Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for October 17 to October 23, 2021

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of October 17th to October 23rd, 2021.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (October 18)
* King of the Ring 2021 Semifinals match – Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal – 2.5
* Austin Theory vs. Jeff Hardy – 2.5
* Big E & Drew McIntyre vs. Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) – 3.0
* Mansoor vs. Cedric Alexander – 2.5
* RK-Bro vs. Street Profits – 3.0
* Queen’s Crown tournament Semi-finals match – Shayna Baszler vs. Doudrop – 2.0
* Finn Balor vs. Mace – 2.0
* RAW Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair (c) – 3.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – RAW Women’s title match minus the ending.
Worst – Charlotte Flair’s opening promo and the WWE Creative’s lame & extra lazy booked DQ ending to the RAW Women’s title match.
Show Notes – Flair’s opening promo about Belair & nagging about stuff was awful but Belair’s response & mini-brawl was fine. Woods & Kingston backstage promo about Woods’ KotR dream goal was all right. 24/7 title backstage segment with Theory & R-Truth was dumb but also a bit funny. McIntyre’s brutal chops to Ziggler in the corner was sweet. Big E’s catch & toss counter of Ziggler’s Fameasser on the outside was nice. McIntyre’s inverted Alabama Slam to Ziggler onto Roode was nice. Big E & McIntyre vs. Dirty Dawgs was an entertaining back-and-forth action filled bout. Alexander’s modified T-Bone Suplex to Mansoor was cool. Mansoor vs. Alexander was a solid quick bout. Post-match Ali & Mansoor promo about their upcoming match was okay. Goldberg & Lashley backstage sit-down split-screen interview segment about their match at Crown Jewel was decent. RKO-Bro backstage pre-match promo was goofy. Keith “Bearcat” Lee vignette was okay but still not a fan of his new character changes. Ouch at Ford’s back after his hard landing from his sunset dive to RK-Bro on the outside. RK-Bro vs. Street Profits was going on very well until the lame DQ ending by AJ Styles & Omos. WWE’s handling of the Queen’s Crown tournament has been baffling bad and arguably the worst ever for a King/Queen style tournament. Viking Raiders & Morrison backstage segment was dumb. Ouch at Flair’s mouth getting busted open. Flair’s deadlift powerbomb of Belair was impressive. Belair’s reverse suplex of Flair was cool. RAW Women’s title was a mostly very good back-and-forth action match despite being a bit sloppy at times & the buzzkill DQ ending. This week’s Crown Jewel 2021 go-home show was average overall.

NXT (October 19)
* Odyssey Jones vs. Andre Chase – 2.0
* The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – 3.0
* Elektra Lopez vs. Cora Jade – 1.5
* Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal Stip Rights Triple Threat match – Io Shirai vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Persia Pirotta – 2.5
* Tony D’Angelo vs. Ru Feng – 2.0 (Squash)
* Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) – 2.5
* Winner Hosts NXT Halloween Havoc 2021 match – LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller – 2.5
* Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker vs. Grizzled Young Veterans – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker vs. Grizzled Young Veterans match.
Worst – Jacy Jayne’s scary looking botched dive to Persia Pirotta on the outside during the Women’s Triple Threat match.
Show Notes – Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams opening promo segment about Hayes NA title win & top guy reign plans and Johnny Gargano & Dexter Lumis response was decent at best. Malcolm Bivens pre-match promo segment about Diamond Mine was okay. Ouch at Barthel’s neck after his rough landing from Brutus’ overhead suplex. Aichner’s rolling DVD counter of Brutus’ clothesline was cool. Creed Bros vs. Imperium was a good back-and-forth action match despite some rough moments & ending ringside shenanigans with Diamond Mine, KUSHIDA, & Ikemen Jiro. O’Reilly & Wagner outdoors training segment was fine. Joe Gacy backstage cult leader promo about “snowflakes” & stuff was somewhat lame but Harland joining him is interesting. Lopez vs. Jade was nothing special. Yikes at Jayne’s head after her botched dive to Pirotta on the outside. Shirai’s German Suplex to Pirotta was impressive. Women’s Triple Threat was a solid match despite it falling apart for a while after Jayne’s injury. Solo Sikoa vignette was fine. KUSHIDA & Jiro bathroom segment was a bit funny. D’Angelo’s post-match promo about him having no memory of abducting Lash Legend’s producer was a bit funny. Duke’s Poker Room segment was dull. Rose vs. Gonzalez match hype video was okay. Mystery person’s items burying graveyard vignette was all right. Knight vs. Waller was a solid back-and-forth action match. The crowd chanting Rick Steiner style “ruffs” for Breakker during his tag match was sweet. Ciampa & Breakker vs. GYV was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. This week’s Halloween Havoc go-home show was mostly average overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (October 22)
* Open Challenge match – Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn – 2.0
* Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali – 2.0
* Hit Row (Ishiah “Swerve” Scott & Top Dolla) vs. Dustin Lawyer & Daniel Williams – 2.0 (Squash)
* Intercontinental Championship Contender’s match – Happy Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Brock Lesnar’s rampage of destruction.
Worst – Roman Reigns opening promo dragging way too long and the very phoned in effort by WWE Creative for the show.
Show Notes – Opening Roman Reigns rambling promo segment about his reign of dominance & mocking Lesnar dragged way too long but Lesnar’s destruction of Reigns & Usos was sweet. Adam Pearce suspending Lesnar after the big opening brawl was lame but Lesnar’s attack to Pearce ripping his pants was funny. Naomi & Deville backstage segment about their bad blood was decent. Zayn pre-match promo accepting McIntyre’s challenge was decent. The first match happening almost 45 minutes into the show and it going right to a commercial break was both extra lame and a big sign of how lazy WWE Creative was with the booking of tonight’s show. McIntyre vs. Zayn was decent at best. Xavier Woods’ King of the Ring coronation segment with Kofi Kingston was okay. Xia Li SmackDown debut vignette was fine. Mansoor vs. Ali was decent at best. Ridge Holland, Aliyah, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo, and Sheamus backstage promos about their moves to SD were okay. Hit Row SD debut pre-match promo stunk. Top Dolla’s double powerslam to the jobbers team at the same time was nice. Hit Row vs. Lawyer & Williams was a decent at best quick squash match. Madcap Moss & Corbin pre-match joke promo stunk. Corbin vs. Nakamura was a mostly good back-and-forth style match despite the ringside ending shenanigans. Charlotte Flair mocking Sasha Banks for swearing on a PG show was a bit funny. RAW & SD Women’s title swapping segment with Becky Lynch, Flair, & Banks and brawl was awful. This week’s show was average at best overall but also very skippable as well.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (October 18)
* Dustin Rhodes vs. Gustavo – 2.0 (Squash)
* Wardlow vs. Will Austin – 2.0 (Squash)
* Santana & Ortiz vs. Jaka & Sean Maluta – 2.5
* Trios Tag Team match – Diamante, Emi Sakura, & Nyla Rose vs. Kilynn King, Ryo Mizunami, & Red Velvet – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Women’s Trios tag team match.
Worst – The feed botch from production during the start of the Santana & Ortiz vs. Jaka & Sean Maluta match.
Show Notes – Rhodes vs. Gustavo was a decent opening squash style match. Wardlow trolling the crowd after they asked for a second powerbomb with the powerbomb fakeout into the Casualty of War finisher was a bit funny. Wardlow vs. Austin was also a decent squash style match. Santana & Ortiz’s rolling Cutter, Codebreaker, super kick, and OIC finisher sequence to Jaka was cool. Santana & Ortiz vs. Jaka & Maluta was a solid match. Red Velvet’s flying knee to Sakura in the corner via King assist was nice. Sakura’s stalling vertical backbreaker to Velvet was nice. Ouch at Velvet spiking her head on the match from her Spanish Fly to Diamante off the ropes. Mizunami’s double spear to Diamante & Sakura was nice. Women’s Trio was an entertaining back-and-forth action match. This week’s show was average but enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (October 19)
* Jamie Hayter vs. Tiffany Nieves – 2.0 (Squash)
* Gunn Club (Colton, Austin, & Billy Gunn) vs. Alex Chamberlain, Dean Mercer, & Diamond Sheik – 2.0 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura, Diamante, & Nyla Rose vs. Thunder Rosa, Kris Statlander, & Red Velvet – 3.0
* Lance Archer vs. OT Fernandez – 2.0 (Squash)
* Aaron Solo vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.5
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Daniel Garcia, Serpentico, & 2point0 vs. Dark Order (Stu Grayson, Colt Cabana, Alan Angels, & 10) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – 8-Man Tag Team match
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Hayter vs. Nieves opener was a decent brief squash style match. Gunn Club vs. Chamberlain, Mercer, & Sheik was an okay squash match. Ouch at Diamante’s back after Rosa’s hard missile drop kick to break up her non-legal pin attempt & ouch at Rosa’s head afterwards after landing hard from Rose’s chokeslam. 6-Women tag was a pretty good back-and-forth action match, especially the ending sequence. Jade Cargill & Mark Sterling promo segment about TBS title & Rosa insult was decent at best. Archer’s catch & chokeslam into the ring of Fernandez’s splash to the outside was sweet. Archer vs. Fernandez was a decent jobber destruction squash match. The crowd chanting “shave your back” to Nick Comoroto & him flipping out afterwards during the Solo vs. Kazarian match was a bit funny. Solo vs. Kazarian was a solid competitive match. Cabana’s springboard moonsault to 2point0 was nice. Angels’ suplex to Garcia onto Serpentico was nice. Garcia using Serpentico as a weapon against Angels was a bit funny. 8-Man Tag was an entertaining back-and-forth action match.

AEW Rampage (October 22)
* AEW World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round match – Orange Cassidy vs. Powerhouse Hobbs – 2.5
* Anna Jay vs. Dr. Britt Baker – 3.0
* Andrade vs. PAC – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Andrade vs. PAC match.
Worst – The early half of the Anna Jay vs. Britt Baker match being off or rough at times in terms of action and flow.
Show Notes – Ouch at Cassidy’s back after Hobbs’ backdrop onto the guard rail. Hobb’s catch & Torture Rack counter of Cassidy’s top rope splash was cool. Cassidy vs. Hobbs was a solid opening match despite the abrupt ending. Penta El Zero M interview segment & brawl with FTR & PAC was okay. Jay’s Flatliner & Koji Clutch combo to Baker was nice. Baker’s stiff forearm to Jay was sweet. Jay vs. Baker was a mostly good back-and-forth action match despite being a bit off in terms of flow during the first half. The bracket for the TBS title tournament looks more interesting than AEW’s World title one. Andrade & PAC split-screen pre-match interview was superb. PAC’s sunset dive to Andrade on the outside was nice. PAC’s brutal kicks to Andrade’s head on the apron was sweet. Andrade’s corkscrew dive to PAC on the outside was cool. Andrade chucking PAC face first onto the apron via Firearms Carry looked brutal. Ouch at Andrade’s back after PAC’s hurricanrana onto a chair on the outside. PAC’s moonsault to Andrade on the outside was sweet. PAC’s springboard spiked Cutter to Andrade was awesome, especially Andrade’s ragdoll sell of it. Andrade’s reverse DDT to PAC onto the apron looked brutal & same for his slingshot DDT onto the apron afterwards. PAC’s Avalanche brainbuster to Andrade was cool & same for his Poison Rana afterwards. Andrade vs. PAC was an amazing action packed match. Malakai Black’s post-match surprise attack to PAC & alliance with Andrade was interesting. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite Saturday Night Edition (October 23)
* AEW World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round match – Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes – 4.0
* TBS Championship tournament First Round – Penelope Ford vs. Ruby Soho – 3.0
* Bobby Fish vs. Anthony Greene – 2.0 (Squash)
* AEW World Championship Eliminator tournament First Round match – Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston – 3.5
* Jungle Boy vs. Brandon Cutler – 2.0 (Squash)
* Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes match and Miro’s backstage promo promising destruction to all who face him.
Worst – Lance Archer’s very scary looking missed moonsault to Kingston that ended with him spiking his head onto the mat.
Show Notes – Rhodes’ springboard clothesline to Danielson on the ropes was nice. Rhodes’ stiff clothesline & piledriver combo to Danielson was cool. Danielson vs. Rhodes opener was an awesome hard hitting action packed bout. Omega’s backstage promo trashing Hangman Page was superb. FTR & Lucha Bros promo vignette about AEW Tag titles & their bad blood was splendid. Sting & MJF promo segment about MJF trashing Darby Allin & Sting’s friendship with others and brawl with Pinnacle was wonderful. Britt Baker backstage interview about Tay Conti was all right. Ford vs. Soho was a good back-and-forth style match despite the abrupt ending. MJF & Wardlow’s backstage segment about Wardlow’s issues with MJF was interesting. Archer suplexing a random guy from the crowd onto Kingston on the outside was cool & same for him chokeslamming the guy onto Kingston afterwards. Yikes at Archer spiking his head after his missed moonsault to Kingston. Archer vs. Kingston was a very good hard hitting match despite it being derailed by Archer’s injury. Lambert & Men of the Year promo segment mocking Inner Circle & Guevara’s response was decent. Moxley backstage promo about AEW World title & his daughter was splendid. Dark Order & Hangman Page backstage reunion was wonderful. Jungle Boy’s promo about the Elite & Adam Cole’s response and brawl with Young Bucks was superb. Miro’s promo vignette about god forsaking him was excellent. Ouch at Black’s head getting busted open after Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes through a table. Black’s brutal double stomp to Rhodes was cool. Black vs. Rhodes was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 17 (October 18)
* Satoshi Kojima vs. Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Toru Yano vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tanga Loa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Tanga Loa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. match.
Worst – The ref needing to bail out Kota Ibushi multiple times during the KENTA vs. Ibushi match because Ibushi kept botching the 20 count break timing.
Show Notes – Kojima vs. Great-O-Khan opener was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. Yano vs. Ishii was a pretty good competitive bout. Kevin Kelly & Chris Charlton explaining Pieter’s seductive dance being her “interpretive dance” tale of Yujio beating Takagi tonight & the A Block tiebreakers was funny. Yujiro’s dive outta nowhere to Takagi on the outside during Takagi’s entrance was cool. Yujiro somehow hit the worst ever looking Olympic Slam to Takagi. Takagi’s Made in Japan counter of Yujrio’s kicks & strikes combo was nice. Yuiro’s Pimp Juice to Takagi on the outside sounded brutal. Takahashi vs. Takagi was a surprisingly good back-and-forth hard hitting bout & legit surprised at the double countout finish. Sabre Jr’s La Mistica & neck twist combo to Loa was smooth. Loa’s T-Bone Suplex to Sabre Jr was nice. Loa got some really sweet distance with his diving headbutt to Sabre Jr. Loa & Sabre Jr’s counters fest exchange was cool. Sabre Jr’s Yoshi Tonic to Loa was nice. Loa vs. Sabre Jr was an excellent hard fought action & grappled filled bout, especially the latter half. Ibushi needing to be bailed out by the ref after botching the timing of the 20 count break twice was funny. Ibushi’s Matrix dodge & Half-and-half suplex counter of KENTA’s running kick was cool. Psycho Ibushi being unleashed was sweet. Holy crap at the loud thud from IBUSHI’s dive to KENTA onto a table that didn’t break. KENTA’s vicious running dropkick to IBUSHI in the corner & double stomp afterwards was nice. KENTA vs. Ibushi was a mostly great hard fought action packed match. NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 17 was a mostly terrific show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 18 (October 20)
* Pre-show: Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. YOSHI-HASHI – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Tama Tonga vs. Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Taichi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – EVIL vs. SANADA – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – EVIL vs. SANADA match going overboard with the Bullet Club style shenanigans near the end of it.
Show Notes – Young Lions vs. LIJ opener was an entertaining hard hitting bout. Owens vs. YOSHI-HASHI was a pretty good back-and-forth style match. Tonga’s Tonga Twist to Goto was nice. Tonga’s Flatliner counter of Goto’s lariat was nice. Goto’s reverse GTR & vicious lariat combo sending Tonga spinning to the mat was cool. Tonga & Goto’s counters fest sequence into a Bloody Sunday by Tonga was sweet. Tonga vs. Goto was a very good hard hitting action filled match despite the flat ending. Taichi’s brutal looking Saito suplex to Tanahashi at the start of their match was sweet. Tanahashi working heelish towards Taichi & his injured ribs is interesting. Taichi’s Dangerous Suplex & superkick combo to Tanahashi was nice. Taichi vs. Tanhashi was a really good back-and-forth “overcome the odds” style bout & was surprised Taichi won. Ouch at the ring announcer after his hard tumble to the floor from EVIL’s guard rail slam to SANADA. Ouch at SANADA’s head after EVIL’s hard chair toss to him. EVIL vs. SANADA was a mostly pretty good bout despite it going overboard with shenanigans. Yikes at Cobb & Okada likely suffering stingers after Okada’s modified neckbreaker to Cobb spot. Cobb’s catch & release suplex of Okada’s dive to the outside was cool. Okada’s sunset dive to Cobb on the outside was nice. Okada’s top rope missile dropkick to Cobb was brutal. Cobb’s Spin Cycle counter of Okada’s Rainmaker was silky smooth. Cobb’s double tombstone combo to Okada was awesome. Okada’s DDT counter of Cobb’s Super Tour of the Islands was nasty. Cobb vs. Okada was an amazing hard fought action packed battle. NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 18 was a great show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Finals (October 21)
* Pre-show: Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado – 3.0
* United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. Yuji Nagata & Toru Yano – 3.0
* House of Torture (SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL) vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hirooki Goto – 2.5
* Chase Owens, Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga), & KENTA vs. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* UWF Rules 5-Minite Time Limit match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata – 3.0
* Master Wato, Rysuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 Finals – Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Katsuyori Shibata’s surprise apperance and impromptu wrestling match.
Worst – Kota Ibushi suffering a serious arm and/or shoulder injury.
Show Notes – Young Lions vs. Suzuki-Gun tag team opener was an entertaining bout. Nagata’s Exploder Suplex counter of Khan’s Iron Claw was nice. United Empire s. Nagata & Yano was a pretty good back-and-forth action match with some nice comedic moments. Ishii & Yujiro’s strikes exchanges antics to EVIL on the apron was a bit funny. House of Torture vs. CHAOS 6-Man Tag was a solid bout despite the ending shenanigans. Bullet Club vs. Tiger Mask, Honma, Makabe, & Tanahashi was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Shibata’s surprise appearance was awesome & same for him wrestling for the first time these past few years. Sabre Jr. vs. Shibata UWF Rules match was a wonderful grapple heavy bout & still legit surprised Shibata actually got to wrestle again. Shibata’s post-match promo about his promise to wrestle again was sweet. Taguchi & Takahashi’s running the ropes antics was funny. Kojima’s machine gun chops to SANADA, Takahashi, & BUSHI in the corner was both nice and a bit funny. Wato, Taguchi, Kojima, & Tenzan vs. LIJ 8-Man Tag was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Ibushi’s Half-and-Half suplex to Okada on the outside was nice. Okada’s spiked DDT to Ibushi on the outside looked brutal. Okada’s Shotgun dropkick to Ibushi sending him flying into the corner was nice. Ibushi’s lariat counter of Okada’s Rainmaker was sweet. Holy crap at Ibushi’s head & right arm after crashing hard on the mat from his missed Phoenix Splash to Okada. Okada vs. Ibushi was heading towards being a very spectacular match until Ibushi’s injury happened. G1 Climax 2021 Finals was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW Strong Autumn Attack Night 3 (October 23)
* The DKC, Kevin Knight, Alex Coughlin, Ren Narita, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Brogan Finlay, Will Allday, Wheeler Yuta, Fred Yehi, & David Finlay – 3.5
* Chris Bey & El Phantasmo vs. Chris Dickinson & Robbie Eagles – 3.5
* Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks vs. Will Ospreay & TJP – 3.5
* Texas Bullrope match – Hikuleo vs. Juice Robinson – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Chris Bey & El Phantasmo vs. Chris Dickinson & Robbie Eagles match.
Worst – Hikuleo’s family jewels after Robinson’s repeated low blows & rope burn attacks.
Show Notes – Coughlin’s loud vicious chop to Allday in the corner was sweet. Coughlin’s deadlift Gutwrench suplex to Allday & Yuta at the same time was impressive. Taguchi’s repeated butt attacks taking out everyone on the other team was a bit funny. 10-Man Tag opener was a very entertaining action filled bout. Eagles dive to Bey & Phantasmo on the outside via Dickinson assist was cool. Phantasmo’s cartwheels & handstands antics into a back rake to Eagles was funny. Dickinson’s double suplex to Bey & Phantasmo at the same time was nice. Bey’s step up Senton & Phantasmo’s moonsault combo to Dickinson was sweet. Bullet Club vs. Dickinson & Eagles was a very good back-and-forth fast paced action bout. TJP’s vicious looking legbreaker to Connors was cool. Connors release German Suplex to TJP bending him in half was sweet. Fredericks’ leaping double stomp to the back of Osppreay’s head in the corner via Connors assist was cool. Connors & Fredericks vs. United Empire was a really good back-and-forth hard hitting action filled match. Post-match United Empire & LA Dojo brawl was all right. Ouch at Robinson’s back after getting whacked with the pointy end of the bullrope by Hikuleo. Also ouch at Robinson’s head after getting nailed hard by a baking sheet by Hikuleo. Ouch at Hikuelo’s head after getting nailed by a trash can lid by Robinson. Robinson yanking Hikuelo into a set of chairs on the corner was cool. Robinson’s repeated low blows to Hikuleo via the bullrope was hilarious. Bullrope match was a quite good hardcore style bout. This week’s Autumn Attack Night 3 themed show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (October 21)
* Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 3.0
* Intergender Tag Team Three-Way Match: Jordynne Grace & Fallah Bahh vs. John Skyler & Tenille Dashwood vs. Chelsea Green & Crazzy Steve – 2.5
* Pick Your Poison match – Savannah Evans vs. Mickie James – 2.5
* Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Josh Alexander career recap vignette segment.
Worst – The flat ref shenanigans ending to the Bullet Club vs. FinJuice tag team match.
Show Notes – Finlay’s jumping neckbreaker counter of Bey’s Art of Finesse was cool. Bullet Club vs. FinJuice opener was a pretty good back-and-forth action match despite the dumb refs double count ending shenanigans. Josh Alexander vignette about his road to wrestling, wrestling career, & upcoming Impact title match was fantastic. Intergender 3-way tag was a solid back-and-forth match. Rhino, Heath Slater, & Violent By Design promo segment about Rhino’s indecision over his friendship with Slater & VDB status and brawl was splendid. Evans vs. James was a mostly decent match despite dragging a bit too long. Purrazzo randomly breaking the “no touch” clause against James was odd. Purrazzo & D’Amore backstage segment about Purrazzo breaking the “no contact” rule was okay. Brian Myers backstage wrestling lesson segment about VSG’s loss last week & dumping Manny Lemons and Sam Beale was a bit heartbreaking. Knockouts Tag title contract signing segment with D’Amore, IInspiration’s lawyer, & Decay was a bit funny. Zayne’s springboard moonsault miss to Miguel into Miguel’s Asai Moonsault to Zayne on the outside sequence was cool. Zayne’s running front flip Frankensteiner to Miguel was sweet. Miguel got some great air with his top rope Meteora finisher to Zayne. Zayne vs. Miguel was an entertaining action filled match. Post-match brawl with Bullet Club & Steve Maclin was all right but El Phantasmo’s nut punch to Miguel was funny. Alexander & Christian Cage promo segment about Impact title match & brawl was superb. This week’s Bound For Glory 2021 go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Bound For Glory 2021 (October 23)
* Impact Digital Media Championship tournament Finals Six-Way match – Jordynne Grace vs. Johny Skyler vs. Madison Rayne vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Chelsea Green – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship – The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) vs. Decay (Havok & Rosemary) (c) – 2.5
* Impact X-Division Championship Tournament Finals Three Way match – El Phantasmo vs. Steve Maclin vs. Trey Miguel – 3.5
* Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) vs. Heath Slater & Rhino – 3.0
* Call Your Shot Gauntlet match – Chris Sabin vs. Rocky Romero vs. Madman Fulton vs. Rohit Raju vs. Tasha Steelez vs. Rachael Ellering vs. Savannah Evans vs. Johnny Swinger vs. Melina vs. The Demon vs. Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona vs. Laredo Kid vs. Same Beale vs. Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Alisha vs. W. Morrissey – 3.0
* Impact World Tag Team Championship – Bullet Club (Hikuleo & Chris Bey) vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) vs. Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts Championship – Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c) – 3.5
* Impact World Championship – Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact World Championship match.
Worst – Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship match being rough in quality and flow at times.
Show Notes – Opening Knockouts Tag title match was solid & bit surprised IInspiration actually won. Phanstomo’s top rope walk & hurricanrana combo to Maclin was nice. Maclin’s DDT to Phantasmo & Flatliner to Miguel at the same time was cool. Maclin’s spear to Miguel through the ropes was cool. Miguel’s kicks, deadlift brainbuster, & Meteora finisher combo to Phantasmo was awesome. X-Division title was a very good action packed match. Rhino reuniting with his buddy Slater was wonderful. VBD vs. Slater & Rhino was pretty good. Romero & Kiss Demon’s surprise appearances were cool. Swinger getting an autograph from the Demon & being eliminated afterwards was funny. Moose powerbombing Beale out of the ring onto Learning Tree was awesome. Morrissey chucking Alisha out of the ring onto Learning Tree was cool. Call Your Shot Gauntlet was an entertaining match. Robinson’s Gutbuster sending Bey flying into the air was cool. Impact Tag title 3-Way was a quite good back-and-forth action match despite the flat ending. Purrazzo’s Queen’s Gambit to James via ropes assist was cool. Knockouts title was a very good back-and-forth action filled match and bit surprised James won. Alexander’s release German suplex to Cage into the corner was brutal. Alexander’s kneebreaker powerbomb counter of Cage’s 10 Punches in the corner was cool. Cage’s vicious Tornado DDT to Alexander was nice. Alexander’s Chaos Theory to Cage was sweet. Impact title was a great hard fought action packed match. Moose cashing in his Call Your Shot & spoiling Alexander’s big title win moment was a great heel heat decision but also a questionable way to end the show. Bound For Glory 2021 was a very enjoyable show overall.

Dark Side of the Ring – Extreme & Obscene: Rob Black’s XPW (October 21)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – The episode starting off with a video clip of Rob Black talking about his sweaty balls was funny. Messiah’s story about Black sending a couple of guys to assault him at his apartment and getting his thumb cut off in the process was crazy. Dark Side of the Ring’s XPW episode was an interesting look back at the rise and fall of the very crazy and sleazy deathmatch-based promotion under Black’s ownership.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 18)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Andrade vs. PAC (AEW Rampage)
• Worst match of the week – Elektra Lopez vs. Cora Jade (WWE NXT)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Queen’s Crown tournament Semi-finals match – Shayna Baszler vs. Doudrop (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 17
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown