Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for September 26 to October 2, 2021

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of September 26th to October 2nd, 2021.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE Extreme Rules 2021 (September 26)
* Pre-show: Liv Morgan vs. Carmella – 3.0
* 6-Man Tag Team match – New Day vs. AJ Styles, Omos, & Bobby Lashley – 3.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Street Profits vs. The Usos (c) – 3.0
* RAW Women’s Championship – Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair (c) – 2.5
* United States Championship Triple Threat – Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.5
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (c) – 3.5
* Universal Championship Extreme Rules match – “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Universal Championship Extreme Rules match minus the ending.
Worst – WWE Creative’s awful booked ending to the Universal title match.
Show Notes – Big E’s brute style Uranage to Styles was cool. Opening 6-Man Tag was mostly pretty good despite being sloppy at times & dragging too long. Ford’s sunset flip from the turnbuckle to the Usos on the outside was awesome. SD Tag title was an entertaining back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half. Bliss’ counter of Flair’s moonsault into a Destroyer was nice. RAW Women’s title match was decent at best despite the lame ending sequence. Bliss’ melodramatic acting over Flair’s post-match destruction of Lilly was both goofy & awful and same for the crowd’s “Thank You Lilly” chants. Sheamus’ mockery of Hardy’s dance routine was funny. US title was a very good action filled match, especially the latter half. Belair’s rolling suplex into a stalling vertical suplex to Lynch was nice. Lynch & Belair hair tug of war into a spinebuster by Belair was cool. SD Women’s title match was going on amazingly well until the lame DQ finish by Sasha Banks. Reigns randomly wearing a mask for the brawl with Balor in the crowd was a bit goofy but makes sense since he’s a bigger risk for COVID. Also was a completely avoidable situation but WWE Creative is run by morons. Balor nailing Reigns in the nuts was funny. Reigns’ spear to Balor through the barricade was cool. Demon Balor coming to life & the red moody lights with Balor theme playing was very goofy. Universal title match was a very good hardcore style match despite the lame shenanigans ending via the abrupt ropes breaking spot. Extreme Rules 2021 was a mostly enjoyable show overall despite some very questionable booking decisions.

WWE RAW (September 27)
* WWE Championship – Bobby Lashley vs. Big E (c) – 3.0
* Erik vs. Angel Garza – 2.0
* 24/7 Championship – Ricochet vs. Reggie (c) – 1.5
* Akira Tozawa vs. Keith “Bearcat” Lee – 1.5 (Squash)
* United States Championship No Disqualification, No Countouts match – Sheamus vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.5
* Jeff Hardy, Mansoor, & Mustafa Ali vs. Jinder Mahal, Veer, & Shanky – 2.5
* Kross vs. Jaxson Ryker – 2.0 (Squash)
* Riddle vs. AJ Styles – 4.0
* RAW Women’s Championship Open Challenge match – Doudrop vs. Charlotte Flair (c) – 1.5
* WWE Championship Steel Cage match – Bobby Lashley vs. Big E (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Riddle vs. AJ Styles match.
Worst – RAW Women’s Championship Open Challenge match.
Show Notes – Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin randomly reuniting Hurt Business during the WWE title match was odd. WWE title opener was a good match despite the buzzkill DQ finish. 24/7 title was looking to be an okay match until the lame DQ by Maverick & Pals happened. Riddle backstage interview about Orton was funny. RAW Creative flat out sucks for turning Lee into just a generic monster heel now. Sheamus’ White Noise to Priest through a table on the outside was cool. Yikes at the welts on Priest’s back from Sheamus’ kendo stick strikes. US title was a very good hard hitting hardcore match. Ali’s ragdoll sell of Veer’s clothesline was sweet. 6-Man Tag was a solid match. Kross’ backstage promo was nothing special. Riddle’s high-angle bridging Snap Suplex to Styles was cool. Styles’ pump handle gut buster to Riddle was sweet. Styles’ Calf Crusher counter of Riddle’s Floating Bro was nice. Styles busting out a Burning Hammer to Riddle was awesome. Riddle vs. Styles was a great action packed match. RAW Women’s title was a big waste of time, topped by a lame distraction ending by Eva Marie. Goldberg promo about wanting to “kill” Lashley over him attacking his son was okay. Baszler’s destruction of Marie was the only good part about Marie’s dull promo. Lashley’s Dragon Sleeper counter of Big E’s top rope Big Ending was a nice recovery of Big E’s botched grip. Kingston’s vertical drop from the top of the cage to Alexander & Benjamin was cool. Lashley’s spear to Big E was nice. WWE title cage match was a quite good action filled bout despite it falling apart near the end. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

NXT (September 28)
* No Disqualification match – B-Fab vs. Elektra Lopez – 2.0
* Xyon Quinn vs. Oney Lorcan – 2.0
* NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship – Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) vs. Zoey Stark & Io Shirai (c) – 2.5
* Andre Chase vs. Boa – 2.0
* NXT Cruiserweight Championship – Grayson Waller vs. Roderick Strong (c) – 3.0
* Ridge Holland vs. Kyle O’Reilly – 2.5
* NXT Women’s Championship – Franky Monet vs. Raquel Gonzalez – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Bron Breakker Steiner-style promo segment and the InDex Honeymoon segments.
Worst – Andre Chase vs. Boa match.
Show Notes – Opening Hit Row promo segment about NXT’s Ladies Night & tonight’s card was corny. Ouch at B-Fab’s ribs after getting tossed onto an upright chair. B-Fab vs. Lopez was somewhat decent at best despite being sloppy at times. Joe Gacy’s promo segment mocking NXT guys was okay but his new “woke” motivational speaker gimmick still feels odd. MSK interview about their NXT Tag title plans & Grizzled Young Vets, Hayes & Williams, & Briggs & Jensen responses & brawl was somewhat lame. Shirai completely whiffing on her moonsault to Toxic Attraction was rough. Stark hitting her finisher on Jayne and tagging out instead of going for the pinfall win was odd. NXT Women’s Tag title match was a decent back-and-forth style match. Bron Bakker’s Steiner-like promo about NXT locker room & NXT title was awesome. Ciampa interview segment about Breakker was all right. Chase vs. Boa was somewhat decent at best despite the shenanigans ending with Mei Ying. The InDex honeymoon segments with the Garganos were goofy but also funny overall. Waller’s rolling Stunner to Strong was nice. Cruiserweight title was a quite good back-and-forth action match despite the abrupt ending. Dante Chen vignette was fine. Lashing Out talk show segment about WWE Draft, Ikemen Jiro, & Chase was more miss than hit. Holland vs. O’Reilly was a decent hard hitting bout despite the ending shenanigans. Tony D’Angelo mafia promo segment was all right. NXT Women’s title was a solid match. Toxic Attraction’s post-match attack on Monet & Pals and Gonzalez looked awful. This week’s show was average overall.

Friday Night SmackDown WWE Draft 2021 Night 1 (October 1)
* Kevin Owens vs. Happy Corbin – 2.5
* Carmella vs. Liv Morgan – N/A
* 8-Man Tag Team match – New Day & Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) & Dirty Dwags (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) – 3.0
* Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Seth Rollins’ friendly illegal tour of Edge’s house MTV Cribs style.
Worst – Carmella vs. Liv Morgan non-match.
Show Notes – The first pick of the WWE Draft being Reigns staying on SD was a bit lame. Charlotte Flair & Belair swapping brands is a bit interesting. Roman Reigns promo & brawl with Brock Lesnar & Usos was all right. Flair backstage interview about her brand change was dull. Corbin & Madcap Moss pre-match promo was corny. Corbin’s Deep Six to Owens looked smooth. Owens vs. Corbin was a solid match. Edge going to RAW is interesting but New Day being split up again after just getting back together recently was stupid. McIntyre backstage interview about his brand change was okay. Edge’s promo about going to RAW & his bad blood with Rollins was fine but Rollins’ intrusion & tour of Edge’s home was both a bit funny and splendid. Carmella’s new face mask looked way too goofy. Carmella vs. Morgan non-match was a waste of time. Hit Row being drafted to SD was interesting but Round 3 was a dud overall in terms of surprises. Gable’s catch & bridging German Suplex counter of Ford’s jump from the ropes was cool. 8-Man Tag was an entertaining back-and-forth action match despite Xavier Woods botching his top rope two foot stomp finisher to Roode. WWE’s Round 4 Draft picks were somewhat dull. Lesnar backstage interview about him being a free agent was interesting. Heyman & Reigns backstage lounge response to Lesnar was splendid. Belair’s stiff running forearm to Banks looked a bit brutal. Belair vs. Banks was a quite good back-and-forth action match despite the ending shenanigans by Becky Lynch. This week’s WWE Draft show was enjoyable overall but also somewhat lackluster in terms of draft pick surprises.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (September 27)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Kayla Sparks – 2.0 (Squash)
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Alex “5” Angels, & 10) vs. TJ Crawford, Eric James, Kevin Tibbs, and Dean Alexander – 2.5 (Squash)
* 3-on-1 Handicap match – Paul Wight vs. CPA, VSK, & RSP – 2.0 (Squash)
Overall – 3.0
Best – Men of the Year’s angry passionate promo segment about Chris Jericho & not wanting to be seen as being underappreciated by anyone anymore.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Besides Dynamite & Rampage Grand Slam shows having entrance video stuff shown on the LED ramp setup, AEW doing the same for Dark Elevation was cool. Rosa vs. Sparks opener was a decent squash style match. Silver’s hip toss to Crawford chucking him all the way across the ring was nice. Reynolds’ double underhook suplex & gutbuster combo to James was nice. Reynolds & Angels back-to-back moonsaults on the jobber team onto the outside was cool. Dark Order vs. Crawford, James, Tibbs, & Alexander was an entertaining extended squash match. Handicap match was a decent squash match. Post-Grand Slam shows set of backstage taped interviews with Britt Baker about Ruby Soho, MJF about Brian Pillman Jr., Bryan Danielson about Kenny Omega & AEW title, & Men of the Year about Inner Circle were extremely good, especially MotY’s promo portion. Eddie Kingston, Homicide, Pillman Jr., Ortiz, Anthony Bowens, & Wight’s thoughts about getting to wrestle in Arthur Ashe Stadium was splendid. The rap off battle of Max Caster vs. Tony Khan & Lil Uzi Burt was a bit funny. This week’s short length episode was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (September 28)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Nikita Knight – 2.0 (Squash)
* Private Party vs. JDX & Carlie Bravo – 2.5
* Kiera Hogan vs. Leila Grey – 2.5
* 10 vs. Brandon Gore – 2.0 (Squash)
* Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi vs. Ryzin & Jake St. Patrick – 2.0 (Squash)
* Lance Archer vs. Arjun Singh – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ricky Starks vs. Darius Lockhart – 3.5
* Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs. Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray – 2.5
* Julia Hart vs. Reka Tehaka – 2.0
* Bear Country vs. Jameson Ryan & Brick Aldridge – 2.5
* The Factory (QT Marshall & Aaron Solo) vs. Matt Sydal & Dante Martin – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Ricky Starks vs. Darius Lockhart match and The Factory vs. Matt Sydal & Dante Martin match.
Worst – Julia Hart vs. Reka Tehaka match.
Show Notes – Opening Santana Garrett & Diamante backstage segment & brawl was okay. Private Party vs. JDX & Bravo was a solid back-and-forth style match. 10’s big spinebuster to Gore was nice. 10 vs. Gore was a fine squash style bout. The Wingmen not coming out with Bononi for his tag match was interesting. Jaoude & Bononi vs. Ryzin & St. Patrick was an okay squash style match and a nice AEW debut performance by Jaoude. Jaoude getting his first ever AEW win was interesting. Archer’s jobber destruction of Singh around ringside before the match started was swell. Starks’ loud sounding hard chop to Lockhart was nice. Lockhart’s running European Uppercuts to Starks’ in the corner was sweet. Starks’ vicious spear finisher to Lockhart was cool. Starks vs. Lockhart was a very good hard fought action filled match. Taz’s cheerleading chant of Julia Hart’s name during her entrance & mocking Brian Pillman Jr’s belly was a bit funny. Hart vs. Tehaka was a mostly decent match. Bear Country vs. Ryan & Aldridge was a solid hoss style bout. Sydal’s brainbuster to Solo was cool. Sydal’s Slice kick & jawbreaker combo to Solo & Marshall at the same time was nice. Martin & Sydal’s stereo moonsaults to The Factory on the outside was cool. The Factory vs. Martin & Sydal was a very good back-and-forth action packed match. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (September 29)
* Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy – 4.0
* Matt Sydal & Dante Martin vs. Lee Johnson & Cody Rhodes – 3.0
* 6-Man Tag Team match – Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, & Jon Moxley vs. Bear Country & Anthony Greene – 2.5 (Squash)
* 16-Man Tag Team match – Hardy Family Office (Matt Hardy, Jora Johl, Private Party, TH2, The Butcher, & The Blade) vs. Orange Cassidy & Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels, Alex Reynolds, Colt Cabana, Evil Uno, John Silver, Stu Grayson, & 10) – 3.5
* Penelope Ford & The Bunny vs. Tay Conti & Anna Jay – 3.0
* TNT Championship – Sammy Guevara vs. Miro (c) – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy match and Dark Order civil war being resolved in a very feel good manner.
Worst – Lio Rush’s somewhat awkward promo vignette.
Show Notes – Cole’s Ushigoroshi to Jungle looked brutal. Jungle’s step-up hurricanrana to Cole on the apron to the outside was sweet. Cole vs. Jungle Boy opener was a great back-and-forth action packed match. The Elite’s obnoxious promo mocking Jungle Boy & Danielson and Danielson’s insults response was splendid. Martin got some sweet air with his sunset dive to Johnson & Rhodes on the outside. Sydal & Martin vs. Johnson & Rhodes was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Rhodes & Arn Anderson post-match promo about Malakai Black was interesting, especially Anderson bailing on being pals with Rhodes. Kingston’s Release German Suplex to Bear Bronson was impressive. 6-Man Tag was an entertaining squash match. Baker & Soho promo video was all right. The crowd chanting “Thank You Brodie” during the 16-Man Tag was heartwarming. -1 chucking a rolled up paper at Evil Uno to resolve the Dark Order civil war was wonderful. 16-Man Tag match was very entertaining, especially the latter half. Lio Rush vignette was okay. Dan Lambert & Men of the Year promo bashing Jericho, AEW fans, & AEW locker room was great. Shida vs. Deeb match hype video was superb. Women’s tag match was pretty good. MJF promo mocking AEW’s “Pillars” stars & trashing Allin and Allin’s response was gold tier. Miro’s recovery catch & belly-to-belly suplex of Guevara’s Shooting Star Press was awesome. Guevara’s sunset splash from the turnbuckle to Miro on the outside was cool. TNT title was a very good action filled match & bit surprised Guevara actually won. This week’s show was great overall.

AEW Rampage (October 1)
* Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson – 4.0
* Three-Way match – Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose vs. Thunder Rosa – 3.0
* Hair vs. Hair match – Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson match.
Worst – Hair vs. Hair match dragging in pacing near the end.
Show Notes – Danielson’s tope suicida of Jackson on the outside was nice. Jackson’s twirl on the ropes & clothesline counter of Danielson’s Irish Whip was cool. Danielson’s bending hammerlock to Jackson looked brutal. Danielson shrugging off Jackson’s kicks in a row to him was sweet. Ouch at Jackson’s chest after Danielson’s chop massacre him. Jackson’s twisting moonsault to Danielson was cool. Danielson’s clubs to the neck & Cattle Mutilation finisher combo to Jackson was brutal. Danielson vs. Jackson was a great hard hitting back-and-forth action match. Post-match brawl with The Elite, Christian Cage, & Jurassic Express was splendid. Team Taz promo vignette about Brian Cage was superb. CM Punk promo video about Hobbs was all right. Ouch at Cargill’s face after the rough landing from Rosa’s Cazadora. Rosa’s apron powerbomb to Rose onto a table on the outside was cool. Three-way Women’s match was pretty good despite most of it occurring during the commercial break. Malakai Black’s spooky backstage promo about Cody Rhodes & Nightmare Family was splendid. Matt Hardy, Evans & Cassidy pre-match split-screen interview was all right. Evans’ Northern Lights & Michinoku Driver combo to Cassidy was nice. Cassidy’s spiked DDT to Evans looked brutal. Evans’ spinning sell of Cassidy’s Orange Punch was funny. Cassidy vs. Evans was a solid back-and-forth style match. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 5 (September 26)
* Kosei Fujita vs. Master Wato – 3.0
* Yuji Nagata vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tanga Loa vs. Toru Yano – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – KENTA vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kota Ibushi match.
Worst – Tanga Loa vs. Toru Yano match.
Show Notes – Fujita vs. Wato was an entertaining opening match. Nagata’s Exploder Suplex to Takagi was cool but also ouch at both guys’ backs from the loud thud it made. Nagata’s Super Exploder to Takagi was nice. Nagata & Takagi’s stiff elbows and chops fest exchange was sweet. Nagata vs. Takagi was a really good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. Kevin Kelly’s running gag of explaining Pieter’s seductive in-ring dances during Yujiro’s entrances as her telling “interpretive dance” tales about Yujiro’s matches is funny. Khan almost completely whiffed on his sliding dropkick to Yujiro in the corner. Takahashi vs. Great-O-Khan was a pretty good match. Loa vs. Yano was a mostly solid match despite the weak finish & dragging at times. Ouch at KENTA’s chest after Ishii’s vicious chops fest on the corner. Ouch at KENTA’s head after Ishii’s German Suplex right into the corner. KENTA & Ishii elbow strikes exchange into a spinning clothesline by KENTA was sweet. KENTA’s back-to-back Busaiku Knees to Ishii was nice. KENTA vs. Ishii was a very good hard hitting action filled match despite the shenanigans-based abrupt ending. Ouch at Ibushi’s elbow after Sabre Jr’s stomp on it on the outside. Ouch at Ibushi’s shoulder after Sabre Jr’s hard arm yank to the mat. Iubshi teasing Murder Ibushi appearing soon was sweet. Ibushi’s Release German Suplex bending Sabre Jr in half was cool. Sabre Jr’s crucifix Octopus Hold to Ibushi looked brutal. Sabre Jr. vs. Ibushi was an excellent action packed grapple heavy match and legit surprised Sabre Jr won again. G1 Climax 2021 Night 5 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 6 (September 29)
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – EVIL vs. Taichi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. SANADA – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Tama Tonga vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – The overboard Bullet Club style shenanigans for the ending of EVIL vs. Taichi match.
Show Notes – Ouch at the ring announcer’s head hitting the bleachers after EVIL’s running gag of slamming someone into the barricade he sits next to. Taichi’s big boot to EVIL on the apron sending him crashing into the barricade where the ring announcer was at was funny. EVIL vs. Taichi was mostly good despite the ending shenanigans. Owens failing doing the Paradise Lock properly to SANADA was a bit funny. Owens’s modified Ushigoroshi to SANADA was cool. Owens’ top rope assisted Cravat to SANADA was nice. Owens vs. SANADA was a quite good back-and-forth action match, especially the ending sequence. Cobb’s catch & one hand slam counter of Goto’s spinning heel kick was cool. Cobb’s chop & lariat combo fest to Goto in the corner was sweet. Goto’s Ushigoroshi to Cobb locked brutal. Cobb’s nasty headbutt & Tour of the Islands finisher combo to Goto was great. Cobb vs. Goto was a very good hard hitting action filled match. Tonga busting out his father Meng/Haku’s Tongan Death Grip move to Tanahashi was nice. Tonga mocking Tanahashi by stealing his Slingblade & High Fly Flow moves was cool. Tanahashi’s missed High Fly Flow into Tonga’s Gun Stun sequence was nice. Tonga vs. Tanahashi was a really good back-and-forth action match despite the abrupt finish. Okada’s back-to-back rolling DDTs to YOSHI was nice. Okada’s spiked DDT to YOSHI on the mat looked brutal. YOSHI countering Okada’s Rainmaker with one of his own was cool. Okada’s Landslide driver to YOSHI was brutal. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Okada was an excellent hard fought action filled match. G1 Climax 2021 Night 6 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 7 (September 30)
* Yujiro Takahashi v.s BUSHI – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Tanga Loa vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Great-O-Khan vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – Toru Yano vs. Kota Ibushi – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2021 A Block match – KENTA vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Great-O-Khan vs. Zack Sabre Jr. match.
Worst – Great-O-Khan’s bloody nose during his match with Sabre Jr.
Show Notes – Kevin Kelly’s explanation of Pieter’s seductive dance during Yujiro’s entrance being her “interpretive dance” of Japan’s COVID-19 mandates ending was a bit funny. BUSHI vs. Takahashi opener was a pretty good match. Loa & Ishii’s forearm strikes exchange fest at the start of their match was wonderful. Loa’s stiff loud sounding lariat to Ishii was sweet. Ishii’s Brainbuster finisher counter of Loa’s Apeshit finisher was nice. Loa vs. Ishii was a very good hard hitting hoss-style bout. Ouch at Khan’s nose getting busted open. Sabre Jr’s uppercut fest to Khan was swell but him dropping to the ground after just one Mongolian Chop by Khan was a bit funny. Khan’s Iron Claw & Octopus Hold combo to Sabre Jr. was cool. Khan’s Iron Claw & Torture Rack combo to Sabre Jr. looked brutal. Great-O-Khan vs. Sabre Jr. was a very good back-and-forth action and grapple heavy match & legit surprised Sabre Jr.’s undefeated streak lives on. Yano covering Ibushi’s head with a hood & rolling him up in the apron banner was funny. Yikes at Ibushi almost brained himself with the Plancha to Yano on the outside. Ibushi’s reverse Kamigoye to Yano was nice. Yano vs. Ibushi was an entertaining quick comedic style match. KENTA mocking the crowd’s clapping routine was a bit funny. KENTA’s Green Killer spiked DDT to Takagi via apron assist to the floor was sweet. KENTA’s stiff chops fest to Takagi was nice. Takagi’s Dragon Suplex counter of KENTA’s GTS was nice. KENTA vs. Takagi was a very good hard hitting action filled match. G1 Climax 2021 Night 7 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 8 (October 1)
* Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Tama Tonga vs. Jeff Cobb – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. EVIL – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Taichi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2021 B Block match – SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Worst – First half of the YOSHI-HASHI vs. Taichi being very sluggish in action and pacing.
Show Notes – Oiwa vs. Kanemaru was an entertaining opening match. Cobb mocking Bullet Club’s “two sweet” taunt while standing on Tonga was a bit funny. Cobb’s brutal chop & lariat combo fest to Tonga was nice. Tonga’s rolling DVD to Cobb was sweet. Tonga got some nice air with his top rope splash to Cobb. Cobb’s release German Sulex counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun was awesome. Tonga vs. Cobb was a very good back-and-forth action match. Poor NJPW ring announcer, still has not wise up to EVIL’s running barricades gag to him. Owens vs. EVIL was pretty good despite the flat finish & ending shenanigans. YOSHI’s chops & Taichi’s kicks exchange fest was nice & same for their lariats exchange afterwards. Taici got some sweet air with his Danergous Suplex to YOSHI. YOSHI’s Destroyer counter of Taichi’s Black Mephisto was cool. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Taichi was a mostly quite good hard hitting match, especially the latter half, despite dragging too long. Ouch at Goto’s head after Okada loud thud sounding DDT on the floow. Goto’s Flash pin counter of Okada’s Rainmaker was nice. Okada winning with a roll-up right after Goto failed to do so with his own was a bit funny. Goto vs. Okada was a very good back-and-forth action match. Tanahashi & SANADA’s back-to-back Dragon Screws to each other was nice. Tanahashi’s Cloverleaf counter of SANADA’s hurricanrana was cool. Ouch at Tanahashi after SANADA’s hard dropkick right to his face. Tanahashi’s Dragon Suplex planting SANADA square on his head was sweet. SANADA vs. Tanahashi was a great back-and-forth action packed match. G1 Climax 2021 Night 8 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW Strong Fighting Spirit Unleashed Night 3 (October 2)
* Fred Yehi vs. JR Kratos – 3.0
* Royce Isaacs vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.5
* NJPW Strong Openweight Championship – Lio Rush vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Yehi’s back-to-back German Suplexes to Kratos was impressive. Kratos’ deadlift wheelbarrow power bomb finisher to Yehi was cool. Yehi vs. Kratos opener was an entertaining hard hitting action match. Isaacs’ back suplex to Dickinson almost bending him in half was nice. Dickinson’s deadlift German Suplex to Isaacs was nice. Dickinson channeling his inner Tanahashi with the back-to-back Dragon Screws to Isaacs was nice. Dickinson’s DVD counter of Isaacs’ leapfrong jump was cool. Isaacs vs. Dickinson was a very good hard hitting grapple-based bout. Dickinson’s post-match promo about Isaacs & Team Filthy was superb. Lawlor’s hard spiked toss slam to Rush onto the mat looked brutal. Lawlor’s vicious looking Irish Whip to Rush sending Rush crashing into the turnbuckle was cool. Rush’s suicude dive to Lawlor onto the barricades on the outside was nice. The crowd chanting “na na na hey hey goodbye” to Kratos after he got kicked from ringside was funny. Rush’s Poison Rana to Lawlor was sweet. NJPW Strong Openweight title match was an excellent hard fought back-and-forth action filled bout. Lawlor’s post-match promo boasting about his Strong Openweight title reign & Ren Narita answering the open challenge was splendid. This week’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2021 themed show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (September 30)
* Impact X-Division Championship Tournament First Round Triple Threat match – Laredo Kid vs. Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel – 3.5
* #1 Contender for Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship match – The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne) vs. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering – 3.0
* Madman Fulton vs. Christopher Daniels – 2.5
* Street Fight – W. Morrissey vs. Eddie Edwards – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Laredo Kid vs. Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel match.
Worst – Good Brothers vacation break promo segment.
Show Notes – Zayne’s Shooting Star Senton to Miguel was cool. Miguel’s step-up hurricanara to Kid on the apron to the floor was nice. Kid’s 450 Splash to Miguel to break up Miguel’s reverse chinlock & Cloverleaf combo submission on Zayne was cool. Opening Triple Threat was a very entertaining action packed match. Matthew Rehwoldt backstage opera promo about Kid was all right. Women’s Tag match was mostly pretty good despite falling apart near the end. Daniels backstage interview about his Impact return was all right. Brian Myers & Pals backstage segment about wrestling fitness lessons was a bit funny. Good Bros promo segment about their current vacation & Impact Tag division was nothing special. Deonna Purrazzo & Mickie James farm barn brawl segment was entertaining. FinJuice & Petey Williams backstage promo about Bullet Club was okay. Fulton’s vicious big boot to Daniels was cool. Daniels’ Tornado reverse STO to Fulton was nice. Fulton vs. Daniels was a solid back-and-forth action match. Swinger’s Palace segment with D’Amore about the demise of Swinger’s casino was funny. Violent By Design & Rhino segment about Rhino’s non-decision & Health Slater’s surprise return was splendid. Impact announcing a new internet type title debuting soon was interesting. Ouch at Edwards’ head after getting nailed hard by Morrissey’s floor sign shot that broke the sign. Ouch at Morrissey’s back after Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb onto a trash can. Morrissey vs. Edwards was a quite good hard hitting hardcore match. Moose’s post-match destruction of Edwards was swell. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Dark Side of the Ring – Blood & Wire: Onita’s FMW (September 30)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – Dark Side of the Ring’s FMW episode was an enjoyable and interesting look back at the quick rise and fall of one of wrestling’s wildest and bloodiest ever promotions.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW G1 Climax 2021 Night 5)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson (AEW Rampage)
• Worst match of the week – 24/7 Championship – Ricochet vs. Reggie (c) (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – RAW Women’s Championship Open Challenge match – Doudrop vs. Charlotte Flair (c) (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT