Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for January 30 to February 5, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of January 30th to February 5th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Jan. 31)
* Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki A.S.H. – 2.5
* The Miz vs. Dominik Mysterio – 1.5
* WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Qualifying match – Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory – 3.0
* Angelo Dawkins vs. Dolph Ziggler – 2.5
* WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Qualifying match – Riddle vs. Otis – 3.0
* Bianca Belair vs. Carmella – 1.0
* WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Qualifying match – AJ Styles vs. Rey Myetsrio – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory match and the AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio match.
Worst – The show long hyped up Ronda Rousey promo segment being a big pile of nothing in the end.
Show Notes – Opening Pearce, MVP, & Lashley promo about Elimination Chamber, Lashley gloating about beating Lesnar, & interruption by Lesnar about his WrestleMania match choice & mocking Lashley was all right. Miz vs. Mysterio mostly stunk & topped with a dull shenanigans style ending. KO Show segment with Seth Rollins about Rollins loss to Reigns at Royal Rumble, both entering the WWE title Elimination Chamber match, & Owens and Rollins banter over Rollins not having to qualify for the Chamber match was all right. Owens’ running cannonball to Theory onto the barricade was nice. Yikes at Owens after whacking the back of his head on the steps from Theory’s head slam. Owens’ top rope Fisherman Buster to Theory was cool. Owens vs. Theory was a quite good back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half, & bit surprised Theory won. Dawkins vs. Ziggler was a solid back-and-forth style match. The Academic Challenge scooter race comedic segments were funny overall. Otis’ pounce to Riddle sending him flying across the ring was nice. Riddle’s ragdoll sell of Otis’ spinning back fist was nice. Ouch at Otis’ knee after Riddle landed right on it from his botched Floating Bro. Riddle vs. Otis was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Belair vs. Carmella was a boring match that dragged too long. Alexa Bliss therapy segments about fake Lilly doll stunk. Mysterio’s rana counter to Styles into the barricade was nice. Styles’ Ushigoroshi to Mysterio looked a bit brutal. Styles vs. Mysterio was a quite good action filled match. Ronda Rousey rambling promo about her WrestleMania title match choice and badmouthing “Rebecca” & interruption by Lynch mocking Rousey was a big dud but Lynch dressed up like a Queen in a deck of cards was a bit funny. Lita’s surprise appearance & RAW title match setup at Elimination Chamber was interesting. This week’s show was mostly average overall.

NXT (Feb. 1)
* Imperium (Gunther, Marcel Barthel, & Fabian Aichner) vs. Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong & Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed)) – 3.5
* Raquel Gonzalez vs. Jade Cora – 2.5
* Sarray vs. Kayla Inlay – 2.5 (Squash)
* LA Knight vs. Joe Gacy – 2.5
* Amari Miller vs. Wendy Choo – 2.0
* Andre Chase vs. Draco Anthony – 2.0
* Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Imperium vs. Diamond Mine 6-Man Tag Team match.
Worst – Cora Jade pre-match backstage interview and the Andre Chase vs. Draco Anthony match.
Show Notes – Barthel’s top rope spinning uppercut to Julius was nice. Strong got some really sweet height with his Uranage style backbreaker to Aichner. Julius using Brutus as a weapon for his gutwrench slam onto Barthel was nice. Imperium vs. Diamond Mine opener was a very good back-and-forth hard hitting action match. Toxic Attraction promo about Hartwell & Pirotta, interruption by Kay Lee Ray wanting a NXT Women’s title match, banter between Ray & Mandy Rose, & brawl was decent at best. Jade backstage interview about trying to convince Gonzalez to team up for the Women’s Dusty Cup was stiff in delivery. Sarray’s new smoky transformation entrance routine ended up being just as goofy as expected. Sarray vs. Inlay was a fine squash style match. Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes promo segment mocking Cameron Grimes and Hayes boasting about himself, interruption retort by Grimes, & insults banter was all right. Blade & Enofe backstage segment about trying to come up with a new team name & antics with Mandy Rose was goofy but also funny although not sure Blade hinting he got a boner afterwards counts as being PG. Knight vs. Gacy was a mostly solid match despite the ending shenanigans by Grayson Waller & Sanga. Miller vs. Choo was a somewhat decent comedic style match despite the flat finish & ending shenanigans by Tiffany Stratton. Nikkita Lyons’ debut singer vignette was somewhat cringey. Rose & Ray’s cafeteria brawl was flat. Wilde’s stiff kick to Breakker’s face looked brutal. Ciampa’s lift & Breakker’s spinebuster to Wilde was cool. Mendoza’s Phoenix Splash to Breakker was nice. Breakker’s spear to Mendoza flattening him was sweet. Ciampa shoving Wilde off the top rope through the announcer’s table was cool. Legado vs. Ciampa & Breakker was a quite good back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half. This week’s show was mostly average overall despite starting out very strong.

Friday Night SmackDown (Feb. 4)
* Ridge Holland vs. Ricochet – 2.5
* Ridge Holland & Sheamus vs. Ricochet & Cesaro – 2.5
* Jimmy Uso vs. Erik – 2.0
* Aliyah vs. Natayla – 2.0
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jinder Mahal – 2.0
* New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) vs. Los Lotharios (Angel & Humberto) – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – New Day vs. Los Lotharios match.
Worst – The Sonya Deville, Charlotte Flair, & Ronda Rousey show closing promo segment.
Show Notes – Paul Heyman promo trashing Lesnar, praising Reigns, and his decision to bail on Lesnar & surprise interruption by Goldberg was all right despite dragging too long. Holland vs. Ricochet was a solid match. Holland’s shoulder tackle to Ricochet sending him flying into the ropes at ringside was cool. Holland & Sheamus vs. Ricochet & Cesaro was decent back-and-forth match but also mostly pointless, especially over its the 50-50 style booking in the end. Aliyah vs. Natalya was a decent at best match despite the flat countout finish. McIntyre’s promo about his quick return from injury & issues with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, interruption response by Corbin, McIntyre demanding a good joke from Moss, & mini-brawl was all right. Sami Zayn & Johnny Knoxville taped Jackass Forever red carpet segment was a bit funny. Zayn, Pearce, & Deville backstage office about Zayn’s grievances & IC title match shot setup was all right. WWE really driving this Aliyah vs. Natayla feud deeper into the ground with another match booked in a row for next week. Nakamura’s Kinshasa finisher to Mahal looked ugly and/or botched. Nakamura vs. Mahal was decent at best despite its mostly dull pacing. Goldberg hype vignette was all right. Kingston’s feet up counter of Humberto’s moonsault into Humberto’s Scott Hall style launch into the air for his sell afterwards was cool. Humberto’s moonsault to Big E on the outside was nice. New Day vs. Los Lotharios was a quite good back-and-forth action match, especially the latter half. Charlotte Flair & Deville promo segment about Ronda Rousey’s match choice for WrestleMania being Lynch, Flair’s rambling response bashing Rousey and picking Sasha Banks as her WrestleMania opponent, & Rousey’s monotone interruption response picking Flair as her real choice, & mini-brawl was somewhat dull. This week’s show was average at best overall & one of its duller shows in recent months.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Jan. 31)
* Lance Archer vs. Chase Oliver – 2.0 (Squash)
* Kilynn King vs. Brandi Rhodes – 2.0
* Jay Lethal vs. Casey Carrington – 2.0 (Squash)
* Anna Jay vs. Nikki Victory – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, & Nick Comoroto) vs. Dante Martin, * Lee Moriarty, & Matt Sydal – 3.0
* Thunder Rosa & Ruby Soho vs. Joseline Navarro & Megan Meyers – 2.0 (Squash)
* Serpetnico vs. Penta El Zero Miedo – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – The Factory vs. Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty, & Matt Sydal match.
Worst – Kilynn King vs. Brandi Rhodes being a bit rough at times.
Show Notes – Archer trolling the crowd with his chop fakeout to Oliver was nice. Archer vs. Oliver opener was a decent squash style match. Archer’s post-match promo bashing the crowd & Hangman Page was decent. King vs. Rhodes was a mostly solid match. Lethal & Carrigton’s back-and-forth hip toss attempts into Lethal’s hip toss to Carrington over the ropes & suicide dive afterwards was nice. Lethal vs. Carrington was a decent mostly squash style match. Jay vs. Victory was also a decent mostly squash style brief match. Moriarty’s standing crossbody to a prone Solo was nice. Comoroto’s one handed Gorilla Press to Martin was impressive. Martin’s float over flapjack to Solo was nice. Martin managed to get some really sweet air with his top rope crossbody splash to Martin. Factory vs. Martin, Moriarty, & Sydal was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Women’s tag was a decent squash style bout. Serpentico vs. Penta was a solid but entertaining back-and-forth style match with some nice comedic moments. This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dark (Feb. 1)
* Anthony Ogogo vs. Marcus Kross – 2.0 (Squash)
* Penelope Ford vs. Angelica Risk – 2.0
* QT Marshall vs. Toa Liona – 2.5
* 2point0 vs. Ish & Kidd Bandit – 2.0 (Squash)
* Lance Archer vs. Jordan Costa – 2.5 (Squash)
* Marina Shafir vs. Reka Tehaka – 2.5
* Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto vs. Dante Casanova & Cameron Stewart – 2.0 (Squash)
* Tony Nese vs. Zack Clayton – 2.5
* Kiera Hogan vs. Mazzerati – 2.5
* Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels & 10) vs. Ariya Daivari and Invictus Khash – 3.0
* Bear Country vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal – 3.0
* Joey Janela vs. Lee Moriarty – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Joey Janela vs. Lee Moriarty match.
Worst – The long runtime length for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Ogogo’s pre-match promo about his lack of red carpet treatment & quality opponents for his AEW return was all right. Ogogo vs. Kross opener was a decent mostly squash style match. Ford vs. Risk was a mostly decent match despite being a bit rough at times. Liona managed to get some nice height with his Samoan Drop to Marshall. Marshall’s Diamond Cutter outta nowhere to Liona was nice. Marshall vs. Liona was a solid back-and-forth match. Archer vs. Costa was a fine jobber destruction style squash bout. Fuego Del Sol’s fiery backstage interview about his upcoming match against Serpentico was all right. Tehaka’s Fisherman neckbreaker to Shafir looked brutal. Shafir vs. Tehaka was a solid back-and-forth grapple heavy bout despite the somewhat flat ending. Nese vs. Clayton was a solid back-and-forth match. Angels’ standing Slice Bread to Daivari was nice. Khash’s catch & powerslam counter of Angel’s leap frog into a Frog Splash by Daivari to Angels was cool. Dark Order vs. Daivari & Khash was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. QT Marshall’s promo mocking Angels and 10 & brawl with the Factory was decent. Sydal & Martin’s stereo moonsaults off the stage to Bear Country was nice. Bear Bronson’s stiff clothesline to Sydal was nice. Bear Bounder catches & double powerslam counter of Martin & Sydal leaping attacks was cool. Bear Country vs. Martin & Sydal was a back-and-forth fought action filled match. Moriarty’s double foot stomp to Janela was nice. Janela’s deadlift German suplex to Moriarty was nice. Janela’s brutal looking DVD to Moriarty onto the apron was cool. Janela’s clothesline to Moriarty spinning him to the mat was nice. Janela vs. Moriarty was a quite good hard fought action filled match. Moriarty’s post-match promo about his plans & goals in AEW was okay. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable despite dragging a bit too long.

AEW Dynamite (Feb. 2)
* Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
* Knights of the Black Throne (Brody King & Malakai Black) vs. Death Triangle (PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo) – 3.5
* Nyla Rose vs. Ruby Soho – 2.5
* MJF vs. CM Punk – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – MJF vs. CM Punk match and CM Punk busting out a Pepsi Plunge to MJF during their match.
Worst – The awkward ending sequence to the Nyla Rose vs. Ruby Soho match.
Show Notes – Danhausen being the newest member of the Best Friends is wonderful. Moxley’s front-facing DDT to Yuta on the apron was nice. Danhausen’s curse attempt & Yuta’s top rope splash outta nowhere to Moxley on the outside was cool. Moxley’s vicious lariat to Yuta flooring him was sweet. Moxley vs. Yuta opener was a quite good action filled bout. Post-match Moxley and Danielson’s staredown & promo by Danielson offering an alliance, mocking AEW’s young stars, & form their own stable was great. Brandi Rhodes & Dan Lambert’s insults-laden banter promo & brawl by Brandi & Paige VanZant was splendid. PAC & Penta’s stereo dives to King & Black on opposite sides to the outside was cool. Pac’s sheer drop brainbuster to Black was sweet. Penta’s step-up dive to King on the outside was nice. Black’s mist & Dante’s Inferno finisher with King to Penta was nice. KotBT vs. Death Triangle was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. Rose vs. Soho was solid despite dragging a bit long & awkward ending. Gunn Club & Jungle Boy backstage & outdoor brawl was a bit funny. Hangman Page’s promo about his upcoming AEW title Texas Death match, interruption by Lambert & Jake Roberts mocking Page, & brawl with Archer was fine. Ouch at Page’s back after the loud thud from Archer’s chokeslam onto steel steps. Punk’s seesaw punches to MJF on the ropes was funny. MJF’s hidden tape choke sleeper to Punk was nice. The tape comically falling out of MJF’s armpit for his Dusty Finish “win” moment was funny. Punk’s Poison Rana to MJF was cool. Punk’s Pepsi Plunge to MJF was awesome. Punk’s Tombstone counter of MJF’s Tombstone was nice. Wardlow’s fakeout face turn was great. MJF vs. Punk was a mostly great hard fought action filled battle despite dragging at times due to its extra long length. MJF beating Punk twice in one match is interesting. This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (Feb. 4)
* Adam Cole vs. Evil Uno – 2.5 (Squash)
* TNT Championship – Isiah Kassidy vs. Sammy Guevara (c) – 3.0
* Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa – 3.0
* FTW Championship – Jay Lethal vs. Ricky Starks (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – FTW Championship match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Cole vs. Uno opener was a fine mostly squash style match. Cole’s post-match promo about his undefeated AEW singles streak, new ruthless persona, & AEW World title goal was splendid. Jade Cargill & Mark Sterling backstage promo boasting about Cargill’s undefeated streak was all right. Guevara’s corkscrew dive to Kassidy on the outside was nice. Matt Hardy’s ref distracted Side Effect to Guevara on the apron was cool. Guevara’s springboard moonsault to Marq Quen & springboard cutter to Kassidy afterwards was cool. TNT title was a good back-and-forth action match. Post-match HFO & Andrade and Guevara & Darby Allin confrontation staredown was all right. QT Marshall must have a death wish over being crazy enough to badmouth Hook again. Kris Statlander backstage interview about her issues with Leyla Hirsch & ambush attack by Hirsch was all right. Martinez’s spinebuster to Rosa was nice. Martinez’s Avalanche DVD to Rosa was cool. Rosa’s modified Emerald Frosion to Martinez was sweet. Martinez vs. Rosa was going on very well until the buzzkill DQ ending by Martinez. AEW booking a rare DQ finish was interesting though. Serena Deeb hype vignette was splendid. Martinez and Britt Baker & Pals backstage segment about Martinez being paid off to take out Rosa in any means possible was all right. Lethal & Team Taz split-screen backstage pre-match interview was fine. Lethal & Starks’ slugfest & chops exchange was nice. Starks’ overhead suplex counter of Lethal’s running attack was nice. Lethal’s vicious looking clothesline counter of Starks front facelock was cool. Starks’ Liger Bob to Lethal was impressive. Hobbs swatting away Lethal’s dive to the outside & Lethal splatting on the floor looked brutal. Starks’ Roshambo finisher counter of Lethal’s Lethal Injection was awesome. FTW title was a very good hard hitting action filled match. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Jan. 3)
* Impact Digital Media Championship – Matt Cardona vs. Jordynne Grace (c) – 3.0
* JONAH vs. Crazzy Steve – 2.0 (Squash)
* Steve Maclin vs. Jonathan Gresham – 3.0
* Vincent vs. Josh Alexander – 3.0
* John Skyler vs. Bhupinder Gujjar – 2.5
* Masha Slamovich vs. Kaci Lennox – 1.5 (Squash)
* 8-Man Tag Team match – Bullet Club (Chris Bey, Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga), & Jay White) vs. Jake Something, Madman Fulton, Ace Austin, & “Speedball” Mike Bailey – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – 8-Man Tag Team match.
Worst – The abrupt anti-climatic ending to the Steve Maclin vs. Jonathan Gresham match.
Show Notes – Grace’s spine buster to Cardona was impressive. Cardona acting very heelish near the end of the match was interesting. Digital Media title match opener was pretty good. Cardona’s backstage interview about his heelish actions, Digital Media title win, & dig at Gresham was a bit funny. IInspiration bribing Kaleb to dump The Influence & join them was interesting. Gresham & Maclin’s forearms fest exchange into a discus elbow strike by Gresham was nice. Maclin’s catch & powerslam counter of Gresham’s moonsault was cool. Maclin vs. Gresham was going on well until the anti-climatic DQ ending by Maclin. Post-match ambush attack by Honor No More group to Maclin was okay. Alexander’s loud stiff chop to Vincent flooring him was sweet. Alexander’s high angle bridging German suplex to Vincent was cool. Vincent’s Redrum swanton to Alexander was nice. Vincent vs. Alexander was a quite good back-and-forth action match. Kenny King’s surprise appearance & ambush attack to Alexander was cool. Morrissey & Moose’s hotel room brawl segment was splendid. Tom Phillips & Matthew Rehwoldt constantly messing up Gujjar’s name during his match was funny. Mickie James backstage interview about her WWE Women’s Rumble appearance, interruption by Tasha Steelz mocking James for losing, & banter with Chelsea Green was all right. Deonna Purrazzo’s backstage interview about James & boasting about her Knockouts accolades was fine. Bailey’s escape & rapid fire kicks fest counter of White’s Half & half suplex was cool. White’s vicious looking Uranage to Bailey was cool. GoD’s reverse Magic Killer to Bailey was nice. Something got some sweet height with his sit-out powerbomb to Bey. Ouch at Something’s head after getting spiked hard by White’s half-nelson suplex. 8-Man tag was an entertaining action filled match. Post-match brawl between Bullet Club and Good Bros & Violent By Design was all right. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong New Beginning USA 2022 Night 1 (Feb. 5)
* Yuya Uemura vs. Brody King – 3.0
* West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson) vs. Roppongi Rush (Rocky Romero & Lio Rush) – 3.5
* TJP vs. Clark Connors – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – TJP vs. Clark Connors match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – King’s loud stiff chops to Uemura flooring him onto the match was sweet. King’s neck crank & Eastern Stretch to Uemura while clubbing on his chest looked brutal. Uemura’s back drop driver to King was impressive. Uemura & King’s stiff forearm strikes exchange was nice. King’s vicious clothesline to Uemura bending him in half was cool. Uemura vs. King opener was a quite good back-and-forth hard hitting action match. Nelson’s front facing suplex to Rush on the outside was nice. Romero’s double hurricanrana to West Coast Wrecking Crew was nice. Rush’s fast paced strikes & kicks fest to Nelson was cool. Nelson’s running leaping double knees to Rush in the corner was nice. WCWC’s spine buster, German suplex hold, knee strike, & German suplex combo to Romero was nice. West Coast Wrecking Crew vs. Roppongi Rush was a very good back-and-forth action packed match. FinJuice backstage promo about their bad blood issues with JONAH was all right. TJP vs. Connors match hype video was splendid. Connors’ back-to-back high angle German suplexes to TJP was cool. Connors’ pounce to TJP on the outside sending him over the guard rail was nice. TJP’s single arm DDT to Connors on the apron was nice. TJP’s spinning hammerlock & arm yank combo to Connors was nice. TJP’s The Rock style bounce sell of Connors’ shoulder tackle into the ropes was nice. TJP’s springboard single arm DDT to Connors was cool. Connors’ spear to TJP on the apron through the ropes was cool. Connors’ busting out a Mamba Splash to TJP was nice. TJP vs. Connors was a great hard fought action packed match. Ian Riccaboni’s NJPW Strong debut commentary work was excellent. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – TJP vs. Clark Connors (NJPW Strong New Beginning USA 2022 Night 1)
• Best match of the week runner-up – MJF vs. CM Punk (AEW Dynamite)
• Worst match of the week – Bianca Belair vs. Carmella (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – The Miz vs. Dominik Mysterio (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE Friday Night SmackDown