Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for April 10 to April 16, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of April 10th to April 16th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (April 11)
* Dominik Mysterio vs. Veer Mahan – 2.0 (Squash)
* AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest – 2.0
* The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes – 2.5
* Liv Morgan vs. Naomi – 2.5
* Bianca Belair vs. Queen Zelina – 2.0 (Squash)
* RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) – 3.0
* The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) – 3.5
Overall – 2.0
Best – The Usos vs. Street Profits match.
Worst – The lame abrupt non-finish ending to the AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest match.
Show Notes – Opening Miz TV segment about Miz mocking Rhodes’ overboard pyro entrance, Rhodes’ response about his Undisputed title goal, Miz’s anger issues over Rhodes’ WWE return special treatment, & banter was all right. Styles vs. Priest notable moments: Priest suddenly having the power to summon Edge’s blue moody lights for the commercial break setup was goofy. Match itself was going on decently until the lame non-finish abrupt ending. Miz vs. Rhodes notable moments: Rhodes’ Cody Cutter & Cross Rhodes finisher combo to Miz. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Post-match promo by Seth Rollins about their Mania match & accepting Rhodes’ rematch was okay. VIP Lounge segemnt about Lashley’s issues with MVP’s sneak attack last week, interruption response by MVP taking all the credit for making Lashley a big star, & banter was all right. R-Truth, Tozawa, & Reggie post-bachelor party about R-Truth being worried over the safety of the 24/7 title was a bit funny. Austin Theory, Pearce, & Deville backstage office segment about Theory getting the WWE name cutting treatment & Owens barging in about his Ezekiel conspiracy theory was a bit funny. Deville & Belair’s promo segment about Deville’s sneak attack & reveal as Belair’s mystery next title challenger was all right. Tamina & Dana Brooke bachelorette party, 24/7 title brawl, & R-Truth acting as peacekeeper & minister certificate reveal was goofy but also a bit funny. RK-Bro vs. Alpha Academy notable moments: AA’s lariat & German suplex combo to Riddle. Gable’s backslide pin attempt into a RKO finisher by Orton. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match RK-Bro & Usos promo about Tag titles unification match setup & interruption response by Street Profits was all right. Usos vs. Street Profits notable moments: Jey chucking Dawkins into RK-Bro at ringside into Ford’s dive over the turnbuckle to the Usos on the outside. Ford’s running Blockbuster to Jey. Jey’s backdrop neckbreaker to Ford. Dawkins’ knees counter of Jey’s Uso Splash. Ford got some really sweet height with his Frog Splash to Jimmy. Match itself was a very good action filled bout. This week’s show was average at best but also dull at times.

NXT (April 12)
* NXT North American Championship – Solo Sikoa vs. Cameron Grimes (c) – 3.0
* Von Wagner vs. Ikemen Jiro – 2.5
* NXT Women’s Championship – Dakota Kai vs. Mandy Rose (c) – 2.5
* Draco Anthony vs. Xyon Quinn – 2.0
* NXT Tag Team Championship Gauntlet match – Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) vs. Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs vs. Sanga & Grayson Waller vs. Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – NXT Tag Team Championship Gauntlet match.
Worst – Cora Jade & Natayla in-ring promo segment.
Show Notes – NXT NA title match opener notable moments: Grimes’ dodge & rana counter of Sikoa’s running attack in the corner. Sikoa’s dodge & Umaga Splash counter of Grimes’ cannonball to the corner. Sikoa’s Samoan Drop counter of Grimes’ Cave In. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by Trick Williams. Post-match attack by Williams & Carmello Hayes was all right. Bron Breakker promo about Joe Gacy abducting his dad & Gacy’s outdoors maniacal response about his actions last week & destroying Rick Steiner’s WWE Hall of Fame ring was all right. NXT Women’s title match was a decent back-and-forth bout despite being a bit sloppy at times & the ending shenanigans by Toxic Attraction. Post-match Wendy Choo’s super soakers water gun attacks on Toxic Attraction was goofy. Gacy’s crazy guy promo about Breakker & NXT title goal was all right. Cora Jade’s promo about her recent NXT Women’s title match loss and NXT Women’s title goal, interruption by Natayla, Jade “marking out” over Natty’s surprise appearance, & Natty’s tearful words of wisdom and ambush attack was somewhat decent at best. Nathan Frazer’s NXT debut vignette was all right. Hartwell & Pirotta backstage locker room segment about them squashing their issues & forcing Lumis & Hudson to team together was decent. NXT Tag title Gauntlet match notable moments: Mendoza’s twisting neckbreaker suplex & Wilde’s springboard senton combo to Julius. Creed Bros’ double team ankle lock to Legado. Julius’ Inside Out overhead suplex to Wilde. Brutus’ Gutwrench powerbomb to Wilde. Wilde’s 450 Splash to Brutus. Creed Bros vs. Legado portion was a really good action filled bout. Briggs & Jensen double team powerbomb to Brutus through a table. Creeds vs. Briggs & Jensen portion was a prettty good hard hitting bout. Brutus’ deadlift suplex to Sanga. Creeds vs. Sanga & Waller portion was good. Julius & Prince slugfest exchange. Wilson’s gutbuster to Brutus via Prince assist. Wilson’s Codebreaker to Brutus via Prince assist in the corner. Prince’s cheap shot counter of Brutus’ sliding lariat to Wilson. Creeds vs. Pretty Deadly portion was pretty good. Match itself was a very good action filled bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (April 15)
* Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley – 3.0
* Madcap Moss vs. Humberto – 2.5
* Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn – 2.0 (Squash)
* Intercontinental Championship – Jinder Mahal vs. Ricochet (c) – 2.0
* Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The show opening RK-Bro & Usos in-ring promo segment.
Worst – The Charlotte Flair in-ring promo segment.
Show Notes – Opening RK-Bro promo about Riddle rambling about Worcester, their issues with the Usos and upcoming tag titles unification match, long winded response by the Usos boasting about themselves, & foul mouthed retort by Orton was splendid. Naomi vs. Ripley notable moments: Naomi’s handstand & head scissors toss to Ripley through the ropes. Ripley’s clothesline counter of Naomi’s running attack on the outside. Naomi’s head scissors style DDT to Ripley. Ripley’s headbutt & bridging Northern Lights suplex counter of Naomi’s sitout Full Nelson Bomb. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Happy Corbin backstage interview about why he got rid of Moss & being happy Moss is gone was decent. Moss backstage interview about Corbin being the reason for his terrible jokes & upcoming match against Humberto was decent but his butt joke at the end was lame. Flair in-ring interview with Gulak about her mocking Rousey, getting upset over claims of her tapping out at Mania, insulting Gulak’s new job as an interviewer, boasting about her success, & ambush attack on Gulak was a bit awful. McIntyre vs. Zayn was a decent mostly squash match despite WWE redoing the same lame countout ending as last week’s match. IC title match notable moments: Ricochet got some sweet height with his Shooting Star Press finisher to Mahal. Match itself was mostly solid. Sheamus & Pals backstage interview about Butch’s anger issues & New Day was decent but Butch randomly walking off during the interview was a bit funny. Lacey Evans backstage promo about the next part about her rough upbringing & abusive father was all right. Natayla & Raquel Rodriquez locker room segment about Natty complaining about SD’s women’s division and Rodriquez’s clothes being all over the place & Rodriguez’s awkward greeting was a bit corny. Riddle vs. Uso notable moments: Uso’s leg yank counter of Riddle’s apron kick spinning him onto the apron. Riddle’s Bro 2 Sleep & deadlift German suplex to Uso. Uso’s knees & pop-up Samoan Drop combo counter of Riddle’s corkscrew splash. Riddle’s pop-up RKO outta nowhere finisher to Uso. Match itself was pretty good despite the ending shenanigans by Orton & Jey Uso. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall despite dragging at times.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (April 11)
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Teddy Goodz – 2.0 (Squash)
* Diamante vs. Ashley D’Amboise – 2.0
* 10-Man Tag Team match – Chaos Project (Serpentico & Luther) & Gunn Club (Austin, Colten, & Billy Gunn) vs. Dark Order (Stu Grayson, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Alan “5” Angels, & 10) – 3.0
* The Bunny, Emi Sakura, & LuFisto vs. Ruby Soho, Anna Jay, & Skye Blue – 2.5
* Penta Oscuro vs. Jora Johl – 2.5
* The Factory (Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo) vs. Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Chaos Project & Gunn Club vs. Dark Order 10-Man Tag Team match.
Worst – QT Marshall’s in-ring promo segment.
Show Notes – Kazarian vs. Goodz opener was a decent mostly squash bout. Diamante vs. D’Amboise was a mostly solid brief bout. Chaos Project & Gunn Club vs. Dark Order 10-Man Tag notable moments: Serpentico failing to try to do a Canadian Destroyer to Luther onto Reynolds & getting backdropped by Luther onto Reynolds instead was a bit funny. Serpentico doing the “Suck It” taunt & missing hitting a Fameasser to Renyolds was a bit funny. Silver’s backdrop to Serpentico on the apron, cannonball off the apron to Austin, & running uppercut to Colten, & running clothesline to Luther on the outside combo. The back-and-forth moves fest sequence into 10’s spinebuster & Dark Order’s Ragnarok finisher to Serpentico. Match itself was an enjoyable back-and-forth action bout. Women’s Trios Tag notable moments: Soho’s No Future finisher counter of LuFisto’s Fireman Carry’s move. Match itself was solid despite its abrupt ending. Oscuro vs. Johl notable moments: Penta shrugging off Johl’s stiff chops in the corner into Penta returning the favor with a stiff chop to Johl. Penta’s leap over & backstabber counter of Johl’s running attack in the corner. Match itself was solid. QT Marshall pre-match promo bashing the crowd & offering Top Flight a spot in his factory was decent at best. The Factory vs. Top Flight notable moments: Top Flight’s dropkicks fest to Comoroto into Comoroto’s double clothesline to Top Flight flooring them. Top Flight’s kicks, Darius’ leaping Flatliner, & Dante’s leaping senton combo to Solo. Comoroto’s one armed Gorilla Press to Dante & Package neckbreaker to Darius. Dante’s running shotgun dropkick finisher to Solo in the corner via Darius’ assist. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth action bout. This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dark (April 12)
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Axton Ray – 2.0 (Squash)
* Max Caster vs. Mike Reed – 2.5
* Diamante vs. Mylo – 2.0
* Jora Johl vs. Teddy Goods – 2.5
* Emi Sakura vs. Charlette Renegade – 2.5
* Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Rohit Raju – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – AEW shaking things up with a heavier focus on video packages & promos throughout the show.
Worst – The abrupt ending to the Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Rohit Raju match.
Show Notes – Hobbs vs. Ray opener was a decent squash style match. JAS video package was decent. Eddie Kingston & Pals backstage promo video about their bad blood issues with Chris Jericho & JAS was splendid. Caster vs. Reed notable moments: Caster’s pre-match rap boasting about themselves & mocking Reed for being a nobody was all right. Reed’s slingshot double foot stomp & slingshot splash combo counter of Caster’s slide into the ring. Caster’s catch & bodyslam counter of Reed’s top rope crossbody. Reeds’ Flatliner counter of Caster’s chains attack attempt. Caster’s low blow, brainbuster, & Mic Drop finisher combo to Reed. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans. Suzuki vs. Joe ROH TV title match hype video was splendid. Diamante vs. Mylo notable moments: Diamante’s brutal looking German suplex splatting Mylo on the mat. Match itself was a mostly decent brief bout. Jurassic Express vs. reDRagon AEW Tag title match hype promo video was fine. Raju backstage promo about AEW’s stars not being at his level & upcoming match against Dean was all right. Johl vs. Goods was a mostly solid match. Cole vs. Page AEW title match hype video was splendid. Sakura vs. Renegade was a solid match. Dean vs. Raju notable moments: Ragu’s leg yank counter of Dean’s apron kick slamming him onto the apron. Raju’s back drop to Dean onto the apron. Raju’s spinning neckbreaker & Fisherman suplex combo to Dean. Dean’s Swanton to Raju on the outside. Dean got some nice air with his top rope splash to Raju. Match itself was pretty good despite the abrupt ending. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (April 13)
* CM Punk vs. Penta Oscuro – 4.0
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Jurrassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) – 3.5
* MJF vs. Capt. Shawn Dean – 2.5
* Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, & Daniel Garcia) vs. Eddie Kingston, Santana, & Ortiz – 3.0
* Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue – 2.0
* Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks) vs. Swerve Strickland & Kieth Lee – 3.5
* ROH World Television Championship – Samoa Joe vs. Minoru Suzuki (c) – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – ROH World Television Championship match.
Worst – Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue match and the flat ending to the show.
Show Notes – Punk vs. Oscuro opener notable moments: Punk & Penta’s forearms & chops fest. Punk’s Frankensteiner to Penta. Punk’s Anaconda Vice counter of Penta’s arm snap attempt. Penta’s kicks & Fear Factor counter of Punk’s strikes into Punk’s escape & piledriver counter to Penta into Penta’s escape counter into Punk’s high kick to the head sequence. Penta’s block & Fear Factor counter of Punk’s G2S into Punk’s block & kick counter into Penta’s enziguri counter sequence. Punk’s G2S finisher counter of Penta’s springboard attack. Match itself was a great back-and-forth action filled bout. AEW Tag title match notable moments: Jungle’s rebound lariat to O’Reilly & suicide dives to reDRragon. Luchasaurus’ double chokeslam & standing moonsault to reDRagon. ReDRagon’s DDT & German suplex combo to Jungle. O’Reilly’s Guillotine counter of JE’s Doomsday Device. Fish’s Avalanche Falcon Arrow to Jungle. Luchasaurus’ Tail Whip & Jungle’s Thoracic Express finisher combo to Fish. Match itself was a very entertaining action filled bout. MJF vs. Dean was solid despite the countout shenanigans ending by Wardlow. Trios Tag notable moments: Kingston’s STO to Jericho. Garcia’s powerslam & strikes combo to Ortiz. Santana’s Three Amigos & Frog Splash combo to Garcia. Kingston’s chops fest & Santana’s Uranage combo to Garcia. Ortiz’s powerbomb to Garcia onto Jericho. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by Jericho. MJF’s angry backstage interview about Wardlow costing him the match & match setup against Butcher was all right. HOOK, Tony Nese, & Danhausen backstage segment about Nese being upset at HOOK & Danhausen’s failed curse attempt was a bit goofy. Team Taz vs. Strickland & Lee notable moments: Starks’ Old School & powerslam combo to Strickland. Strickland’s moonsault to Team Taz via Lee’s chest assist. Lee chucking Starks onto Hobbs. Starks’ spear & flipping DDT counter of Strickland’s rolling cutter. Starks’ diving spear to Lee. Strickland’s 450 Splash to Starks to break up his pin. Hobbs spinebuster finisher to Lee. Match itself was a very good hard hitting action bout. ROH TV title notable moments: Joe & Suzuki’s stiff chops & elbows fest exchange. Joe’s crossface to Suzuki into Suzuki’s escape & stiff kick to Joe. Joe & Suzuki’s stiff chops fest part deux exchange. Joe’s side slam counter of Suzuki’s modified sleeper. Suzuki’s running dropkick & Gotch Style Piledriver into Joe’s escape counter. Suzuki’s arm bar counter of Joe’s Muscle Buster into Joe’s Muscle Buster finisher counter. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled battle. Post-match Lethal & Dutt confrontation, surprise debut by Satnam Singh, and attack on Joe was a bit flat. This week’s show was mostly great overall.

AEW Rampage (April 15)
* Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Gunn Club (Austin, Colten, & Billy Gunn) – 3.5
* The Butcher vs. Barrett Brown – 2.0 (Squash)
* Owen Hart Foundation Women’s tournament Qualifier match – Ruby Soho vs. Robyn Renegade – 2.5
* AEW World Championship Texas Deathmatch – Adam Cole vs. Hangman Adam Page (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – AEW World Championship Texas Deathmatch.
Worst – The somewhat rough ending sequence to the Ruby Soho vs. Robyn Renegade match.
Show Notes – BCC vs. Gunn Club 6-Man Tag opener: Yuta’s arm catch & head lock counter of Austin’s leaping snapmare. Danielson’s Romero Special to Colten. Moxley’s Half & Half suplex to Colten bending him in half. Moxley’s King Kong lariat spinning Billy onto the mat. Yuta got some sweet air with his flying crossbody to Billy. Billy’s double clothesline to Danielson & Moxley. Billy got some sweet air with his Cobra Clutch slam to Yuta. Match itself was a very entertaining action filled bout. Butcher vs. Brown was a decent jobber destruction match. Dustin Rhodes backstage promo about his bad blood issues with Archer & match challenge to CM Punk was all right but also interesting. Soho vs. Renegade notable moments: Renegade’s superkick counter of Soho’s headstand on the turnbuckle. Soho’s chops fest to Renegade on the ropes. Renegade’s backstabber counter of Soho’s strike attempt. Soho’s back drop suplex bending Renegade in half. Charlette Renegade’s twin magic switch & knees counter of Soho’s Senton. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout despite its somewhat rough ending sequence. Page & Cole heated split-screen pre-match backstage interview was splendid. AEW World title Texas Deathmatch notable moments: Page’s big boot to a chair boinking Cole’s head. Page nailing Cole with a beer can & drink afterwards. Page chucking Cole head first into a chair in the corner. Cole’s brutal looking chain rope pull counter of Page’s running attack. Yikes at Cole’s back after Page’s DVD onto upright chairs counter of Cole’s superkick. Page’s Deadeye counter of Cole’s Panama Sunrise. Cole’s superkick counter of Page’s moonsault to the outside. Cole’s spiked Panama Sunrise to Page. Page’s super Exploder Suplex to Cole onto a pile of chairs. Cole & Page slugfest & superkicks exchange. Cole’s swift low blow to Page. Page’s barb wired punch counter of Cole’s Panama Sunrise on the apron. Page wrapping barb wire around Cole’s head & Deadeye finisher to Cole through a table. Match itself was a great hardcore style action filled battle. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Battle of the Belts II (April 16)
* TNT Championship – Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky (c) – 3.0
* ROH World Championship – Dalton Castle vs. Jonathan Gresham (c) – 3.0
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Nyla Rose vs. Thunder Rosa (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – ROH World Championship match.
Worst – The shenanigans ending to the TNT Championship match.
Show Notes – TNT title match opener notable moments: Guevara’s escape & chop counter of Sky’s TKO into a chops fest between both guys. Sky’s body slam to Guevara onto the floor. Guevara’s moonsault off the steel steps to Sky. Sky’s TKO to Guevara onto the ropes & apron. Sky’s back-to-back backbreakers to Guevara. The crowd chanting “one more time” for Sky’s backbreakers was a bit funny. Guevara’s standing Spanish Fly to Sky. Ouch at Ethan Page’s head after getting nailed hard by Guevara’s Shooting Star Press to him & Sky on the outside. Guevara’s low blow counter of Sky’s low blow. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the shenanigans ending. ROH World title match notable moments: Castle’s gutwrenches & Gresham’s landing counters into Castle’s stiff Gutwrench suplex to Gresham. Gresham & Castle’s moves & counters fest into Gresham’s springboard rana to Castle. Castle’s sliding tilt-a-whirl rana to Greahsm off the apron. Castle’s deadlift suplex to Gresham. Castle’s catch & airplane spin counter of Gresham’s Flying Nothing into a roll-up pin counter by Gresham into a roll-ups pins fest by Gresham & Castle. Castle’s stiff lariat to Gresham spinning him onto the mat. Gresham’s Octopus hold into a grapevine Octopus hold finisher to Castle. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. Post-match brawl with Satnam, Singh, Dutt, Moriarty, Matt Sydal, & Samoa Joe was all right. AEW Women’s title match notable moments: Rosa’s bulldog off the ring post to Rose onto the floor. Rose’s powerbomb to the apron counter of Rosa’s flying attack off the apron. Rose’s running DVD to Rosa. Rosa’s Stunner to Rose. Rosa’s awkward looking top rope tornilo to Rose on the outside. Rosa’ doge counter of Rose’s Guillotine knee drop into Rose’s catch of Rosa’s flying crossbody into Rosa’s Code Red counter to Rose sequence. Rose’s brutal looking modified Jackhammer to Rosa. Rose’s catch & powerslam counter of Rosa’s crossbody. Match itself was pretty good despite dragging a bit long & abrupt ending. Battle of the Belts II was enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (April 14)
* Champ Champ Challenge for ROH Women’s World Championship match – Willow Nightingale vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c) – 3.0
* Jonathan Gresham vs. Rocky Romero – 3.0
* Steve Maclin vs. Alex Shelley – 3.0
* PCO vs. JONAH – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The Josh Alexander vs. Moose Impact title match hype videos and the Jonathan Gresham vs. Rocky Romero match.
Worst – The Steve Maclin vs. Alex Shelley match becoming a bit messy near the end.
Show Notes – Opening W. Morrissey promo about cleaning up his life issues, interruption by Brian Myers mocking Morrissey, & brawl with Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona was all right. Major Players reunion moment was a bit cool. ROH Women’s title notable moments: Nightingale’s pounce & running cannonball combo to Purrazzo. Purrazzo’s big boot & standing moonsault combo to Nightingale. Nightingale’s DVD to Purrazzo. Purrazzo’s powerbomb to Nightingale off the corner. Purrazzo’s float-over Venus de Milo finisher counter of Nightingale’s moonsault. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Mickie James backstage interview about her win over Green and lingering issues with Green, interruption by Green, & brawl was all right. Tasha Steelz’s backstage interview about Rosemary & spooky shenanigans interruptions by Decay was okay. Gresham vs. Romero notable moments: Romero’s side slam counter of Gresham’s tilt-a-whirl attempt. Romero & Gresham’s clotheslines & chops exchange into Romero’s clothesline to Gresham flooring him. Romero’s rana to Gresham on the outside via steel steps assist. Gresham’s springboard moonsault to Romero. Match itself was an entertaining hard hitting action filled bout. Maclin vs. Shelley notable moments: Maclin’s Tree of Woe spear to Shelley in the corner. Shelley’s Flatliner into the corner counter of Maclin’s running clothesline. Maclin’s back drop to Shelley onto the apron. Shelley’s Slice Bread to Maclin via ringside stage post. Match itself was pretty good despite the ending shenanigans by Chris Sabin. Alexander vs. Moose Impact title match hype videos were great. Honor No More promo bashing “fickle” Philly wrestling fans and ROH, interruption by Bullet Club about their issues with HNM calling themselves the best group in wrestling, insults banter, & mass brawl was all right. PCO vs. JONAH notable moments: PCO & JONAH’s stiff chops fest around ringside. JONAH’s catch & piledriver counter of PCO’s crossbody. Yikes at PCO’s back after his missed cannonball splash onto the apron & JONAH’s back drop onto the guard rail. Match itself was a good hard hitting hoss battle. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Windy City Riot (April 16)
* L.A. Dojo (Karl Fredericks, Yuya Uemura, & Clark Connors) vs. The Factory (Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo, & QT Marshall) – 2.5
* Fred Rosser, Josh Alexander, Alex Coughlin, Ren Narita, & Chris Dickinson vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson, JR Kratos, Black Tiger, & Danny Limelight) – 3.0
* NJPW Strong Openweight Championship – Yuji Nagata vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (c) – 3.5
* 12-Man Tag Team match – United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP, & Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)) vs. Bullet Club (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, Chris Bey, Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) & Scott Norton) – 3.0
* Chicago Street Fight – TMDK (JONAH & Shane Haste) & Bad Dude Tito vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) & Brody King – 3.5
* U-S-of-Jay Open Challenge match – “Shooter” Shota Umino vs. Jay White – 4.0
* Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki – 4.0
* Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley – 4.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley match.
Worst – NJPW’s production issues throughout the show.
Show Notes – The Factory vs. LA Dojo opener was decent despite NJPW’s feed issues during it. 10-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action bout. NJPW Strong Openweight title was a very good back-and-forth action filled match. United Empire vs. Bullet Club 12-Man Tag notable moments: Cobb’s deadlift suplex to Norton into Norton’s deadlift suplex to Cobb in return. AO’s catch, stiff kick, & flying cutter combo to Bey. AO’s Razor’s Edge style neckbreaker to Bey & spear to ELP in the corner. Match itself was an entertaining action bout. Chicago Street Fight notable moments: King’s chair shot to another chair onto JONAH’s nuts. Haste’s powerbomb to Finlay onto the apron into Robinson’s back drop to Haste onto the apron. Tito’s suplex to Robinson onto the ladder into King’s stiff lariat & running DDT onto a pile of upright chairs. JONAH & Tito’s whip to Finlay onto a ladder in the corner into Haste running cannonball & Tito’s Blue Thunder Bomb combo to Finlay. Robinson’s Frankensteiner to Tito, King’s superplex to Haste, & Finlay’s sunset powerbomb to JONAH combo onto a pile of chairs. JONAH’s top rope splash to King through a ladder on the outside. Finlay’s brainbuster to Haste onto an upright chair. Match itself was a very good hardcore style brawl despite dragging a bit too long. Pre-match video of Moxley revealing his “son” Shooter as White’s mystery opponent was cool. U-S-of-Jay Open Challenge notable moments: Umino’s reverse Bloody Sunday to White. White’s spiked DDT to Umino. White’s stiff chop & twisting suplex to Umino. Umino’s pumphandle slam to White. Umino’s rolling neckbreaker to White. White’s Bladerunner counter of Umino’s Death Rider. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout. Ishii vs. Suzuki notable moments: Ishii & Suzuki’s forearms strikes fest to start off their match. Ishii & Suzuki’s stiff forearms fest part deux into Ishii’s stiff forearm flooring Suzuki into another stiff forearms fest into Suzuki’s stiff forearm flooring Ishii. Ishii’s back drop counter of Suzuki’s Gotch Style Piledriver. Suzuki’s arm bar counter of Ishii’s brainbuster. Ishii’s escape & headbutts counter of Suzuki’s Gotch Style Piledriver. Match itself was an awesome hard fought slugfest battle. Ospreay vs. Moxley notable moments: Moxley’s whip to Ospreay sending him over the guard rail into Ospreay chucking a chair to Moxley’s head busting him open. Moxley’s catch & German suplex counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s Oscutter off the post to Moxley onto the apron was cool. Ospreay’s top rope elbow to Moxley obliterating the English announcer’s table. Moxley’s catch & Death Rider counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s sit-out powerbomb counter of Moxley’s lariat. Moxley’s overhead elbow strikes & sleeper counter of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade into Ospreay’s leap kick & Oscutter counter to Moxley. Moxley’s stiff lariat & curb stomp combo to Ospreay. Moxley’s Death Riders counter of Ospreay’s Stormbreaker. Match itself was an amazing hard hitting action packed bout despite the ref botched finish. Windy City Riot was a mostly great show overall despite NJPW’s production quality issues throughout it.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley (NJPW Windy City Riot)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW Windy City Riot)
• Worst match of the week – AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue (AEW Dynamite)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW