Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for January 23 to January 29, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of January 23rd to January 29th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Jan. 24)
* Bianca Belair vs. Queen Zelina – 2.5
* United States Championship – Kevin Owens vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.0
* Six-Women Tag Team match – Rhea Ripley, Dana Brooke, & Liv Morgan vs. Carmella, Tamina, & Nikki A.S.H. – 2.0 (Squash)
* Chad Gable vs. Randy Orton – 3.0
* AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory – 3.5
* Street Profits vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Alpha Academy Academic Challenge Spelling Bee contest and the AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory match.
Worst – The lame finish to the US title match and the Alexa Bliss’ rambling therapy office segment.
Show Notes – Lesnar’s cowboy inspired look for the weigh-in was swell but Graves’ fashion criticism & Lesnar’s retort about being naked if it would make Graves happy instead was funny. Opening WWE title match weigh-in segment was all right. Priest’s chokeslam to Owens onto the apron was nice. Priest’s lariat to Owens’ spinning him to the mat was nice. US title was going on well until the extra lame buzzkill DQ ending by Priest. 6-Women Tag was a decent mostly squash style match. Academic Challenge Spelling Bee contest with Alpha Academy & RKO-Bro was dumb but also funny, especially Otis botching spelling a word but still being counted as correct. Otis’ overhead suplex to Riddle on the outside during the Gable vs. Orton match looked brutal. Ouch at Otis’ back after getting whacked by Riddle’s scooter. Gable vs. Orton was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Alexa Bliss therapy segment about her history with Lilly was cringey. Vince McMahon & Theory backstage office segment about the Men’s Rumble & Vince’s selfie request was nothing special. Ouch at Styles’ chest after Theory’s rough landing from his leap over double foot stomp from the apron. Theory’s Black Hole Slam style backbreaker to Styles was cool. Theory got some nice height with his back drop to Styles. Theory’s standing Blockbuster to Styles was cool. Styles vs. Theory was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Doudrop & Lynch split-screen interview about their RAW Women’s title match & brawl was somewhat dull. Mysterios backstage interview about WWE 2K22 & Men’s Rumble was nothing special. Street Profits vs. Mysterios was a solid back-and-forth action match despite being a bit sloppy at times. Maryse’s Birthday segment with Miz’s gifts & interruption by Edge and Beth Phoenix & their destruction of security was entertaining. This week’s Royal Rumble 2022 go-home show was most enjoyable & one of the better RAW shows in months.

NXT (Jan. 25)
* 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament Round 1 match – Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro & KUSHIDA) vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) – 3.5
* No Disqualification Falls Count Anywhere match – Solo Sikoa vs. Boa – 3.0
* Duke Hudson vs. Guru Raaj – 1.5 (Squash)
* 6-Women Tag Team match – Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne, Gigi Dolin & Mandy Rose) vs. Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta, & Kay Lee Ray – 2.5
* 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament Round 1 match – Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs. Chase University (Andre Chase & Bodhi Hayward) – 2.5
* Io Shirai vs. Tiffany Stratton – 2.5
* #1 Contender for NXT North American Championship – Cameron Grimes vs. Tony D’Angelo – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Jacket Time vs. MSK match and the Santos Escobar & Bron Breakker in-ring promo segment.
Worst – Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade taped training room promo segment.
Show Notes – KUSHIDA’s running sunset kick to both MSK guys at the same time was nice. Carter’s standing Shooting Star to Jiro was cool. Jiro’s reverse piledriver counter of Lee’s running attack was nice. KUSHIDA’s knees & Hoverboard Lock counter of Carter’s flip via Lee assist was cool. Jacket Time vs. MSK opener was a very good back-and-forth action packed match. Santos Escobar promo mocking Bron Breakker & Steiner Math, boasting about his better life upbringing, heated interruption response by Breakker, & brawl with Legado was splendid. Ouch at Sikoa’s back after Boa’s Butterfly suplex onto a trash can. Sikoa’s top rope splash to Boa through a table on the outside was cool. Sikoa vs. Boa was a pretty good hardcore style bout. Imperium promo video boasting about themselves was all right but WALTER’s new name is still a huge downgrade. 6-Women Tag was a solid back-and-forth match despite dragging a bit long & flat ending sequence. Gonzalez & Jade backstage segment about Jade’s attempts to form a team for Women’s Dusty Tag & their bickering was rough in terms of delivery. GYV vs. Chase U was mostly solid with some nice comedic moments. Grayson Waller’s backstage promo about his new bodyguard & issues with LA Knight was all right. Malcolm Bivens backstage promo mocking Imperium & WALTER’s new name was a bit funny but Roderick Strong’s portion was rough. Olliejayy music concert segment was okay despite the weird audio echoing throughout it. Stratton & Wendy Choo backstage segment about Stratton whining to her dad on the phone about losing to Shirai was a bit corny. D’Angelo’s belly-to-back suplex to Grimes was cool. Grimes spinning crossbody counter of D’Angelo’s own crossbody was nice. D’Angelo’s Exploder suplex to Grimes bouncing him off the corner was awesome. Grimes vs. D’Angelo was a quite good back-and-forth action match despite the ending shenanigans by Pete Dunne. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (Jan. 28)
* Sheamus & Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro & Ricochet – 3.0
* Naomi vs. Sonya Deville – 3.0
* Jinder Mahal & Shanky vs. Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura – 2.0
* New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) vs. Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Naomi vs. Sonya Deville match and the Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns show closing promo segment.
Worst – The opening rambling women’s promo segment and the Usos & Viking Raiders backstage segment.
Show Notes – Opening Charlotte Flair promo about the KC Chiefs and Women’s Rumble & interruption responses by Shayna Baszler, Aliyah, Natayla, Shotzi, & Sasha Banks & brawl was a somewhat rambling mess. Ricochet almost managed to completely miss Holland with his sunset dive to the outside. Cesaro’s slugfest & corkscrew uppercut combo to Sheamus was nice. Ricochet’s KO sell of Sheamus’ knee strike was cool. Sheamus & Holland vs. Cesaro & Ricochet was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Deville’s inverted hanging DDT to Naomi onto the floor via apron assist was nice. Deville’s modified suplex style sidewalk slam move looked really weird. Naomi vs. Deville was a pretty good match, especially the latter half, despite WWE going overboard with the drowning out fake crowd audio throughout it. Naomi’s post-match promo about her win over Deville and Women’s Rumble & interruption response by Deville was decent. Deville’s big surprise for Naomi being just herself entering the Women’s Rumble was a let down in terms of both surprise entrant reveals & big announcement. Usos & Viking Raiders backstage segment about their tag title feud was very cringey. Sami Zayn’s “In-Zayn” podcast show segment with Mahal & Shanky about Zayn mocking Nakamura, Boogs, & Johnny Knoxville and interruption by Nakamura & Boogs was all right. Boogs’ new gear & Freddy Mercury style haircut is a really good upgrade compared to his previous look & gear. Mahal & Shanky vs. Boogs & Nakamura was a mostly decent match. Whoever has been writing all of Moss’ extra lame jokes probably should be fired or lose their pencil privileges. New Day vs. Moss & Corbin was a solid match. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins face-to-face promo segment about their past history, Rollins gloating about being the reason why Reigns became a mega star, & Rollins mocking Reigns’ family was splendid. This week’s Royal Rumble go-home show was average overall.

WWE Royal Rumble 2022 (Jan. 29)
* Universal Championship match – Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (c) – 3.5
* 30-Women Royal Rumble match – 3.0
* RAW Women’s Championship match – Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch (c) – 2.5
* WWE Championship – Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar (c) – 3.0
* Maryse & The Miz vs. Beth Phoenix & Edge – 3.0
* 30-Men Royal Rumble match – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Universal Championship match and Ivory’s Right to Censor style surprise entrance during the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Worst – Both Rumble matches ending with part-timers as the winner and the shenanigans endings to the Universal & WWE title matches.
Show Notes – Rollins trolling the crowd & Reigns with the Shield style entrance was great. Rollins’s kick & powerbomb combo counter of Reigns’ Superman Punch through the announcer’s table was cool. Rollins’ Buckle Bomb & stomp combo to Reigns was cool. Reigns’ clothesline to Rollins spinning him onto the mat was nice. Reigns’ stiff sounding powerbomb to Rollins was nice. Rollins’ Pedigree counter of Reigns’ spear was sweet. Universal title opener was a very good action filled bout despite the buzzkill DQ ending by Reigns. Sasha Banks’ Sailor Moon gear & Melina’s surprise entry in the Women’s Rumble was delightful. Kelly Kelly getting eliminated via being dumb doing a Tarantula hold on the ropes was funny. Zelina eliminating Banks is interesting. Ivory’s RTC style surprise entry & promo was awesome. Alicia Fox & Molly Holly’s surprise entries was wonderful. Nikki’s angry jealousy over 2 superheros being in the match was cool. The rumors of Rousey’s return being true is interesting but have zero interest in her rumored Mania feud. Women’s Rumble was good despite the anti-climatic ending. RAW Women’s title match was mostly solid. Lashley’s Hurt Lock counter of Lesnar’s F-5 was nice. WWE title was mostly good despite the lame ending shenanigans by Reigns. On one hand, Lashley winning the belt was nice but on the other hand, Lesnar’s title reign was a big bust. Phoenix’s powerbomb & Edge’s elbow drop combo to Miz was nice. Edge & Phoenix’s double Glamazon Slam finishers to Edge & Maryse was nice. Mixed Tag was a pretty good back-and-forth match. Ouch at Johnny Knoxville’s family jewels after Montez Ford landed low with his Frog Splash. Omos’ vicious loud chop to Ricochet flooring him was sweet. Moss being the one to eliminate AJ Styles was lame. Kingston botching his annual Rumble elimination save moment was a bit funny but also ouch at his chest after crashing hard onto the barricade. Bad Bunny’s surprise entry was cool. The cameras missing Rey Mysterio’s elimination during Shane McMahon’s surpise entry entrance was a bit funny. Lesnar being the final entry & winning the Men’s Rumble was lame. Men’s Rumble was somewhat good but easily the weaker of the two Rumbles on the show. Royal Rumble 2022 was mostly enjoyable overall but not one of the better Rumble shows in recent years.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Jan. 24)
* “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Brittany Blake – 2.5
* Private Party vs. Action Andretti & Myles Hawkins – 2.0 (Squash)
* Brandi Rhodes vs. Willow Nightingale – 2.0
* Men of the Year (Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky) vs. Mike Fowler & Lohan Laroux – 2.0 (Squash)
* Red Velvet vs. Janai Kai – 2.5
* Santana & Ortiz vs. Goldy & Breaux Keller – 2.5
* Thunder Rosa & Ruby Soho vs. Jordan Blade & Leva Bates – 2.0 (Squash)
* Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks) vs. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Team Taz vs. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty match.
Worst – Men of the Year vs. Mike Fowler & Lohan Laroux match.
Show Notes – Hirsch’s swift kick counter of Blake’s springboard enziguri was nice. Hirsch vs. Blake opener was a mostly solid brief match. Marq Quen managed to get some really nice height with his Shooting Star Press finisher to Andretti. Private Party vs. Andretti & Hawkins was a decent mostly squash style bout. Nightingale’s Russian Leg Sweep & seated Octopus Hold combo to Rhodes was nice. Rhodes vs. Nightingale was a mostly decent brief match. Men of the Year vs. Fowler & Laroux was a decent mostly squash style match. Red Velvet vs. Kai was a solid back-and-forth match. Santana & Ortiz’s moves combo destruction into a lariat by Santana flooring Goldy was sweet. Santana & Ortiz vs. Goldy & Keller was a solid brief bout. Rosa & Soho vs. Blade & Bates was a decent mostly squash style match. Hobbs crossbody counter of Moriarty’s running attack splatting him on the mat was nice. Sydal’s running head scissors to Starks was nice. Hobbs’ clothesline counter of Sydal & Moriarty’s running attack onto the ropes into a spear finisher by Starks to Moriarty was cool. Team Taz vs. Sydal & Moriarty was a solid but entertaining back-and-forth action match. Stark’s post-match promo bashing Dante Martin & brawl was all right. This week’s show was mostly average overall.

AEW Dark (Jan. 25)
* The Bunny vs. Erica Leigh – 2.0 (Squash)
* Daniel Garcia & 2point0 vs. Kekoa, Pat Brink & Rayo – 2.0 (Squash)
* Lance Archer vs. Joe Keys – 2.5 (Squash)
* “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Janai Kai – 1.5 (Squash)
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels, Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & 10) vs. Gunn Club (Austin & Colten Gunn) & The Acclaimed – 3.0
* Wheeler Yuta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo – 3.5
* Jungle Boy vs. Nick Comoroto – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Wheeler Yuta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo match.
Worst – QT Marshall’s odd rambling promo bashing the crowd & Jurassic Express.
Show Notes – Bunny vs. Leigh opener was a decent squash style match. 2point0’s post-match promo threatening the Inner Circle was all right. Archer shrugging off Keyes’ uppercut & response with a big boot sending him flying out of the ring was nice. Archer’s loud stiff chop to Keyes was sweet. Archer vs. Keyes was a fine extended jobber destruction squash match. Max Caster’s pre-match dissing VR porn watcher and Dark Order’s cult & Ass Boys shout-out was superb, especially Gunn Club’s reaction to being called “Ass Boys.” Taz debating on commentary if Austin & Colten’s nickname should be “Ass Boys” or “Children of the Ass” was funny. 8-Man Tag was an entertaining back-and-forth action match. Penta’s modified vertical Bow & Arrow to Yuta looked brutal. Yuta & Penta’s dives & strikes counters into a suicide dive by Yuta was nice. Penta’s superkick & backstabber combo counter of Yuta’s headstand on the corner was nice. Penta’s loud stiff chop to Yuta on the ropes was sweet. Yuta’s rebound bridging German counter of Penta’s superkick was nice. Penta’s Made in Japan to Yuta was sweet. Yuta got some really nice height with his top rope splash to Penta. Yuta vs. Penta was a very good action packed match. QT Marshall’s rambling promo bashing the crowd & Jurassic Express over their lack of respect for the Factory was decent at best. Comoroto’s one arm grab of Jungle off the top rope was impressive. Jungle’s brainbuster to Comoroto was cool. Comoroto vs. Jungle Boy was a good back-and-forth style match. This week’s show was enjoyable overall, especially the latter half.

AEW Dynamite Beach Break 2022 (Jan. 26)
* Undisputed TNT Championship Ladder match – Sammy Guevara (Interim Champion) vs. Cody Rhodes (TNT Champion) – 4.5
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean & James Alexander – 2.5 (Squash)
* Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, & Chris Jericho) vs. Daniel Garcia & 2point0 – 3.0
* “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet – 2.0
* Unsanctioned Lights Out match – Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Undisputed TNT Championship Ladder match.
Worst – The somewhat flat pacing & ending to the Lelya Hirsch vs. Red Velvet match.
Show Notes – Rhodes’ stiff clothesline to Guevara over the barricade looked brutal. Guevara’s cutter to Rhodes over the barricade was brutal. Rhodes’ superplex to Guevara off the ladder was cool. Yikes at Guevara’s chest after Rhodes’ front suplex onto a prone upside down ladder. Guevara’s leapfrog cutter to Rhodes off one ladder to another was crazy. Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes to Guevara off the ladder was awesome. Guevara’s corkscrew dive & GTH combo to Rhodes on the outside was cool. Holy crap at Guevara after his Senton off a ladder to Rhodes onto another ladder that didn’t break. TNT title Ladder match was a fantastic action packed battle. Inner Circle vs. Garcia & 2point0 was pretty good despite dragging a bit long. Archer vs. Page AEW title match hype video was splendid. CM Punk promo bashing MJF and his cheap scarf, interruption by MJF trashing the crowd, Cleveland, and Punk, Punk’s insults retort, & brawl with Pinnacle was wonderful. Acclaimed’s backstage promo about their issues with Moxley was all right. Hirsch’s Buckle Bomb counter of Velvet’s Triangle sleeper was nice. Hirsch vs. Velvet was decent at best despite the flat pacing & ending. House of Black promo segment about PAC & HoB teachings was superb. Britt Baker’s rambling promo boasting about herself & mocking Cleveland Browns was decent at best despite dragging too long. Cassidy & Cole’s slugfest exchange was sweet. Danhausen’s surprise appearance was great. Ouch at Cassidy’s hand after punching the ring bell. Cole’s Ushigoroshi to Cassidy was nice. Cassidy’s Michinoku Driver to Cole onto prone chairs was cool. Cassidy busting out a Panama Sunrise to Cole was cool. Cole’s DVD to Cassidy through a table backstage was nice. Cassidy’s hug & dive combo to Cole off a scaffold through the stage was awesome. Lights Out was a great hard hitting action packed match, especially the latter half. This week’s show was mostly great overall.

AEW Rampage Beach Break 2022 “Championship Friday” (Jan. 28)
* Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens – 3.5
* FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Brock Anderson & Lee Johnson – 3.0
* TBS Championship Open Challenge match – Julia Hart vs. Jade Cargill (c) – 2.5 (Squash)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens match.
Worst – Lee Johnson’s rough looking back-to-back dives to FTR on the outside.
Show Notes – Max Caster’s rap mocking Moxley’s wife and his book, & dig at his swearing last week was superb. Ouch at Bowens’ back after getting chucked hard into the guard rail by Moxley. Bowens was very lucky to not have spiked himself after his awkward landing from his superplex to Moxley. Bowens’ twising DDT to Moxley via ropes assist was nice. Moxley’s spiked piledriver to Bowens was cool. Moxley’s lariat flooring Bowens was sweet. Moxley vs. Bowens opener was a very good hard hitting action filled bout. Danielson’s backstage smiling reaction & another tease of a Danielson vs. Moxley feud was splendid. Nyla Rose video promo about Ruby Soho was okay. Andrade El Idolo & Darby Allin locker room segment about Mr. Stink and Andrade’s attempts to buy Allin & Allin’s response was all right. Ouch at Wheeler & Harwood after getting nailed hard by Johnson’s rough looking dives to the outside. Anderson’s gutwrench powerbomb to Wheeler was nice. Anderson’s DDT & Johnson’s twisting frog splash to Wheeler was cool. Arn Anderson’s goofy looking punch to Tully Blanchard at ringside was funny. FTR vs. Anderson & Johnson was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Rosa vs. Martinez match hype video was splendid. Serena Deeb hype vignette was okay. Cargill’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Hart was nice. TBS title was a fine mostly squash style bout. HFO and Jurassic Express & Christian Cage split-screen backstage pre-match interview was all right & a bit funny. Cassidy’s corkscrew dive to Luchasaurus was cool. Private Party’s neckbreaker & foot stomp combo to Jungle was cool. Jungle’s dives fest to Private Party was cool. Jungle’s reverse crossbody counter of Cassidy’s flying crossbody via Luchasaurus assist was crazy. Jungle’s Destroyer counter to Cassidy of Private Party’s Gin & Juice was cool. AEW Tag title was a quite good back-and-forth action filled match. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

GCW The WRLD on GCW (Jan. 23)
* Pre-show: Pabst Blue Ribbon Battle Royal – 2.5
* Pre-show: Six-Way Scramble match – Grim Reefer vs. Shane Mercer vs. Dante Leon vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Ninja Mack vs. Alex Zayne – 3.5
* Grab the Brass Ring Ladder match – Jordan Oliver vs. Tony Deppen vs. Jimmy Llyod vs. Alex Colon vs. PCO vs. G-Raver vs. AJ Gray – 3.0
* Trios Tag Team match – Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Arez, & Demonic Flamita) vs. Team Bandido (Bandido, Laredo Kid, & ASF) – 4.0
* Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush – 3.5
* Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela – 3.0
* Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho – 3.0
* Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY – 2.5
* GCW World Championship – Homicide vs. Jon Moxley (c) – 3.0
* GCW World Tag Team Championship – Matt Tremont & Nick Gage vs. The Brsicoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Team Gringo vs. Team Bandido Trios Tag Team match.
Worst – Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela match dragging way too long and the somewhat plodding pacing during the middle of the show.
Show Notes – PCO & Colon’s Doomsday Device to Raver via ladder assist was cool. Oliver’s leap off one ladder into a springboard cutter to Deppen from another was awesome. Ouch at Oliver’s head after PCO’s Package Pildriver onto a prone ladder. Holy crap at G-Raver after his scary looking Senton from a ladder to Colon onto a ladder & chairs. Llyod’s Razor’s Edge to Raver onto a ladder table on the outside was crazy. Yikes at Gray after his botched dive to Colon landing right onto a ladder. Ladder match opener was very good despite being a bit sloppy near the end. Arez’s step-up moonsault to Kid via Flamita assist & Flamita’s moonsault to Bandido at the same time on the outside was cool. Flamita & Arez’s surfboards to Kid & Bandido into a Swanton by Loco to both on the outside was cool. ASF’s Canadian Destroyer from Bandido’s tower to Arez from Gringo’s tower of guys into Gringo’s powerbomb to Kid off his shoulders & Bandido’s powerbomb to Flamita off his shoulders was awesome. Kid’s Spanish Fly to Azrez onto Bandido & Flamita on the outside was cool. Trios Tag was an amazing high flying action packed bout. Christian’s ripcord Spanish Fly & 450 splash combo to Rush was sweet. Rush’s Poison Rana, Blade Runner, & Final Hour frog splash combo to Christian was cool. Christian’s Fosbury Flop & tombstone combo to Rush on the outside was cool. Christian vs. Rush was a very good action packed match. Cardona trolling the crowd with his Sandman style entrance & F*ck Mick Foley flannel shirt was wonderful. Mark Sterling, Virgil, Swoggle, Marko Stunt, Brian Myers, & X-Pac surprise appearances was cool. Cardona vs. Janela was mostly good despite the latter half being a clusterf*ck & dragging way too long. Kaitch vs. Solo was pretty good. Jarrett vs. EFFY was solid. Homicide’s lariat to Moxley bending him in half was nice. Moxley’s double underhook DDT to Homicide onto chairs was nice. Moxley’s Paradigm Shift finisher to Homicide onto a prone chair was cool. GCW World title was a good back-and-forth action match. Tremont & Gage being the mystery opponents for the GCW Tag titles was great. GCW Tag title match was good despite its short length & abrupt finish. The WRLD on GCW was an enjoyable show overall.

NJPW XTRA (Jan. 24)
* NJPW Strong Openweight Championship – “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Ren Narita – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Show Notes – The “Week in NJPW” and NJPW Strong Nemesis Night 3 show highlights were all right. Ouch at Narita’s back after Lawlor’s hard whip into the guard rail. Narita shrugging off Lawlor’s stiff kicks to his back & giving one in return was cool. Narita’s brutal looking foot stomps to Lawlor in the corner while standing on the ropes was cool. Lawlor’s hooked Uranage to Narita was nice. Lawlor’s Texas Cloverleaf counter of Narita’s leg lock was nice. Lawlor’s Explorer Suplex to Narita from the corner was nice. Lawlor & Narita’s sleepers & counter sleepers exchange sequence was sweet. Narita’s bridging Northern Lights suplex to Lawlor was nice. Narita’s Narita Special & leg lock combo counter of Lawlor’s arm bar was nice. Lawlor’s roll-over Rings of Saturn & hooked legs style submission to Narita looked awesome. Strong Openweight title was a great hard fought back-and-forth grapple heavy battle. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong Nemesis Night 4 (Jan. 29)
* Alex Zayne vs. Ariya Daivari – 3.0
* Alex Coughlin Open Challenge Series match – Alex Coughlin vs. JR Kratos – 3.5
* U-S-of-Jay Open Challenge match – Christopher Daniels vs. Jay White – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Alex Coughlin Open Challenge Series match and U-S-of-Jay Open Challenge match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Zayne’s springboard moonsault to Daivari from the inside middle rope to the outside was cool. Zayne’s ripcord lariat to Daivari spinning him to the mat was nice. Zayne’s somersault leg drop to Daivari was nice. Daivari’s hammerlock lariat to Daivari was nice. Zayne vs. Daivari opener was a good back-and-forth action match. Kratos’ loud stiff overhand chop to Coughlin on the outside was nice. Kratos’ suplex toss to Coughlin sending him flying across the ring was cool. Coughlin’s gutwrench suplex to Kratos was impressive. Coughlin’s deadlift bridging suplex finisher counter of Kratos’ lariat was sweet. Coughlin vs. Kratos was a very entertaining hard hitting hoss style bout. White’s Saito suplex to Daniels’ splatting him on the mat was cool. Daniels’ pin attempt into a Koji Clutch to White was nice. Daniel’s Blue Thunder Bomb to White was nice. Ouch at Daniels’ back after White’s back drop counter of Daniels’ Angel’s Wings onto the exposed concrete floor. White’s sleeper suplex to Daniels bending him in half was cool. Daniels’ Flatliner counter of White’s lariat was nice. White’s knees counter of Daniels’ Best Moonsault Ever into a Bladerunner finisher was nice. Daniels vs. White was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. White’s post-match promo mocking Daniels & AEW was superb. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Jan. 27)
* Chris Bey vs. Jake Something – 3.0
* The Influence (Kaleb with a K & Madison Rayne) vs. The IInspiration (Jessica McKay & Cassie Lee) – 2.5
* 9-on-1 Handicap match – The Learning Tree vs. W. Morrissey – 2.5 (Squash)
* Johnny Swinger vs. JONAH – 2.0 (Squash)
* PCO vs. Chris Sabin – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Chris Bey vs. Jake Something match and Guerillas of Destiny surprise appearance afterwards.
Worst – State of the Knockouts Address segment dragging a bit long.
Show Notes – Bey’s neckbreaker counter of Something’s overhead suplex was nice. Something’s sit-out powerbomb counter of Bey’s rana was cool. Bey’s spin kick & Poison Rana combo to Something was cool. Something’s catch & Black Hole Slam finisher of Bey’s Flying Nothing was sweet. Bey vs. Something opener was a really good back-and-forth action match. Post-match Guerillas of Destiny & Jay White surprise appearance and brawl with Mike Bailey was wonderful. ROH invaders & Team Impact confrontation, yelling response by Scott D’Amore, & retort by Maria Kanellis was splendid. ROH Invaders locker room area being just a dimly lit storage room was a bit funny. Lee’s atomic drop counter of Kaleb’s Flying Nothing & Kaleb’s shocked reaction afterwards was funny. The Influence vs. The IInspiration was a solid back-and-forth match. Gisele Shaw “Coming Soon” vignette was okay. Good Bros & Violent By Design about Bullet Club’s return to Impact & their alliance was all right. Mickie James’ State of the Knockouts Address segment about Knockouts division and her mocking Deonna Purrazzo, interruption by Purrazzo, James’ repping Impact at WWE’s Royal Rumble, Chelsea Green’s shilling interruption, & Tasha Steelz’ booing interruption response, & brawl was fine despite dragging a bit long. Morrissey’s chokeslam to the masked jobber onto a pile of other jobbers on the outside was cool. Morrissey’s powerbomb to the fat jobber onto Zicky Dice looked brutal. Learning Tree vs. Morrissey was a fine jobber destruction bout. Dan Lambert surprise appearance in the crowd was interesting. Ouch at PCO’s head after landing head from his cannonball to Sabin on the outside. PCO’s top rope Senton to Sabin on the apron was crazy. PCO vs Sabin was a pretty good match despite the ending shenanigans by ROH invaders. Post-match brawl with Team Impact was all right. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Undisputed TNT Championship Ladder match – Sammy Guevara (Interim Champion) vs. Cody Rhodes (TNT Champion) (AEW Dynamite Beach Break 2022)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Trios Tag Team match – Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Arez, & Demonic Flamita) vs. Team Bandido (Bandido, Laredo Kid, & ASF) (GCW The WRLD on GCW 2022)
• Worst match of the week – “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Janai Kai (AEW Dark)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Duke Hudson vs. Guru Raaj (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite Beach Break 2022
• Worst show of the week – AEW Dark Elevation