Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for February 27 to March 5, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of February 27th to March 5th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Feb. 28)
* Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins vs. Alpha Academy – 3.0
* Omos vs. T-Bar – 1.0 (Squash)
* Nikki A.S.H., Doudrop, & Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, & Bianca Belair – 3.0
* Robert Roode vs. Tommaso Ciampa – 2.0
* Mixed Tag Team match – Dana Brooke & Reggie vs. Tamina & Akira Tozawa – 1.5
* Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) – 2.5
* RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) – 2.5
* United States Championship – Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins vs. Alpha Academy match.
Worst – Omos vs. T-Bar match and Tommaso Ciampa’s new entrance theme song.
Show Notes – Opening KO Show segment about Owens’ WrestleMania grievances, Rollins & Owens RAW Tag title plans, Owens bashing Texas again, & banter with Alpha Academy was somewhat decent despite dragging too long. Owens & Rollins vs. AA notable moments: Owens’ pump-handle neckbreaker to Chad Gable. Otis’ Exploder suplex to Rollins. Gable’s German suplex counter of Owens’ Stunner bending him in half. Match itself was a quite good, especially the latter half. 6-Women Tag notable moments: WWE production adding fake kendo stick sound effects to Belair’s hair whip strikes to Lynch was corny. Match itself was a mostly pretty good back-and-forth match. Ciampa’s new theme is a huge downgrade & very generic compared to his prior one. Roode vs. Ciampa was a somewhat dull match. Mixed Tag was nothing special & sloppy at times. Tozawa’s love-struck reaction after getting kissed by Tamina was a bit funny though. Mysterios’ pre-promo badmouthing Miz and Logan Paul & interruption response by Miz boasting about his career & Paul was decent despite dragging too long. Mysterios vs. Hurt Business was mostly solid despite the ending shenanigans by Miz. RK-Bro vs. Street Profits notable moments: Ford getting some really sweet height with his Frog Splash to Orton. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the botched and/or injury-based pinfall ending. The amount of filler time between Balor’s entrance and start of the US title match was ridiculous, even by WWE standards. US title was a pretty good back-and-forth match & bit surprised Balor won. Priest’s post-match promo trashing the fans & abrupt heel turn was odd. Ouch at Balor’s back after bouncing off the announcer’s table from Priest’s Razor’s Edge. Edge’s promo about his WrestleMania match challenge, response by AJ Styles, & brawl was all right but also anti-climatic considering the Cody return rumors. This week’s show was average at best but also dull at times.

NXT (March 1)
* Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker vs. Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) – 3.5
* 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round match – Dakota Kai & Wendy Choo vs. Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell – 2.5
* Amari Miller vs. Lash Legend – 1.5
* Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa – 3.0
* Harland vs. Draco Anthony – 2.0 (Squash)
* 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round match – Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade vs. Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon – 2.0
* Andre Chase vs. Von Wagner – 2.0
* NXT North American Championship – Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker vs. Dirty Dawgs match.
Worst – Amari Miller vs. Lash Legend match.
Show Notes – Ciampa’s Steiner style attire was cool. Ciampa & Breakker vs. Dirty Dawgs opener notable moments: Ciampa toss & Breakker spinebuster combo to Ziggler. Ciampa’s slingshot counter of Ziggler’s dropkick launching him over the ropes. Breakker’s vicious looking spear to Ziggler. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action bout. LA Knight promo about his bad blood issues with Grayson Waller and bashing Waller, interruption by Waller boasting about his win over Knight, banter, & match setup was all right despite WWE going overboard with the fake crowd audio reactions. Kai & Choo vs. Pirotta & Hartwell was solid. Creed Bros vs. Imperium NXT Tag title match hype video was superb. Miller vs. Legend was somewhat awful & more so due to Legend’s poor ring work. Jensen, Briggs, & Elektra Lopez backstage segment about Lopez mocking Briggs over his dating issues was cringey. Gunther vs. Sikoa notable moments: Solo’s chops to Gunther into Gunther’s loud stiff chop to Solo flooring him in response. Gunther’s brutal looking clothesline to Solo. Solo’s running splash from the apron to Gunther on the outside. Gunther’s swift chop to the back of Solo’s head, sleeper, & powerbombs finisher sequence. Match itself was an entertaining hard hitting bout. Ziggler, Ciampa, & Breakker backstage segment about NXT title was all right. Gonzalez & Jade vs. Feroz & Leon notable moments: Feroz getting some sweet height with her leaping dive to Gonzalez on the outside via Leon assist. Match itself was decent at best despite being very sloppy. Tony D’Angelo promo vignette was all right. N.A. title notable moments: Dunne’s swift punch counter of Hayes’ springboard kick. Hayes’ brutal looking leaping Lungblower to Dunne. Dunne’s spiked Bitter End counter of Hayes’ tilt-a-whirl crossface. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action filled match despite the ending shenanigans by Trick Williams. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (March 4)
* Intercontinental Championship – Ricochet vs. Sami Zayn (c) – 3.0
* Naomi vs. Carmella – 2.0
* Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal – 2.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Viking Raiders vs. The Usos (c) – 3.0
* Big E vs. Sheamus – N/A
* Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Intercontinental Championship match and Roman Reigns’ in-ring promo segment.
Worst – Madcap Moss’ awful set of jokes about Drew McIntyre.
Show Notes – Opening backstage promos with Heyman, Rousey, Deville, Viking Raiders, Usos, Ricochet, & Zayn about whats set for tonight’s show was all right. IC title match notable moments: Zayn’s clothesline to Ricochet flooring him. Ricochet’s step up black flip & enziguri combo to Zayn. Zayn’s Half & Half suplex to Ricochet on the apron. Zayn’s sitout powerbomb counter of Ricochet’s springboard attack. Ricochet’s somersault moonsault to Zayn on the outside was cool. Match itself was a really good action filled bout despite the shenanigans ending by Johnny Knoxville. Zayn’s backstage destruction of stuff, angry promo about Knoxville, & match challenge was all right. Austin Theory promo about Vince McMahon, bad mouthing Pat McAfee, & revealing he’s McAfee’s mystery opponent at WrestleMania was decent at best. McAfee’s “bitch boy” insult & angry rambling response afterwards was funny though. Naomi vs. Carmella was mostly decent at best. Happy Corbin backstage locker room poker game segment about Corbin mocking McIntyre & boasting about his WWE accolades was okay despite Madcap Moss lame poop joke. McIntyre vs. Mahal was decent at best. McIntyre post-match interview threatening Moss & Corbin was all right. Usos’ ambush attack to Boogs & Nakamura was interesting. Roman Reigns promo about upcoming MSG house show & arrogantly proclaiming he will destroy Lesnar at WrestleMania was splendid. SD Tag title match notable moments: Ivar’s running cannonball dive to Usos from the apron to the outside. Usos managed to get some nice height with their double spinebuster to Erik. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action filled match. Big E vs. Sheamus was a big pile of nothing but Ridge Holland whacking Kofi Kingston with a chair while Kingston was twerking on Big E’s ATV & Sheamus and Holland carjacking the ATV & driving away with it was funny. Deville vs. Rousey was a solid match. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Feb. 28)
* Jora Johl vs. Jay Lethal – 2.5
* Sky Blue vs. Red Velvet – 2.0
* Alan “5” Angels vs. Frankie Kazarian – 3.0
* Diamante, Emi Sakura, & Nyla Rose vs. LMK, Kayla Sparks, & Paris Van Dale – 2.0 (Squash)
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Lance Archer – 2.5 (Squash)
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Willow Nightingale – 2.5
* Chaos Project (Serpentico & Luther) vs. Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Alan “5” Angels vs. Frankie Kazarian match.
Worst – The flat ending to the Sky Blue vs. Red Velvet match.
Show Notes – Johl vs. Lethal opener was a solid back-and-forth match. Post-match promo by Matt Hardy threatening to “delete” Johl out of AHFO was interesting. Blue vs. Velvet was a mostly decent match despite the flat ending. Angels vs. Kazarian notable moments: Kazarian’s stiff lariat counter of Angels’ running attack spinning him to the mat. Angel’s Trailer Hitch leg submission counter of Kazarian’s springboard leg drop. Kazarian’s rear naked Chicken Wing submission finisher counter of Angels’ O’Connor Roll. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Women’s Trios Tag notable moments: Diamante’s brutal looking back drop driver to LMK bending her in half. Match itself was a decent squash style bout. Del Sol vs. Archer notable moments: Del Sol’s enziguri counter of Archer’s Black Out. Archer’s stiff punch counter of Del Sol’s top rope crossbody. Archer’s catch & release suplex counter of Del Sol’s Tornado DDT chucking him across the ring. Match itself was a fun mostly squash style bout. Hirsch vs. Nightingale was a solid brief bout. Chaos Project vs. Dark Order notable moments: Serpentico’s comedic weak chop to Grayson & getting a stiff chop in return by Grayson. Luther accidentally flattening Serpentico from his failed step up splash attempt to Grayson in the corner was funny. Match itself was a solid bout with some nice comedic moments. This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dark (March 1)
* Lee Johnson vs. Darian Bengston – 3.0
* Sonny Kiss vs. Ashton Starr – 2.5
* The Acclaimed vs. B. Jack & Donovan Izzolena – 2.0 (Squash)
* Marina Shafir vs. Danielle Kamela – 2.5
* Jack Evans vs. Dante Martin – 3.0
* Abadon vs. Sahara Seven – 2.0 (Squash)
* Diamante vs. Vipress – 2.0
* Kiera Hogan vs. Kelsey Raegan – 2.0 (Squash)
* Daniel Garcia vs. Josh Woods – 3.0
* Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Will Austin – 2.5
* The Factory (Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto) vs. Best Friends (Wheeler Yuta & Orange Cassidy) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Daniel Garcia vs. Josh Woods match.
Worst – Sonny Kiss vs. Ashton Starr match being a bit sloppy at times, more so due to Starr’s timing issues for spots.
Show Notes – Johnson vs. Bengston opener notable moments: Johnson’s moonsault & twisting neckbreaker combo to Bengston. Johnson’s Fisherman neckbreaker finisher to Bengston. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Kiss’ video promo about the creation of AEW’s “Who We Are” album and the meaning of his/her song was superb. Kiss vs. Starr was a mostly solid match despite its flow being a bit sloppy. Max Caster’s pre-match rap mocking their opponents for being ugly was all right. The Acclaimed vs. Jack & Izzolena was a decent squash match. Evans vs. Martin notable moments: Martin’s head scissors to Evans sending him crashing on the stage wall. Evans’ Muta Lock to Martin that looked a bit rough. Evans’ sweet looking Sky Twister Press to Martin. Martin’s sunset rana to Evans tossing him off the top rope. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout despite being a bit sloppy at times. The Wingmen backstage promo about fashion tips & spring cleaning was all right. Garcia vs. Woods notable moments: Garcia & Woods’ wrist holding elbow strikes fest exchange. Woods’ jawbreaker & overhead suplex combo counter of Garcia’s running attack. Woods’ Butterfly suplex into a neckbreaker to Garcia. Garcia’s spiked Gotch Style Piledriver finisher to Woods. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth grapple heavy bout. Dean’s video promo about AEW’s “Who We Are” album and the meaning of his song being inspired by his life story was splendid. Factory vs. Best Friends notable moments: Yuta & Wheeler’s Test of Strength into a one arm press slam by Comoroto to Yuta. Best Friends’ double team suplex to Solo involving Cassidy using his neck to grab Solo since his hands were in his pockets. Comoroto’s extra lengthy delayed vertical suplex to Cassidy. Best Friends’ Back Drop Driver to Comoroto bending him in half. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (March 2)
* Bryan Danielson vs. Christopher Daniels – 3.5
* Qualifier for AEW World Tag Team Championship Casino Tag Team Battle Royale – 3.5
* Dr. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Martinez & Thunder Rosa – 2.0
* Wardlow vs. Cezar Bononi – 2.0 (Squash)
* Adam Cole & ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Hangman Adam Page & Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) – 3.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Tony Khan’s big announcement of his purchase of ROH and the CM Punk & MJF in-ring promo segment and bloody dastardly attack by MJF.
Worst – Women’s Tag match’s quality & flow falling apart badly near the end.
Show Notes – Opening Tony Khan’s major announcement of him buying ROH was both crazy & awesome. Danielson vs. Daniels notable moments: Daniels’ springboard seated moonsault to Danielson on the outside. Daniels’ Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Danielson’s running attack. Daniels & Danielson’s stiff chops exchange leaving welts on Danielson’s chest. Daniels’ catch & Uranage counter of Danielson’s Flying Nothing. Danielson’s catch, triangle sleeper, & elbows fest finisher counter of Daniels’ BME. Match itself was a very good hard physical action filled bout. Danielson’s post-match promo praising ROH and Daniels, foot stomp attacks to Daniels, & interruption by Moxley about their upcoming match was splendid. Darius Martin’s surprise return was cool. Max Caster’s rap mocking AEW Tag Rankings, FTR, Top Flight, & dig at Kane’s controversial tweets was a bit funny. Casino Tag Battle Royale notable moments: 10’s discus lariat to Butcher flooring him. Bowens’ yetting Stu Grayson out of the ring. Danhausen popping out from under the ring to curse Evil Uno into Trent’s Half & Half suplex on the apron eliminating Uno. M.Jackson’s swift kick to Darius’ nuts on the apron was a bit funny. Match itself was very entertaining. CM Punk’s promo about being unsure if he’s actually the bad guy instead of MJF and trying to mend the pain caused to MJF as his failed childhood hero, MJF’s tearful hug to Punk, MJF’s swift kick to Punk’s nuts and bloody attack, & MJF revealing he’s a devil-like liar was great. Women’s tag match was mostly solid despite falling apart near the end. Tay Conti, Anna Jay, & Jade Cargill’s insults filled backstage segment about TBS title match was splendid. House of Black promo video about Death Triangle & the House always wins line was splendid. Wardlow, Spears, & MJF backstage heated segment trading insult barbs and slap by MJF was superb. 6-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action bout. This week’s Revolution 2022 go-home show was mostly great overall.

AEW Rampage (March 4)
* TNT Championship Three-Way match – Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara (c) – 4.0
* Keith Lee vs. JD Drake – 2.5
* 5-Minute Rookie Challenge match – Serena Deeb vs. Leila Grey – 1.5 (Squash)
* Face of the Revolution Qualifying match – Ethan Page vs. Christian Cage – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – TNT Championship Three-Way match and CM Punk’s bloody taped promo segment.
Worst – Mark Sterling’s poor lawyer skills when it comes to putting together match contracts that don’t backfire badly on his clients.
Show Notes – TNT title match opener notable moments: Guevara’s superplex setup to Allin into a delayed Tower of Doom powerbomb by Andrade hoisting up both guys in the air was cool. Andrade’s Three Amigos to Guevara chucking him into the corner. Andrade’s brutal backbreaker counter of Allin’s running attack. Andrade & Allin’s stiff slaps fest exchange. Allin’s studded strap whacks to Andrade & Tree of Woe setup into a Coast to Coast dropkick by Guevara. Andrade’s stiff boot to Allin flooring him & Shadow Driver to Guevara. Guevara’s Senton outta nowhere to Allin to break his pin on Andrade. Match itself was an amazing fast paced action packed bout. Abrahantes’ promo about Death Triangle’s blood feud with House of Black, interruption response by HoB, Erick Redbeard surprise appearance & being revealed as the newest member of Death Triangle, & Death Triangle’s destruction of security was splendid. Dan Lambert backstage rant about AEW & Guevara and boasting Scorpion Sky will win the TNT title was fine. Lee vs. Drake notable moments: Lee’s catch & delayed Big Bang Catastrophe finisher counter of Drake’s flying crossbody. Match itself was a solid hard hitting hoss battle. Post-match brawl with the Wingmen was fine but Lee yetting Avalon out of the ring onto the Wingmen was cool. Punk’s bloody angry taped promo about MJF & their upcoming match was great. Deeb vs. Grey was a somewhat decent brief squash match. Hikrau Shida’s surprise return & post-match brawl with Deeb was sweet. Kingston’s backstage interview about Jericho, their upcoming match, & the peanut butter pie in catering was splendid. Page & Cage split-screen backstage pre-match interview was all right. Page vs. Cage notable moments: Page’s lengthy delayed suplex to Cage. Cage’s Tornado DDT to Page via steel steps assist. Cage’s Killswitch finisher counter of Page’s Ego’s Edge. Match itself was a mostly good back-and-forth bout. This week’s Revolution 2022 go-home show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW XTRA (Feb. 28)
* JONAH vs. Lucas Riley – 2.5 (Squash)
Overall – 3.0
Show Notes – The “Week in NJPW” and NJPW Strong New Beginning USA 2022 Night 4 show highlights were all right. JONAH vs. Riley notable moments: JONAH’s powerbomb style toss to Riley bending him in half. JONAH’s loud stiff chops to Riley in the corner. JONAH’s lengthy delayed vertical suplex toss to Riley. JONAH’s stiff lariat counter of Riley’s running attack spinning him to the mat. JONAH’s back drop suplex spiking Riley on his head. Match itself was an entertaining mostly squash style bout. Post-match JONAH & David Finlay brawl was all right. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

NJPW 50th Anniversary Event (March 1)
* Ryohei Oiwa, YOH, & Tiger Mask vs. House of Torture (SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL) – 3.0
* Minoru Tanaka, TAKA Michinoku, & Taichi vs. El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, & Bad Luck Fale – 3.0
* STRONGHEARTS (EL LINDAMAN, T-HAWK, & CIMA) vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado – 3.0
* Yuto Nakashima, Kosei Fujita, Yuji Nagata, & Satoshi Kojima vs. United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, & Great-O-Khan) – 3.0
* Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Tomoaki Honma, & Togi Makabe vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, & SANADA – 3.0
* Special Tag Team match – Team Six or Nine (Master Wato & Rysuke Taguchi) (IWGP Jr. Tag Champions) vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto (IWGP Tag Champions) – 3.0
* NJPW 50th Anniversary Special match – Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Minoru Suzuki, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Minoru Suzuki, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – NJPW announcers Chris Charlton & Kevin Kelly revealing the existence of Curry flavor cola and Kelly’s disgusted reactions while drinking it throughout the show.
Show Notes – The pre-show 50th Anniversary Legends showcase celebration was excellent. Oiwa, Tiger Mask, & SHO vs. HoT opener was pretty good. Tanaka & Suzuki-Gun vs. Bullet Club notable moments: Tanaka’s standing moonsault to Ishimori. ELP’s purple nurples to TAKA & Tanaka. Taichi’s sumo toss to Fale. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. STRONGHEARTS vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag notable moments: LINDAMAN’s Saito suplex to Despy bending him in half. Kanemaru’s reverse DDT & DOUKI’s double foot stomp combo to CIMA. LINADAMAN’s sunset dive to Kanemaru & Despy on the outside. Match itself was a quite good action filled bout. Young Lions, Nagata, & Kojima vs. United Empire notable moments: Cobb’s delayed suplex toss to Nakashima. Kojima & Nagata’s machine gun chops to United Empire in the corner. Khan’s double suplex to the Young Lions. Match itself was a good back-and-forth style bout. 10-Man Tag notable moments: Takahashi, BUSHI, & Takagi taunting Koshinaka with hip attacks to Yano was funny. Koshinaka nonchalantly rolling Yano out of the Paradise Lock was a bit funny. Koshinaka getting his revenge hip attacks on LIJ. Takagi’s stiff chops & elbows fest to Ishii in the corner & Ishii returning the favor afterwards. Ishii’s powerslam counter of Takagi’s lariat. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action filled bout. Team Six or Nine vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Goto notable moments: Wato’s top rope spinning elbow drop outta nowhere to YOSHI. Goto’s Russian Leg Sweep & YOSHI’s swinging neckbreaker combo to Wato. Taguchi’s failed hip attack to YOSHI landing right on Goto’s knee was funny. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action match. 6-Man Tag notable moments: Fujiwara & Suzuki’s bickering slaps exchange over neither guy wanting to tag the other. Fujiwara busting out the Fujiwara armbar to Tanahashi. Fujiwara shrugging off Okada’s head butt & then crazily smacking his own head on the turnbuckles rods afterwards to show how thick his head is. Fujinami’s Dragon Screw to Suzuki. Suzuki, Sabre Jr, & Fujiqara’s trio armbars spot to Fuinami, Tanahashi, & Okada. Okada’s Landslide & Rainmaker finisher to Suzuki. Match itself was a very entertaining hard hitting action filled match. 50th Anniversary Event was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 1 (March 2)
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – CIMA vs. TAKA Michinoku – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Tomoaki Honma vs. YOSHI-HASHI – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Jeff Cobb vs. Togi Makabe – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Taichi vs. Toru Yano – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – YOH vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – El Desperado vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – El Desperado vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – The extra stale House of Torture style shenanigans during the Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito except for the Takahashi fake face turn or change of heart spot.
Show Notes – CIMA vs. Michinoku opener was entertaining. Honma vs. YOSHI-HASHI was a pretty good hard hitting match, especially the latter half. Nagata vs. Goto notable moments: Nagata & Goto’s elbows fest on the top rope into a top rope Exploder suplex by Nagata. Goto’s Ushigoroshi to Nagata. Nagata’s Fire Thunder brainbuster to Goto. Match itself was a very good stiff hitting battle despite the abrupt ending. Cobb vs. Makabe notable moments: Cobb’s impressive wrist clutch overhead suplex to Makabe. Cobb & Makabe’s lariats exchange. Match itself was a good hard hitting bout. Yano vs. Taichi notable moments: Yano & Taichi’s corner pad removal debate antics. Yano trying to stuff Miho Abe into a giant sack & Taichi stuff Yano into it instead. Taichi stuffing the ref into a giant sack after being upset he pulled the bag off of Yano’s head. Yano abruptly pantsing Taichi. Match itself was a fun comedic style bout. YOH vs. Tanahashi notable moments: YOH’s Dragon Screw fest to Tanahashi. Tanahashi’s Twist and Shouts & Dragon Screw combo to YOH. YOH’s bridging German counter of Tanahashi’s Slingblade. YOH nailing Tanahashi with a Twist & Shout. Tanahashi busting out a Dragon suplex finisher to YOH. Match itself was a great back-and-forth action filled bout. Takahashi vs. Naito notable moments: Naito’s knee strike counter of Yujiro’s Fisherman Buster. Yujiro’s Olympic Slam counter of Naito’s enziguri. Naito’s brutal looking Esperanza to Yujiro spiking his head. Naito & Yujiro’s forearms fest exchange. Yujiro trolling the crowd by faking his face turn after telling EVIL & SHO to leave since he wants to beat Naito on his own only to low blow Naito afterwards was cool. Match itself was mostly good despite the lame HoT shenanigans. El Desperado vs. Okada notable moments: Ouch at Despy’s back after landing hard on the apron from Okada’s dropkick to him on the top rope. Despy’s spinebuster counter of Okada’s running attack. Despy’s stiff chops fest leaving welts on Okada’s chest into a shotgun dropkick by Okada. Okada’s neckbreaker counter of Despy’s Pinche Loco. Despy’s mid-air Dragon Screw counter of Okada’s dropkick was awesome. Despy & Okada’s back-and-forth Rainmakers, stiff elbows, & Pinche Locos sequence was great. Okada’s Rainmaker finisher bending Despy in half. Match itself was an fantastic hard fought action packed battle. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 1 was a great show overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (March 3)
* Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin – 3.0
* Heath vs. Vincent – 2.0
* Masha Slamovich vs. Raychell Rose – 2.0 (Squash)
* Madison Rayne vs. Cassie Lee – 2.0
* #1 Contender for Knockouts World Championship – Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green – 3.0
* Johnny Swinger vs. JONAH – 2.0 (Squash)
* 8-Man Tag Team No DQ match – Bullet Club (Chris Bey, Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson), & Jay White) vs. Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) & Guerrillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – 8-Man Tag Team No DQ match.
Worst – Heath vs. Vincent match dragging way too long in length.
Show Notes – Edwards vs. Maclin opener notable moments: Maclin’s running single leg dropkick to Edwards on the outside. Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Maclin’s running attack. Maclin & Edwards’ slugfest exchange. Match itself was a good hard hitting bout despite the DQ ending by Edwards. Post-match brawl, promo by Maria Kanellis mocking “brainwashed” Team Impact, & retort by Heath was all right. Heath vs. Vincent was mostly decent despite its dull pacing & dragging too long. Post-match brawl with Team Impact, Ho No More, & Moose was all right. Slamovich vs. Rose notable moments: Slamovich’s deadlift sitout powerbomb to Rose. Match itself was a decent squash style bout. GoD’s backstage angry promo about White kicking them out of Bullet Club & interruption by Eric Young about forming an alliance was superb. Rayne vs. Lee was mostly solid despite the ending ringside shenanigans. Jake Strong hype vignette was splendid. Steelz vs. Green notable moments: Steelz’s leaping Code Breaker to Green launching her in the air. Green’s curb stomp to Steelz onto the turnbuckle pad. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout, especially the latter half, despite the ending shenanigans by Savannah Evans. Matt Cardona backstage segment boasting about his win over Jordynne Grace to others was all right. Swinger vs. JONAH was a decent squash match but the post-match brawl between PCO & JONAH was sweet. 8-Man Tag notable moments: The chaotic mass brawls early into the match. White nailing Doering square in the head with a trash can lid. Bey’s double foot stomp to Deaner in a trash can. Doering’s catch & slam on the apron counter of Bey’s dive to the outside. Doering’s slam counter of White’s sleeper via chains assist onto a trash can. Tonga’s spear to Bey bending him in half. White’s Half & Half suplex to Deaner spiking him. Match itself was a very entertaining action filled hardcore style bout. This week’s Sacrifice 2022 go-home show was enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Sacrifice 2022 (March 5)
* Pre-show: Gisele Shaw vs. Lady Frost – 3.0
* Pre-show: Honor No More (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Willie Mack & Rich Swann – 3.0
* Impact X-Division Championship – Jake Something vs. Trey Miguel (c) – 4.0
* Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino – 2.5
* Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship – The Influence (Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood) vs. The IInspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee) (c) – 2.5
* JONAH vs. PCO – 3.5
* Jay White vs. Alex Shelley – 4.0
* Champ Champ Challenge for ROH Women’s World Championship match – Chelsea Green vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c) – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts World Championship – Tasha Steelz vs. Mickie James (c) – 3.0
* Impact World Tag Team Championship – Violent By Design (Eric Young & Joe Doering) vs. Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) – 3.0
* Impact World Championship – Heath vs. Moose (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Impact X-Division Championship match and Jay White vs. Alex Shelly match.
Worst – The Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino match going overboard with the amount of shenanigans done.
Show Notes – X-Division title match opener notable moments: Something got some sweet height with his sitout powerbomb counter of Miguel’s rana attempt. Something’s brutal backbreaker to Miguel bouncing him up in the air. Something’s vicious lariat to Miguel ragdolling him on the ropes. Miguel’s sliding Destroyer to Something on the outside. Something’s deadlift one-arm Buckle Bomb counter of Miguel’s armbar. Miguel’s Metoera counter of Something’s powerbomb. Match itself was an awesome physical action packed battle. Edwards vs. Rhino was mostly solid despite going overboard with the shenanigans but Maclin attacking Rhino was interesting. Knockouts Tag title match was mostly good despite the ending shenanigans by Kaleb. Santino Marella’s surprise appearance was cool. JONAH vs. PCO notable moments: The loud thud after PCO’s rough landing from his dive to JONAH on the outside was nasty. PCO brutal Senton to JONAH splatting him on the apron. JONAH’s Tombstone to PCO onto the steel steps. JONAH’s powerbomb to PCO off the steps onto the floor. Match itself was a very entertaining physical hoss battle. White vs. Shelley notable moments: White’s TKO style guillotine to Shelley on the ropes. Shelley’s Flatliner counter of White’s running attack onto the corner. Shelley’s standing Slice Bread to White. White’s catch & Bladerunner counter onto the apron of Shelley’s dive to the outside. Shelley’s Bladerunner & Stretch sub combo to White. Match itself was a great back-and-forth action packed bout. ROH Women’s title match was pretty good despite the buzzkill DQ ending. Kockouts title match notable moments: Steelz & James’ slugfest on the top rope into both tumbling hard to the outside. Steelz’s Cutter outta nowhere finisher counter of James’ Flying Nothing. Match itself was mostly good despite dragging at times. Impact Tag title match notable moments: Anderson’s Fisherman Buster neckbreaker to Young. Good Bros superplex setup to Young into a Tower of Doom powerbomb by Doering. Anderson’s spinebuster to Doering into Doering’s lariat afterwards bending Anderson in half. Young’s low blow & piledriver combo to Gallows on the stage. Match itself was a really good hard hitting action filled bout. Impact title match notable moments: Moose’s back-to-back Uranages to Heath onto the apron. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action bout. Josh Alexander’s surprise return & post-match ambush attack on Moose was great. Sacrifice 2022 was a very enjoyable show overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – El Desperado vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 1)
• Best match of the week runner-up – TNT Championship Three-Way match – Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara (c) (AEW Rampage)
• Worst match of the week – Omos vs. T-Bar (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Amari Miller vs. Lash Legend (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW