Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for August 8 to August 14

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of August 8th to August 14th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (August 9)
* Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre – 2.0
* Jeff Hardy vs. Karrion Kross – 2.0
* Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop – 1.0
* United States Championship Contender’s match – Ricochet vs. Sheamus – 3.0
* Damian Priest vs. John Morrison – 2.5
* T-Bar vs. Mustafa Ali – 2.0 (Squash)
* Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki ASH – 2.0
* Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles match.
Worst – Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop match and the Bliss vs. Eva Marie & Doudrop feud in general.
Show Notes – Orton rocking a mustache for his RAW return was a weird sight to see. RK-Bro breaking up was a bit of a heartbreaking moment. Opening Orton, Riddle, & Styles promo & brawl segment was all right but ouch at Riddle’s shoulder from his rough landing from Omos’ chokeslam to him. Corbin vs. McIntyre was decent at best but the ending of McIntyre mocking Corbin’s money request was funny. Hardy vs. Kross was somewhat decent. RK-Bro history vignette was goofy and same for Riddle’s backstage interview segment. Lilly “winking” and Doudrop losing via a doll distraction was one of the stupidest things ever in RAW history. Ricochet’s top rope crossbody splash to Sheamus onto the announcer’s table was cool. Ricochet vs. Sheamus was a quite good back-and-forth action match despite the flat finish. Morrison’s corkscrew dive to Priest on the outside was cool. Priest vs. Morrison was a decent match. Priest managing to suddenly cure Miz of his ACL injury was a bit funny. The 24/7 title backstage photo shoot segment with R-Truth & Tozawa disguised as janitors was funny. MVP & Lashley promo segment about Goldberg was fine. Ripley vs. Nikki was mostly solid despite the lame DQ ending by Charlotte Flair. Elias’ “Elias is Dead” guitar burning vignette was interesting. Orton’s RKO counter of Styles’ Phenomenal Forearm was awesome. Orton vs. Styles was an entertaining match. Riddle laughing after getting RKOed by Orton was a goofy way to end the show. This week’s show was average at best overall.

NXT (August 10)
* Dakota Kai vs. Sarray – 3.0
* LA Knight vs. Andre Chase – 1.0 (Squash)
* Gigi Dolin vs. Amari Miller – 2.0 (Squash)
* 2021 NXT Breakout tournament Semifinals match – Odyssey Jones vs. Trey Baxter – 2.5 (Squash)
* Boa vs. Drake Maverick – 2.0
* Pete Dunne vs. Ilja Dragunov – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Pete Dunne vs. Ilja Dragunov match.
Worst – NXT’s baffling booking of the finish to the Pete Dunne vs. Ilja Dragunov match.
Show Notes – Yikes at Kai’s neck whiplash from Sarray’s vicious looking dropkick on the ropes. Kai vs. Sarray opener was an entertaining action filled match. Hit Row backstage promo segment about Legado Del Fantasma & mask burning taunt was all right. Dragunov & Dunne promo segment about WALTER & NXT UK was splendid. Knight, Ted DiBiase, & Cameron Grimes promo segment was fine but the stip of DiBiase being Knight’s butler if Grimes loses again at TakeOver is very interesting. Dolin’s vignette about NXT’s Women’s division was decent. Kyle O’Reilly & Adam Cole face-to-face promo segment about the stips for their TakeOver match & brawl was all right. The stips for the Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match were nothing special though. Ciampa & Thatcher backstage promo segment about Ridge Holland was superb. MSK’s promo segment about Imperium was lame. Clean shaven Baxter sort of resembles a thinner version of Buddy Murphy. Jones vs. Baxter was a short but entertaining squash match. Xia Li being missing from Tian Sha is interesting. Boa vs. Maverick was mostly dull even with the shenanigans ending. Dexter & Indi date segments with the Gargano’s were corny but also funny. Dunne vs. Dragunov was a very good hard hitting action filled match despite the shenanigans ending with WALTER and NXT Creative pulling a main roster creative with the baffling decision to book Dragunov to lose right before his big NXT UK title match. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (August 13)
* Intercontinental Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Apollo Crews (c) – 3.5
* Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy – 2.5
* Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) – 3.0
* Baron Corbin vs. Kevin Owens – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Intercontinental Championship match and Baron Corbin’s money pleading promo segment.
Worst – SmackDown Women’s title contract signing segment.
Show Notes – Opening John Cena & Roman Reigns promo segment about their feud & upcoming Universal title match was all right despite dragging way too long. Reigns part of the lengthy promo battle was better than Cena’s part. Intercontinental title match was very good action filled bout, especially the latter half. Pat McAfee dancing on the announcer table & WWE going overboard with the post-match pyro for Nakamura’s win was funny. Street Profits pre-match interview about Otis was okay. Yikes at Montez Ford almost completely whiffing his sunset dive to Otis on the outside. Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy was a solid match despite its somewhat weak ending. Seth Rollins promo segment mocking Edge’s career was decent despite dragging a bit long. Mysterios pre-match backstage promo segment about the Usos was dull. Mysterios vs. Dirty Dawgs was a pretty good back-and-forth action match despite the flat ending sequence. Sad Corbin’s plea for money from the crowd & Owens response segment was both superb and hilarious. Ouch at Owens’ back after Corbin’s backdrop counter to him on the apron Corbin vs. Owens was mostly solid despite the abrupt finish. Corbin stealing Big E’s Money in the Bank briefcase backstage was funny. SmackDown Women’s title match contract signing segment & brawl with Zelina Vega & Carmella was decent at best. This week’s show was enjoyable overall and one of SD’s better episodes this year.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (August 9)
* Red Velvet vs. Renee Michelle – 2.0 (Squash)
* “Pretty” Peter Avalon vs. “Captain” Shawn Dean – 2.0 (Squash)
* Hikaru Shida vs. Tesha Price – 2.5
* Brian Cage vs. RSP – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Amber Nova – 1.5 (Squash)
* Jurassic Express vs. Carlie Bravo & Cyrus – 1.5 (Squash)
* Matt & Mike Sydal vs. Lucha Bros – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Joey Janela’s heel turn on Sonny Kiss moment and the Matt & Mike Sydal vs. Lucha Bros match.
Worst – This week’s show being very heavy in squash matches.
Show Notes – Red Velvet vs. Michelle opener was a decent quick squash match. Dean’s powerbomb & knee backbreaker combo finisher to Avalon looked cool. Avalon vs. Dean was also a decent quick squash match. Shida vs. Price was a mostly solid match. Daniel Garcia & 2.0 taped interview segment about Fuego Del Sol & Darby Allin was all right. Joey Janela’s heel turn to Sonny Kiss was sweet. Janela’s piledriver to Kiss on the elevated fan side ledge was cool. Ray Fenix’s bouncing top rope armdrag to Matt Sydal was awesome. Ouch at Fenix’s head after getting spiked by Matt Sydal’s Airplane Spin DDT. Sydal Bros vs. Lucha Bros was a very entertaining fast paced action packed match. Eddie Kingston’s guest commentary work throughout the show was splendid. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall, especially its short runtime length, despite being very squash heavy for matches.

AEW Dark (August 10)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Zeda Zhang – 2.0 (Squash)
* Red Velvet vs. Skyler Moore – 2.0
* 2.0 (Jeff Parker& Matt Lee) vs. Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray – 2.5
* Chaos Project vs. Bear Country – 2.5
* Darby Allin vs. Invictus Khash – 2.5
* Alan “5” Angels vs. QT Marshall – 3.0
* Hikuleo vs. Thad Brown – 1.5 (Squash)
* Nyla Rose vs. Valentina Rossi – 2.0 (Squash)
* Daniel Garcia vs. Fuego Del Sol – 2.5
* Penelope Ford vs. Sahara Seven – 2.0
* The Pinnacle (Shawn Spears & Wardlow) vs. Seth Gargis & Ripper Zbyszko – 2.0 (Squash)
* TH2 vs. Jay Freddie & Marcus Kross – 2.5
* The Wingmen (Cezar Bononi & JD Drake) vs. Lucha Bros – 3.0
* Tay Conti vs. Robyn Renegade – 2.5
* Private Party vs. Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
* Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, & Colt Cabana) vs. Davis Ramos, Jake Manning, & Joey Sweets – 2.0 (Squash)
* Dark Order (10, Alex Reynolds, & John Silver) vs. Dean Alexander, Arjun Singh, & T.I.M. – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Private Party vs. Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta match.
Worst – The almost 2 hour runtime for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Rosa vs. Zhang opener was a decent extended squash style match. Red Velvet vs. Moore was somewhat dull and should have just been a pure squash match instead. Ouch at Alanis’ head after his rough landing from Lee’s release German Suplex to him. 2.0 vs. Alanis & Gray was a solid bout and 2.0 getting their first ever AEW win was interesting. Chaos Project vs. Bear Country was a decent back-and-forth style match. Angels vs. Marshall was a quite good action filled competitive match. Thad Brown’s Hollywood Hogan-like beard appearance looked wonderful while Hikuleo’s squash destruction of him was nothing special. Garcia’s brutal looking submission to Del Sol was cool. Garcia vs. Del Sol was a solid back-and-forth action match and Garcia getting his first ever AEW is interesting. Ouch at Kross’ rough landing to the outside after getting shoved off the ropes by Jack Evans. TH2 vs. Freddie & Kross was decent. Wingmen vs. Lucha Bros was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Conti vs. Renegade was a decent competitive match. Private Party vs. Taylor & Yuta was a good action filled match despite the shenanigans ending. Marq Quen’s post-match nut shot kick to Yuta was funny. Silver making his in-ring return from injury was splendid. This week’s show was mostly average overall despite its long runtime length.

AEW Dynamite (August 11)
* Trios match – The Elite (The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega) vs. Dante Martin & The Sydal Brothers (Matt & Mike Sydal) – 4.0
* Daniel Garcia vs. Darby Allin – 3.0
* Trios match – Wheeler Yuta, Chuck Taylor, & Orange Cassidy vs. Hardy Family Office (Private Party & Matt Hardy) – 3.0
* Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander – 2.5
* Impact World Tag Team Championship – Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs. The Good Brothers (c) – 3.0
* Labor of Jericho match – Chris Jericho vs. Wardlow – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Elite vs. Dante Martin & The Sydal Brothers match.
Worst – QT Marshall’s “apology” to Tony Schiavone & The Factory’s attack on his son with Paul Wight run-in save segment.
Show Notes – Opening MJF & Wardlow backstage promo segment about Jericho was all right. Martin’s escape counter of Omega’s Snap Dragon was cool. Martin’s top rope diving hurricanrana to Omega on the outside & moonsault to N. Jackson on the inside combo was awesome. Trios tag was an amazing action packed match, especially the latter half. Callis & the Elite and Christian Cage & Jurassic Express promo segment was superb. Cage vs. Omega for the Impact title at Rampage’s debut show is interesting. Malakai Black & Miro promo vignettes were wonderful. Garcia vs. Allin was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Death Triangle’s backstage promo segment about Andrade was fine. Yuta, Taylor, & Cassidy vs. HFO was pretty good despite getting a bit sloppy at the end. Andrade & Chavo backstage response to PAC was okay. Ortiz & Santana vs. FTR feud vignette was splendid. Statlander’s pendulum moonsault to Rose on the outside was cool. Rose vs. Statlander was a solid bout. Young Bucks’ backstage promo & basketball segment with Jurassic Express was goofy. Red Velvet vs. Baker match hype video & Baker interview & brawl with Velvet segment was superb. Brandon Cutler’s reaction to getting punched in the face by Colt Cabana at ringside was funny. Impact Tag title match was pretty good despite its flat ending. Wardlow botching slamming Jericho onto the ring post twice in a row was rough to watch. Jericho vs. Wardlow was mostly good despite the shenanigans ending. This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (August 13)
* Impact World Championship – Christian Cage vs. Kenny Omega (c) – 4.0
* TNT Championship – Fuego Del Sol vs. Miro (c) – 3.0
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Red Velvet vs. Dr. Britt Baker (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact World Championship match and Sammy Guevara giving Fuego Del Sol an official AEW contract.
Worst – The four-man booth commentary work being a bit of a mess or all over the place at times.
Show Notes – AEW using an Impact ref for the Impact title match on Rampage was a great choice. Cage is lucky he didn’t injury himself after his scary looking fall from Omega’s shove off the top rope to the outside. Omega’s vicious looking V-Triggers to Cage were sweet. Ouch at Omega’s neck from Cage’s Killswitch finisher onto an upright chair. Opening Impact title match was an amazing back-and-forth action packed match despite the ending shenanigans. Bit surprised Cage actually beat Omega for the Impact belt though. Orange Cassidy just chilling nonchalantly in the background during Cage’s post-match celebratory backstage interview was funny. Del Sol pre-match vignette was wonderful. Miro’s vicious big boot to Del Sol was cool. TNT title match was entertaining, especially the multiple near upset win moments for Del Sol. Miro ripping up Del Sol’s unsigned AEW contract was a dastardly move by him. Sammy Guevara handing Del Sol an official AEW contract in the end was a heartwarming moment. Velvet & Baker split-screen pre-match interview segment was decent. Yikes at Velvet’s neck after Baker’s brutal looking Ushigoroshi. AEW Women’s title match was pretty good despite its pacing being a bit off at times. The post-match brawl with Kris Statlander & a surprise returning Jamie Hayter was all right. This week’s debut show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (August 12)
* Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde – 2.5
* Daivari vs. Josh Alexander – 3.0
* Chris Bey & Jay White vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 3.0
* Matt Cardona vs. Matt Skyler – 2.5
* Impact World Championship #1 Contender Battle Royal match – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Impact World Championship #1 Contender Battle Royal match.
Worst – Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde opening match dragging too long in length.
Show Notes – Madison Rayne’s surprise return to help out Dashwood was interesting. Dashwood vs. Wilde opener was a solid match despite going overboard with the shenanigans and dragging too long. #1 Contender’s Battle Royal match hype video was all right. Alexander’s C4 finisher is easily one of the best and brutal looking finishers in wrestling these days. Daivari vs. Alexander was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Omega vs. Cage Impact title hype video with AEW & Impact talent predictions was okay. Good Bros & Violent By Design backstage promo about their match at Emergence was fine. Kiera Hogan promo segment about Fire N’ Flava breakup was splendid and Hogan being written out via Su Yung & Kimber Lee abduction was interesting. Omega & Callis backstage promo segment about Omega’s Impact title and Tony Khan & D’Amore was fine. Bey & White vs. FinJuice was a pretty good back-and-forth action match despite the lame DQ finish. Tasha Steelz backstage interview about Hogan & accepting Fallah Baah’s offer to handle his Rosemary & Havok issues was all right. Deonna Purrazzo & Melina backstage segment was decent. Christian Cage backstage interview segment about his Impact title match at AEW Rampage was fine. Cardona vs. Skyler was decent and surprised Skyler won even if it was via distraction shenanigans by Rohit Raju. #1 Contender’s Battle Royal was entertaining and was very surprised Brian Myers actually won. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong (August 13)
* Barrett Brown vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
* Hikuleo vs. Fred Yehi – 2.5
* Team Filthy (Danny Limelight & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) vs. Lio Rush & Karl Fredericks – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Team Filthy vs. Lio Rush & Karl Fredericks match.
Worst – Hikuleo vs. Fred Yehi match dragging at times.
Show Notes – Misterioso joining Brown & Batemen during Brown’s entrance is interesting. Brown vs. Yuta opener was an entertaining back-and-forth style match despite the ending shenanigans by Misterioso. Hikuleo vs. Yehi was a solid hard hitting match despite its pacing dragging at times. Hikuleo’s post-match promo about the lack of competition & Juice Robinson’s response was decent. Limelight’s vicious looking powerbomb into a backbreaker to Rush was cool. Team Filthy vs. Rush & Fredericks was a very good hard hitting action filled match. Rush & Fredericks post-match promo segemnt was all right. This week’s Resurgence go-home show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Resurgence (August 14)
* Alex Coughlin Open Challenge Series match – Alex Coughlin vs. Karl Fredericks – 3.0
* Ren Narita, Clark Connors, & TJP vs. Rocky Romero, Fred Rosser, & Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
* 10-Man Tag Team match – Team Filthy (“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Jorel Nelson, & Royce Isaacs) vs. Lio Rush, Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi, & Yuya Uemura – 3.5
* Hikuleo vs. Juice Robinson – 2.5
* Moose vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
* The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. John Moxley & Yuji Nagata – 3.0
* NEVER Openweight Championship – David Finlay vs. Jay White (c) – 3.5
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Moose vs. Tomohiro Ishii match and Will Ospreay’s ranting promo segment.
Worst – Hikuleo vs. Juice Robinson match.
Show Notes – Coughlin vs. Fredericks opener was an entertaining hard hitting match. 6-Man Tag was a quite good action filled match. Quest’s moonsault to Team Filthy on the outside and Kratos’ Gorilla Press toss of Rush to his pals on the outside were sweet. 10-Man Tag was a very good back-and-forth action packed match and was surprised Uemura got the pinfall win. Hikuleo vs. Robinson was a solid match. Ishii’s brutal looking lariat to Moose was cool & same for the sweet height Moose got on his Uranage to Ishii afterwards. Moose vs. Ishii was a very good hard hitting hoss battle. Will Ospreay surprise appearance & douchebag-style ranting promo on NJPW, Shingo Takaki, AEW, & LA Dogo was both outstanding and funny. Nagata being Moxley’s mystery tag partner was a nice callback to their past history in NJPW. Fireworks randomly going off outside during the Good Bros vs. Moxley & Nagata match was hilarious. Ouch at Moxley’s back after Good Bros’ Magic Killer onto an upright chair on the outside. Good Bros vs. Moxley & Nagata was a good back-and-forth action bout. NEVER title match was mostly very good despite it dragging on too long. Archer beating up the ringside guys during his entrance was hilarious. Archer’s banter with commentator Kevin Kelly mocking a KOed Tanahashi was a bit funny. Ouch at Tanahashi’s face after Archer’s stiff big boot. Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow finisher massacre to Archer was great. IWGP US title match was very entertaining. NJPW Resurgence was a very entertaining show overall.

AAA Triplemania XXIX (August 14)
* Marvel Lucha Libre Exhibition match – Team Terror Purpura (Picadura Letal, Venonoide, & Terror Purpura) vs. Team Leyenda Americana (Estrella Cosmica, Aracno and Leyenda Americana) – 3.0
* Copa Bardahl match – Myzteziz Jr. vs. Carta Brava Jr. vs. Aramis vs. Tito Santana vs. Drago vs. Nino Hamburguesa vs. Mocho Cota Jr. vs. Mr. Iguana vs. Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Villano III Jr. vs. Mamba vs. Argenis – 2.5
* AAA Reina de Reinas & Impact Knockouts Championships Winner Takes All match – Faby Apache (AAA Reina de Reinas) vs. Deonna Purrazzo (Impact Knockouts) – 2.5
* AAA World Tag Team Championship – Taurus & Brian Cage vs. Jinetes del Aire (Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid) vs. Los Lucha Bros (Fenix & Pentagon Jr.) (c) – 3.5
* Trios match – La Empressa (Puma King, DMT Azul, & Sam Adonis vs. Team AAA (Pagano, Chessman, & Murder Clown) – 3.0
* AAA Mega Championship – Andrade El Idolo vs. Kenny Omega (c) – 4.0
* Lucha de Apuestas Mask vs. Hair match – Rey Escorpion vs. Psycho Clown
Overall – 3.5
Best – 3.5
Worst – AAA’s production team taking a page out of WWE’s Kevin Dunne book with the constant camera cuts along with the poor audio levels mixing throughout the show.
Show Notes – Aracano getting stuck several times while rappelling around the arena during his entrance was funny. Opening Marvel tag match was entertaining despite the wacky ending with Lucha Hulk. Yikes at Myzteziz Jr. overshooting his sunset flip to the outside and crashing hard into the guard rail. Copa Bardahl match was mostly decent despite the messy shenanigans finish and some very oddly booked elimination decisions. The heel ref dragging Purrazzo to the ropes to break Apache’s submission was funny. Women’s title vs. title match was mostly solid despite the shenanigans ending. Fenix & Penta’s sunset dives to Taurus on the outside were cool. Tauraus’ top rope Gorilla Press Slam to Vikingo was awesome. AAA Tag title match was a very good action packed match. Ouch at Pagno’s botched cannonball dive to the outside and him getting tossed twice onto a ladder afterwards. 6-Man tag was a pretty good action filled match. Ric Flair’s surprise appearance alongside Andrade was great. Ouch at Andrade’s back after Omega’s backdrop onto the guard rail. Flair & Andrade chopfest of Omega was funny. AAA Mega title match was fantastic and was surprised Omega won. The main event pre-match Super Porky tribute was splendid well until Escorpion smashed Porky’s portrait over Clown’s head. Yikes at Clown getting busted open from a light tube shot and Escorpion getting busted open afterwards from Clown jabbing his head. Escorpion vs. Clown was a very entartining hard hitting hardcore match. Triplemania XXIX was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – AAA Mega Championship – Andrade El Idolo vs. Kenny Omega (c) (AAA Triplemania XXIX)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Impact World Championship – Christian Cage vs. Kenny Omega (c) (AEW Rampage)
• Worst match of the week – Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – LA Knight vs. Andre Chase (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – AEW Rampage
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW