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

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

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Dec. 13)
* Riddle vs. Otis – 2.5
* Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop – 2.0
* Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley – 2.0 (Squash)
* Finn Balor & Damian Priest vs. Dirty Dawgs (Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler) – 2.5
* Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina – 0.5
* Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins – 2.0
* No Disqualification match – Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins – 1.0 (Squash)
* No Disqualification match – Big E vs. Bobby Lashley – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Big E vs. Bobby Lashley match.
Worst – Vince McMahon & Austin Theory backstage office segment & the overbooked shenanigans endings to Lashley vs. Rollins and Big E vs. Lashley matches.
Show Notes – Opening Lashley, MVP, Owens, Rollins, & Big E promo segment about Lashley’s sneak attack last week, Lashley’s WWE title match demands, & their bad blood issues was decent. RK-Bro backstage segment about Riddle’s blazer, NXT shaman reference, & Otis was a bit funny. Belair’s 450 Splash finisher to Doudrop was nice. Belair vs. Doudrop was mostly solid despite its sluggish pacing. Ouch at Owens’ back after nailing the floor hard from his missed cannonball to Lashley on the outside. Owens vs. Lashley was a decent mostly squash match. Becky Lynch promo about beating Liv Morgan & boasting about herself & interruption response by Morgan was decent but the little kid in the crowd mocking Morgan was funny. The brawl between the two was really rough & botch filled though. Balor & Priest vs. Dirty Dawgs was a solid back-and-forth match despite the ending shenanigans by Austin Theory. Ripley vs. Zelina was a big pile of nothing topped with a quick shenanigans ending by Carmella. Lashley vs. Rollins was going on well until the lame DQ ending by Owens. Pearce & Deville abruptly restarting the match & the quick squash of Rollins afterwards stunk. Vince McMahon & Theory backstage office segment was very weird, especially with it suddenly turning somewhat erotic in tone near the end. Miz TV segment about Miz’s “WWE Hall of Fame” induction video, interruption by Edge, both guys bashing each other, & brawl was okay. Lashley’s chokeslam to Big E through a table was cool. Yikes at Lashley’s back after Big E’s rough slam onto the steps. Big E’s Uranage to Owens onto a table on the outside & Lashley’s spear to Rollins through a table was cool. Big E vs. Lashley was a good hard hitting match despite the overbooked ending shenanigans. This week’s show was average at best overall but also boring at times.

NXT (Dec. 14)
* No Holds Barred match – Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes – 3.0
* Amari Miller vs. Ivy Nile – 2.0
* Harland vs. Guru Raaj – 2.0 (Squash)
* Cora Jade vs. Dakota Kai – 2.5
* Tony D’Angelo vs. Andre Chase – 2.5
* Boa vs. Edris Enofe – 2.0
* Jacket Time (KUSHIDA & Ikemen Jiro) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans – 2.5
* Roderick Strong vs. Bron Breakker – 3.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Roderick Strong vs. Bron Breakker match.
Worst – Boa vs. Edris Enofe match.
Show Notes – Hudson’s Uranage counter of Grimes leap attack onto chairs was nice. Hudson’s powerbomb counter of Grimes Cave In onto a poker table was nice. Grimes’ Poison Rana & Cave In finisher combo to Hudson was cool. Grimes vs. Hudson opener was a good hardcore style match. Jade backstage interview about Kai & interruption by Kai was okay but still not a fan of Kai’s new crazy lady gimmick. Grayson Waller’s promo about Gargano’s speech last week & mocking social media’s reactions to his sneak attack on Gargano was dull. Lashing Out segment with Jacket Time was corny. Robert Stone & Von Wagner backstage interviews were a bit goofy. Riddle & MSK segment about MSK’s mystery bag of random stuff was goofy but also a bit funny. LA Knight parking lot interview segment trashing Waller was all right. Jade vs. Kai was a mostly solid match despite dragging a bit at times. D’Angelo vs. Chase was a solid back-and-forth match. D’Angelo post-match promo about Pete Dunne, interruption response by Dunne, & mini-brawl was all right. Gonzalez’s backstage promo about her bad blood with Kai was all right. Waller’s parking lot interview about everyone in NXT hating him over last week’s attack & stealing Knight’s car was okay. James Drake’s suicide dive & Zack Gibson’s Russian Leg sweep combo to KUSHIDA on the outside was cool. Jacket Time’s Swanton & reverse DDT finisher combo to Drake was nice. Jacket Time vs. GYV was a solid back-and-forth action match. Breakker’s Gator Roll & stalling suplex to Strong was nice. Strong’s Back Drop Driver to Breakker onto the announcer’s table was nice. Strong’s superplex & Butterfly suplex combo to Breakker was cool. Breakker’s powerslam counter of Strong’s bulldog was nice. Strong vs. Breakker was a very good action filled match, especially the latter half. This week’s show was average overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (Dec. 17)
* Sasha Banks & Toni Storm vs. Shotzi & Charlotte Flair – 3.0
* Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal & Shanky – 2.5
* Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro – 2.5
* Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler – 1.0
* New Day (Kofi Kingston & King Woods) vs. The Usos – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman,& Brock Lesnar show closing promo & brawl segment.
Worst – Happy Talk segment.
Show Notes – The bird poo-looking AR graphics for Flair’s entrance easily joins the pile of awful looking AR ones in WWE. Banks’ step-up head scissors to Flair was nice. Storm’s atomic drops to Shozti was a bit weird in terms of how that move normally works in wrestling. Ouch at Flair’s head after getting nailed by Storm’s legs for her moonsault counter. Women’s tag opener was a mostly good back-and-forth style match despite its pacing being a bit rough at times. King Woods “homage” backstage segment & interruption by Usos was a bit cringey. Natayla backstage interview about her issues with Xia Li after last week was okay. Viking Raiders vs. Mahal & Shanky was a solid back-and-forth style match but Pat McAfee blurting out “ass for dinner” on commentary during it was hilarious. McIntyre’s beatdown of Corbin & Moss was the ony good part about the very terrible Happy Talk segment about Corbin & Moss stealing & mocking McIntyre and his sword. Sami Zayn, Pearce, & Deville backstage office segment about Zayn wanting another Universal title match & Gauntlet match setup was okay. Holland vs. Cesaro was a mostly solid hard hitting match despite the ringside shenanigans ending by Sheamus. Naomi & Deville promo segment about their bad blood, match setup, & ambush attack by Baszler on Naomi was okay. Corbin & Moss hidden area backstage interview about McIntyre was decent at best. Woods managed to get some really great air with his top rope leg drop to Jimmy Uso. New Day vs. Usos was a pretty good match. Roman Reigns promo about the Family & lack of trust with Heyman over his lingering Lesnar issues, Heyman’s response about him protecting Reigns from Lesnar, Reigns firing and attack on Heyman, & Lesnar run-in save and brawl was great. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

---

AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Dec. 13)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Gabby Ortiz – 2.0 (Squash)
* Kris Statlander & Red Velvet vs. Nikii Duke & Tina San Antonio – 2.0 (Squash)
* Gunn Club (Austin, Colton, & Billy Gunn) vs. Joey Sweets, Antonio Zambrano, & Jack Tomlinson – 2.0 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura vs. Notorious Mimi – 2.0
* Anthony Ogogo vs. Jaden Valo – 1.5 (Squash)
* Santana & Ortiz vs. Mike Verna & Anthony Gangone – 2.5 (Squash)
* Tony Nese vs. Alex Reynolds – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Tony Nese vs. Alex Reynolds match.
Worst – The very squash heavy amount of matches on the show.
Show Notes – Rosa vs. Ortiz opener was a decent squash style match. Rosa’s post-match interview about TBS title plans & interruption response by Mark Sterling & Jade Cargill was all right. Statlander & Velvet vs. Duke & San Antonio was a decent mostly squash style match. Billy Gunn taking offense to Sweets’ “Sweets Checks” gimmick being a ripoff of his old Mr. Ass gimmick was a bit funny. Gunn Club vs. Sweets, Zambarno, & Tomilnson was also a decent squash style match. Sakura vs. Mimi was a somewhat decent match despite the ending shenanigans by Mei Suruga. Ogogo vs. Valo was a decent quick squash style match. Santana & Ortiz’s atomic drop, lariat, DDT, assisted moonsault, & Senton combo destruction to Verna was cool. Santana & Ortiz vs. Verna & Gangone was a fun jobber destruction squash match. Ouch at Reynolds’ head after crashing hard on the mat from Nese’s leg yank from the top rope. Nese’s springboard moonsault from the apron to the inside ropes to Reynolds was nice. Reynolds’ discuss punch & Lungblower combo to Nese was nice. Nese’s one-arm running powerbomb to Reynolds into the corner was impressive. Nese vs. Reynolds was a pretty good back-and-forth style match. This week’s show was average at best overall but also mostly skippable outside of the main event.

AEW Dynamite “Winter Is Coming II” (Dec. 15)
* AEW World Championship – Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Adam Page (c) – 5.0
* Wardlow vs. Matt Sydal – 2.0 (Squash)
* Serena Deeb vs. Hikaru Shida – 3.0
* Dynamite Diamond Ring match – MJF vs. Dante Martin – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – AEW World Championship match.
Worst – SuperKlilq & Bobby Fish backstage promo segment being a bit of a dud.
Show Notes – Danielson’s Romero Special & Dragon Sleeper combo to Page was cool. Page’s springboard lariat to Danielson on the ropes was cool. Page’s DVD to Danielson while getting pummeled by elbow strikes was cool. Yikes at Page’s shoulder after his rough fall to the apron from Danielson’s top rope shove. Danielson’s diving knee to Page’s head on the apron looked brutal. Danielson’s bridging shoulder capture suplex to Page was cool. Page’s Dead Eye counter of Danielson’s Gotch Style Piledriver on the apron was awesome. Holy crap at Page’s face after slamming hard onto a table that didn’t break from his splash to the outside. Danielson’s foot stomps to Page looked brutal. Page’s Dead Eye counter of Danielson’s Busaiku Knee was great. Yikes at Danielson spiking himself from Page’s Buckshot Lariat. AEW title opener was one of the best ever matches in AEW history despite the draw finish letdown. Wardlow vs. Sydal was a decent squash style match. Shawn Spears’ post-match promo bossing around Wardlow was interesting. Conti vs. Ford match hype video was splendid. Malakai Black’s “House of Black” vignette was superb. Shida’s deadlift Falcom Arrow counter of Deeb’s spinning neckbreaker was cool. Deeb vs. Shida was a good hard hitting bout. Varsity Blonds backstage interview about Black’s sneak attack last week was all right. Hook vignette was superb. MJF’s pre-match promo trashing Texas & CM Punk was great. Yikes at MJF’s head after getting nailed by Martin’s knee from his standing 450. Martin’s series of aerial moves to MJF on the outside was sweet. Ouch at Martin’s hard landing & MJF getting kneed in the face again from Martin’s overshot shooting star press on the outside. MJF & Martins’s pins exchange into MJF’s Liger Bomb was cool. MJF vs. Martin was a very good action filled match despite the shenanigans ending by Ricky Starks. This week’s Winter Is Coming II show was great overall.

AEW Rampage (Dec. 17)
* The Young Bucks, Bobby Fish, & Adam Cole vs. Rocky Romero & Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Trent, & Orange Cassidy) – 4.0
* Submission match – Tay Conti vs. Penelope Ford – 3.0
* 10-Man Tag Team match – Sanata, Ortiz, Lucha Brothers, & Eddie Kingston vs. 2point0, Daniel Garcia, & The Acclaimed – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Young Bucks, Bobby Fish, & Adam Cole vs. Rocky Romero & Best Friends match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Cassidy’s rope walk & hands in the pocket routine to Nick Jackson was sweet. SuperKliq’s team assisted powerbomb to Trent on the apron was cool. Trent’s half-and-half suplex to Nick Jackson was cool. Trent suplex onto the ropes, Romero’s springboard dropkick, & Trent’s Claymore style kick to N. Jackson sequence was cool. Young Bucks’ superkick, Cole’s brainbuster style knee breaker, & Fish splash combo to Trent was cool. Fish’ Avalanche Falcon Arrow to Trent was cool. Cassidy’s sunset splash to Young Bucks & Cole was nice. SuperKliq & Fish vs. Romero & Best Friends opener was a great action packed match. Dan Lambert promo segment mocking Tony Khan, Khan’s booking favoritism, and Cody Rhodes, interruption by Rhodes, & brawl with Men of the Year, Dustin Rhodes, & Sammy Guevara was splendid. Rosa, Cargill, Solo, & Rose TBS title tournament semi-finals hype video was all right. Conti’s snapping arm lock to Ford looked brutal. Ford’s Dragon Sleeper counter of Conti’s Blockbuster was nice. Ford’s springboard cutter & cravat to Conti was nice. Conti’s modified Chicken Wing submission finisher counter of Ford’s cazadora was cool. Ford vs. Conti was a pretty good match. Garcia & Pals and Kingston & Pals split-screen backstage pre-match interview was all right. Ouch at Garcia’s back after Ortiz’s suplex to him on the outside. Santana & Ortiz’s atomic drop, lariat, DDT, & assisted moonsault combo to Anthony Bowens was cool. Acclaimed’s dropkick & spinning press slam to Ortiz was nice. Penta’s sling blades to 2point0 & tilt-a-whirl back breaker to Garcia was sweet. Fenix’s top rope Tor-Knee-Do to Garcia was cool. Santana’s sit-out piledriver to Bowens was cool. 10-Man Tag was a very good back-and-forth action filled match despite the abrupt ending. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

---

NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW World Tag League 2021 Night 11 (Dec. 12)
* Kosei Fujita vs. Ryohei Oiwa – 2.5
* World Tag League 2021 match – Minoru Suzuki & Taka Michinoku vs. TenCozy – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask vs. Great Bash Heel – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano – 3.0
* World Tag League 2021 match – Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare vs. Guerillas of Destiny – 3.5
* World Tag League 2021 match – EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA – 3.5
* World Tag League 2021 match – Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Dangerous Tekkers – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Dangerous Tekkers match.
Worst – The overplayed House of Torture style buzzkill ending shenanigans to the EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA match.
Show Notes – Young Lions opener was a solid match. Suzuki-Gun vs. TenCozy was a pretty good hard hitting bout & bit surprised Suzuki-Gun went winless in this year’s WTL. Nagata’s Exploder Suplex & Tiger Mask diving headbutt combo to Makabe was nice. Nagata & Tiger Mask vs. GBH was a good back-and-forth style bout. Tanahashi’s Dragon Screw counter of Owens’ Package Driver was nice. Fale & Owens vs. Tanahashi & Yano was a pretty good bout. Tonga’s double dropkick to Henare & Khan was nice. Tanga Loa’s T-Bone Suplex to Henare was nice, especially the bounce sell by Henare. Khan’s Iron Claw & Henare’s spin kick combo to Tonga was nice. Tonga’s Gun Stun outta nowhere to Khan was cool. United Empire vs. GoD was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Poor NJPW ring announcer after SANADA launched EVIL from the apron to the guard rail section he was sitting at. Double ouch for the guy after EVIL got payback and did his patented guard rail crash antics to SANADA. Yujiro’s Olympic Slam counter of Naito’s elbow strikes was nice. Naito’s Claymore kick to EVIL was cool. EVIL & Takahashi vs. LIJ was a very good back-and-forth action bout despite the flat House of Torture ending shenanigans. Goto’s Back Drop Driver counter of Sabre Jr’s headlock was nice. Taichi’s kicks & YOSHI’S elbow strikes exchange was sweet. Sabre Jr’s surfboard style double stomp to Goto’s ankles was nice. YOSHI’s superkick & Goto’s Ushigoroshi combo to Sabre Jr was cool. Sabre Jr’s Dragon Screws combo to Goto via Taichi assist was nice. Taichi chokeslam & Sabre Jr back drop combo to YOSHI was nice. Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Dangerous Tekkers was a great hard fought action packed match. NJPW World Tag League 2021 Night 11 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW XTRA (Dec. 13)
* Kevin Knight vs. Hikuleo – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Show Notes – The “Week in NJPW” and NJPW Strong Detonation Night 2 show highlights segments were all right. Hikuleo’s stiff chop to Knight flooring him was sweet. Hikuleo’s lawn dart toss to Knight into the corner was nice. Knight managed to get some nice height with his dropkicks to Hikuleo. Hikuelo’s smooth looking powerslam to Knight was nice. Knight vs. Hikuelo was a solid back-and-forth hard hitting match. This week’s show was average overall but still enjoyable.

NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Finals (Dec. 15)
* Kosei Fujita, Yuto Nakashima, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. DOUKI, Taka Michinoku, & Minoru Suzuki – 3.0
* El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Tiger Mask – 2.5
* Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Toru Yano vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, & Dangerous Tekkers – 3.0
* Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale & Guerillas of Destiny vs. Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb – 3.0
* Robbie Eagles & Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI & Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* World Tag League 2021 Finals – Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Finals – YOH vs. Hiromu Takahashi – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Shibata’s in-ring return announcement for Wrestle Kingdom 16 and Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Finals match.
Worst – The overbookd ending shenanigans for the World Tag League 2021 Finals match.
Show Notes – Young Lions & Taguchi vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man tag opener was an entertaining bout. El Phantasmo & Ishimori vs. Oiwa & Tiger Mask was a solid quick match. Wato, Honma, Makabe, & Yano vs. Suzuki-Gun 8-Man tag was a good back-and-forth action match. Bullet Club vs. Nagata, Kosjima, Tenzan, & Tanahashi 8-Man tag was pretty good. Shibata’s big announcement being him wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 16 was awesome. Khan’s Eliminator counter of SANADA’s Skull End was nice. Naito’s Tornado DDT into Cobb’s powerbomb counter into Naito’s rana & roll-up counter ending sequence was cool. United Empire vs. SANADA & Naito was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Eagles’ rana counter of Takagi’s pop-up powerbomb was nice. Okada’s rolling lift & neckbreaker combo counter of BUSHI’s Codebreaker was cool. Holy crap at Eagles’s bending himself in half after his rough landing from his sunset dive to Takagi on the outside. Eagles & Okada vs. BUSHI & Takagi was a very good action filled match. Goto’s reverse GTR counter of EVIL’s lariat was nice. Yikes at Yujiro’s back after Goto’s rough looking GYW via YOSHI assist. Goto & YOSHI’s new team finisher was sweet. World Tag League Finals was a mostly very good action filled match despite the overbooked ending shenanigans. YOH & Hiromu’s stiff slaps exchange was cool & same for their chops exchanges afterwards. Yikes at welts on YOH’s chest. YOH’s Falcon Arrow counter of Hiromu’s suplex was nice. Hiromu’s DVD to YOH on the apron was brutal. YOH’s rana counter of Hiromu’s sunset powerbomb to the guard rail was cool. SHO’s sneak attack & cross-arm piledrivers to YOH & Hiromu on the outside was okay but also a horrible match flow killer. Hiromu’s German Suplex counter of YOH’s 5 Star Clutch was cool. Hiromu’s Time Bomb counter of YOH’s Direct Drive was awesome. Hiromu’s Jay Driller to YOH was brutal. Best of the Super Jrs Finals was a magnificent hard fought action packed battle. WTL & Best of the Super Jrs 2021 Finals was a mostly great show overall.

NJPW Strong Detonation Night 3 (Dec. 18)
* The DKC & Kevin Knight vs. Brogan Finlay & Jordan Clearwater – 3.0
* Team Filthy (Black Tiger, JR Kratos, & Royce Isaacs) vs. Rocky Romero & FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) – 3.5
* NJPW Strong Openweight Championship – Fred Rosser vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Knight’s standing Frog Splash to Finlay was nice. DKC & Knight vs. Finlay & Clearwater opener was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. Kratos’ deadlift stalling suplex to Romero was nice. Isaacs’ one-arm sitout powerbomb counter of Romero’s arm bar was cool. Kratos’ stiff chop to Romero sending him flying into the corner was nice. Kratos’ lariat to Finlay sending him spinning to the mat & sitout powerbonb to Robinson afterwards was cool. Black Tiger’s twisting neckbreaker to Romero was nice. Romero’s standing Slice Bread to Black Tiger was nice. Team Filthy vs. Romero & FinJuice 6-Man tag was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Rosser vs. Lawlor match hype video package was superb. Rosser’s dive through the ropes to break up Lawlor’s rear naked choke on him was a bit cool. Lawlor’s double leg Dragon Screw to Rosser was nice. Lawlor’s clutched T-Bone Suplex to Rosser was nice. Rosser & Lawlor’s slugfest exchange was sweet. Lawlor’s ankle lock counter of Rosser lariat was nice. Rosser running DVD to Lawlor was cool. Rosser’s powerslam counter of Lawlor’s rear naked choke was nice. Rosser’s back suplex to Lawlor on the apron was nice. Strong Openweight title was a great hard fought back-and-forth action filled battle. Lawlor’s post-match promo boasting about his win & title reign and surprise return & attack by Taylor Rust was splendid. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Dec. 16)
* Rohit Raju vs. Josh Alexander – 3.5
* Joe Doering & Doc Gallows vs. Willie Mack & Rich Swann – 3.0
* John Skyler vs. Trey Miguel – 2.5
* Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid – 4.0
* Tenille Dashwood vs. Jessie McKay – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid match.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the Dashwood vs. McKay match.
Show Notes – Alexander’s overhead suplex to Raju was nice. Raju’s double stomp to Alexander was nice. Alexander’s jumping foot stomp to Raju’s knee via ropes assist looked brutal. Raju vs. Alexander opener was a surprisingly competitive & very good back-and-forth action match. Good Bros & Violent By Design backstage interview about their new alliance was all right. Chelsea Green backstage interview about upcoming Knockouts Ultimate X match & Moose interruption mocking her fiance Cardona was okay. Doering & Gallows managed to get some nice height with their double chokeslam finisher to Mack. Doering & Gallows vs. Mack & Swann was pretty good. Post-match brawl with VBD, Rhino, Heath, & Eddie Edwards was all right. JONAH backstage “Top Dog” promo about his bad blood with Alexander was fine. Skyler vs. Miguel was a solid back-and-forth match. Maclin’s post-match ambush attack to Miguel & kidnapping afterwards was all right. Ouch at Kid’s back after his missed cannonball to Bey on the outside. Kid’s sunset dive counter of Bey’s flying elbow drop was nice. Ouch at Kid’s head after nailing the apron hard from Hikuleo’s shove from the top rope. Bey’s spinning heel kick & spinning neckbreaker combo to Kid was cool. Kid’s Avalanche Falcon Arrow to Bey was sweet. Bey’s double foot stomp to Kid on the top rope was cool. Bey’s cutter finisher counter of Kid’s flying attack was sweet. Bey vs. Kid was a great action packed match. Purrazzo & Mickie James taped backstage confrontation & brawl was fine. McKay’s big boot to Dashwood flooring her was nice. Dashwood vs. McKay was a solid back-and-forth match despite the ending ringside shenanigans by the Influence. Impact title match contract signing & brawl segment was splendid. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling IPWF Throwback Throwdown II (Dec. 18)
* Chad 2 Badd (Karl Anderson) vs. Bill Ding (Trey Miguel) – 2.0
* Sunday Morning Express (Editor-In-Chief (Chris Sabin) & Ace Reporter) vs. * Rhythmic Warriors (Johnny Swinger & Mikey Singer (Mike Jackson)) – 2.5
* Rip Rayzor (Ace Austin) vs. Frank the Butcher (Rhino) – 2.5
* Georgia Cobb (Jordynne Grace) vs. Ladybird Johnson (Havok) – 3.0
* Quincy Cosmos (Rohit Raju) vs. Guiseppi Scovelli Jr. (Josh Matthews) – 2.5
* 4-Corners Bullrope match – Badlands Bart (Larry D) vs. “Hard” Harry Hall (Jake Something) – 3.0
* Ima Belle (Deonna Purrazzo) vs. Rusty Iron (Gia Miller) – 2.5
* Tim Burr (Josh Alexander) vs. Erik “The Red” Wood (W. Morrissey) – 3.0
* Jazzy Fitbody (Madison Rayne) vs. Wanda the Werewoman (Savannah Evans) – 2.0
* S.T.O.MP. In Paradise (GI Broski & Brian Bone Crunchin (Matt Cardona & Brian Myers)) vs. The Russians (Stalingrad Strangler & Sergie the Siberian (Tony Gunn & Madman Fulton)) – 2.5
* IPWF International Commonwealth Television Championship North Pole Street Fight match – Santa Claus (Willie Mack) vs. Sex Ferguson (Doc Gallows) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Matt Striker’s one-liner puns on commentary throughout the show.
Worst – Impact’s production issues and miscues throughout the show.
Show Notes – Impact accidentally hitting the live button too early & botching the start of the show was funny. Opening Ferguson promo bashing Kentucky & Muscles McGee, interruption banter with Guiseppi Scovelli, & brawl with Santa Claus was dumb but also funny. Miguel portraying a stereotypical construction worker & his name being a play on the word “building” was a bit funny. The crowd’s “Bob the Builder” chants to Miguel was funny. Badd vs. Ding was mostly decent with some nice comedic moments. Rhythmic Warriors music video was goofy. Singer’s wig suddenly falling off during his tag match was a bit funny. SME vs. Rhythmic Warriors was a fun back-and-forth match. Santa Claus backstage interview about Ferguson was okay. Cobb’s pre-match interview about her issues with Johnson & ambush attack by Johnson was all right. Cobb vs. Johnson was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Raju’s 80s style musician attire & hair wig looked hilarious. Cosmos’ promo about his issues with Scovelli & stealing his family heirloom, response by Scovelli Jr., & match setup was fine. Cosmos vs. Scovelli Jr. was a solid match. DJ 2Large (Moose) and Col. E. Corn (John E. Bravo) & Pelvis Wesley (Heath) music battle & brawl was okay. 4-Corners Bullrope match was pretty good. Belle vs. Iron was a solid match. Burr vs. Wood was pretty good but Burr accidentally ripping his pants near the end of the match was funny. Fitbody randomly doing an exercise workout in the background during The $237,000 Man’s rambling promo was a bit funny. STOMP In Paradise vs. The Russians was a solid back-and-forth action match despite dragging a bit long. Ferguson pre-match interview about him bashing Santa, Downtown Daddy Brown, & PBR beer was splendid. Santa vs. Ferguson was an entertaining back-and-forth match. Impact’s Throwback Throwdown II was a enjoyable comedic style show overall.

---

Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – AEW World Championship – Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Adam Page (c) (AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming II)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Finals – YOH vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors 2021 Finals)
• Worst match of the week – Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming II
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW