Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for September 12 to September 18, 2021

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of September 12th to September 18th, 2021.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (September 13)
* RAW Women’s Championship Contender’s match – Shayna Baszler vs. Charlotte Flair – 2.0
* 6-Man Tag Team match – Drew McIntyre & Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal, Veer, & Shanky – 2.0 (Squash)
* United States Championship – Jeff Hardy vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.0
* Nikki A.S.H. vs. Tamina – 1.5
* Rhea Ripley vs. Natayla – 2.5
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, & New Day vs. Mace, T-Bar, Omos, & AJ Styles – 3.0
* Doudrop vs. Eva Marie – 1.5 (Squash)
* WWE Championship – Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley (c) – 3.0
* WWE Championship – Big E vs. Bobby Lashley (c) – 2.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Big E winning the WWE Championship and finally getting some much deserved top gold in WWE.
Worst – Doudrop vs. Eva Marie match.
Show Notes – Opening Big E, RK-Bro, MVP, & Lashley promo segment about Big E’s cash-in announcement & Orton vs. Lashley feud was all right. The crowd being way hotter over the tease of Orton beating Lashley for the title instead of Big E is not that good of a sign for Big E. Ouch at Flair’s neck after her rough landing from Baszler’s German Suplex. Flair legit still has the least accurate moonsaults in wrestling history. Baszler vs. Flair was somewhat solid despite the flat shenanigans ending with Nia Jax & being sloppy at times. Flair & Bliss post-match promo & Charly doll gift was awful. 24/7 title backstage segment was one of the weaker ones in recent months. US title was pretty good despite falling apart near the end. Orton putting on headphones to stop listening to Riddle’s dumb ramblings was a bit funny. Nikki botching the 10-punch routine to Tamina in the corner was a bit funny. Nikki vs. Tamina was mostly dull & topped with Tamina botching the pinfall kickout spot at the end. Ripley vs. Natayla was a solid back-and-forth match despite the ending shenanigans. Mace’s Black Hole Slam to Ali was cool. 8-Man Tag match was entertaining, especially the latter half. Karrion Kross promo vignette was bland. Lashley’s vicious looking spear finisher to Orton was cool. WWE title match was a quite good back-and-forth action filled bout. WWE always changing their rules on what counts for a legal cash-in is still funny. Big E vs. Lashley was decent at best but legit happy Big E won the title and also legit surprised WWE didn’t actually pull a swerve with his cash-in. This week’s show was average at best overall.

NXT (September 14)
* Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight – 2.5
* Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs – 3.0
* B-Fab vs. Katrina Cortez – 1.5 (Squash)
* Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs. Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne – 1.5
* Kacy Catanzaro, Kayden Carter, & Sarray vs. Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayn, & Mandy Rose – 2.5
* Ridge Holland vs. Drake Maverick – 1.5 (Squash)
* The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. Dan Jarmon & Trevor Skelly – 2.0 (Squash)
* NXT Championship 4-Way match – Pete Dunne vs. LA Knight vs. Von Wagner vs. Tommaso Ciampa – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – InDex wedding segment.
Worst – The very WWE RAW-like booked feeling to most of NXT’s revamp show.
Show Notes – Opening Ciampa, Dunne, O’Reilly, & Knight about their NXT title match tonight was decent. NXT’s new set looks okay in terms of bigger & brighter visuals but at the cost of the intimate feeling it had before. Breakker vs. Knight was solid despite the questionable booking decision to have Knight lose before his NXT title match later. Aicher’s top rope double underhook suplex finisher to Jensen was sweet. Imperium vs. Jensen & Briggs was a good hard hitting match. B-Fab vs. Cortez was rough even by squash standards. Grimes, Gargano, Jones, Theory, & Priest backstage segment was fine despite the crowd audio being way too loud. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams interview segment about Hayes’ title shot plans & their friendship was a mess that rambled on way too long. Hayes abrupt heel turn was also dumb. First hour of NXT’s new revamp felt way too RAW-like and not in a good way. Wagner replacing O’Reilly due to Dunne & Holland’s ambush attack earlier is interesting but also typical WWE style bait-and-switch tactics. Tony D’Angelo debut vignette was decent. Ouch at the jobber’s head bouncing off the apron from Brutus’ hard shove to the outside. Creed Bros vs. jobbers was a decent hard hitting squash match. Wagner’s vicious looking clothesline to Dunne was nice. NXT title match was a pretty good action filled match. The InDex road to wedding video package was a bit funny. Lumis threatening to chop up everyone who raised their hands in objection to his marriage was funny. InDex wedding segment was goofy as hell but also very hilarious. This week’s NXT show was mostly average overall but felt very RAW-like & not in a good way.

Friday Night SmackDown (September 17)
* The Usos vs. Big E & Finn Balor – 3.0
* Rick Boogs vs. Robert Roode – 2.5
* Kevin Owens vs. Happy Corbin – N/A
* Zelina Vega & Carmella vs. Liv Morgan & Toni Storm – 1.0
* Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn – 2.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Seth Rollins promo segment about him not being sorry for putting Edge in the hospital.
Worst – Zelina Vega & Carmella vs. Liv Morgan & Toni Storm match.
Show Notes – WWE went overboard with the amount of recaps during Roman Reigns long entrance to kick off the show. Opening Reigns, Paul Heyman promo about Balor & Lesnar fearing Reigns and Big E & Balor’s interruptions were decent at best. Big E & Balor’s Big Ending & Coup De Grace combo to The Usos was cool. Usos vs. Big E & Balor was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Reigns & Heyman backstage lounge segment about Lesnar was splendid. Boogs’ guitar audio being cut during Nakamura’s entrance was a bit funny. Boogs vs. Roode was a mostly solid match. Apollo Crews & Azeez’s post-match ambush of Boogs & Nakamura was okay. Owens backstage pre-match interview about Corbin was decent at best. Ouch at Owens back from Corbin’s chokeslam to the apron. Heyman finally snapping & going crazy over Kayla Braxton’s backstage antics was hilarious. The Bloodline’s backstage sneak attack on Big E was all right. Seth Rollins promo about his match last week & sending Edge to the hospital was superb. Becky Lynch’s backstage interview about Bianca Belair was decent but her new hairstyle looked a bit goofy. Women’s tag match stunk, especially the buzz kill “nose injury” spot for the countout finish. Balor’s promo about Demon Balor & transformation was goofy. Sonya Deville & Naomi backstage segment about Naomi demanding a match was okay. Mysterio vs. Zayn was decent at best. Belair’s “Homecoming Celebration” segment with Kane & Lynch was fine but Belair’s giant cardboard-like key gift from Kane looked a bit funny. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (September 13)
* Emi Sakura vs. Queen Aminata – 2.0
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Ren Jones – 2.0 (Squash)
* Penelope Ford vs. Layna Lennox – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Butcher & The Blade vs. Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Shawna Reed – 1.5 (Squash)
* Anna Jay & Tay Conti vs. Ella Shae & Jaylee – 2.0 (Squash)
* Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty – 3.0
* Skye Blue vs. Nyla Rose – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty match.
Worst – This week’s show being very heavy in squash matches.
Show Notes – Sakura vs. Aminata opener was a mostly solid match. Kazarian vs. Jones and Ford vs. Lennox matches were decent squashes. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Floyd & Magnum was a nice quick jobber destruction style match. Cargill’s Big Boots to Reed looked sweet while their squash match was mostly nothing special. Conti & Jay’s Tay-KO & Queenslayer finisher combo to Ella was cool. Jay & Conti vs. Shae & Jaylee was a decent squash action match. Moriarty’s Pepsi Twist clothesline to Garcia looked cool & same for Moriarty’s double stomp counter to Garcia’s low dropkick attempt. Garcia’s snapping Sharpshooter submission finisher to Moriarty looked brutal. Garcia vs. Moriarty was a quite good back-and-forth action filled grapple-based bout. Blue vs. Rose was an entertaining match. This week’s show was average overall but also mostly skippable except for the last two matches.

AEW Dark (September 14)
* The Butcher & The Blade vs. Rosario Grillo & Hunter Knott – 1.5 (Squash)
* Anna Jay vs. Ashley D’Amboise – 2.0 (Squash)
* 2point0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) vs. Erik & Andrew Lockhart – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Angelica Risk – 2.0 (Squash)
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Mysterious Movado – 2.5
* Shawn Spears vs. Khash – 2.0 (Squash)
* Hardy Family Office (Jora Johl & TH2) vs. Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
* KiLynnn King vs. Leyla Hirsch – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – KiLynnn King vs. Leyla Hirsch match.
Worst – Mark Sterling’s lackluster promo mocking Leyla Hirsch.
Show Notes – Opening Cargill & Hirsch backstage interview about their upcoming match on Dynamite was okay. AEW’s new studio venue for Dark looks nice. Cargill’s catch & Fall-away Slam counter of Risk’s flying cross-body was nice. Cargill vs. Risk was an okay quick squash style match. Post-match promo by Mark Sterling mocking Hirsch’s short size was more miss than hit in terms of quality effort. Diamante & Big Swole promo video about their match last week & feud was all right. Del Sol vs. Movado was a solid match. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela video promo about their past friendship & hyping up their upcoming match was superb. Cassidy doing his hands in the pockets antics to escape Angelico’s grasp of him was a bit funny. Hardy Family Office vs. Cassidy, Taylor, & Yuta was an entertaining back-and-forth action match. King ditching her face paint look is interesting. King & Hirsch’s mini-flex off contest early into their match was nice. King vs. Hirsch was a very good hard fought action filled match. Post-match Cargill & Hirsch brawl was all right. This week’s show featuring the debut of AEW’s new studio was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (September 15)
* Adam Cole vs. Frankie Kazarian – 3.5
* FTR vs. Matt Sydal & Dante Martin – 3.5
* Jade Cargill vs. Leyla Hirsch – 2.5
* Shawn Spears vs. Darby Allin – 3.0
* Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley vs. 2point0 (Jeff Parker & Matt Lee) – 3.0
Overall – 4.5
Best – MJF’s promo segment bashing Newark & Pillman Family, the Dan Lambert & Chris Jericho promo segment, & the very hot crowd throughout the show.
Worst – TNT censor person’s mood status after the barrage of swears throughout the show, especially during the Dan Lambert & Chris Jericho promo segment.
Show Notes – Kazarian’s Alabama Slam counter of Cole’s Panama Sunrise was cool. Cole vs. Kazarian opener was a very good action filled match. MJF cranking up the dial even more with his ECW era Dudleys inspired promo trashing Newark & the Pillman Family was awesome. Brian Pillman Jr. backstage sitdown interview about MJF was splendid. FTR vs. Sydal & Martin was a very entertaining action packed match. Suzuki-Gun promo vignette about Moxley & Kingston was wonderful. Malakai Black’s brief sermon & brawl with Cody Rhodes into the stands was fun. Bunny vs. Jay match hype video was superb. Anna Jay & Dark Order backstage segment about Dark Order’s civil war was fine. Dan Lambert promo mocking AEW fans & Jericho’s response mocking Lambert & Pals was both tremendous & funny. Gunn Club promo about the lack of respect for them in AEW was interesting. Cargill vs. Hirsch was a solid match. Andrade promo about why he ditched Chavo was all right. Ouch at Punk’s back after the announcer table didn’t break from Hobbs powerbomb. Spears vs. Allin was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Sting taking a spiked piledriver from FTR during the post-match brawl was crazy. Danielson, Callis, & Omega promo segment about their feud & title match setup was great. Kingston & Moxley’s brutal looking Half Nelson & clothesline finisher combo to Parker was cool. Kingston & Moxley vs. 2.0 was a pretty good hard hitting match. AEW fixing last week’s mistake by giving the crowd their “Kaze Ni Nare” moment for Suzuki post-match appearance was wonderful. This week’s show was fantastic overall & one of the best ever Dynamite shows.

AEW Rampage (September 17)
* AEW World Tag team Championship – The Butcher & The Blade vs. Lucha Bros (c) – 3.0
* The Bunny vs. Anna Jay – 2.5
* TNT Championship – Fuego Del Sol vs. Miro (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Britt Baker & Ruby Soho in-ring promo segment and the TNT Championship match.
Worst – AEW Tag Team title match being a bit off at times.
Show Notes – AEW’s new Rampage-based design ring mat for Rampage shows was a nice addition. Blade tying Penta’s mask to the rope was a bit funny. Penta yanking off his mask to break up the pin attempt was nice. AEW Tag title match opener was mostly good despite being a bit off at times pacing-wise. Post-match brawl with Hardy Family Office and Santana & Ortiz was all right. Omega vs. Danielson match hype video was splendid. Bunny vs. Jay was a solid back-and-forth style match. Post-match brawl with Tay Conti & Penelope Ford was okay. Matt Hardy interview segment about HFO’s back luck tonight and his disgust & attack on a fat guy Orange Cassidy fan was fine. Cassidy must have been stuck in catering with how late he was to save the fat guy from Hardy’s attack & hair cut. Tony Schiavone’s big hug to Britt Baker was a bit funny due to Adam Cole’s recent threats about him no longer being allowed to be pals with Baker. Baker & Ruby Soho promo segment about their feud and haymaker-style insults to each other was gold tier for greatness. Miro & Del Sol split-screen backstage pre-match interview was all right. Miro’s catch & Fall-away Slam counter of Del Sol’s crossbody from the barricade was cool. Miros vicious looking punch counter of Del Sol’s cross-body off the ropes was sweet. TNT title was a very good scrappy underdog vs. big bruiser style match, especially the latter half. The post-match tease of Sammy Guevara gong after Miro next for his title was sweet. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Dark Side of the Ring – The Plane Ride From Hell (September 16)
Overall – 4.0
Show Notes – DSotR producers managing to get one of the flight attendants from WWF’s infamous plane ride scandal for interviews was a great decision for the episode. The plane ride being delayed by 7 hours and the free flowing booze helps explain a lot of how that flight turned into legendary hell status for WWF. The Michael Hayes ponytail cutting prank is still funny after all these years but also still a messed up moment within the whole plane ride story. Then again, Hayes was also a dumbass for punching Bradshaw and not expecting a receipt back. The Lesnar vs. Hennig brawl during the flight is still one of the craziest wrestling stories I have ever heard. Terri Runnels revealing the “Don’t Sell It” mentality regarding having to constantly deal with harassment issues during her time in wrestling was a bit depressing. Ric Flair naked robe antics isn’t surprising since similar stories have been told before but him going way over the line with his sexual harassment of the attendant was disgusting. Tommy Dreamer excusing Flair’s antics as just harmless fun was messed up. Jim Ross being candid of how powerless he was during the plane incident and the repercussions, especially the lack of punishment for Flair, afterwards was interesting. The flight attendant also being candid at the end of this type of incident is normal with sports-based flights was disturbing. Holy shit at Dreamer’s comments at the end downplaying the incident because the attendant accepted a settlement & doubling down on excusing Flair’s antics. Dark Side of the Ring’s Plane Ride From Hell episode was an excellent but also a very disturbing tale about WWF’s infamous plane ride scandal.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (September 16)
* Violent By Design (Rhino & Deaner) vs. Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve) – 2.5
* TJP vs. Petey Williams – 3.0
* John Skyler vs. Laredo Kid – 3.0
* “The Drama King” Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Trey Miguel – 3.0
* 10-Men Tag Team match – Team Austin (Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Moose, W. Morrissey, & Brian Myers) vs. Team Cage (Josh Alexander, Chris Sabin, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, & Christian Cage) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – 10-Men Tag Team match,
Worst – Tenille Dashwood’s All About Me talk show segment with Taylor Wilde, Jordynne Grace, & Rachael Ellering.
Show Notes – Violent By Design vs. Decay opener was a solid match. Rhino getting kicked out of VBD after the match was interesting. Swinger’s Palace segment about all the former bosses of Impact was a bit funny. TJP vs. Williams was a quite good back-and-forth action match, especially the ending sequence. Post-match ambush by Steve Maclin to TJP & Williams was okay. Good Bros backstage interview about Anderson boasting about his win over Swann last week & brawl with Swann & Willie Mack afterwards was fine. Skyler pre-match promo about Kid was dull but the crowd chanting “You Suck” to him was a bit funny. Skyler vs. Kid was pretty good and was surprised that Skyler won. Dashwood’s All About Me talk show segment with Taylor Wilde, Jordynne Grace, & Rachael Ellering was a bit of a mess. Ouch at Miguel’s head after Rehwoldt’s hard running dropkick to his face. Rehwoldt’s Fireman’s Carry & powerbomb combo to Miguel was cool. Rehwoldt vs. Miguel was a good back-and-forth action match. Deonna Purrazzo’s post-match sneak attack low blow to Miguel was funny. Purrazzo & Mickie James brawl was sweet, especially James top rope splash to Purrazzo, Rehwoldt, & a bunch of refs on the outside. Tasha Steelz backstage promo about Decay & Knockouts Tag titles was okay. Chris Bey & Hikuleo backstage promo about FinJuice was decent. The all out mass brawl on the outside during the 10-man tag match was nice. Callihan kicking Sam Beale in the nuts was funny. 10-Man Tag was an entertaining action filled match. This week’s Victory Road 2021 go-home show was enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Victory Road 2021 (September 18)
* Three-way match – Steve Maclin vs. TJP vs. Petey Williams – 2.5
* Five-way match – Black Taurus vs. John Skyler vs. Jake Something vs. Laredo Kid vs. Trey Miguel – 3.5
* Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde – 3.0
* No Disqualification match – Rohit Raju vs. Matt Cardona – 3.5
* Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 3.0
* Moose & W. Morrissey vs. Eddie Edwards & Sami Callihan – 3.5
* Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship – Savannah Evans & Tasha Steelz vs. Decay (Havok & Rosemary) (c) – 3.0
* Impact World Tag Team Championship – Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. The Good Brothers (c) – 3.0
* Impact X-Division Championship – Chris Sabin vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 4.0
* Impact World Championship – Ace Austin vs. Christian Cage (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact X-Division Championship match.
Worst – Steve Maclin vs. TJP vs. Petey Williams match.
Show Notes – Three-way opener was a solid match despite its sluggish pacing at times. Miguel’s Meteora & DDT combo to Kid & Something was cool. Something’s chokeslam to Kid onto a standing Miguel was nice. Taurus’ corkscrew plancha to Something & Miguel on the outside was sweet. 5-Way match was a very good action packed bout. Dashwood vs. Wilde was pretty good, especially the latter half. Ouch at Raju’s back from Cardona’s DVD onto a trash can. Cardona’s diving Radio Silence to Shera onto the ramp on the outside was awesome. Raju vs. Cardona was a very good hardcore style match. Hikuleo’s crisp & brutal powerslam to Finlay was cool. Bullet Club vs. FinJuice was a good back-and-forth action match. Morrissey’s vicious Big Boot to Edwards on the apron sending him tumbling to the floor was cool. Edwards & Callihan superkick & brainbuster combo to Moose was great. Moose & Morrissey vs. Edwards & Callihan was a very good hard hitting brawl despite the flow killing KO spot with Alicia. Women’s Tag title match was pretty good. Impact Tag title match was a good back-and-forth action match. Sabin’s running top rope splash to Alexander on the outside was nice. Ouch at Sabin’s back after Alexander’s hard backbreaker to him. Alexander’s Chaos Theory counter of Sabin’s Tornado DDT was cool. X-Division title was an amazing hard fought match. Impact World title was a very entertaining back-and-forth action match. Alexander invoking “Option C” to drop his X-Division title in favor of a World title shot was interesting. Victory Road 2021 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 1 (September 18)
* Ryohei Oiwa vs. SHO – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tanga Loa vs. Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Toru Yano vs. KENTA – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 4.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi – 5.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi match.
Worst – KENTA’s family jewels after Yano’s back-to-back low blow punches during their match.
Show Notes – Oiwa vs. SHO opener was an entertaining hard hitting bout. Yujiro asking the ref to check out Pieter dancing at ringside as a distraction while he whacked Ibushi with his cane was funny. Ouch at Ibushi’s neck after his hard landing sell of Takahshi’s Pimp Juice DDT. Takahashi vs. Ibushi was a really good back-and-forth action match & legit shocked Yujiro won. Loa vs. Great-O-Khan was a quite good hard fought bout. KENTA handing a pamphlet to the ring announcer to give him a Yano style obnoxiously long ring entrance intro was hilarious. Ouch at Yano’s face after KENTA’s hard running dropkick to him in the corner. KENTA tying up Yano & chucking him under the ring was funny. Yano vs. KENTA was a fun comedic style match. Sabre Jr’s Bridging Dragon Suplex to Naito was nice & same for Naito’s Tornado DDT to Sabre Jr. afterwards. Naito’s vicious sounding elbow strikes to Sabre Jr. on the corner was sweet. Holy crap at Sabre Jr’s head getting planted hard onto the mat from Naito’s brutal looking counter DDT to him. Naito’s Valencia counter of Sabre Jr’s Zack Driver was cool. Naito vs. Sabre Jr. was a magnificent grueling action packed match. Ishii’s murder chop fest to Takagi was sweet. Ouch at Ishii’s head after getting spiked hard from Takagi’s DDT counter to his lariat attempt. Ishii & Tagaki slugfest exchange spot was great. The loud snapping sound from Takagi’s stiff lariat to Ishii was awesome. Takagi’s Pumping Bomber bending Ishii in half was cool. Ishii vs. Takagi was a terrific hoss style slugfest battle and strong contender for Match of the tournament. G1 Climax 2021 Night 1 show was amazing overall.

NJPW Strong Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2021 (September 18)
* Alex Coughlin vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
* Barrett Brown, Misterioso, & Bateman vs. Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.5
* Tables match – Hikuleo vs. Juice Robinson – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Alex Coughlin vs. Tomohiro Ishii match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – NJPW finally being able to have a live crowd for their Strong shows was a much needed addition for the show’s atmosphere. Ishii’s chop fest to Coughlin in the corner was nice & ouch at Coughlin’s bright red chest afterwards. Coughlin & Ishii’s stiff elbow strikes exchanges spot was sweet. Coughlin vs. Ishii opener was a very good hard hitting bout. Brown’s snapping suplex to Connors onto the corner looked brutal. Tanahashi’s double elbow drop to Brown & Misterioso at the same time was nice. 6-Man Tag was a very entertaining back-and-forth action packed match. Fredericks’ post-match promo about Will Ospreay & brawl with Ospreay afterwards was superb. Robinson’s swift kick to Hikuleo’s nuts early into their match was funny. Robinson’s cannonball dive to Hikuleo on the outside was nice. Ouch at Robinson’s back after Hikuleo’s top rope toss onto the legs of a folded table. Holy crap at Robinson’s back & head after the loud thud and bounce from his Senton splash onto a table that didn’t break. Tables match was a quite good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall and one of Strong’s best shows this year.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 1)
• Best match of the week runner-up – G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 1)
• Worst match of the week – Zelina Vega & Carmella vs. Liv Morgan & Toni Storm (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – B-Fab vs. Katrina Cortez (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW