Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for March 20 to March 26, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of March 20th to March 26th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (March 21)
*Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Dirty Dawgs (Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler) – 2.0
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Omos vs. Commander Azeez & Apollo Crews – 1.5 (Squash)
* Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley vs. Natayla & Shayna Baszler – 2.0
* United States Championship – Austin Theory vs. Finn Balor (c) – 2.5
* RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) – 3.0
* Tornado Mixed Tag Team match – Dana Brooke & Reggie vs. Tamina & Akira Tozawa – 1.0
* AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins – 3.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – Kevin Owens trolling the crowd with the fake Stone Cold Steve Austin entrance & impersonating Austin’s look and promo style.
Worst – Austin Theory’s backstage interview segment and the Tornado Mixed Tag Team match.
Show Notes – Kevin Owens trolling the crowd with his Stone Cold entrance & cosplay look was funny. Opening Owens’ promo impersonation of Austin mocking him & fakeout Austin music interruption was great. Mysterios vs. Dirty Dawgs was mostly decent despite the mid-match random Rollins’ interruption promo demanding a WrestleMania spot & mic issues shenanigans. Post-match attack & mask removal by Miz to Rey was fine. Miz’s backstage interview about stealing Rey’s mask for Logan Paul as a gift was all right. Handicap match was a plodding squash bout. Styles’ promo about Edge’s attack and his bad blood issues, interruption by Rollins trying to weasel away Styles’ spot at Mania, & match setup banter for Styles’ Mania spot was all right. Carmella & Zelina backstage segment about their growing dysfunctional issues & brawl was decent. Women’s Tag match was mostly decent despite the flat ending. Post-match ambush attack by Zelina & Carmela & their team dysfunction faking swerve was okay. Becky Lynch promo about her RAW Women’s title, being the top of the mountain, & her bad blood feud with Belair was all right. Theory’s backstage interview about his issues with Pat McAfee & upcoming US title match was mostly awful. IC title match was solid despite the ending shenanigans by McAfee. RK-Bro vs. AA was a pretty good back-and-forth match. Post-match ambush attack by Street Profits was all right. Tamina accidentally headbutting Tozawa’s groin was the only good part about a waste of time Mixed Tag match. Styles vs. Rollins notable moments: Rollins’ brutal looking running Tree of Woe dropkick to Style’s head in the corner. Rollins’ rolling elbow & Falcon Arrow combo counter of Styles’ Styles Clash. Styles’ suplex into the corner counter of Rollins’ Buckle Bomb. Styles’ Torture Rack & Rack Bomb combo to Rollins. Rollins’ superkick & Buckle Bomb combo counter of Styles’ Phenomenal Forearm. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout despite the DQ ending by Edge. Rollins destroying the ringside area in anger afterwards was cool. This week’s show was average at best overall.

NXT (March 22)
* North American Championship Qualifier match – Roderick Strong vs. Solo Sikoa – 3.0
* Tony D’Angelo vs. Dexter Lumis – 2.5
* Elektra Lopez vs. Fallon Henley – 2.0
* Robert Roode vs. Bron Breakker – 3.0
* North American Championship Qualifier match – Grayson Waller vs. A-Kid – 2.5
* The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) – 3.0
* Gunther vs. Duke Hudson – 3.0
* 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals – Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai vs. Kay Lee Ray & Io Shirai – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Robert Roode vs. Bron Breakker match and the 2022 Women’s Dusty Tag Classic Finals match.
Worst – The Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell backstage locker room segments.
Show Notes – Strong vs. Solo opener Match itself was a pretty good bout. Hartwell & Pirotta’s taped backstage segment about them bickering over who had the more popular making out with their man’s moment last week & Pirotta’s jealousy claims was cringey. D’Angelo vs. Lumis was solid despite dragging a bit long & ending crowbar shenanigans by Hartwell, Pirotta, & Hudson. D’Angelo’s post-match promo trashing Ciampa & ambush attack by Ciampa was all right. Roode vs. Breakker notable moments: Roode bringing back his old Glorious entrance was cool. Breakker’s Frankensteiner to Roode. Breakker’s lariat counter of Roode’s Glorious DDT. Roode’s Glorious DDT counter of Breakker’s Gorilla Press Slam. Breakker’s powerslam finisher counter of Roode’s Flying Nothing. Match itself was a quite good action filled bout. Hartwell, Pirotta, Hudson, & Lumis backstage segment about Lumis’ loss, Pirotta bragging Hudson can beat anyone in NXT, & Lumis’ Gunther match setup drawing was goofy. Creed Bros vs. GYV was pretty good. Mystery guys destroying Diamond Mine’s locker room was okay. Gunther vs. Hudson moments: Gunther’s vicious loud chop to Hudson’s welted chest. Hudson’s slingshot German suplex to Gunther. Match itself was a fine hard hitting bout. Post-match promo by Gunther bashing Knight, interruption by Knight, trash talk banter, & brawl with Imperium and MSK was superb. Grimes video promo about his NXT gold promise to his dad & last chance at NA title was splendid. Women’s Dusty Tag Finals match moments: Choo’s giant pillow block of Shirai’s 619 to Kai. Ray & Shirai’s suicide dives to Choo & Kai on the outside. Choo’s super overhead suplex to Ray off the top rope. Kai’s double foot stomp & Choo’s Vader splash combo to Ray. Shirai’s butterfly backbreaker to Kai. Choo’s Uranage to Shirai. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action filled bout. Post-match promo of Mandy Rose mocking Ray & Shirai and Ray & Shirai cashing their Women’s Tag title shot for the NXT Women’s title despite that not being the stip or award for winning the Dusty Tag Classic was a bit dumb. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (March 25)
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jimmy Uso – 3.0
* Ridge Holland vs. Xavier Woods – 1.5 (Squash)
* Championship Contender’s match for Intercontinental Championship – Angel vs. Ricochet – 2.0
* Championship Contender’s match for Intercontinental Championship – Humberto vs. Ricochet – 2.5
* Fatal Four-way match – Sasha Banks vs. Queen Zelina vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Brock Lesnar’s trashing Reigns locker room segments and show closing Reigns & Lesnar promo & confrontation segment.
Worst – The Ronda Rousey & Charlotte Flair promo segment and WWE’s dumb booking of Ricochet on the show.
Show Notes – Opening Lesnar backstage interview about destroying Reigns’ van last week & taking over Reigns’ locker room lounge was all right. Nakamura vs. Uso notable moments: Boogs bench pressing Jey & chucking him onto Jimmy before the match started was cool. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending ringside shenanigans by Boogs & Jey Uso. Lesnar being a mess with the food & champagne in Reigns’ locker room was a bit funny. The late Shad Gaspard receiving this year’s Warrior Award was a fantastic decision by WWE. Drew McIntyre’s backstage interview about his issues with Happy Corbin & their upcoming match at WrestleMania was all right. Corbin’s vignette about his Sad to Happy Corbin transformation & feud with McIntyre was splendid. Woods’ surprise return was nice. Reigns’ van promo about being late to the show due to taking a trip instead & warning to Lesnar to leave his locker room was okay. Ronda Rousey’s promo bashing Charlotte Flair & flubbing her lines, demeaning response by Flair, & banter between the two was mostly awful. Lesnar’s backstage interview about him having too much fun destroying Reigns’ locker room was all right. Angel vs. Ricochet was mostly decent despite the ending shenanigans by Humberto. Humberto vs. Ricochet was going on really well until the anti-climatic count-out ending shenanigans by Angel. WWE’s booking of Ricochet tonight was baffling dumb. Sami Zayn’s backstage interview about his plans for Knoxville at Mania was all right. Women’s 4-Way match notable moments: Banks’ crossface to Zelina into Baszler’s wrist twist to Zelina to prevent her from tapping into Banks’ double crossface to Zelina & Baszler. Ripley’s cannonball off the apron to Baszler splatting her hard on the floor. Zelina’s rana to Ripley off the apron. Match itself was a good action filled bout. Reigns & Heyman’s promo about Heyman not knowing where Lesnar is in the building, Reigns’ angry words to Lesnar for being in his room, & Lesnar destroying Reigns’ new van and security was superb. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (March 21)
* Nyla Rose vs. Charlotte Renegade – 2.0 (Squash)
* Skye Blue vs. Julia Hart – 2.5
* Gunn Club (Colten & Austin Gunn) vs. Aaron Mercer and Masada – 2.5
* Chaos Project (Serpentico & Luther) vs. Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) – 3.0
* Emi Sakura & The Bunny vs. Ruby Soho & Anna Jay – 2.5
* Trios match – The Factory (Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo, & QT Marshall) vs. Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, & John Silver) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The Factory vs. Dark Order match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Rose vs. Renegade opener was a decent squash style match. Blue vs. Hart notable moments: Hart’s thrust kick to Blue on the apron sending her tumbling to the outside. Blue’s superkick counter of Hart’s handspring elbow strike in the corner. Hart leaning more into her new heel persona by cheating to win via foot on the ropes was interesting. Blue vs. Hart was a solid back-and-forth bout. Gunn Club vs. Mercer & Masada was a decent back-and-forth style bout. Chaos Project vs. Top Flight notable moments: Luther’s running splash to Darius in the corner accidentally sandwiching Serpentico in the process was a bit funny. Dante’s Flatliner counter of Serpentico’s Russian Leg Sweep. Darius’ atomic drop & Dante’s rolling Stunner combo counter of Serpentico’s top rope crossbody. Match itself was an entertaining bout with some nice comedic moments. Women’s Tag notable moments: Soho & Jay’s double Flatliner to Sakura. Sakura’s back rake & delayed underhook backbreaker to Jay. Jay’s Queen Slayer & Soho’s No Future Kick finishers counter of Bunny & Sakura’s Down The Rabbit Hole elbow drops. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth action bout. Lance Archer promo bashing San Antonio and the fans, unleashing a new savagery on AEW, & attack on a random fat guy fan was all right. Factory vs. Dark Order notable moments: Grayson’s high knee strike to Solo into Uno’s slingshot into Grayson’s overhead suplex to Solo onto Marshall in the corner sequence. Grayson’s 450 Splash to Solo & Uno’s cannonball to Marshall combo. Solo’s whip to Grayson into the corner into Grayson’s flip over dive onto Marshall & Comoroto on the outside. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout, especially the latter half. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (March 22)
* JD Drake vs. Jay Lethal – 2.5
* Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean vs. The Butcher & The Blade – 2.0 (Squash)
* Anthony Ogogo vs. Ray Jaz – 2.0 (Squash)
* Nyla Rose vs. Kaci Lennox – 1.5 (Squash)
* Blake Christian vs. Rohit Raju – 3.0
* The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray – 2.0 (Squash)
* A.Q.A vs. Valentina Rossi – 2.0
* Tony Nese vs. Karam – 2.5
* Abadon vs. Angelica Risk – 2.0 (Squash)
* Gunn Club (Colten & Austin Gunn) vs. Victor Chase & JCruz – 1.5 (Squash)
* Mercedes Martinez vs. Gemma Jewels – 2.0 (Squash)
* Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) vs. Sotheara Chhun & Tony Vincita – 3.0
* Marina Shafir vs. Leila Grey – 2.0 (Squash)
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Fuego Del Sol – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Blake Christian vs. Rohit Raju match.
Worst – Nyla Rose vs. Kaci Lennox match.
Show Notes – Drake vs. Lethal opener notable moments: Drake’s Bossman Slam counter of Lethal’s running attack. Lethal’s dodge & Lethal Injection counter of Drake’s moonsault. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Bravo & Dean vs. Butcher & Blade was a decent mostly squash bout. Rose’s stiff clothesline to Lennox was the only good part about a mostly dull squash bout. Christian vs. Raju notable moments: Raju’s strikes & double foot stomp combo to Christian. Christian’s split-legged moonsault to Raju. Raju’s leaping Flatliner to Christian. Christian’s Standing Spanish Fly & 450 finisher combo counter of Raju’s running attack. Match itself was an entertaining action filled brief bout. Christian getting his first ever AEW win was interesting. Caster’s pre-match rap boasting about Acclaimed being the only reason people watch AEW Dark & mocking their opponents’ looks was splendid. Acclaimed vs. Alanis & Gray was a decent squash style bout. Abadon vs. Risk was a decent mostly squash style brief bout. Varsity Blondes vs. Chhun & Vincita notable moments: Pillman Jr’s diving double lariat to Chhun & Vincita via Garrison ropes slingshot assist. Garrison’s running splashes to Chhun & Vincita in the corner, overhead suplex to Vincita, & big boot to Chhun sending him flying off the apron into the guard rail sequence. Match itself was a pretty good action filled bout. Varsity Blonds’ post-match interview about their plans to become one of the best tag teams & Tag title gold goal was all right. Shafir vs. Gray was a decent mostly squash style bout. Hobbs vs. Del Sol notable moments: Hobbs’ running shoulder tackle counter of Del Sol’s running attack splatting him on the mat. Hobbs’ stiff clubbing shot to Del Sol on the top turnbuckle. Del Sol’s missile dropkick to Hobbs launching him out of the ring. Del Sol’s Tornillo to Hobbs on the outside. Hobbs’ spinebuster & Torture Rack finisher combo to Del Sol. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (March 23)
* CM Punk vs. Dax Harwood – 4.0
* 8-Man Tornado Tag Team match – Sting, Darby Allin, & The Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) vs. AFO (Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen), The Butcher, & The Blade) – 4.0
* Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley vs. Varsity Blonds – 3.0
* Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal – 3.0
* “Legit” Lelya Hirsch vs. Red Velvet – 2.5
* Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. Jericho Appreciation Society (Daniel Garcia & Chris Jericho) – 3.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – CM Punk vs. Dax Harwood match, 8-Man Tornado Tag match, and MJF’s in-ring promo segment.
Worst – AEW and/or TBS’s feed issues during the show’s first 30 minutes and the awkward Thunder Rosa, Vickie Guerrero, & Nyla Rose promo & ambush attack segment.
Show Notes – Punk vs. Harwood opener notable moments: Harwood’s high angle back drop to Punk. Punk’s suplex to Harwood over the top rope causing both to crash hard on the outside. Harwood’s slingshot sitout powerbomb counter of Punk’s running knee in the corner. Harwood’s Sharpshooter counter of Punk’s GTS. Punk’s Anaconda Vice finisher counter of Harwood’s Sharpshooter. Match itself was an amazing action filled bout. 8-Man Tornado Tag notable moments: Allin’s missile suicide dive & Sting’s top rope splash to AFO on the outside. Jeff’s diving lariat to Blade launching both over the barricade. Butcher swings into the railing & tossing Allin down a set of stairs was crazy. Private Party’s Side Effect to Matt through a table off the stage. Jeff’s Swanton to Butcher & Blade off a high ledge in the concessions area was awesome. Sting’s Dragon Sleeper counter of Private Party’s Gin & Juice. Match itself was an awesome crazy chaotic brawl. FTR’s backstage interview about their issues with Gunn Club was splendid. Danielson & Moxley vs. Varsity Blonds was a pretty good hard hitting bout. Post-match promo by Moxley praising Regal and Danielson & Blackpool Combat Club new group name was splendid. MJF’s promo trashing Texas, CM Punk, and “piggy” Wardlow, Wardlow’s contract to MJF being a deal with the devil, Wardlow’s interruption brawl with security, & MJF punishing Wardlow was amazing. Best Friends & Wheeler Yuta’s growing split between the two over Yuta’s actions with Regal last week was interesting. Cole vs. Lethal was a quite good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by reDRagon. Sammy Guevara & Tay Conti promo about their issues with VanZant & Pals, insults filled interruption by Dan Lambert, Guevara’s sex joke about the TNT belt Lambert kissed, & Lambert’s disgusted reaction afterwards was splendid. Strickland vs. Starks match hype video was sweet. Thunder Rosa & Vickie Guerrero promo about Texas & ambush attack by Nyla Rosa was a mess. Dark Order vs. JAS was a good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by JAS. This week’s show was mostly great overall.

AEW Rampage (March 25)
* Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer – 3.0
* Dark Order (Alan “5” Angels & 10) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) – 3.0
* Nyla Rose vs. Madi Wrenkowski – 1.5 (Squash)
* FTW Championship – Swerve Strickland vs. Ricky Starks (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – FTW Championship match.
Worst – The flat ending to the Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer match.
Show Notes – Rhodes vs. Archer opener notable moments: Ouch at Rhodes’ back after his missed cannonball apron dive to Archer on the outside & his busted ear afterwards from Archer’s stiff punch. Rhodes’ top rope diving bulldog & Cross Rhodes combo to Archer. Archer managed to get some nice height with his Full Nelson Slam to Rhodes & same for his chokeslam afterwards. Match itself was a pretty good hard hitting bout despite the flat ending. Archer’s post-match attack to Rhodes & Rhodes’ students was splendid. Fuego Del Sol’s promo about his doubters, praising the fans for believing in him, and calling out House of Black, HoB’s surprise response destroying Del Sol, & HoB and Dark Order staredown confrontation was splendid. Men of the Year & Dan Lambert backstage interview about closing the Open Challenge stip for TNT title was okay. Dark Order vs. reDRagon notable moments: Angels’ leg lariat to O’Reilly & spin kick to Fish combo. O’Reilly’s guillotine counter of Angels’ Northern Lights suplex. 10’s spinebuster to Fish onto O’Reilly. Match itself was pretty good. Rose & Thunder Rosa video promo about Rose’s ambush attack on Rosa & Rosa’s wanting revenge was all right. Chris Jericho debuting his brand new “Sports Entertainer of the Week” award on commentary was a bit funny. QT Marshall’s “Certificate of Accomplishment” segment with Hook about Hook smashing Aaron Solo’s head through the award & shrugging off Danhausen’s surprise curse attempt was sweet. Starks’s & Strickland’s insults filled banter split-screen backstage pre-match interview was splendid. FTW title match notable moments: Stark’s Tornado DDT to Strickland via ropes assist. Strickland’s high knee strike, clotheslines, & diving uppercut combo counter of Starks’ suplex. Strickland’s leaping Flatliner to Starks. Strickland’s running Shooting Star Press off the apron to Starks on the outside. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by Powerhouse Hobbs. Post-match mass brawl with Keith Lee & Starks’ entourage was splendid. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 12 (March 20)
* Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, & Yuto Nakashima vs. YOH, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano – 3.0
* Satoshi Kojima & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto – 3.0
* El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Gedo, Chase Owens, & Bad Luck Fale vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jado, & Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) – 3.0
* Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL, & SHO vs. TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, & El Desperado – 3.0
* Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, & Togi Makabe vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, & Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* DOUKI, Taichi, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. United Empre (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb) – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals Round match – Jeff Cobb vs. Tetsuya Naito – 4.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals Round match – CIMA vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – CIMA vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the 10-Man Tag Team match.
Show Notes – Young Lions vs. YOH, Ishii, & Yano 6-Man Tag opener was an entertaining hard hitting bout. Kojima & Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Goto was a pretty good back-and-forth bout, especially the latter half. 10-Man Tag was a good action filled bout despite the brass knuckles ending shenanigans by Gedo. HoT vs. Suzuki-Gun 8-Man Tag was a pretty good back-and-forth match despite the garrote ending shenanigans by Togo. Tiger Mask, Honma, & Makabe vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag notable moments: Makabe’s powerslam counter of Hiromu’s running attack. Hiromu’s shotgun drop kick to Makabe into the corner. Takagi & Makabe’s lariats fest exchange. Honma’s stiff lariat to Takagi flooring him. Match itself was a very good hard hitting action filled bout. United Empire vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag notable moments: Ospreay’s extra spinny backbreaker to Taichi. Sabre Jr’s catch & STF counter of Ospreay’s handspring attack. Sabre Jr’s snapmare & neck twist counter of Henare’s snapmare. Henare’s Rampage counter of DOUKI’s Daybreaker DDT. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action fill bout. Cobb vs. Naito notable moments: Naito’s leg-based Full Nelson hold to Cobb. Cobb’s catch & T-Bone suplex counter of Naito’s kick. Cobb’s lengthy delayed vertical suplex toss to Naito. Cobb busting out a slingshot corner dropkick to Naito was nice. Naito returning the favor shortly afterwards with his own slingshot corner dropkick. Cobb’s lariat to Naito spinning him to the mat. Cobb’s deadlift superplex to Naito from the apron to inside the ring. Naito’s spiked Esperanza to Cobb. Cobb’s catch & Spin Cycle toss counter of Naito’s Destino. Cobb’s Gutwrench powerbomb to Naito. Naito’s Destino counter of Cobb’s Tour of the Islands. Match itself was a great hard fought action packed bout. CIMA vs. Okada notable moments: CIMA’s guillotine leg drop & running apron dropkick combo to Okada. CIMA’s running apron Meteora to Okada on the outside. Okada’s Flapjack counter of CIMA’s running attack. CIMA’s straightjacket backstabber counter of Okada’s rainmaker. CIMA’s springboard Meteora to the back of Okada’s head. Okada’s spinning Tombstone of CIMA’s running attack. CIMA’s leaping backstabber to Okada in the corner. Okada’s Landslide counter of CIMA’s Code Breaker. Match itsef was an awesome back-and-forth action packed bout. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 12 was a great show overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 13 (March 21)
* Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, & Togi Makabe vs. Yuto Nakashima, Tiger Mask, & Satoshi Kojima – 3.0
* DOUKI, Minoru Suzuki, & Taichi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano – 3.0
* El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Gedo, Chase Owens, & Bad Luck Fale vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jado, & Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) – 2.5
* Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL, & SHO vs. TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado – 3.0
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb) vs. Tomoaki Honma, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto – 3.0
* BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito vs. YOH & Kazuchika Okada – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals Round match – Hiromu Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi – 4.5
* New Japan Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals Round match – Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. match.
Worst – The flat Bullet Club style ending shenangians to the Bullet Club vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jado, & Guerillas of Destiny 10-Man Tag match.
Show Notes – Nakashima, Tiger Mask, & Kojima vs. Fujita, Oiwa, & Makabe opener was an entertaining back-and-forth bout. Suzuki-Gun vs. Tanahashi, Ishii, & Yano 6-Man Tag match was pretty good. 10-Man Tag was a solid despite the flat illegal weapons ending shenanigans by Gedo & Ishimori. HoT vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag was a pretty good bout. United Empire vs. Honma, YOSHI-HASHI, & Goto moments: Honma’s dodge & double DDT to Khan & Henare combo counter of Khan’s Mongolian Chop. Cobb’s Tour of the Islands finisher counter of Honma’s top rope Kokeshi. Match itself was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. BUSHI & Naito vs. YOH & Okada notable moments: Okada’s catch & neckbreaker combo counter of BUSHI’s running Code Breaker in the corner. YOH’s 5 Star Clutch finisher counter of BUSHI’s running Code Breaker. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action bout. Takahashi vs. Tagaki moments: Takagi’s catch & Electric Chair style front slam of Hiromu’s head scissors. Hiromu’s shotgun dropkick to Takagi into the barricade. Hiromu’s Falcon Arrow to Takagi. Hiromu’s powerbomb to Takagi onto the floor. Takagi’s ripcord lariats, body slam, top rope elbow drop, & powerbomb combo to Hiromu. Takagi & Hiromi’s slugfest exchange into a Pumping Bomber by Takagi into a German suplex by Hiromu sequence. Takagi’s Pumping Bomber lariat to Hiromu flooring him. Hiromu’s Destroyer counter of Takagi’s pop-up move was cool. Takagi’s Dragon Sleeper counter of Hiromu’s Time Bomb II. Takagi’s GTR to Hiromu via ropes assist. Takagi’s Pumping Bomber to Hiromu bending him in half. Match itself was an amazing hard fought action packed battle. Ospreay vs. Sabre Jr. moments: Sabre Jr’s catch, surfboard style leg stomps, neck twist, & dropkick combo counter of Ospreay’s handspring attack. Ospreay’s swift kick counter of Sabre Jr’s Tornado DDT attempt. Ospreay & Sabre Jr’s seated feet fight & stiff slaps fest exchange. Ospreay’s spinning backbreaker counter of Sabre Jr’s leaping attack. Ospreay’s Oscutter via guard rail assist to Sabre Jr on the floor. Sabre Jr’s dodge & hanging leg lock via apron assist counter of Ospreay’s missile dropkick. Ospreay’s deadlift bridging German counter of Sabre Jr’s Figure Four leg lock. Sabre Jr’s Octopus Hold counter of Ospreay’s Stormbreaker into a spiked sitdown drop counter by Ospreay to break the hold. Sabre Jr’s heel hook style Dragon Sleeper finisher counter of Ospreay’s missed punch was cool. Match itself was a terrific hard fought grapple heavy action packed bout. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 13 was a great show overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 14 (March 26)
* El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Gedo, Chase Owens, & Bad Luck Fale vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga), & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, & Taichi vs. Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano – 3.0
* Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL, & SHO vs. DOUKI, TAKA Michinoku, & El Desperado – 3.0
* STRONGHEARTS (EL LINDAMAN, T-HAWK, & CIMA) vs. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, & Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. YOH & YOSHI-HASHI – 3.0
* BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Semi-Finals Round match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi – 5.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Semi-Finals Round match – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi match.
Worst – The anti-climatic DQ ending to the 10-Man Tag Team match.
Show Notes – 10-Man Tag opener was entertaining despite the DQ ending by Jado. Suzuki-Gun vs. Makabe, Ishii, & Yano 6-Man Tag was a good hard hitting bout. Taichi’s post-match drunk walk after getting accidentally liquor sprayed by Kanemaru during the match finish was a bit funny. HoT vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag was pretty good despite the ending shenanigans by Dick Togo. Tiger Mask, Honma, & Goto vs. STRONGHEARTS 6-Man Tag notable moments: Tger Mask’s stiff tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to LINDAMAN, T-Hawk’s loud brutal chop to Honma flooring him. Honma’s stereo DDTs to CIMA & T-Hawk. LINDAMAN’s Swanton to Honma & Goto on the outside. T-Hawk’s reverse crucifix piledriver Night Rider finisher to Tiger Mask was cool. Match itself was a very good fast paced action filled bout. Great-O-Khan & Cobb vs. YOH & YOSHI-HASHI moments: Cobb’s deadlift release German suplex to YOH to break up his pin on Khan was sweet. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout. BUSHI & Takahashi vs. Henare & Ospreay notable moments: Ospreay’s foul mouth pre-match rant about his tap out loss to Sabre Jr & shotgun dropkick interruption by Hiromu was splendid. Hiromu’s top rope Senton to Henare & Ospreay on the outside. Hiromu’s German suplex counter of Ospreay’s handspring attack. Henare’s Rampage Tackle counter of BUSHI’s Code Breaker. Match itself was a quite good action bout. Sabre Jr. vs. Takagi moments: Sabre Jr’s escape & neck twist counter of Takagi’s Dragon Screw. Sabre Jr’s snap Northern Lights suplex to Takagi was cool. Sabre Jr’s brutal looking yanking arm bar counter of Takagi’s sliding lariat. Takagi’s superplex to Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr & Takagi’s moves counters exchange into a Euro Clutch by Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr’s Dragon Suplex to Takagi. Takagi’s delayed Made in Japan to Sabre Jr. Takagi & Sabre Jr’s stiff strikes exchange. Takagi’s super back drop counter of Sabre Jr’s sleeper into Sabre Jr’s locking another sleeper. Match itself was a fantastic grapple heavy action packed battle & legit surprised Sabre Jr won. Naito vs. Okada moments: Okada’s hanging DDT via guard rail assist to Naito onto the floor. Okada’s catch & neckbreaker counter of Naito’s slingshot corner dropkick. Naito’s Overdrive style counter of Okada’s Rainmaker setup. Naito’s Esperanza & Destino combo to Okada. Okada’s stiff shotgun dropkick to Naito bouncing him on the mat. Natio & Okada’s series of moves, counters, & flash pins sequence into a flash pin finisher by Naito was awesome. Match itself was a fantastic hard fought action packed bout. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 14 was a fantastic show overall.

NJPW Strong Rivals Night 4 (March 26)
* Yuya Uemura vs. Daniel Garcia – 3.5
* Black Tiger vs. Rocky Romero – 3.5
* 10-Man Elimination match – Team Filthy (“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Danny Limelight, Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs, & JR Kratos) vs Clark Connors, Fred Rosser, Taylor Rust, Adrian Quest, & The DKC – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – 10-Man Elimination match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Uemura vs. Garcia opener notable moments: Garcia’s slingshot yank to Uemura onto the ropes & big boot sending Uemura over the ropes onto the outside afterwards. Garcia’s whip into the corner into Uemura’s rebound shotgun to Garcia’s head. Uemura’s high angle bridging German suplex counter of Garcia’s missed punch. Garcia & Uemura’s forearms fest exchange. Garcia’s sleeper & piledriver combo to Uemura. Garcia’s hammerfists & Sharpshooter finisher combo to Uemura. Match itself was a very good hard hitting bout. Black Tiger vs. Romero notable moments: Romero’s rana via guard rail assist to Black Tiger on the outside. Black Tiger’s punch to the back of the head & twisting neckbreaker counter of Romero’s Slice Bread setup. Black Tiger’s brainbuster to Romero. Romero’s rana & arm bar counter of Black Tiger’s Tiger Driver. Black Tiger’s one-arm short powerbomb counter of Romero’s arm bar. Romero’s dive to the outside & standing Slice Bread combo to Black Tiger. Black Tiger’s lariat counter of Romero’s lariat. Match itself was a very entertaining hard fought action filled bout. 10-Man Elimination match notable moments: Connors’ high angle German suplex bending Limelight in half. Quest’s leap-over corkscrew crossbody to Limelight off the corner. WCWC’s toss & release German combo to Quest. Quest’s Poison Rana to Limelight. DKC’s hanging karate chops fest to Isaacs & Limelight into a crufix driver to Limelight. Team Filthy chucking DKC over the ropes onto Team Connors on the outside. Rosser’s gutbuster & running low dropkick combo to Isaacs. Rust & Nelsons slugfest exchange into a single leg crab by Rust. Connors spear to Lawlor on the apron sending both crashing to the floor was cool. Kratos & Rust’s forearms fest exchange into Kratos’ catch & Last Ride sitout powerbomb combo counter of Rust’s kick. Kratos loud stiff chops to Quest flooring him. Kratos’ vicious looking lariat finisher to Quest spinning him onto the mat. Match itself was a very good hard hitting action packed bout. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (March 24)
* X-Division Championship Triple Threat Qualifier match – Willie Mack vs. Laredo Kid vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey – 3.5
* Steve Maclin vs. Heath – 2.5
* Impact World Tag Team Championship Lumberjack match – Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Violent By Design (Eric Young & Joe Doering) (c) – 3.0
* Eddie Edwards vs. Rocky Romero – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts World Championship Philadelphia Street Fight – Mickie James vs. Tasha Steelz (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – X-Division Championship Triple Threat Qualifier match and the Impact Knockouts World Championship Philadelphia Street Fight.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the Impact Tag Tile Lumberjack match.
Show Notes – Opening Josh Alexander’s angry promo about Moose invading his home last week, response by Moose mocking Alexander and dig at his fatherhood, & brawl was splendid. Triple Threat match moments: Mack, Kid, & Bailey’s ranas fest exchange. Mack’s sunset dive to Kid & Bailey on the outside. Bailey’s moonsault to Kid on the outside. Kid’s rana to Mack launching him out of the ring & extra spinny corkscrew dive to Mack & Bailey on the outside was cool. Kid’s twisting superplex counter of Bailey’s superplex was cool. Mack’s Razor’s Edge to Kid bending him in half was cool. Match itself was a very entertaining action packed bout. Dashwood & Rayne’s talk show segments with Kaleb & Johnny Swinger about if Influence could trust Kaleb anymore was interesting. Ishii vs. JONAH match hype video was splendid. Impact Tag title Lumberjack match was a good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Honor No More. Edwards vs. Romero moments: Edwards & Romero’s stiff chops exchange into an eye poke by Romero. Romero’s rana off the steps to Edwards on the outside. Edwards’ catch, apron attacks, & whip into the steel steps combo counter of Romero’s dive to the outside. Edwards’ forearm & Blue Thunder Bomb combo to Romero. Edwards’ brutal Tiger Driver to Romero was sweet. Match itself was a good hard fought action bout despite the abrupt ending. Swinger’s Dungeon segment about Zicky Dice loving Swinger’s new “school” & his puzzled reaction over Swinger’s lessons offer thinking it was something entirely different & not PG was a bit funny. Knockouts title match moments: James’ neckbreaker to Steelz on the stage. Steelz’ baseball bat swing to James inside a trash can. James’ powerbomb to Savannah Evans onto a table that didn’t break. Steelz’s hard shove to James off the apron onto the same table that didn’t break again. James’ Flapjack to Steelz onto a prone chair. Chelsea Green’s fakeout run-in save & heel turn was interesting. Match itself was a very good hard hitting hardcore bout. James & Green’s post-match brawl & ambush attack by Matt Cardona was all right. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – New Japan Cup 2022 Semi-Finals Round match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 14)
• Best match of the week runner-up – New Japan Cup 2022 Quarter-Finals Round match – Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 13)
• Worst match of the week – Tornado Mixed Tag Team match – Dana Brooke & Reggie vs. Tamina & Akira Tozawa (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – 2-on-1 Handicap match – Omos vs. Commander Azeez & Apollo Crews (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW