Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for March 6 to March 12, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of March 6th to March 12th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (March 7)
* RAW Tag Team Championship Triple Threat match – Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Alpha Academy (c) – 3.5
* 24/7 Championship – Tamina vs. Dana Brooke (c) – 1.5
* Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Bron Breakker – 2.5
* Omos vs. Apollo Crews – 1.5 (Squash)
* Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley vs. Carmella & Queen Zelina – 2.5
* Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – RAW Tag Team Championship Triple Threat match.
Worst – 24/7 Championship match and the Omos vs. Apollo Crews match.
Show Notes – Opening Owens & Rollins promo about RAW Tag title match and WrestleMania plans, Owens trashing Texas and their tag opponents, Gable’s interruption proclaiming AA’s win, & RKO’s backstage response about regaining Tag titles was all right. RAW Tag title match notable moments: Orton’s back-to-back back drops to Owens & Gable onto the announcer table into Riddle & Orton’s back drop to Otis on the table. Rollins & Owens’ superplex setup into a Tower of Doom powerbomb by Otis. Gable’s high angle German suplexes combo to Rollins & Riddle. Orton’s RKO outta nowhere counter of Gable’s moonsault. Match itself was a very good action packed bout. 24/7 title match was mostly dull. Miz TV segment with Logan Paul & Jerry Lawler about Miz badmouthing the Mysterios, King praising Cleveland & idea for a future WrestleMania in the city, & Miz’s retort trashing the city was all right. Breakker hype vignette was all right. Dirty Dawgs vs. Ciampa & Breakker was a solid match. Omos’ pre-match backstage interview was decent at best but WWE going with the extra low cam angle shot implying the interviewer was the size of an ant was goofy. Omos vs. Crews was a boring squash match. Edge’s dark moody entrance was a bit cool despite WWE going overboard with the dark blue mood lighting washing out the effect. Edge’s promo about why he attacked Styles last week was decent but WWE trying to drown out the “What” chants with fake crowd booing audio was a bit funny. Women’s Tag was a solid back-and-forth match despite the ending shenanigans by Carmella. Vader getting inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame was long overdue. Balor vs. Theory was a mostly good back-and-forth match despite the DQ ending by Damian Priest. Owens’ promo about his KO Show plan for WrestleMania & insults filled rant towards Steve Austin was all right but WWE trolling the crowd right at the end playing Austin’s theme & not having him come out was funny. This week’s show was average overall.

NXT Roadblock (March 8)
* 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-finals match – Dakota Kai & Wendy Choo vs. Cora Jade & Raquel Gonzalez – 3.0
* Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley – 2.0
* Last Man Standin match – LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller – 3.0
* 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-finals match – Kay Lee Ray & Io Shirai vs. Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter – 3.0
* NXT Tag Team Championship – MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) vs Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – 3.0
* NXT Championship Triple Threat – Dolph Ziggler vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – NXT Championship Triple Threat match minus the dumb ending.
Worst – The baffling & awful booked finish and title change decision to the NXT Championship Triple Threat match.
Show Notes – Women’s Tag match opener was pretty good despite its weak ending sequence. Ciampa’s angry backstage promo about why the NXT title is special to him was superb. Creed Bros’ being ambushed by unseen mystery attackers in the parking lot was interesting. Stratton vs. Henley was mostly decent despite the ending shenanigans by Sarray. Lashing Out talk show segment with Nikkita Lyons about Lash Legend mocking Lyons’ mom & butt implants dig and insults retort by Lyons was a bit cringey. Imperium backstage interview mocking Creed Bros & interruption by MSK demanding a tag title match was okay. Last Man Standing match notable moments: Sanga shrugging off Knight’s chair shot into chokeslam to Knight onto the apron. Knight’s catch & toss through a table counter of Waller’s rolling Stunner. Waller’s elbow drop to Knight through the announcer’s table on the outside. Match itself was a good action filled bout. Breakker’s locker room promo about his NXT title was splendid. Ray & Shirai vs. Catanzaro & Carter notable moments: Catanzaro’s Poison Rana to Ray via Carter’s Doomsday assist was cool. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Hartwell & Pirotta’s locker room segment bickering about their team issues was decent. NXT Tag title match notable moments: Barthel’s stiff uppercut to Carter ragdolling him onto the ropes. Aichner’s leg yank & lariat combo to Carter flooring him. Match itself was going on really well until the buzzkill DQ ending by Creed Bros. A-Kid NXT 2.0 debut hype vignette was splendid. Jacket Time backstage segment about A-Kid was a bit corny. NXT title match notable moments: Breakker’s suplex to Ciampa & Ziggler at the same time. Ciampa’s corkscrew dive to Breakker on the outside. Ziggler’s dropkick counter of Ciampa’s diving Nothing attack. Breakker’s lariat to Ziggler bending him in half. Match itself was mostly very good despite the ending shenanigans by Robert Roode & lame title change. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (March 11)
* New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) vs. Ridge Holland & Sheamus – 3.0
* Drew McIntyre & Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal, Madcap Moss, & Happy Corbin – N/A
* Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Natyala & Shayna Baszler – 2.0
* Rick Boogs vs. Jey Uso – 2.0 (Squash)
* Intercontinental Championship – Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman opening promo segment and the Intercontinental Championship match.
Worst – Big E’s very scary looking neck injury after landing very rough on his neck from Holland’s overhead suplex on the floor.
Show Notes – Opening Lesnar’s angry promo about Reigns’ sneak attack last week and wanting blood as punishment, Heyman’s response about Reigns not being on the show, Lesnar’s response threatening Heyman, backstage chase, and security destruction by Lesnar was splendid. Holland & Sheamus backstage interview about them destroying Big E’s ATV & Pete Dunne’s surprise appearance joining Sheamus’ group was okay. Dunne being randomly renamed to Butch & new stereotypical hooligan outfit was both funny & really dumb though. New Day vs. Holland & Sheamus notable moments: Yikes at Big E’s back after his rough fall from his missed spear to the outside & getting spiked hard on his head from Holland’s overhead suplex afterwards onto the floor. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action match despite the shenanigans ending by Butch. Steve Austin’s video trash talk promo about accepting Kevin Owens match challenge was splendid. Zayn’s backstage interview about Knoxville’s doxing prank & upcoming IC title match was all right. Rousey’s monotone promo mocking Flair, interruption by Flair about her failed attack last week, & insults banter about their upcoming match was decent. Women’s Tag match was mostly solid despite the ending shenanigans with Carmella & Queen Zelina. Usos’ promo boasting about their SD Tag title reign and lack of WrestleMania plans, interruption by Boogs & Nakamura demanding a title match, & Usos’ retort was decent. Boogs vs. Uso was a decent mostly squash style bout. Austin Theory & Pat McAfee ringside brawl was sweet. IC title match notable moments: Zayn’s knees & roll-up pin near fall counter of Ricochet’s standing moonsault. Ricochet’s rana counter of Zayn’s suplex. Zayn’s catch & Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Ricochet’s Leaping Nothing. Ricochet’s recoil knee counter of Zayn’s Helluva Kick. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action bout, especially the latter half. Flair & Rousey backstage brawl was all right. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

---

AEW

AEW Revolution 2022 (March 6)
* Buy-In Pre-show: “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander – 3.0
* Buy-In Pre-show: QT Marshall vs. HOOK – 3.0
* Buy-In Pre-show: House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, & Buddy Matthews) vs. Penta Oscuro, PAC, & Erick Redbeard – 3.5
* Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston – 4.0
* AEW World Tag Team Championship Three-way match – The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) – 4.5
* Face of the Revolution Ladder match – Christian Cage vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks vs. Wardlow vs. Keith Lee vs. Orange Cassidy – 3.5
* TBS Championship – Tay Conti vs. Jade Cargill (c) – 3.0
* Dog Collar match – MJF vs. CM Punk – 5.0
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker (c) – 3.0
* Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley – 4.5
* Tornado Trios Tag Team match – AHFO (Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo, & Isiah Kassidy) vs. Sammy Guevara, Sting, & Darby Allin – 4.0
* AEW World Championship – Adam Cole vs. Hangman Adam Page (c) – 4.0
Overall – 4.5
Best – Dog Collar match, Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley match, & William Regal’s surprise debut.
Worst – AEW Women’s Championship match going overboard with the amount of shenanigans done & flat ending.
Show Notes – Jericho vs. Kingston opener moments: Kingston’s Half & Half suplex spiking Jericho. Jericho’s apron suplex to Kingston onto the floor. Kingston’s Saito suplex bending Jericho in half. Kingston’s Urakens & Stretch Plum finisher combo to Jericho. Match itself was a great hard fought bout. AEW Tag title match moments: Luchasaurus chokeslam to Fish onto O’Reilly. Fish’s Avalanche Exploder to Jungle. Jungle’s Shooting Star to O’Reilly to break up his Guillotine Choke on Luchasaurus. Nick’s 450 Splash breaking up Luchasaurus’ pin on O’Reilly. Jungle’s step up top rope rana to Nick & German suplex to Matt combo. Match itself was a fantastic action packed bout. Ladder match moments: Cage’s reverse DDT to Hobbs off a ladder. Starks’ spear through a ladder to Cage. Lee yeeting Cassidy out of the ring onto Starks & Cage. Wardlow’s powerbomb to Starks onto a prone ladder while on another ladder. Match itself was very entertaining. Swerve’s surprise AEW debut was wonderful. TBS title match moments: Cargill getting the special live music treatment & MK’s Jade style gear was cool. Conti’s sunset dive to Mark Sterling on the outside. Cargill’s Frog Splash to Conti. Match itself was quite good. Dog Collar match moments: Punk entering out to his old ROH theme was sweet. MJF’s brutal chain yank counter of Punk’s running bulldog. Punk’s Crimson mask after MJF’s chain wrapped punches. Punk’s Tombstone counter of MJF’s Tombstone on the apron. MJF’s superplex to Punk onto a pile of tacks. Punk’s GTS to MJF onto a pile of tacks. Wardlow trolling MJF with the Diamond Ring & leaving it for Punk afterwards was awesome. Match itself was an amazing bloody physical battle. New Women’s title belt design looks really good. AEW Women’s title match was mostly good despite the overboard shenanigans by Baker’s Pals. Danielson vs. Moxley moments: Moxley & Danielson’s stiff kicks fest to each others chests. Moxley’s Saito suplex bending Danielson in half. Moxley’s vicious lariat to Danielson spinning him on the mat. Danielson’s elbows fest & body scissors style Dragon Sleeper combo to Moxley. Danielson’s shoulder capture suplex bending Moxley in half. Match itself was a great physical bloody battle. William Regal’s surprise appearance & tough love peacekeeper role during the post-match brawl was awesome. Tornado Tag moments: Allin’s running clothesline to Andrade launching both over the ropes. Andrade’s suplex toss to Guevara onto the guard rail. Guevara’s Spanish Fly to Kassidy off the stage through tables was crazy. Sting’s splash to Andrade off the rafters through tables was insane. Allin’s Scorpion Death Drop to Hardy onto a prone chair. Match itself was a great chaotic action packed bout. AEW World title match moments: Page’s pop-up powerbomb to Cole onto the apron. Cole’s superkick counter of Page’s moonsault. Cole’s superkick counter of Page’s Buckshot. Page’s Deadeye to Cole through a table on the outside. Page’s The Boom & Buckshot finisher combo to Cole. Match itself was a great action filled bout. Revolution 2022 was fantastic overall & one of AEW’s best ever shows.

AEW Dark Elevation (March 7)
* Lance Archer vs. Cameron Stewart – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ruby Soho vs. Session Moth Martina – 2.5
* Daniel Garcia vs. Ray Jaz – 2.0 (Squash)
* “Captain” Shawn Dean vs. Scorpio Sky – 2.5
* Emi Sakura vs. Kris Statlander – 3.0
* Aaron Solo vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Emi Sakura vs. Kris Statlander match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Archer vs. Stewart opener notable moments: Archer’s clothesline to Stewart on the apron launching him back into the ring. Match itself was a decent jobber destruction squash bout. Soho vs. Martina notable moments: Soho’s bewildered reaction after getting grinded on by Martina. Match itself was a solid bout. Garcia vs. Jaz notable moments: Garcia’s Saito Suplex bending Jaz in half. Match itself was a decent squash style bout. Dean vs. Sky notable moments: Sky’s stiff big boot & TKO finisher combo to Dean. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth style bout. Sakura vs. Statlander notable moments: Statlander’s catch & bodyslam counter of Sakura’s running crossbody in the corner. Statlander’s running knee striker to Sakura sending her onto the apron. Sakura’s running crossbody to Statlander through the ropes. Statlander’s lariat & backbreaker combo to Sakura. Sakura’s Whirling Dervish counter of Statlander’s Big Bang Theory attempt. Match itself was a good hard hitting action bout. Solo vs. Yuta notable moments: Solo’s escape, thrust kick, & modified Exploder suplex combo counter of Yuta’s Flying Nothing. Yuta’s catch & release German counter of Solo’s running flying elbow in the corner. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (March 9)
* AEW World Championship – Dante Martin vs. Hangman Adam Page (c) – 3.0
* Bryan Danielson & Jox Moxley vs. The Work Horsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake) – 3.0 (Squash)
* Wheeler Yuta vs. PAC – 3.0
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) – 3.0
* AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator match – “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Thunder Rosa – 2.5
* TNT Championship – Scorpio Sky vs. Sammy Guevara (c) – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – William Regal’s promo segment and Jeff Hardy’s AEW debut.
Worst – The shenanigans filled TNT Championship match.
Show Notes – Opening Jericho promo about his loss to Kingston & lack of post-match handshake, Kingston’s passionate response, Jericho’s handshake response, brawl with 2.0, Garcia, Santana, and Ortiz, & Jericho and Hager’s sneak attack on their pals, & Jericho’s new group was great. CM Punk video promo about MJF & his new persona was splendid. AEW World title match notable moments: Page’s spiked DVD counter of Martin’s leap attempt. Page’s sitout powerbomb counter of Martin’s Flying Nothing. Match itself was a quite good action filled bout. Danielson vs. Moxley vs. Work Horsemen was an entertaining physical mostly squash match. Regal’s post-match interview about his history with Schiavone, Danielson, and Moxley, why he arrived in AEW, & warning to AEW was excellent. Yuta vs. PAC moments: Yuta’s release German flattening PAC. PAC’s Avalanche brainbuster to Yuta. Match itself was pretty good. FTR backstage segment about FTR firing Tully Blanchard over their AEW plans differences was interesting. AHFO Meeting segment about Matt Hardy getting kicked out of AHFO, & brawl with Sting & Darby was all right but Jeff Hardy’s surprise debut & run-in save was awesome. Jeff dancing around before saving Matt was a bit funny though. Wardlow interview about his issues with MJF, wrestling dreams, leaving the Pinnacle, & AEW gold plans was superb. Caster’s pre-match rap mocking Jurassic Express & Christian Cage was a bit funny. AEW Tag title was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Cargill backstage promo about her TBS title reign & Kiss of Death was all right. Hirsch vs. Rosa was mostly solid despite being a bit sloppy & dragging at times. Baker’s backstage promo bashing Rosa was decent. TNT title match moments: Guevara’s missed 630 Senton obliterating a table on the outside. Match itself was mostly solid despite the ringside shenanigans & flow killing fake injury spot. This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (March 11)
* Darby Allin vs. Marq Quen – 3.0
* Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Martinez – 3.0
* Keith Lee vs. QT Marshall – 3.0
* Tony Nese vs. Swerve Strickland – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Tony Nese vs. Swerve Strickland match.
Worst – The stale Britt Baker & Pals style shenanigans to the Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Martinez match.
Show Notes – Allin vs. Quen opener notable moments: Quen’s standing backflip knee drop to Allin’s chest. Quen’s backflip Flatliner to Allin was sweet. Allin’s Scorpion Death Drop counter of Quen’s stalling suplex. Quen’s 450 Splash from the top rope to Allin on the outside. Allin’s catch & armbar finisher counter of Quen’s Shooting Star Press. Match itself was a good hard fought bout, especially the latter half, despite dragging at times. Post-match AFO & Hardy Boyz confrontation was okay. Dan Lambert & Men of the Year backstage promo about Wardlow’s TNT title match challenge was all right. House of Black dark room promo about a mystery person & their dark secrets was interesting. Hayter vs. Martinez notable moments: Hayter’s brutal looking backbreaker to Martinez. Hayter’s stiff elbow strike to Martinez flooring her. Martinez’s Exploder Suplex to Hayter into the corner. Martinez’s Spider Suplex bending Hayter in half. Match itself was mostly good despite the ending shenanigans by Rebel & Baker. Hikaru Shida video promo about her bad blood issues with Serena Deeb & wanting more revenge was splendid. Lee vs. Marshall notable moments: Marshall’s loud headbutt to Marshall flooring him. Lee’s stiff double overhand chops to Marshall into Marshall’s tree like KO fall. Marshall’s sweet looking missile dropkick to Lee. Match itself was a pretty good bout. Post-match brawl with The Factory & Team Taz was all right but Lee’s pop-up powerbomb to Comoroto was impressive. Nese & Strickland split-screen backstage pre-match interview was fine. Nese vs. Strickland notable moments: Nese’s double foot stomp counter of Strickland’s German suplex. Strickland’s stiff chops, running elbow strike in the corner, & flying elbow combo to Nese. Strickland’s floating brainbuster to Nese. Nese’s vicious looking spinning heel kick & 450 splash combo to Strickland. Strickland’s double foot stomp to Nese on the apron. Match itself was a mostly very good action filled bout, especially the latter half. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

---

NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 2 (March 6)
* Kosei Fujita vs. Yuji Nagata – 3.0
* Gedo, El Phantsamo, & Chase Owens vs. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, & Togi Makabe – 2.5
* Master Wato, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL – 3.0
* Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi vs. YOH, Toru Yano, Kazuchika Okada, & Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Yuto Nakashima vs. Aaron Henare – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Ryohei Oiwa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – BUSHI vs. Will Ospreay – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – BUSHI vs. Will Ospreay match.
Worst – The comedic overboard amount of ref bumps done during the BUSHI vs. Ospreay match.
Show Notes – Fujita vs. Nagata opener was an entertaining grapple heavy match. Bullet Club vs. Tiger Mask, Honma, & Makabe 6-Man Tag notable moments: Tiger Mask’s Tiger Driver counter of Owens’ punch. Owens’ Package Piledriver & ELP’s Thunder Kiss 86 finisher combo to Honma. Match itself was solid. Master Wato, Tanahashi, & Taguchi vs. House of Torture 6-Man Tag notable moments: EVIL’s comedic atomic drop counter of Taguchi’s running butt attack while being held by Wato & Tanahashi. Yujiro’s ref distracted low blow to Tanahashi into Tanhashi countering Big Juice with a distracted low blow of his own in return. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. LIJ vs. CHAOS 8-Man Tag notable moments: Okada’s big boot counter of Naito’s running attack flooring him. Ishii & Takagi’s forearms fest exchange. Takagi’s spiked DDT to Ishii. SANADA’s TKO counter of YOH’s lariat attempt. Match itself was a quite good action filled bout. Fale & Ishimori vs. Cobb & Khan notable moments: Ishimori’s springboard Senton to Khan. Cobb using Ishimori as a surfboard was a bit funny. Match itself was mostly pretty good. Nakashima vs. Henare was a good hard fought match. Oiwa vs. Sabre Jr. notable moments: Oiwa’s overhead gutwrench suplex to Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr’s vicious looking toe hold twisting submission finisher to Oiwa. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth grapple heavy bought. BUSHI vs. Opreasy notable moments: BUSHI’s shotgun drop kick outta nowhere to Ospreay at the start of their match. BUSHI’s leap over rana to Ospreay onto the outside. Ospreay’s vicious looking extra spinny backbreaker to BUSHI. Ospreay’s accidental Oscutter to the ref after BUSHI pulled him in harms way. BUSHI’s accidentally MX to the 2nd ref after Ospreay pulling the guy in harms way. BUSHI’s accidental mist to the 3rd ref after Ospreasy ducked the attack & Ospreay’s kick to that ref after BUSHI ducked. BUSHI’s backstabber counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s leaping kick & Oscutter counter of BUSHI’s MX attempt. Match itself was a very good action filled bout despite going overboard with the ref bump shenanigans. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 2 was an enjoyable show overall.

NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 3 (March 7)
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, & Will Ospreay) vs. Ryohei Oiwa, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, & Yujiro Takahashi vs. BUSHI, SANADA, & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & El Desperado vs. YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, & Kazuchika Okada – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Chase Owens vs. Jado – 2.5
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Ryusuki Taguchi vs. EVIL – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO – 3.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 5.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii match.
Worst – NJPW going overboard with the House of Torture style shenanigans during the HoT matches.
Show Notes – United Empire vs. Oiwa, Honma, Makabe, & Tanahashi opener notable moments: Khan & Honma’s stiff chops fest exchange. Ospreay’s extra spinny backbreaker to Tanahashi. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. LIJ vs. Bullet Club 6-Man Tag notable moments: ELP napping during LIJ’s entrance was funny. Ishimori’s frustrations with ELP over his superkick mental struggles & growing discontent between the two was interesting. Match itself was pretty good despite the flat ending. Suzuki-Gun vs. CHAOS 10-Man Tag notable moments: Yano & Taichi’s turnbuckle removal debate antics was funny. Goto’s stiff lariat to Sabre Jr. flooring him. YOH’s Falcon Arrow counter of Sabre Jr’s arm hold. Sabre Jr’s arm bar counter of YOH’s 5 Star Clutch pin attempt. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action filled bout. Owens vs. Jado was solid despite the ending shenanigans by Owens. Taguchi vs. EVIL notable moments: Taguchi cosplaying as EVIL’s old persona for his entrance was a bit funny. Taguchi’s swift uppercut to EVIL’s nuts while the ref was distracted was funny. Taguchi’s double ankle lock to EVIL & Dick Togo. Match itself was pretty good despite the ending shenanigans by EVIL & Togo. Takahashi vs. SHO notable moments: Ouch at SHO’s back after the loud thud from Hiromu’s sunset bomb on the floor. SHO’s piledriver to Hiromu on the exposed floor. SHO’s spear to Hiromu bending him in half. Hiromu’s release German counter of SHO’s wrench strike attack bending him in half. Hiromu’s running DVD to SHO into the exposed corner. Match itself was mostly good despite the botched pin ending & HoT style shenanigans. Takagi vs. Ishii notable moments: Ishii’s whip to Takagi to the barricade into Takagi’s rebound DVD to Ishii on the floor was cool. Ishii’s overhead suplex counter of Takagi’s lariat. Ishii’s stiff chops fest to Takagi in the corner into Takagi’s stiff slaps to Ishii’s face into Ishii’s punishing chops as payback sequence was awesome. Takagi’s stiff lariat to Ishii crumpling him onto the mat. Takagi’s nasty looking Buckle Bomb to Ishii into the corner. Ishii’s vicious headbutt to Takagi flooring him. Takagi busting out a brainbuster to Ishii & Ishii kicking out a 1 was awesome. Takagi’s brutal looking Made in Japan to Ishii spiking his head hard. Match itself was a magnificent hard fought physical battle & very strong MotY contender. New Japan Cup 2022 Night 3 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (March 10)
* Willie Mack vs. Kenny King – 3.0
* X-Division Championship Three-way Qualifying match – John Skyler vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Ace Austin – 3.0
* 8-Knockouts Tag Team match – The Influence (Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood), Savannah Evans, & Tasha Steelz vs. The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay), Chelsea Green, & Mickie James – 2.5
* Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Bullet Club, Jay White, & Alex Shelley in-ring promo segment and the Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards match.
Worst – Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw, & Lady Frost bickering backstage segment.
Show Notes – Opening Josh Alexander promo about his bad blood with Moose, interruption by Edwards bashing Alexander and heated banter between the two, Matt Taven & Alexander’s insults filled banter, & brawl with HNM and Team Impact was superb. Mack vs. King notable moments: Mack’s knee counter to King’s family jewels. King’s bridging T-Bone suplex to Mack. Mack’s Stunner & frog splash finisher combo to King. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Moose & Scott D’Amore backstage office segment about Moose’s grievances over Alexander’s return & title shot was all right. Three-way match notable moments: Austin’s leap over kick to Steve via Madman Fulton assist. Skyler’s Tiger Bomb to Steve. Steve’s hoisted up face biting of Skyler into Austin’s Blockbuster finisher to Steve via Skyler’s list assist. Match itself was a good action filled bout. Gujjar, Singh, & Larry D backstage segment about Larry’s rant over leaving Impact was all right and same for Larry D’s surprise appearance. Eric Young backstage promo about Good Bros & winning Impact Tag titles was splendid. 8-Women Tag match was solid. JONAH’s dark alley promo about his win over PCO was fine. Good Bros promo about wanting their tag titles back, Jay White boasting about his win over Shelley, Shelley’s response about their past history, heated banter between the two, Bey & Shelley’s insults filled banter, & MCMG reunion was splendid. Purrazzo’s backstage interview about injuring Green was fine & bickering with Gisele Shaw & Lady Frost was somewhat decent. Swann vs. Edwards notable moments: Swann’s missed cannonball dive to Edwards from the apron. Edwards’ Backpack Stunner to Swann. Edwards’ Electric Chair style Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Swann’s leaping nothing. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Swann’s rolling cutter & springboard cutter combo to Edwards. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

---

Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Dog Collar Match – MJF vs. CM Punk (AEW Revolution 2022)
• Best match of the week runner-up – New Japan Cup 2022 First Round match – Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Night 3)
• Worst match of the week – 24/7 Championship – Tamina vs. Dana Brooke (c) (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Omos vs. Apollo Crews (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Revolution 2022
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW