guevara & Spears golf cart spot was wonderful. Stadium Stampede was a glorious live cinematic match spectacle. Double or Nothing 2021 was a mostly terrific show overall.

AEW Dark Elevation (May 31)
* The Acclaimed vs. Brent & Brandon Tate – 2.0 (Squash)
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Robyn Renegade – 2.0
* Thunder Rosa vs. Reka Tehaka – 3.0
* Chaos Project vs. Varsity Blonds – 2.5
* Nyla Rose & The Bunny vs. Big Swole & Red Velvet – 2.5
* Jack Evans vs. Penta El Zero Miedo – 3.0
* Tay Conti vs. Ashley D’Amboise – 2.0 (Squash)
* JD Drake vs. Jungle Boy – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The return of a jam-packed live crowd for AEW Dark shows and the crowd going wild for Jungle Boy during his entrance and match.
Worst – The mental image of Alex Marvez partying with Joey Janela at a place called Big Mommy Milkers after Janela suggested the idea during his interview segment.
Show Notes – Opening Thunder Rosa promo segment was all right. The jam-packed live crowd for this week’s show is both wonderful and a bit surreal after the lack of real crowds for months for these shows. Max Caster’s pre-match rap was superb. Jungle Boy & Christian Cage interview segment and brawl with Hardy Family Office was fine. Varsity Blonds backstage promo segment was decent. Either Paul Wight never bothered to meet Nix Jax in WWE or completely forgot about her after his line about never meeting a Samoan who was bad at wrestling. Rosa vs. Tehaka was an entertaining competitive match. Penta & Alex Abrahantes promo segment was all right. Dustin Rhodes interview segment was okay. Women’s tag match was mostly solid despite the ending shenanigans. Joey Janela blaming a bad migraine for why he bailed on Sonny Kiss on last week’s Dark show but were back together on Dynamite was interesting. Evans vs. Penta was a good action filled match. The crowd going crazy for Jungle Boy during his entrance and right at the start of his match was awesome. Drake vs. Jungle Boy was pretty good. This week’s show was enjoyable and made a ton better in terms of energy by the return of a live crowd.

AEW Dark (June 1)
* The Wingmen (Cezar Bononi & “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth) vs. Gunn * Club (Colten & Billy Gunn) – 2.5
* Kris Statlander vs. Robin Renegade – 2.5
* Trios match – Serpentico & TH2 vs. Dark Order (Stu Grayson, Alan “5” Angels, & Alex Reynolds) – 3.0
* Diamante vs. Red Velvet – 2.5
* Bear Bronson vs. Jungle Boy – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Bear Bronson vs. Jungle Boy match.
Worst – Kris Statlander’s bloody mouth after her match against Robin Renegade.
Show Notes – Wingmen vs. Gunn Club opener was a mostly decent match. Jungle Boy vs. Bear Bronson match hype video was superb. The crowd going wild for Statlander’s nose boop to Renegade was a sweet moment. Yikes at Statlander’s mouth getting busted open at the end of the match. Serpentico & TH2 vs. Dark Order trios tag was an entertaining action filled match. Diamante vs. Red Velvet was a solid hard hitting match despite being a bit sloppy briefly mid-way into it. Dark Order backstage segment was decent. Marko Stunt doing some cheer-leading with pom poms and Taz’s rendition of Junble Boy’s theme during his entrance was funny. Bear Bronson vs. Jungle Boy was a pretty good competitive match. This week’s show was one of the better episodes of Dark in recent times due to the return of a live crowd and its shorter than usual runtime.

AEW Dynamite (June 4)
* Death Triangle (Penta El Zero Miedo & PAC) vs. The Young Bucks – 3.5
* Lee Johnson & Cody Rhodes vs The Factory (Anthony Ogogo & QT Marshall) – 2.0
* Jungle Boy & Christian Cage vs. Private Party – 3.0
* The Bunny vs. Red Velvet – 2.5
* Bullrope match – Dustin Rhodes vs. Nick Comoroto – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Andrade’s surprise debut.
Worst – This week’s show feeling more filler and very off in terms of flow than usual.
Show Notes – Penta’s Lungblower & Senton combo to both Young Bucks was cool. Opening Death Triangle vs. Young bucks was very entertaining despite the flat ending shenanigans. Andrade’s surprise AEW debut was amazing. Andrade not having entrance music is interesting since either AEW production botched things or his signing was a very recent thing. Inner Circle celebration segment was all right despite dragging a bit long. Callis & Omega interview segment about a conspiracy against Omega and his upcoming match against Jungle Boy was goofy. Private Party mocking Edge & Christian’s 6 Second Pose was amusing. Yikes at Marq Quinn getting dumped on his head from Jungle Boy’s top rope counter spot. Jungle Boy & Cage vs. Private Party was pretty good, especially the latter half. Taz’s backstage promo segment was splendid. The amount of times a Sting interview segments gets interrupted in AEW has been comical. Britt Baker trolling the crowd with free burger coupons was funny. Britt Baker Women’s title cerebration segment was superb. Yikes at Red Velvet landing head first from her overshot dive to the outside. Miro’s promo segment was great and poor Evil Uno, he’s going to get destroyed next week. Ouch at Comoroto getting busted open. Bullrope match was a good hard hitting bout despite it going overboard with the shenanigans. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall but also was one of AEW’s weaker Dynamite shows.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (June 3)
* X-Division 60 Minute Iron Man match – TJP vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 4.0
* Tables match – Rohit Rau vs. Jake Something – 2.5
* Rich Swann vs. W. Morrissey – N/A
* Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship – Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N’Flava (c) – 3.0
* Deaner vs. Satoshi Kojima – 3.0
* Moose vs. Sami Callihan – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – X-Division 60 Minute Iron Man match.
Worst – Tables match.
Show Notes – Alexander’s Mexican Surfboard on the ropes spot to TJP was cool. X-Division title Iron Man match was a terrific hard hitting battle and strong contender for Match of the Year in Impact. Yikes at welts on Alexander’s face after the Iron Man match. Alexander, TJP, Scott D’Amore, Petey Williams, Chris Bey, Trey Miguel, & Ace Austin backstage segment was superb. Rosemary & Havok spooky mood backstage promo segment was all right. Morrissey popping out of nowhere to stalk and ambush Swann was a cool visual. Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb trying to get Ellering to ditch Grace for them instead as a team was interesting. Brian Myers & Sam Beale backstage segment was a bit funny. Deonna Purrazzo interview segment was decent. Knockouts Tag title match was a quite good back-and-forth style bout. Callis’ mind games ploy on Callihan backstage was interesting. Former WWE’s Steve Cutler debut vignette segment was interesting. Fire N’Flava, D’Amore, Susan, & Kimber Lee backstage segment was decent. Deaner vs. Kojima was a solid match despite the ending shenanigans. Moose not falling for Callis’ mind games ploy backstage was nice. Violent By Design & Decay backstage segment was okay. Moose vs. Callihan was pretty good despite the lame DQ finish by Omega & Pals. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Dark Side of the Ring – In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith (June 3)
Overall – 4.5
Show Notes – The origin story of Rockin’ Robin’s ring name was interesting in regards to how abrupt the whole process was. Jake Roberts revealing how he’s suppressed the “Aurelian” side of his life due to how messed up his childhood was because of his sicko dad and stepmother was really depressing. Robin’s story about how she was sexually abused by her dad and the disappearance of her sister who likely suffered the same by her dad was just as depressing and shocking. Roberts explanation for why he went with “The Snake” nickname for his wrestling persona was interesting. Robin’s story of the first time she saw her dad again years after leaving her family home was messed up. Sam Houston’s story of his failed suicide attempt because of how badly his life spiraled downwards due to constant legal issues was crazy. The Smith Family siblings slowly growing closer together after their father’s passing was touching. Dark Side of the Ring’s Grzzily Smith episode was excellent and easily the “darkest” one in series history.

NJPW Strong (June 4)
* Kevin Knight vs. TJP – 2.5
* Barrett Brown vs. Adrian Quest – 2.5
* Team Filthy (Danny Limelight & JR Kratos) vs. Karl Fredericks & Satoshi Kojima – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Team Filthy vs. Karl Fredericks & Satoshi Kojima match.
Worst – Barrett Brown vs. Adrian Quest match.
Show Notes – Knight vs. TJP opener was a solid Young Lion vs. veteran style match. Bateman being suddenly together with Brown was interesting. Brown vs. Quest was a decent back-and-forth bout despite its somewhat sluggish pacing and dragging on too long. Quest’s post-match promo with Fred Rosser was okay. Team Filthy vs. Fredericks & Kojima was a very good hard hitting bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Stadium Stampede match – The Pinnacle vs. The Inner Circle (AEW Double or Nothing 2021)
• Worst match of the week – 2 Minute Beat The Clock Challenge – Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki Cross (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Double or Nothing 2021
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW