Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for July 11 to July 17

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of July 11th to July 17th

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (July 12)
* Xavier Woods vs. Bobby Lashley – 2.5
* Fatal Four-Way match – Nikki A.S.H. vs. Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss – 2.5
* AJ Styles vs. Ivar – 2.5
* Omos vs. Erik – 2.5
* United States Championship – Humberto Carrillo vs. Sheamus (c) – 1.0 (Squash)
* Falls Count Anywhere match – John Morrison vs. Ricochet – 3.0
* Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Fall Count Anywhere match and Lashley’s show closing promos on Kofi Kingston.
Worst – Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie, & Doudrop ringside shenanigans during the Women’s 4-Way match that dragged too long and killed the flow of the match mid-way.
Show Notes – RAW starting with the rare match opener instead of a long winded promo segment was nice. WWE Creative booking Lashley losing clean to Woods right before his match against Kofi at MitB was very dumb. Alexa’s Playground segment with Eva Marie & Doudrop was awful and not sure if Marie’s promo skills haven’t improved at all or the script for her lines was just horrible. Mahal & McIntyre’s segment over Drew’s sword and Mahal’s bike was goofy. Nikki having no idea what Riddle was rambling about backstage was funny. Women’s 4-way match was mostly decent, especially after Bliss left. Viking Raiders pre-match interview about Styles & Vikings was fine. Styles vs. Ivar was a solid back-and-forth match. US title match was a big pile of nothing but a potential Priest vs. Sheamus feud for the belt could be really good. Ricochet’s 450 Splash to Morrison from the barricade was cool. Ricochet’s Shooting Star Press to Morrison from the top post to the outside was also cool. Morrison vs. Ricochet was a quite good action filled match. Natayla, Tamina, Mandy, & Dana backstage segment was dull. McIntyre’s story time interview segments over these past few weeks have been mostly lame. Ripley vs. Natalya was a pretty good competitive match. Charlotte Flair brief backstage interview segment was decent. MVP Lounge segment with angry Lashley promo was superb. This week’s Money in the Bank go-home show was average at best overall but also mostly boring.

NXT (July 13)
* Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai – 3.0
* Tyler Rust vs. Bobby Fish – 2.0
* Gigi Dolin vs Sarray – 2.5
* Dexter Lumis vs. Santos Escobar – 3.0
* 2021 NXT Breakout tournament First Round match – Duke Hudson vs. Ikemen Jiro – 3.0
* Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs. Robert Stone Brand (Aliyah & Jessi Kamea) – 2.5
* NXT Championship Special Guest Referee match – Johnny Gargano vs. Karrion Kross (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – NXT Championship Special Guest Referee match.
Worst – Tyler Rust vs. Bobby Fish match.
Show Notes – Moon vs. Kai opener was entertaining despite some sloppy moments. Xia Li challenging Gonzalez for the NXT Women’s title is interesting. Malcolm Bivens taped interview segment about the Diamond Mine was decent. Jiro vignette was all right but laughed at him saying ass while the subtitles said “butt” instead. Joe & Kross backstage segment was all right. Sarray’s drop kick to Dolin on the bottom rope looked way more brutal than usual. Mandy Rose’s surprise appearance during the Dolin vs. Sarray match is very interesting. Hudson vignette was all right. Lumis vs. Escobar was mostly good despite the ending shenanigans. Kyle O’Reilly interview segment about his feud with Adam Cole was somewhat weak. Poor Indi Hartwell, got cock blocked again by Candice LeRae after her latest attempt to be in love with Lumis. Jiro’s lucky he didn’t snap his ankle after his hard landing from his moonsault to Hudson on the outside. Hudson vs. Jiro was quite good but surprised Hudson won. Robert Stone Brand break up is interesting. Joe & The Way locker room segment was lame. LA Knight & Grimes butler segments were funny overall. Cole & Bronson Reed promo & brawl segment was all right. Kross’ powerbombs & Doomsday Saito combo destruction of Gargano was great. NXT title match was quite good and a bit surprised Kross retained. Kross post-match attack of Joe was predictable but their feud should be really good. This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (July 16)
* 6-Man Tag Team match – Roman Reigns & The Usos vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio & Edge – 3.0
* Shotzi & Nox vs. Natalya & Tamina – 2.0
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Carmella vs. Bianca Belair (c) – 3.0
Otis vs. Cesaro – 1.5
* Fatal Four-way match – Kevin Owens vs. Big E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Fatal Four-way match.
Worst – Liv Morgan & Zelina Vega’s awful constant bickering on guest commentary during the women’s tag match and WWE pipping in fake crowd noises at times despite it being their first tv show back with a packed live crowd.
Show Notes – Opening brief Vince McMahon promo to the crowd moment was funny. The new set and new AR graphic inserts for SmackDown looks all right but not a fan of the opening segment being mostly just really long drawn out entrances. Ouch at Dominik’s back after the table didn’t break from Reigns’ powerbomb onto it. 6-Man Tag match was pretty good despite the anti-climatic finish. Edge & Rollins backstage segment about Reigns was okay but Rollins’ Waluigi-like laugh was great. Sami Zayn conspiracy promo was okay but Finn Balor’s surprise return was sweet. Yikes at the lack of reaction for the entrances for both teams in the Women’s tag match. Apollo Crew vignette was all right. Women’s tag match was decent at best. Belair’s dead-lift standing suplex counter of Carmella’s Guillotine sleeper was cool. SmackDown Women’s title match was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Alpha Academy & Cesaro backstage promo segemnt was fine. Toni Storm vignette was okay. Otis vs. Cesaro was a big pie of nothing topped with a lame DQ finish. Paul Heyman & Big E backstage segment was splendid. Sad Corbin’s “Corbin FundMe” promo segment was funny. Owens elbow drop off the ladder on Nakamura through a table was awesome, especially the cameraman getting taken out by it as well. Fatal 4-way was quite good. This week’s MitB go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall but also a bit lackluster in terms of effort for WWE’s first tv show with fans back.

---

AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (July 12)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Dreamgirl Ellie – 2.0 (Squash)
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Matt Hardy – 2.5
* Riho vs. Amber Nova – 2.0
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Baron Black – 1.5 (Squash)
* KiLynn King vs. Yuka Sakazaki – 2.5
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Gunn Club (Colton & Billy Gunn) & Varsity Blonds vs. The Acclaimed & Chaos Project – 3.0
* Brian Cage vs. Alan “5” Angels – 2.5
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Kelsey Heather – 1.5 (Squash)
* Scorpio Sky vs. “The Captain” Shawn Dean – 2.5
* Tay Conti vs. Labrava – 2.5 (Squash)
* Lee Johnson vs. Jungle Boy – 3.5
* Red Velvet vs. Leila Grey – 2.0 (Squash)
* Trios match – Private Party & Jorah Johl vs. Wheeler Yuta, Orange Cassidy, & Chuck Taylor – 2.5
* Julia Hart vs. Hikaru Shida – 2.5
* Angelico vs. Darby Allin – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Lee Johnson vs. Jungle Boy match.
Worst – The almost 2 hour runtime for the show.
Show Notes – Rosa vs. Ellie opener was a decent extended squash match. Hardy pre-match promo mocking Del Sol was decent. The crowd being really hot for Del Sol was splendid. Del Sol vs. Hardy was a solid bout. Riho vs. Nova was mostly decent despite its somewhat sluggish pacing. Dustin Rhodes & Johnson backstage promo segment about Jungle Boy match was fine. Ouch at Sakazaki’s back after getting slammed hard on the apron by King’s rough looking Uranage. King vs. Sakazaki was a decent back-and-forth match despite some sloppy moments. Max Caster’s pre-match rap mocking Varsity Blonds, Gunn Club, & Miami Heat was awesome. 8-Man Tag match was pretty good. Cage vs. Angels was a solid and also surprisingly very competitive match. Jurassic Express backstage promo segment about Jungle Boy’s 50th win milestone & Johnson match was okay. Heather managed to pull a Rick Rude by showing up on both WWE RAW & AEW Dark Elevation on the same night. Mark Sterling & Jade Cargill business promo segment was bland. Conti vs. Labrava was a fine showcase squash match for Conti and she has improved a ton in the ring since her AEW debut. Johnson vs. Jungle Boy was a very good competitive action filled bout. Miro “Redeemer” vignette was excellent. Johl joining Hardy Family Office is interesting. Isiah’s scream during Taylor’s bodyslam spot of him was funny. Angelico vs. Allin was quite good. This week’s show was enjoyable despite its way too long runtime length.

AEW Dark (July 13)
* Matt Hardy vs. Jah-C – 2.0 (Squash)
* Brian Cage vs. Foxx Vinyer – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Acclaimed vs. Derek Pisaturo & Roman Rozell – 2.5
* Diamante vs. Harlow O’Hara – 2.0 (Squash)
* “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Ryan Mantell – 2.0 (Squash)
* Big Swole vs. Sahara Seven – 2.5
* Dante Martin vs. RSP – 3.0
* Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs. Papadon & Sean Maluta – 2.5
* “Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth vs. Marcus Kross – 2.0
* Penelope Ford vs. Robyn Renegade – 2.0
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Austin Green – 2.5
* Lee Johnson & Brock Anderson vs. Mark Davidson & Aaron Frye – 2.5
* Julia Hart vs. Madi Wrenkowski – 2.5
* The Blade vs. Jake Tucker – 1.5 (Squash)
* Private Party vs. Joeasa & Deonn Rusman – 2.5
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Travis Titan – 1.5 (Squash)
* Wingmen (Cezar Bononi & JD Drake) vs. Gunn Club (Colton & Billy Gunn) – 2.5
* Wheeler Yuta vs. Angelico – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Wheeler Yuta vs. Angelico match.
Worst – The show’s almost 2 hour runtime and very bloated match card.
Show Notes – Hardy mocking Christian Cage’s classic “5 second pose” was a bit funny. Hardy vs. Jah-C opener was a decent squash match. Vinyer’s appearance looks like something straight out of a random CAW generator from the old WWF and ECW games by Acclaim. Max Caster’s pre-match rap on Pisaturo & Rozell was splendid. Diamante pre-match promo on AEW’s Women’s division & Big Swole was all right. Diamante’s Standing Slice Bread spot to O’Hara looked nice. Swole’s post-match promo in response to Diamante was splendid. GCW’s Ricky Shane Page showing up in AEW is pretty cool. Martin’s Sunset Stunner finisher on RSPN was cool. Martin vs. RSPN was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Dark Order vs. Papadon & Maluta was a solid bout. Nemeth vs. Kross was decent at best but also dragged too long. Hardy promo segment about Christian Cage was all right. Yuta backstage promo segment about Angelico was fine. Hart vs. Wrenkowski was a decent back-and-forth style match. The Hybrid2 backstage interview about Yuta was okay but Angelico dancing throughout the segment was a bit funny. Rusman’s spin out Uranage-like slam spot on Quen was cool. Private Party vs. Joeasa & Rusman was a solid competitive bout. Yuta vs. Angelico was a quite good hard fought bout. This week’s show was average at best overall but mostly skippable.

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Night 1 (July 14)
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – Karl Anderson vs. Jox Moxley (c) – 3.0
* FTW World Championship – Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage (c) – 3.5
* Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage – 3.0
* Wheeler Yuta vs. Sammy Guevara – 3.0
* Penelope Ford vs. Yuka Sakazaki – 3.0
* Coffin match – “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Coffin match and the crowd in general being very hot throughout the show.
Worst – QT Marshall’s interview segment.
Show Notes – IWGP US title opener was an entertaining action filled match. Lancer Archer challenging Moxley for his IWGP US title next week is interesting. Andrade going after Death Triangle for his first big AEW feud should be great. FTW title match was very good, especially the latter half and rare time a shenanigans ending helped more than it hurt a match. Cody & Malakai Black promo & brawl segment was superb. Hangman Page & Elite promo & Dark Order run-in save segment was excellent and same for the crowd being super hot throughout it. Jericho interview & MJF and Spears ambush segment was fine. Hardy’s DDT to Cage on the stairs spot was cool. Hardy vs. Cage was mostly good despite dragging too long & abrupt finish. Miro’s TNT title promo vignette was splendid. Britt Baker interview segment on Nyla Rose & Vickie was really good. Moxley’s promo in response to Archer was wonderful. Yuta vs. Guevara was a quite good action filled match. Ouch at Sakazaki getting accidentally nailed in the head from her Hammerlock air plane spin to Ford. Ford vs. Sakazaki was pretty good. Allin’s Cannonball dive to Page on the outside was crazy. Allin’s balcony dive & Page catching him for a counter was cool. Ouch at Page getting busted open. Page’s Ego’s Edge to Allin from the rope to the steel stairs was brutal. Coffin match was an awesome & crazy action packed bout. Allin’s post-match Coffin Drop onto the coffin was sweet. This week’s show was amazing overall.

---

NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo 2021 Night 2 (July 11)
* Yuya Uemura & SHO vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado – 3.0
* El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, & EVIL vs. Rocky Romero, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* Yujiro Takahashi & KENTA vs. Yota Tsuji & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. YOH & Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi – 4.0
* IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c) – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.
Worst – Bullet Club vs. Rocky Romero, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Tomohiro Ishii dragging in action mid-way into the match.
Show Notes – Uemura & SHO vs. Kanemaru & El Desperado opener was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. EVIL chucking Romero into the barricade so it would crash into the ring announcer sitting at ringside as a birthday present for him was hilarious. Romero using Taguchi’s butt as a spring board for his Tornado DDT to Phantasmo was funny. Bullet Club vs. Romero, Taguchi, & Ishii 6-Man Tag was good despite dragging a bit too long. Tsuji’s KO sell of Takahashi’s Pimp Juice finisher was great. Bullet Club vs. Tsuji & Tanahashi was quite good, especially the latter half. Ouch at the welt on YOH’s back after some of the hard hits he took during his tag match. Cobb catching Okada’s dropkick and tossing him away afterwards was awesome. United Empire vs. YOH & Okada was a very good action filled match. Takagi’s wrenching STF to Wato was cool. Wato vs. Takagi was an amazing hard hitting bout and possibly Wato’s best match in NJPW so far. Sabre Jr. & Taichi’s tagging antics at the start of the IWGP Tag title match was funny. Ouch at Naito’s chest after getting whipped hard into the barricade by Taichi. Taichi’s high angle Saito Suplex to Naito was magnificent. Sabre Jr. bending in half like a piece of paper from Naito’s Esperanza was cool. IWGP Tag title match was a terrific action packed bout, especially the latter half, and a worthy MotY contender. Summer Struggle in Sapporo 2021 Night 2 was fantastic overall.

NJPW Strong Tag Team Turbulence (July 16)
* Tag Team Turbulence tournament First Round – The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. TJP & Clark Connors – 3.0
* Tag Team Turbulence tournament First Round – Wheeler Yuta & Fred Yehi vs. Ren Narita & Yuji Nagata – 3.5
* Tag Team Turbulence tournament First Round – The DKC & Kevin Knight vs. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson – 3.0
* Tag Team Turbulence tournament First Round – Team Filthy (Danny Limelight & JR Kratos) vs. Violence Unlimited (Chris Dickinson & Brody King) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Team Filthy vs. Violence Unlimited match.
Worst – The lack of an intermission break for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Good Bros vs. TJP & Connors opener was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Yuta & Yehi vs. Narita & Nagata was a very good hard hitting bout. DKC & Knight vs. Isaacs & Nelson was a good competitive action filled bout. Dickinson’s clothesline & release German suplex combo finisher on Lmelight was cool. Team Filthy vs. Violence Unlimited was a very good hard hitting slugfest match. Ths week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (July 15)
* Kaleb with a K & Tenille Dashwood vs. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering – 3.0
* Tasha Steelz vs. Havok – 2.5
* Steve Maclin vs. Kal Herro – 1.5 (Squash)
* Eight-Man Tag Team match – Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju, & Shera vs. Petey Williams, Trey Miguel, Josh Alexander, & Chris Bey – 3.5
* Moose vs. Hernandez – 2.0 (Squash)
* Four-way match – Doc Gallows vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack vs. Joe Doering – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Eight-Man Tag Team match.
Worst – Steve Maclin vs. Kal Herro match.
Show Notes – Intro Callihan vs. Omega match hype video package was superb. Kaleb getting accidentally pantsed by Ellering and doing the Rick Rude dance taunt to her afterwards was a bit funny. Ouch at Grace’s head getting spiked from Kaleb’s powerslam. Opening Kaleb & Dashwood vs. Grace & Ellering match was quite good. Omega vignette was all right. Knockouts title match contract signing segment with Scott D’Amore & Deonna Purrazzo was fine and D’Amore & Tommy Dreamer wrestlers nickname puns as teasers was a bit funny. W. Morrissey vignette was all right. Susan & Kimber Lee backstage segment about Susan revealing she knew the whole time about her Su Yung alter ego was interesting. Maclin vs. Herro was a dull squash match while Maclin post-match promo was decent at best. Decay, Havok, & Father James Mitchell creepy backstage segment was okay. Ouch at Raju’s neck after getting spiked by Williams’ Candian Dsteroyer spot and at Miguel’s back from Shera’s chokeslam backbreaker spot. 8-Man Tag was a very entertaining fast paced action filled bout. Brian Myers & Matt Cardona in-ring promo & brawl with Jake Something & Sam Beale was decent but Dashwood & Kaleb’s ambush on Cardona and joining Myers was interesting. Cardona & D’Amore backstage segment about Myers & Dashwood was decent. Callihan vignette was all right. Four-way match was a pretty good hard hitting hoss style bout. This week’s Slammiversary go-home show was enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary 2021 (July 17)
* Pre-show: Knockouts Tag Team Championship – Decay (Havok & Rosemary) vs. Fire N’Flava (c) – 3.0
* X-Division Championship Ultimate X match – Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Petey Williams vs. Rohit Raju vs. Chris Bey vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 4.0
* Mixed Tag Team match – Brian Myers & Tenille Dashwood vs. Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green – 2.5
* W. Morrissey vs. Eddie Edwards – 3.0
* Madman Fulton & Shera vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 2.0 (Squash)
* Moose vs. Chris Sabin – 3.5
* Impact World Tag Team Championship Four-way match – Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Fallah Bahh & No Way Jose vs. The Good Brothers vs. Violent By Design (Joe Doering & Rhino) – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts Championship – Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c) – 3.0
* Impact World Championship No Disqualification match – Sami Callihan vs. Kenny Omega (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact World Championship No DQ match and Jay White surprise debut.
Worst – No Way Jose being an odd choice for one of the big hyped up suprise debuts and Impact production botching the show feed during the show closing final moment.
Show Notes – Raju’s rope toss to the Ultimate X cables and climb to try to grab the X Division belt was a cool & unique spots for an Ultimate X match. Williams’ Super Canadian Destroyer on Bey via Alexander’s assist was awesome. Ultimate X opener was a fantastic action filled bout. Green being Cardona’s mystery partner was an okay surprise. Cardona might be the smartest man in wrestling today since he actually wore a cup to deflect a low blow by Dashwood. Ouch at Edwards’ back after getting chokeslamed on the apron by Morrissey. Morrissey vs. Edwards was a pretty good hard hitting match despite its sluggish pacing. Moose vs. Sabin was a very good match despite the anti-climatic ending. No Way Jose’s debut as Bahh’s tag partner was an odd choice for a big surprise debut. Tag title match was pretty good but also a bit surprised the Good Bros won. Rosa being Purrazzo’s surprise opponent was a fantastic choice. Knockouts title match was an entertaining back-and-forth style bout. Mickie James surprise return was cool. Yikes at Omega’s head gushing blood after Sami’s pizza cutter spots. Yikes at Sami’s head getting busted open and gushing blood. Ouch at Sami’s chest after getting leg dropped into a barb wired chair. Omega getting tombstone piledriver into a barb wire chair was crazy. Sami getting V-Triggered with tacks in his mouth & One Wingled Angle into tacks afterwards was brutal. Impact title match was a great bloody hardcore bout. Jay White surprise appearance was amazing. Slammiversary was a very enjoyable show overall.

---

Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c) (NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo 2021 Night 2)
• Worst match of the week – United States Championship – Humberto Carrillo vs. Sheamus (c) (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW