Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for November 21 to November 27, 2021

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of November 21st to November 27th, 2021.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE Survivor Series 2021 (Nov. 21)
* Pre-show: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest – 3.0
* Champion vs. Champion match – Charlotte Flair (SD Women’s Champion) vs. Becky Lynch (RAW Women’s Champion) – 3.5
* Men’s 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination match – Team RAW (Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, & Seth Rollins) vs. Team SmackDown (King Woods, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, Happy Corbin, & Drew McIntyre) – 3.5
* The Rock’s 25th Anniversary 25-Man Battle Royal – 2.0
* Champions vs. Champions match – The Usos (SD Tag Champion) vs. RK-Bro (Riddle & Randy Orton) (RAW Tag Champion) – 3.5
* Women’s 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination match – Team RAW (Bianca Belair, Carmella, Queen Zelina, Liv Morgan, & Rhea Ripley) vs. Team SmackDown (Natayla, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm, Shotzi, & Sasha Banks) – 3.0
* Champion vs. Champion – Big E (WWE Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch match.
Worst – WWE’s constant piping of fake crowd audio noise throughout the show & the lack of any real brand supremacy meaning or feel for the show.
Show Notes – Lynch & Flair’s slaps exchange into a clothesline by Flair was nice. Flair’s Exploder Suplex counter of Lynch’s Explorder Suplex nto the corner was cool. Lynch’s inverted DDT counter of Flair’s suplex was nice. Flair still has the worst looking & least accurate moonsaults ever in wrestling. Flair vs. Lynch opener was a really good hard hitting match despite the shenanigans ending. The very long entrances time for the Men’s SS match was a bit ridiculous. Corbin got some sweet height with his chokeslam to Theory. Hardy’s corkscrew splash to Balor & Rollins was cool. Woods’ tilt-a-whirl Russian Leg Sweep to Theory was cool. Lashley & McIntyre slugfest portion was awesome despite the lame double countout elimination. Men’s SS match was a very good action packed match despite dragging a bit too long & WWE being lazy with some of the eliminations booking. Vince McMahon & Reigns office segment about Cleopatra’s egg was goofy but also a bit funny. Battle Royal was decent but Omos yeeting Ricochet out of the ring for the win was cool. Jey Uso’s pop-up neckbreaker to Riddle was nice. Orton’s RKO Outta Nowhere counter of Jimmy’s Uso Splash was cool. Usos vs. RK-Bro was a very entertaining back-and-forth action packed match. Vince, Deville, & Pearce office segment about Vince’s missing egg was corny. Banks’ countout elimination via Team SD shenanigans was lame, especially since the ref kept ignoring her breaking the count. Women’s SS match was mostly pretty good despite it losing steam near the end. Big E’s Uranage counter of Reigns’ running clothesline was nice. Reigns’ one arm sit-out powerbomb to Big E was cool. Reigns busting out a Rock Bottom to Big E was interesting. Big E’s spear to Reigns through the ropes & almost spiking his head on the floor was crazy. Big E vs. Reigns was a very good hard fought action filled match despite the anti-climatic ending, & surprised Reigns won clean. Survivor Series 2021 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall despite its long runtime.

WWE RAW (Nov. 22)
* Riddle vs. Dolph Ziggler – 3.0
* Bianca Belair vs. Tamina – 2.0
* Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor – N/A
* Street Profits vs. AJ Styles & Omos – 2.5
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Carmella & Queen Zelina vs. Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley (c) – 2.5
* 24/7 Championship – Cedric Alexander vs. Reginald (c) – 1.5 (Squash)
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Bobby Lashley vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio – 3.0
* United States Championship Open Challenge match – Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest (c) – 2.0
* WWE Championship – Austin Theory vs. Big E (c) – 2.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Riddle vs. Dolph Ziggler match.
Worst – The very underwhelming payoff to the “Who Stole Vince McMahon’s gold egg” storyline.
Show Notes – Opening Vince, Deville, & Pearce backstage office segment about Vince’s missing gold egg was dumb. Orton & Riddle backstage segment about Riddle cosplaying as Orton was funny. Riddle vs. Ziggler was an entertaining back-and-forth action filled match. Becky Lynch’s promo about beating Charlotte, RAW Women’s division, & trashing the crowd and Liv Morgan was all right. Belair’s promo about winning the Women’s Survivor Series match & Doudrop was a bit rough. Balor & Rollins non-match brawl was all right but Rollins getting attacked by a random fan afterwards was crazy. Street Profits vs. Styles & Omos was mostly solid despite the lame DQ ending by Dawkins’ fire extinguisher attack. Women’s Tag title was a solid back-and-forth style match despite the somewhat flat ending & title change. The backstage office segment about Austin Theory being the egg stealer & Vince swerving Zayn out of a title shot for being the one who found the egg stealer was a bit funny but also underwhelming as the payoff. All of the 24/7 division goofballs just standing around & not bothering to go after Dana Brooke after she won the 24/7 title from Alexander was weird. MVP’s promo insulting Rey as a father to Dominik & his family was superb. Lashley’s catch counter of Rey’s springboard dive into Rey’s Tornado DDT to Lashley via Dominik assist was nice. Lashley’s spear to Rey bending him in half was cool. Lashley vs. Mysterios was a pretty good match. Lynch & Morgan backstage interview about RAW Women’s title & their bad blood issues was all right. Apollo Crews & Priest promo segment was a waste of time. WWE title was a solid match despite the ending ringside shenanigans by Rollins & Owens. This week’s show was average at best overall despite it dragging at times.

NXT (Nov. 23)
* Grayson Waller vs. Tommaso Ciampa – 3.0
* Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta vs. Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter – 2.0
* Santos Escobar vs. Malik Blade – 2.0 (Squash)
* Mandy Rose vs. Cora Jade – 2.0
* Joe Gacy vs. LA Knight – N/A
* Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon – 1.5 (Squash)
* Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen – 2.5
* NXT North American Championship Triple Threat match – Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes (c) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – NXT North American Championship Triple Threat match.
Worst – The questionable booking decisions for the makeup of the teams for the Men’s War Games match.
Show Notes – Opening Waller promo bashing fans over their booing of Cena & Reigns felt like Vince still being petty over crowds rebelling over his booking for top stars. Waller vs. Ciampa was a good back-and-forth action match. Grimes promo about his bad blood with Duke Hudson, Hudson’s response, & hair vs. hair match setup was decent. Tiffany Stratton spoiled rich “daddy’s girl” debut vignette was cringey. Escobar promo vignette was splendid. Legado, Wagner & O’Reilly, and Imperium promo segment about NXT Tag titles was all right. Jade & Pals locker room bickering segment about their War Games team was decent at best but Jade throwing shade at WWE’s “can they co-exist” trope was a bit funny. Rose vs. Jade was decent at best despite it grinding to a halt near the end from the lame ending shenanigans by Kay Lee Ray. MSK travel segment about them being pulled over by cops & mystery weed bag was corny. Nile’s modified Dragon Sleeper finisher to Leon was cool while their match was a decent squash style match. Boa segment about him being taken over by Mei Ying’s spirit was weird. Dunne’s Single Leg Crab to Gargano & Hayes at the same time was cool. Hayes’ springboard lariat to Dunne & Gargano at the same time was nice. Dunne’s underhook suplex to Hayes & leg snap hold to Gargano at the same time was cool. Gargano’s spiked DDT counter of Dunne’s Bitter End was nice. N.A. title was a quite good action filled match & rare time where the ending shenanigans made sense since D’Angelo put money on his guy winning. Post-match mass brawl with D’Angelo, Knight, Waller, Ciampa, & Breakker was splendid but also a dumb decision to have Knight on the face team & Breakker on the heel team just to force a New Era vs. Old Guard War Games match setup. This week’s show was average overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (Nov. 26)
* Jeff Hardy & Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin – 2.5
* Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro – 2.0
* Thanksgiving Leftovers Throwdown match – Rick Boogs vs. Angel – 2.5
* Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler & Natalya – 3.0
* #1 Contender’s for Universal Championship Black Friday Invitational Battle Royal – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler & Natalya match.
Worst – The puzzling booking decision for the finish of the Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro match.
Show Notes – Opening Reigns & Paul Heyman promo segment mocking Kayla Braxton, Lesnar, Big E, & SD’s locker room was all right despite dragging a bit long. Corbin’s Deep Six counter of McIntyre’s Claymore kick was nice. Hardy & McIntyre vs. Moss & Corbin was a solid back-and-forth action match. Heyman & Braxton backstage segment about Lesnar’s rumored reinstatement status & Braxton’s job being threatened over it was fine but also weirdly a bit erotic. Holland vs. Cesaro was a decent at best hard hitting bout despite the anti-climatic ending & puzzling booking decision for Holland’s main roster debut match loss. Boogs vs. Angel was a mostly solid match despite the ending ringside shenanigans by Nakamura & Humberto. Adam Pearce backstage interview about Lesnar’s reinstatement status was okay. Charlotte Flair interview segment about her loss to Lynch at Survivor Series, interruption by Toni Storm about their feud, & pie attack by Flair was okay. Xia Li animated vignette about the next part of her Protector origins was cool. Naomi’s springboard Stunner to Natayla & Baszler looked rough. Ouch at Baszler’s head after landing right on it from Banks toss into the guard rail. Natalya’s Michinoku Driver to Naomi was nice. Women’s tag was a pretty good back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half, despite Naomi somewhat botching the sunset roll-up pin finish. McIntyre swinging a sword around to start off the battle royal match over him not being invited for it was goofy but also a bit funny. Battle Royal was mostly solid despite dragging at times. Zayn winning it was a big surprise despite the moment being quickly completely overshadowed by the Lesnar return announcement. This week’s show was mostly average overall.


AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Nov. 22)
* Tay Jay (Tay Conti & Anna Jay) vs. Willow Nightingale & Erica Leigh – 2.0 (Squash)
* Tony Nese vs. Logan Laroux – 2.5
* Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks) vs. Lucas Chase & Irvin Legend – 2.5 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura, Penelope Ford, & The Bunny vs. Kris Statlander, Ryo Mizunami, & Leyla Hirsch – 3.0
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Keys – 2.5
* Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, & 10) vs. Baron Black, Duke Davis, & Ganon Jones – 3.0
* Riho vs. Trish Adora – 2.0 (Squash)
* Serpetnico vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Dark Order vs. Baron Black, Duke Davis, & Ganon Jones match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Tay Jay vs. Nightingale & Leigh opener was a decent squash style match. Nese’s springboard moonsault to Laroux was nice. Nese’s escape & vicious looking spin kick counter of Laroux’s sunset flip pin attempt was cool. Nese’s German Suplex to Laroux into the corner was nice. Nese vs. Laroux was a solid back-and-forth action match. Team Taz vs. Chase & Legend was a fine extended squash style match. Hirsch’s dropkick to Ford in the corner via Statlander assist was nice. Either Sakura legit couldn’t lift up Hirsch to complete the Romero Special because of Hirsch’s small size or found a way to make the move look even more painful because of it. Mizunami’s double spear to Ford & Bunny was nice. Women’s Trios was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Kazarian vs. Key was a decent brief hard hitting match. Davis’ clothesline to Reynolds spinning him to the mat was nice. Silver’s running dropkick, running boot, and release German Suplex to Jones bending him in half combo was cool. Dark Order vs. Black, Davis, & Jones was a good back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half. Adora’s suplex counter of Riho’s roll-up attempt was sweet, more so Mark Henry’s awe struck reaction on commentary to it. Riho vs. Adora was a decent mostly squash match. Yuta’s big boot to Serpentico was nice. Serpentico’s thumbs up antics with Statlander & Taylor on the top rope leading to Yuta chucking him off it was a bit funny. Serpetnico vs. Taylor was an entertaining match. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (Nov. 24)
* CM Punk vs. QT Marshall – 2.5
* Gunn Club (Colton & Billy Gunn) vs. Bear Country (Bear Brongon & Bear Boulder) – 2.0 (Squash)
* TBS Championship tournament Quarter-final match – Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa – 3.5
* Colt Cabana vs. Bryan Danielson – 3.0
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Malakai Black, FTR, & Andrade El Idolo vs. Death Triangle (Lucha Brothers & PAC) & Cody Rhodes – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Opening MJF and CM Punk fiery war of the words promo battle segment.
Worst – CM Punk vs. QT Marshall dragging too long in length and the audio issues during the split-screen Britt Baker promo segment.
Show Notes – Opening MJF & CM Punk’s firey promo mocking Punk’s “pipebomb” promo, “meth head” look & UFC career, & digs at his career and MJF being a less famous Miz, jealously over Punk, AEW pillar status mocking, & digs at his career was magnificent. Punk vs. Marshall was a solid back-and-forth style match despite dragging too long. Gunn Club vs. Bear Country was a decent at best mostly squash match. Post-match Darby Allin’s Pounce to Austin Gunn splatting him on the ramp was cool. Dante Martin joining Team Taz was interesting. Britt Baker promo segment about TBS title was decent despite the audio quality issues. Hayter catch, post slam, & body slam counter of Rosa’s dive from the apron was nice. Rosa & Hayter’s slugfest exchange was cool. Hayter vs. Rosa was a very good hard hitting action filled match despite the flat ending shenanigans by Baker. Friendsgiving segment with Baker, Rebel, & Tony Schiavone about Riho vs. Baker match setup was okay. Danielson’s catch & Release German Suplex of Cabana’s Flying Apple was cool. Cabana vs. Danielson was a quite good hard hitting match. Danielson & Page’s post-match promo about their bad blood & brawl was superb. Soho vs. Statlander mach hype video was splendid. Fenix’s springboard head scissors to Andrade was nice. Fenix’s springboard double cutter to FTR was cool. Fenix’s springboard heel kick to Wheeler was nice. Penta’s roll to Andrade into a double DDT to FTR was sweet. PAC’s release German to Black bending him in half was cool. Wheeler’s DVD into a knee breaker to Penta was cool. Penta busting out Shingo Takagi’s Made in Japan to Wheeler was cool. PAC’s overhead suplex to Andrade into the corner was sweet. 8-Man Tag was an amazing frantic action packed match. This week’s show was mostly amazing overall.

AEW Rampage Black Friday (Nov. 26)
* Bobby Fish & Adam Cole vs. Best Friends (Wheeler Yuta & Orange Cassidy) – 3.0
* Black Friday Deal match – Riho vs. Dr. Britt Baker – 3.0
* Daniel Garcia vs. Eddie Kingston – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Daniel Garcia vs. Eddie Kingston match.
Worst – Tony Nese’s somewhat flat backstage promo interview about the TNT title and Sammy Guevara.
Show Notes – Cassidy & Cole’s back-and-forth comedic antics over Cassidy’s hands in the pockets routine was funny. Cole’s Ushigoroshi to Yuta was nice. Cassidy’s kick to Cole & Tornado DDT to Fish via Cole assist was cool. Cassidy’s Slumdog Millionaire to Cole into a bridging German by Yuta into a Jackknife pin attempt by Cassidy sequence was sweet. Fish’s Exploder Suplex to Cassidy onto Yuta was cool. Fish’s Avalanche Falcon Arrow to Yuta was awesome. Fish & Cole vs. Best Friends opener was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Tony Nese & Sammy Guevara backstage segment about TNT title match setup & brawl was decent. FTR promo vignette about their bad blood with Lucha Bros & match setup for Dynamite was all right. Hayter not walking out close together nor getting into the ring during Baker’s entrance was interesting. Riho’s top rope crossbody to Baker & Pals on the outside was nice. Baker’s suplex to Riho onto the corner was nice. Baker’s ripcord elbow & Air Raid Crash combo to Riho was cool. Riho vs. Baker was a good back-and-forth action match & was surprised Riho won considering how strong AEW protects their champs in non-title matches. Kingston laughing off 2point0 and Garcia’s threats during their split-screen backstage pre-match interview was splendid. Kingston’s suplex front slam to Garcia looked brutal. Garcia’s head stomps to Kingston looked brutal. Garcia’s reverse Figure Four & ankle lock to Kingston was cool. Kingston’s half & half suplex to Garcia bending him in half was sweet. Garcia & Kingston’s slugfest into a enziguri by Kingston into a stiff lariat by Garcia sequence was cool. Kingston’s Saito Suplex to Garcia was nice. Garcia vs. Kingston was a great back-and-forth physical battle. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.


NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 4 (Nov. 21)
* Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yuto Nakashima – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – DOUKI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Taiji Ishimori vs. Master Wato – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – SHO vs. BUSHI – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – El Phantasmo vs. Robbie Eagles – 4.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado – 5.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado match.
Worst – The buzzkill shenanigans ending to the SHO vs. BUSHI match.
Show Notes – Nakashima vs. Oiwa opener was a solid bout. DOUKI vs. Kanemaru was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Wato’s corkscrew Plancha to Ishimori was nice. Ishimori’s tilt-a-whirl Bone Lock finisher to Wato was cool. Ishimori vs. Wato was a very good action filled match. Taguchi’s running the ropes antics ending in a drop told hold & dropkick to the butt by YOH was funny. Taguchi acting all rigid with legs up in the air afterwards was also funny. Taguchi’s Tiger Suplex to YOH bending him in half was cool. YOH vs Taguchi was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. SHO vs. BUSHI was going on well until the match flow killing wrench attack ending shenanigans by SHO. Eagles springboard low dropkick to Phantasmo causing him to spike himself was nice. Eagles Poison Rana to Phantasmo & Phantasmo’s failed “Fighting Spirit” power up was cool. Eagles tope suicida to Phantasmo crashing into the guard rail was crazy. Phantasmo’s Burning Hammer to Eagles spiking his head looked brutal. Phantasmo vs. Eagles was a great competitive action packed bout. Hiromu & Despy’s slugfest to start off their match was sweet. Ouch at Hiromu’s back after the loud thud sound from Despy’s bodyslam onto the ramp. Ouch at Despy’s head after Hiromu’s shotgun dropkick from the apron sending him crashing into the guard rail. Yikes at Despy’s legs after his sunset dive through the ropes to Hiromu onto the guard rail. Despy’s Blue Thunder Bomb to Hiromu was nice. Ouch at Despy’s back after Hiromu’s Sunset Bomb onto the floor. Despy & Hiromu’s stiff chps exchange was sweet. Hiromu’s overhead suplex to Despy into the corner looked brutal. Takahashi vs. El Desperado was magnificent & strong MotY contender. NJPW Best of the Super Jrs. 2021 Night 4 show was the best show of the tournament so far.

NJPW XTRA (Nov. 22)
* Lucky Ali, Kevin Knight, & The DKC vs. Jordan Clearwater, AJZ, & Will Allday – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Show Notes – The “Week in NJPW” and NJPW Strong New Japan Showdown Night 3 show highlights segments were all right. NJPW production still messing up the audio quality & levels for the weekly featured match portion has been comically bad. Same for the ring being way too squeaky for the match. Allday’s modified bulldog face smash to Ali was nice. Ali’s neckbreaker via his knee to Allday looked brutal. Knight & AJZ slugfest exchange into Knight’s Kitchen Sink counter of AJZ’s running attack was cool. AJZ’s Irish Whip & pop-up elbow strike combo to Knight was nice. Clearwater’s T-Bone suplex to Knight & Knight responding with a dropkick to the face afterwards was nice. Ali got some really nice height with his back body drop to Allday. Ali’s suplex & dropkick counter of Allday’s Tornado DDT was cool. 6-Man Tag was a quite good back-and-forth hard hitting action match despite the atrocious audio quality throughout it. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall despite the production-related issues.

NJPW World Tag League Night 4 (Nov. 23)
* Kosei Fujita vs. Yuto Nakashima – 2.5
* World Tag League 2021 match – Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. TenCozy – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Great Bash Heel – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Minoru Suzuki & Taka Michinoku vs. Guerillas of Destiny – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 3.5
* World Tag League 2021 match – Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano match.
Worst – The way over played out Bullet Club style shenanigans ending to the EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. TenCozy match.
Show Notes – Fujita vs. Nakashima opener was solid but these Young Lions matches are starting to feel too repetitive now for a tour of this length. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Nagata & Tiger Mask was a good back-and-forth action bout. EVIL & Takahashi vs. TenCozy was a mostly good match despite the usual Bullet Club style ending shenanigans. Owens & Fale vs. Great Bash Heel was a pretty good back-and-forth hard hitting match. Suzuki & Tama Tonga’s brief chair & kendo stick battle on the outside was nice. Tonga completely botching the timing of the double team neckbreaker to Taka was a bit funny. Suzuki-Gun vs. Guerillas of Destiny was a really good back-and-forth action match despite it falling apart a bit near the end. Suzuki’s post-match attack on the Young Lions trying to drag him to the back was splendid. Henare’s Samoan Drop counter of Sabre Jr.’s Octopus Hold was nice. Sabre Jr’s judo throw counter of Khan’s Bear Hug toss was cool. Taichi’s modified Dragon Sleeper to Khan was cool. Dangerous Tekkers back drop & chokeslam combo to Khan was sweet. United Empire vs. Dangerous Tekkers was a very good hard hitting action filled bout. SANADA’s rolling cradles around the ring & dizzy Yano afterwards was a bit funny. SANADA putting Yano in a Paradise Lock in the ropes & him being stuck there for some time while the match went on was a bit funny. Yano whacking the back of Naito’s head for stealing his turnbuckle pad was a bit funny. Yano & Tanahashi’s stereo Dragon Screws to Naito & SANADA via turnbuckle pads assist was nice. Tanahashi’s Twist & Shout to SANADA was smooth. LIJ vs. Tanahashi & Yano was a very entertaining comedic & action filled match. NJPW World Tag League 2021 Night 4 show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 5 (Nov. 24)
* Kosei Fujita vs. Ryohei Oiwa – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Master Wato vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – YOH vs. Robbie Eagles – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – SHO vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – DOUKI vs. El Desperado – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – El Phantasmo vs. Taiji Ishimori – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – BUSHI vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – BUSHI vs. Hiromu Takahashi match.
Worst – El Phantasmo’s scary looking neck bump from Taiji Ishimori’s hurricanrana counter to him spiking him hard onto the mat.
Show Notes – Fujita vs. Oiwa opener was a solid bout. Wato vs. Taguchi was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Eagles head scissors & spinning heel kick combo to YOH was nice. YOH’s Plancha to Eagles was nice. Ouch at Eagles’s legs after crashing into the guard rail froom his cannonball dive to YOH on the outside. YOH’s superkick to Eagles causing him to back flip to the ground was cool. The amount of superkicks done in this match would make HBK & Young Bucks blush. YOH vs. Eagles was a very good action filled match. Kanemaru’s Toronado DDT to SHO was nice. Kanemaru’s brainbuster to SHO was sweet. SHO vs. Kanemari was a quite good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. DOUKI’s stiff chops to Despy & Despy’s stiff punch in return was cool. Despy’s Gory Special into a modified Liontamer of sorts to DOUKI was awesome. DOUKI’s moonsailt to Despy on the outside was nice. Despy’s Numero Dos counter of DOUKI’s Italian Stretch #32 was cool. DOUKI vs. El Desperado was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Ishimori & Phantasmo’s stereo purple nurples to each other was funny. Ishimori’s top rope Codebreaker to Phantasmo was nice. Ishimori busting out Phantasmo’s spinning neckbreaker move to him was nice. Ishimori’s Poison Rana to Phantasmo was sweet. Yikes at Ishimori’s hurricanrana style counter to Phantasmo’s Cipher Utaki spiking him hard on his neck. El Phantasmo vs. Ishimori was a very entertaining action filled match with some great comedic moments. BUSHI’s hurricanrana counter of Hiromu’s Sunset Bomb was nice. Hiromu’s hurricanrana & Triangle Choke combo to BUSHI was nice. BUSHI’s Destroyer to Hiromu was cool. Hiromu’s Codebreaker counter of BUSHI’s MX was nice. BUSHI vs. Takahashi was a great hard fought action packed match. NJPW Best of the Super Jrs. 2021 Night 5 was a great show overall.

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 6 (Nov. 27)
* Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yuto Nakashima – 2.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – SHO vs. DOUKI – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – YOH vs. Master Wato – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – El Phantasmo vs. BUSHI – 3.0
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Robbie Eagles vs. El Desperado – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi match.
Worst – Master Wato being sloppy with his ring work at times during his match against YOH.
Show Notes – Oiwa vs. Nakashima was a solid opening bout. Kanemaru vs. Taguchi was a pretty good match. SHO vs. DOUKI was a pretty good back-and-forth action match despite the ending shenanigans. Wato’s step-up head scissors to YOH was nice but ouch at him whiffing on his corkscrew splash to YOH on the outside. YOH’s Dragon Screw counter of Wato’s spin kick looked brutal. YOH’s superkick counter of Wato’s springboard dive into a Ushigoroshi into his Direct Drive finisher sequence was cool. YOH vs. Wato was an entertaining bout despite being a bit sloppy at times. BUSHI’s missle dropkick to Phantasmo sending him flying across the ring was nice. BUSHI’s Codebreaker counter of Phantasmo’s loaded boot kick via ropes assist was cool. Phantasmo’s Styles Clash counter of BUSHI’s sunset roll-up was nice. El Phantasmo vs. BUSHI was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Eagles got some sweet height with his springboard float over armdrag to Despy. Desy & Eagles stiff chops exchange on the ramp was nice. Despy’s Dragon Screw, knee drop, & Numero Dos combo to Eagles was nice. Eagles running double knees to Despy in the corner looked vicious. Despy’s spinebuster & Guitarra de Angel combo to Eagles was cool. Eagles vs. El Desperado was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Ishimori’s sliding German to Hiromu was very smooth. Hiromu’s hurricanrana & Triangle Choke combo to Ishimori was cool. Ishimori’s Buckle Bomb counter of Hiromu’s armbar was nice. Hiromu’s DVD to Ishimori onto the aproin was cool. Ishimori’s catch & gutbuster counter of Hiromu’s escape slide was sweet. Ishimori’s spinning hoverboard for his Bone Lock submission to Hiromu looked awesome. Ishimori vs. Takahashi was a great hard fought action packed bout. NJPW Best of the Super Jrs. 2021 Night 6 was very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW Strong New Japan Showdown 2021 Night 4 (Nov. 27)
* Alex Coughlin Open Challenge Series – Alex Coughlin vs. Jonathan Gresham – 3.0
* 10-Man Tag Team match – Team Filthy (“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs, & Danny Limelight) vs. The DKC, Ren Narita, Karl Fredericks, Rocky Romero, & Fred Rosser – 3.0
* Stray Dog Army (Barrett Brown, BATEMAN, & Misterioso) vs. Daniel Garcia & Violence Unlimited (Brody King, & Chris Dickinson) – 3.0
* Philadelphia Street Fight – Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Philadelphia Street Fight match.
Worst – The show audio issues at times during the latter half of the show.
Show Notes – Coughlin’s deadlift gutwrench suplex to Gresham was impressive. Coughlin vs. Gresham opener was an entertaining competitive grapple heavy bout. Rosser’s back drop to Limelimght chucking him onto Kratos in the post on the outside was crazy. Limelight’s half nelson suplex to Romero was nice. Isaacs’ Saito Suplex to Narita was nice. Lawlor & Rosser slugfest exchange was nice. Romero’s Falcon Arrow & armbar combo to Limelight was nice. 10-Man Tag was a quite good back-and-forth hard hitting action bout despite the DQ shenanigans ending by the new Black Tiger. Lawlor’s post-match promo bashing Philly, the crowd, Romero, & Rosser was all right. Team Filthy backstage promo about their victory & mocking Rosser and Pals was splendid. Gabriel Kidd surprise appearance & promo about Gresham for a match and response by Gresham was all right. Garcia’s European uppercuts to Stray Dog Army in the corner was cool. BATEMAN’s floating driver to King spiking his head looked brutal. Garcia & Violence Unlimited triple piledriver finisher to Stray Dog Army was sweet. Stray Dog Army vs. Garcia & Violence Unlimited was a quite good hard hitting bout. Kingston & Suzuki’s stiff chops fest exchange was nice. Archer chucking Moxley like a dart onto a trailer truck was nice. Ouch at Moxley’s family jewels after Suzuki’s low blow via a kendo stick. Ouch at Kingston’s chest after Suzuki’s baseball bat style kendo whack. Moxley raking Archer’s nether regions with a kendo stick was a bit funny. Moxley’s shotgun dropkick to Archer through a door in the corner was cool. Archer’s Blackout finisher to Kingston onto a trash can was cool. Suzuki-Gun vs. Moxley & Kingston was an awesome physical hardcore style bout. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.


Weekly Awards:

  • Best match of the week – Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 4)
  • Best match of the week runner-up – Best of the Super Juniors 2021 match – Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 6)
  • Worst match of the week – 24/7 Championship – Cedric Alexander vs. Reginald (c) (WWE RAW)
  • Worst match of the week runner-up – Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon (WWE NXT)
  • Best show of the week – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Night 4
  • Worst show of the week – WWE RAW