Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of March 27th to April 2nd, 2022.
Match and show star ratings (out of 5):
WWE
WWE RAW (March 28)
* The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio – 2.0
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Omos vs. Viking Raiders – 0.5 (Squash)
* Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Naomi, & Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler, Natayla, Carmella, & Queen Zelina – 2.5
* Ricochet vs. Austin Theory – 2.0
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin – 1.5 (Squash)
* The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Roman Reigns’ in-ring promo segment and the Steve Austin career tribute video package.
Worst – Omos vs. Viking Raiders match and the Seth Rollins & Vince McMahon office segment.
Show Notes – Opening Lesnar’s happy promo about his upcoming match against Reigns, WWE and Universal belts marriage, & voice cracking win guarantee was a bit funny. Miz’s pre-match promo about taking Rey’s mask last week, Lucha Logan, & badmouthing Rey was all right. Miz vs. Mysterio was somewhat decent despite the abrupt ending. Seth Rollins “WrestleMania match quest” vignette was okay despite the poor audio mixing quality. Rollins & Vince McMahon office segment about Rollins getting a match for Mania was a bit corny & lame anti-climatic ending to Rollins’ storyline. Handicap match was a big pile of nothing. Omos’ post-match interview boasting about his undefeated streak, interruption by Bobby Lashley, & brawl was all right. Reggie & Dana Brooke backstage segment about Reggie’s marriage proposal & Tozawa doing the same to Tamina afterwards was weird but also a bit funny. Reigns’ promo about beating Lesnar being the last big thing left to do in his career, dig at “What” chants & Steve Austin, & bad blood issues with Lesnar was splendid. 8-Women Tag notable moments: Baszler’s hanging Stretch Muffler to Banks. Morgan’s backstabber & Ripley’s Riptide finisher combo to Zelina. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Steve Austin career tribute video package was great. Kevin Owens’ promo bashing Austin for being a shell of his old self & having the better Stunner was splendid. Bianca Belair promo about her bad blood issues with Becky Lynch and their upcoming title match & brawl with Lynch was all right. Edge’s dark room promo about AJ Styles & their upcoming match was decent. Styles’ backstage interview about his issues with Edge was okay. Usos vs. RK-Bro notable moments: RK-Bro’s double backdrops to Usos on announcer’s table. Jey’s dropkick to Riddle sending him out of the ring & Jimmy’s chucking Riddle over the timekeeper’s arena. Orton’s silky smooth powerslam to Jey. Match itself was going on well until the lame DQ by the Street Profits. Post-match brawl with Boogs & Nakamura was all right. This week’s WrestleMania 38 go-home show was mostly average overall.
NXT (March 29)
* Imperium (Gunther, Marcel Barthel, & Fabian Aichner) vs. LA Knight & MSK(Nash Carter & Wes Lee) – 3.0
* Ivy Nile vs. Tiffany Stratton – 2.0
* Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen – 3.0
* Von Wagner vs. Bodhi Hayward – 2.0
* Joe Gacy vs. Draco Anthony – 2.5
* Nikkita Lyons vs. Sloane Jacobs – 2.0 (Squash)
* North American Championship Qualifier Last Chance Triple Threat match – Roderick Strong vs. A-Kid vs. Cameron Grimes – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – North American Championship Qualifier Last Chance Triple Threat match.
Worst – Toxic Attraction in-ring promo segment.
Show Notes – 6-Man Tag opener notable moments: Barthel’s catch. snap suplex, & top rope diving elbow combo counter of Lee’s kick. Lee’s running dropkick to Barthel in the corner via Carter toss assist. Aichner’s stiff clothesline finisher to Carter spinning him onto the mat. Match itself was a good back-and-forth hard hitting action bout. Dakota Kai’s backstage segment about Wendy Choo being missing & her destroyed giant pillow was interesting. Nile vs. Stratton was somewhat decent despite being a bit sloppy at times & ending shenanigans by Sarray. Ciampa’s backstage promo about his time in NXT & match against D’Angleo being the end of an era for him was all right. Ziggler NXT champion vignette was all right. Cora Jade promo video about NXT Women’s title match & issues with Mandy Rose was decent. Legado vs. Briggs & Jensen was a pretty good bout. Hartwell & Pirotta’s backstage locker room segment bickering over who is the hottest couple in NXT was lame. Kai & Raquel Gonzalez’s brawl with Toxic Attraction & reunion as a team was the only good part about an awful promo segment by Mandy Rose & Pals. Tony D’Angelo’s promo video about Ciampa & his goal to become the new mafia boss of NXT was all right. Gacy vs. Anthony was a solid back-and-forth bout despite it falling apart near the end. Bron Breakker promo video about his goal to regain the NXT title & his issues with Ziggler was splendid. Triple Threat match notable moments: A-Kid’s leap over dropkick to Strong via Grimes’ lift assist. Strong’s backdrop to Grimes onto the apron. Strong’s superplex & A-Kid’s Frog Splash combo to Grimes. Strong’s one arm slam counter of A-Kid’s arm bar onto Grimes. A-Kid’s brutal looking spiked DDT to Grimes. Strong’s catch & slam counter of A-Kid’s leap attack onto Grimes. Strong’s knee strike & gutbuster combo to A-Kid. Grimes’ Cave In finisher outta nowhere to Strong. Match itself was a very good action packed bout. Post-match promo & mass brawl by everyone in the NA title match was all right. This week’s Stand & Deliver 2022 go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall.
Friday Night SmackDown (April 1)
* Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal – 2.5
* Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat match – Humberto vs. Angel vs. Ricochet (c) – 3.0
* Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Carmella & Queen Zelina – 2.0
Rick Boogs vs. Jimmy Uso – 2.0
* Rick Boogs, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Finn Balo vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) & Austin Theory – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat match and the Kevin Owens & Steve Austin feud hype video.
Worst – The flat ending to the Andre the Battle Royal match and the Charlotte Flair rambling monologue promo segment.
Show Notes – Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal opener was mostly solid despite the weak ending & Madcap Moss winning. Moss’ post-match promo about his win, Andre the Giant, & lame joke about Texas was nothing special. IC title Triple Threat match notable moments: Ricochet’s double rana to Los Lotharios at the same time. Humberto’s lift, Angel’s knee strike, & Humberto’s clothesline combo to Ricochet. Humberto’s springboard spin kick to Ricochet. Ricochet’s leap over rana to Humberto via Angel’s lift assist. Ricochet’s rolling dropkick to Angel & standing Shooting Star to Humberto combo. Ricochet’s suplex toss to Humberto onto Angel into a 630 to Angel into a Recoil finisher to Humberto sequence. Match itself was a good action filled bout. Kevin Owens & Steve Austin feud hype video was splendid. Women’s Tag was a somewhat decent back-and-forth match despite dragging at times. Ronda Rousey’s taped training camp interview about her upcoming match with Charlotte Flair was decent. Flair vs. Rousey match hype video was okay. Flair’s rambling monologue promo bashing Rousey & boasting about herself was mostly dull. Lesnar vs. Reigns match hype video was splendid. Theory’s sneak attack on Pat McAfee & chase backstage to Vince McMahon’s office leading to McMahon yelling at McAfee was okay. Boogs vs. Uso notable moments: Boogs catch, curling, & bodyslam combo counter of Uso’s running crossbody. Boogs’ deadlift Military Press from his knees & Fallaway Slam combo to Uso. Match itself was going on decently until the DQ ending shenanigans by Theory & Balor. 6-Man Tag notable moments: Boogs’ catch, gutwrench swings, & gutwrench suplex combo to Theory. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Happy Talk segment about Moss and Corbin’s Andre Battle Royal wins, Corbin renaming McIntyre’s sword & mean spirited dig at his dead mom, & interruption brawl by McIntyre was mostly okay. This week’s WrestleMania 38 go-home show was average overall but also mostly skippable.
WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 1 (April 2)
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) (c) – 2.0
* Happy Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre – 3.0
* Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz & Logan Paul – 3.0
* RAW Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (c) – 3.5
* Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes – 4.0
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (c) – 2.5
* No Holds Barred match – Kevin Owens vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes match and the Owens vs. Austin segment turning into an actual surprise match.
Worst – Rick Boogs suffering a legit knee injury during the SD Tag Team titles match and the lame ending shenanigans to the SD Women’s title match.
Show Notes – SD Tag title match opener notable moments: Ouch at Boogs’ knee buckling after his double Fireman’s Carry setup to the Usos. Match itself was somewhat decent despite Boogs’ knee injury moment derailing it. Corbin vs. McIntyre notable moments: McIntyre’s headbutt counter of Corbin’s End of Days into Corbin’s dodge counter of McIntyre’s Claymore into Corbin’s End of Days to McIntyre. Match itself was pretty good, especially the latter half. Mysterios vs. Miz & Paul notable moments: Paul’s middle rope Blockbuster to Dominik. Miz’s catch counter of Rey’s running 619 setup into Rey’s Tornado DDT counter to Miz. Paul’s Three Amigos suplexes & Eddie Guerrero style Frog Splash to Rey. The Mysterios’ Frog Splashes to Logan into Miz tossing Dominik onto Rey & Skull Crushing Finale finisher to Rey. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout & splendid ring work by Paul. RAW Women’s title match moments: Bianca’s live marching band music special entrance treatment was cool. Lynch’s Manhandle Slam counter of Belair’s KOD. Belair’s slingshot suplex via apron ropes to Lynch onto the floor. Belair’s drop onto the top turnbuckle & 450 Splash combo to Lynch. Ouch at Belair’s face after getting nailed hard by Lynch’s botched senton. Lynch’s Manhandle Slam to Belair onto the steel steps. Belair’s backflip & KOD finisher counter of Lynch’s Manhandle Slam in the corner. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Rollins vs. Rhodes: Cody keeping most of his AEW entrance for his WWE return was nice. Rhodes’ suplex to Rollins over the ropes & Rollins hanging on causing both to land hard to the floor. Rollins’ dropkick counter of Rhodes’ flying crossbody from the top rope. Rhodes suicide dive to Rollins to the outside sending him flying over the announcer’s table. Rollins running powerbomb into the barricade. Rollins’ inverted superplex & lifting reverse DDT combo to Rhodes. Rhodes’ Pedigree tease into a powerbomb to Rollins. Rhodes’ double Cross Rhodes, Dusty style punches, Bionic Elbow, & Cross Rhodes finisher combo to Rollins. Match itself was a great action filled bout, especially the latter half. SD Women’s title match notable moments: Flair’s falling elbow to Rousey onto the apron. Rousey’s modified Tornado DDT to Flair. Rousey’s Exploder Suplex counter of Flair’ slam. Match itself was somewhat good despite its rough flow & lame ref bump ending shenanigans. KO Show segment about Owens bashing Texas and Austin, trash talk banter between the two, & match setup by Owens was superb. Owens vs. Austin moments: Austin’s whip counter of Owen’s whip through a table on the outside. Owens & Austin’s slugfest in the crowd. Owens’ suplex counter of Austin’s suplex onto the concrete floor. Austin chucking Owens onto the announcer’s table that didn’t break. Austin’s suplexes to Owens on the stage. Owens busting out a Stunner to Austin. Austin’s dodge of Owens’ chair shot into the chair bouncing off the ropes & nailing Owens in the head into Austin’s Stunner finisher to Owens. Match itself was a really entertaining brawl. WrestleMania 38 Night 1 was mostly very enjoyable overall.
AEW
AEW Dark Elevation (March 28)
* Serpentico vs. Lee Moriarty – 2.5
* Abadon vs. Danni Bee – 2.0 (Squash)
* Penta Oscuro vs. JPH – 2.0 (Squash)
* Brandon Cutler vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.5 (Squash)
* Jamie Hayter vs. Rache Chanel – 2.0 (Squash)
* Sonny Kiss vs. Max Caster – 3.0
* Hikaru Shida vs. Madi Wrenkowski – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ruby Soho & Anna Jay vs. The Renegade Twins (Charlette & Robyn Renegade) – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Factory (Aaron Solo & QT Marshall) vs. Roppongi Vice (Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – The Factory vs. Roppongi Vice match.
Worst – The heavy amount of squash matches throughout the show.
Show Notes – Serpentico vs. Moriarty opener notable moments: Moriarty’s hammerlock Saito suplex to Serpentico. Moriarty’s rolling knife edge chop to Serpentico’s head flooring him. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Abadon vs. Bee notable moments: Adabon’s cannonball to Bee nailing her head hard on the outside. Match itself was a decent squash style bout. Oscuro vs. JPH notable moments: Penta’s loud stiff chops to JPH. Penta’s superkick counter of JPH’s Flying Nothing. Match itself was a decent squash style bout. Cutler vs. Kazarian notable moments: Cutler’s comedic antics over him getting tossed over the ropes several times by Kazarian was a bit funny. Cutler’s failed splash from the bottom rope was a bit funny. Match itself was a fun mostly squash match with some nice comedic moments. Hayter vs. Chanel was a mostly decent brief squash bout. Caster’s pre-match rap mocking Kiss’ lack of AEW TV time & his butt being flatter than Plank from Ed, Edd, and Eddie was funny. Kiss vs. Caster notable moments: Caster’s dropkick to Kiss bouncing him onto the mat. Kiss’ running Tornado punch to Caster. Match itself was pretty good. Shida vs. Wrenkowski was a decent mostly squash style match. Women’s Tag notable moments: Soho & Jay’s double Flatliner to the Renegade Twins. Soho’s No Future & Jay’s Queen Slayer finisher combo to Robyn. Match itself was a decent mostly squash match. The Factory vs. Roppongi Vice notable moments: Romero’s loud stiff uppercut & standing Slice Bread to Marshall. Beretta’s spiked Half & Half suplex to Marshall & deadlift German suplex to Solo. Solo’s Tornado kick to Beretta. Romero’s suicide dive to Marshall on the outside into R.V.’s Strong Zero finisher to Solo. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. This week’s show was average overall.
AEW Dark (March 29)
* Trios match – The Factory (Aaron Solo, QT Marshall, & Nick Comoroto) vs. Invictus Khash, Adam Priest, & Gus De La Vega – 3.0 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura. vs Lelia Grey – 2.5
* Diamante vs. Kelsey Heather – 2.0 (Squash)
* Dark Order (Stu Grayson, Alan “5” Angels, & Evil Uno) vs. Jay Marte, Richard King, & Alexander Zane – 2.5
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Kaun – 3.0
* Tay Conti vs. Shalonce Royal – 2.5
* Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, & 10) vs. Foxx Vinyer, Brandon Bullock, & Jameson Ryan – 2.5 (Squash)
* Keira Hogan vs. Nyla Rose – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Keira Hogan vs. Nyla Rose match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Trios Tag opener notable moments: Priest’s dropkick to Solo into Solo returning the favor with a swift dropkick to Priest’s head. Comoroto’s catch counter of Priest’s flying crossbody, big boot to De La Vega, & tossing Priest onto De La Vega. Khash’s back drop to Solo into Marshall’s Diamond Cutters to Khash, Priest, & De La Vega. Match itself was an entertaining extended squash bout. Sakura vs. Grey was a solid match. Diamante vs. Heather was a decent squash style bout. Dark Order vs. Marte, King, & Zane Trios Tag notable moments: Angels’ shotgun dropkick & Uno’s Russian Leg Sweep combo to Marte. Angels’ clothesline & Grayson’s slingshot senton to Zane on the apron. Match itself was a solid bout. Kazarian vs. Kaun notable moments: Kaun’s stiff back elbow strike counter of Kazarian’s running attack flooring him hard. Kazarian’s lariat & crossface Chicken Wing finisher combo to Kaun. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Conti vs. Royal notable moments: Conti’s stiff punch to Royal sending her tumbling from the apron to the floor. Conti’s Gotch Style piledriver finisher to Royal. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Dark Order vs. Vinyer, Bullock, & Ryan Trios Tag was a fine extended squash style match. Hogan vs. Rose notable moments: Rose’s catch & slam to the post counter of Hogan’s suicide dive to the outside. Hogan’s shotgun dropkick, running lariat, & running low dropkick combo to Rose in the corner. Rose’s catch & one arm chokeslam counter of Hogan’s kick. Rose’s spear & Beast Bomb finisher combo to Hogan. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.
AEW Dynamite (March 30)
* CM Punk vs. Max Caster – 3.0
* Jay Lethal vs. Jon Moxley – 3.5
* FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. Gunn Club (Austin & Colten Gunn) – 3.0
* Bryan Danielson vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.5
* Owen Hart Foundation Women’s tournament Qualifier match – The Bunny vs. Toni Storm – 3.0
* Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Toni Storm’s AEW debut and the Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin match.
Worst – Kyle O’Reilly flubbing his lines during the Undisputed Elite’s celebration segment.
Show Notes – Caster’s pre-match rap mocking Punk’s looks, film career, & Will Smith slap reference was one of his better insults routine. Punk vs. Caster opener: Caster’s catch & backbreaker counter of Punk’s running crossbody. Punk’s piledriver & Anaconda Vice finisher combo to Caster. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Punk’s post-match interview about his AEW title goal was fine. MJF & FTR backstage interview about Wardlow being banned from the arena & MJF badmouthing Wardlow’s friendship with FTR was all right. Lethal vs. Moxley: Moxley’s vicious lariat counter of Lethal’s running attack. Moxley’s Bulldog Choke counter of Lethal’s Lethal Injection into Lethal’s brainbuster counter. Match itself was a very good hard hitting bout. Marina Shafir vignette was all right. FTR vs. Gunn Club was a good back-and-forth match. Wardlow’s destruction of security during the match was cool. Jericho & Pals backstage promo boasting about the JAS, mocking AEW guys & brawl with Santana, Ortiz, & Kingston was splendid. Danielson vs. Yuta: Yuta’s bridging Figure Four to Danielson. Danielson & Yuta’s stiff chops fest. Yuta’s rebound German suplex counter of Danielson’s discus punch. Yuta’s overhead hammer strikes counter of Danielson’s Cattle Mutilation. Yuta’s loogie to Danielson into Danielson’s stiff kicks & Gotch Style piledriver combo to Yuta. Match itself was a very good physical bout. Thunder Rosa interview about her Women’s title win, face of all women’s wrestling goal, & Nyla Rosa was splendid. Storm being the mystery new signing for AEW was sweet. Bunny vs. Storm was mostly good despite dragging at times. Nyla Rose & Vickie backstage promo was all right. El Idolo vs. Allin: Andrade’s Tornillo outta nowhere to Allin during Allin’s entrance. Allin’s skateboard stomp to Andrade off the apron. Andrade’s suplex toss to Allin onto the steel steps. Allin & Andrade’s palm strikes fest exchange into Andrade’s stiff slap flooring Allin. Allin’s top rope crucifix driver & Fujiwara arm bar combo to Andrade. Andrade’s catch, Buckle Bomb, & El Idolo finisher combo counter of Allin’s springboard Coffin Drop. Match itself was a great physical & chaotic bout. This week’s show was mostly great overall.
AEW Rampage (April 1)
* The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) – 3.5
* Trios Tag Team match – House of Black (Buddy Matthews, Brody King, & Malakai Black) vs. Fuego Del Sol & Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) – 3.0
* Owen Hart Foundation Women’s tournament Qualifier match – Jamie Hayter vs. Skye Blue – 3.0
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – The Young Bucks vs. Top Flight match.
Worst – The shenanigans ending to the Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee match.
Show Notes – Young Bucks vs. Top Flight opener moments: Darius’ rolling modified Rings of Saturn to Matt. Matt’s Buckle Bomb & Nick’s kick combo to Darius in the corner into Matt’s baseball slide dropkick to Dante into Matt’s running cannonball to Darius in the corner. Dante got some nice air with his top rope shotgun dropkick to Matt. Matt’s German suplex setup to Top Flight into Dante’s backwards leap over Matt & Darius into Dante’s leap over stomp to Matt via Darius assist. Young Bucks BTE Trigger finisher counter of Darius’s backslide pin attempt. Match itself was a very good action packed bout. Kris Statlander’s new persona vignette was all right. Dan Lambert & Pals promo mocking Guevara and Conti and not giving Guevara a rematch for the TNT title & interruption response & Lambert’s car destruction by Guevara & Conti was decent. Hook & Danhausen backstage segment about Danhausen not being able to curse Hook was dumb but also a bit funny. Trios Tag moments: Grayson’s tope dive to Matthews on the outside. Matthews’ Snake Eyes dart toss of Del Sol into the corner. King chucking Del Sol out of the ring onto Dark Order. Uno’s sitout powerbomb to Black via Grayson assist. King’s cannonball to Dark Order from the apron. Del Sol’s Poison Rana to Black. Black’s Black Mass finisher to Del Sol crumpling him onto the mat. Match itself was an entertaining action filled bout. Hayter vs. Blue moments: Hayter’s brutal looking overhead suplex counter into the corner of Blue’s running attack. Blue’s crucifix bomb to Hayter. Hayter’s Back Drop Driver to Blue bending her in half. Hayter’s superplex & rolling brainbuster combo to Blue. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Hobbs & Lee’s split-screen pre-match backstage interview was all right. Hobbs vs. Lee moments: Hobbs’ running shoulder tackle to Lee into the ropes into Lee’s rebound shoulder tackle to Hobbs sending him out of the ring. Hobbs’ running lariat to Lee into the guard rail. Lee’s catch & stiff lariat counter of Hobbs’ punch. Hobbs’ powerslam counter of Lee’s pounce. Lee chucking Hobbs across the ring was cool. Match itself was a quite good hoss battle despite the ending ringside shenanigans by Ricky Starks & Swerve Strickland. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.
NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling
NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Finals (March 27)
* Koesi Fujita vs. BUSHI – 3.0
* Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Gedo, El Phantasmo, & Taiji Ishimori vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jado, & Guerillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) – 3.0
* Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, & Taichi vs. YOH, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano – 3.0
* SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs. TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado – 1.0 (Squash)
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay) vs. Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto – 3.0
* Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL & Dick Togo – 3.0
* Tatsumi Fujinami & STRONGHEARTS (EL LINDAMAN, T-HAWK, & CIMA) vs. Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, Kazuchika Okada, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.0
* New Japan Cup 2022 Finals – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito – 5.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – New Japan Cup 2022 Finals match.
Worst – NJPW’s production audio levels issues for English commentary throughout the first half of the show and the SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs. TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado match.
Show Notes – Fujita vs. BUSHI opener was a good back-and-forth style bout. 10-Man Tag was mostly good despite the anti-climatic flat ending. Suzuki-Gun vs. YOH, Ishii, & Yano 6-Man Tag notable moments: Ishii & Suzuki’s stiff elbows exchange into series of moves & counters into Ishii’s suplex counter of Suzuki’s sleeper. Taichi’s Ax Bomber lariat counter of YOH’s superkick. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action bout. Ishii & Suzuki’s post-match brawl, pull apart, & brawl again on the stage was sweet. SHO’s fake walkout over not getting an IWGP Jr title match was the only good thing about a completly forgettable SHO & Takahashi vs. Michinoku & El Desperado match. United Empire vs. Honma, Makabe, YOSHI-HASHI, & Goto notable moments: Goto hiptossing YOSHI onto Ospreay & snap suplex to Henare onto Ospreay afterwards. Cobb’s catch & toss into the corner, United Empire’s lariats & kick combo, & Cobb’s Spin Cycle counter of Honma’s diving Kokeshi. Match itself was good, especially the latter half. Takagi & Takahashi vs. EVIL & Togo notable moments: Hiromu’s running shotgun dropkick to EVIL on the ramp during EVIL’s entrance. Hiromu busting out Everything Is Evil to Togo. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Fujinami & STRONGHEARTS vs. Tiger Mask, Kojima, Okada, & Tanahashi notable moments: Tiger Mask’s original Tiger Mask tribute gear was cool. Kojima & T-HAWK’s loud stiff chops & machine guns chops exchange. STRONGHEARTS triple dropkick to Kojima. Fujinami’s sleeper counter of Tanahashi’s slingblade. Tanahashi’s Dragon Screw to Fujinami. Fujinami’s Dragon Screw counter of Okada’s Rainmaker. T-Hawk’s Inside Out to Okada was cool. Tiger Mask’s suicide dive to CIMA & Fujinami on the outside was cool. Match itself was an awesome back-and-forth action filled bout. New Japan Cup 2022 Finals match notable moments: Sabre Jr’s Orienteering with Napalm Death leg hold to Naito. Naito’s slingshot corner dropkick nailing Sabre Jr’s face hard. Sabre Jr’s vicious looking neck twist to Naito. Naito’s ripcord elbow strikes to the neck counter of Sabre Jr’s Dragon Suplex. Naito’s Frankenstiner to Sabre Jr into Sabre Jr’s roll & Triangle choke combo to Naito. Naito’s spiked Esperanza to Sabre Jr. Naito’s Valencia counter of Sabre Jr’s Zack Driver. Sabre Jr’s Zack Driver counter of Naito’s Destino. Naito’s stiff elbow strikes fest to Sabre Jr flooring him. Sabre Jr’s Zack Driver finisher to Naito. Match itself was a terrific hard fought action packed battle and worthy MotY contender & surprised Sabre Jr actually won. New Japan Cup 2022 Finals was a great show overall.
GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 1 (March 31)
* GCW Tag Team Championship Three-way match – Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner & Matthew Justice) vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Nick Gage & Slade – 3.5
* AR Fox vs. Blake Christian – 3.5
* Mickie James vs. Allie Katch – 2.5
* Seven-Way Scramble match – Nick Wayne vs. Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Gringo Loco vs. Alec Price vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Ninja Mack – 3.5
* Sean “X-Pac” Waltman vs. Joey Janela – 3.0
* GCW World Championship – AJ Gray vs. Jon Moxley (c) – 3.0
* GCW Ultraviolent Championship – John Wayne Murdoch vs. Alex Colon (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Seven-Way Scramble match.
Worst – The buzzkill fake arm injury angle & flat ending to the GCW Ultraviolent Championship match.
Show Notes – GCW Tag title match opener notable moments: Warner’s chokeslam to Jay through a door table. Gage’s spear to Warner through a door in the corner. Gage stapling Warner’s tongue to a door was crazy. Gage’s botched piledriver to Justice off the apron onto a door on the floor was very scary looking. Jay’s stiff clothesline & Briscoes’ Doomsday Device finisher combo to Slade. Match itself was a very good hardcore style bout. Fox vs. Christian notable moments: Fox’s rolling twisting suplex to Christian. Christian’s Ace Crusher counter attempt of Fox’s Ace Crusher attempt into both hitting Ace Crushers to each other at the same time. Christian’s Three Amigos & Frog Splash combo to Fox. Fox’s top rope Spanish Fly & 450 Splash combo to Christian. Christian’s Spanish Fly & Golden Trident finisher combo to Fox. Match itself was a very good hard fought action packed bout. James vs. Katch was solid despite dragging at times. Scramble match notable moments: Lyod’s German suplex to Oliver bending him in half. Price’s catch & running Burning Hammer style front slam into the corner. Olver’s catch & sitout powerbomb counter of Wayne’s leap attack. Mack’s running twisting splash to Cartwheel. Loco’s Electric Chair style super powerbomb to Mack. Wayne’s rolling Code Red to Loco. Cartwheel’s Sasuke’s Special to everyone on the outside & Wayne’s 630 to everyone afterwards. Match itself was a very entertaining action packed bout. X-Pac vs. Janela notable moments: Janela’s DVD to X-Pac onto the apron. X-Pac’s slingshot Senton to Janela through a door table on the outside. X-Pac’s Canadian Destroyer & X-Factor combo to Janela. X-Pac’s top rope X-Factor to Janela through a door. Janela’s super brainbuster to X-Pac. X-Pac’s chair shot to Janela sending him crashing from the top rope through a door on the outside. Janela’s swift kick to the nuts & superkick finisher to X-Pac. Match itself was quite good despite dragging way too long. GCW title match notable moments: Moxley’s release suplex to Gray onto the barbed wire door. Yikes at Gray’s back after Moxley’s barbed wire whip attacks. Moxley’s back drop to Gray onto a barbed wire door. Gray’s spear shove to Moxley through a barbed wire door in the corner. Gray’s elbow drop off a ladder onto Moxley through a door table on the outside. Ouch at Moxley’s back after his Ace Crusher to Gray onto a pile of light tubes. Moxley’s Death Rider finisher to Gray onto light tubes. Match itself was a mostly good hard hitting hardcore bout despite dragging at times. GCW Ultraviolent title match notable moments: Wayne chucking Colon off the top rope through a light tube door table on the outside. Murdoch’s whip to Colon through a door in the corner. Colon’s top rope gullotine leg drop to Murdoch onto tubes. Murdoch’s light tubes smash to the head & piledriver combo to Colon. Match itself was going on really well until the flow killing fake arm injury angle & wet fart of a finish. Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 1 was a mostly enjoyable show overall.
GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 2 (April 1)
* Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson – 3.0
* Tony Deppen vs. Biff Busick – 3.5
* Jordan Oliver vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey – 4.0
* EFFY vs. Minoru Suzuki – 3.0
* Clusterfuck Battle Royal – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Jordan Oliver vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey match.
Worst – Clusterfuck Battle Royal being a trainwreck in terms of flow at times and the flat ending.
Show Notes – Cardona vs. Dickinson notable moments: Dickinson’s back drop to Cardona through a door in the corner. Dickinson’s brainbuster to Cardona. Cardona’s low blow & Radio Silence combo to Dickinson. Dickinson’s lariat to Green flooring her & Pazuzu Bomb finisher to Cardona. Match itself was pretty good despite dragging a bit long. Deppen vs. Busick notable moments: Busick & Deppen’s stiff chops & slugfest exchange. Busick’s uppercut counter of Deppen’s Flying Nothing. Busick’s stiff slap, brutal looking spiked Half & Half suplex, & running diving uppercut combo to Deppen. Deppen’s cannonball through the ropes to Busick on the outside. Deppen & Busick’s stiff chops fest into Busick’s slaps & uppercuts fest into Deppen’s snap German counter. Match itself was a very good physical bout. Oliver vs. Bailey notable moments: Bailey’s stiff boot to the face & brainbuster combo to Oliver. Bailey & Oliver’s slugfest exchange into Oliver’s Flatliner counter of Bailey’s running attack. Bailey’s machine gun kicks & running big boot combo to Oliver in the corner. Oliver’s swift kick to the head, release German, & sitout powerbomb combo to Bailey. Oliver & Bailey’s slugfest into Bailey’s moonsault double knees to Oliver on the apron. Oliver’s cutter counter of Bailey’s Shooting Star Press. Bailey’s Flamingo Driver finisher to Oliver via top rope assist. Match itself was a great back-and-forth hard hitting action packed bout. EFFY vs. Suzuki notable moments: Suzuki shrugging off EFFY’s chops & returning the favor with loud stiff chops. EFFY’s Gayrantula in the corner & Tarantula on the ropes combo to Suzuki. EFFY’s smooch to EFFY into Suzuki’s sleeper, stiff slap, & Gotch Style Piledriver finisher combo to EFFY. Match itself was an entertaining bout with some nice comedic moments. Clusterfuck Battle Royal notable moments: Janela’s superkick outta nowhere to Buff Bagwell for quick elimination. Janela mooning the crowd after eliminating Billie Starkz was funny. Janela & Jimmy Llyod masking up & social distancing antics due to Llyod feeling “ill” was funny. Early Morning Guy Steel bumbling his way into the ring during his entrance was funny. Grim Refeer stopping the match for a blunt break with everyone in the ring. The group of women teaming up & brawling with the men still in the match at the time was nice despite taking way too long to setup. Janela asking & getting a dropkick from Maven was a bit funny & same for Maven abruptly leaving the match after dropkicking everyone in the ring. Sean Ross Sapp shilling Fightful Select & badmouthing GCW during his entrance was a bit funny. Denise Salcedo’s heel turn, low blow, & elimination of Sapp was funny. Josh Barnett giving instructions to Jazzy Yang on how to improve leg lock better while in the move & accidentally tapping in the process was funny. Team LA Fight & Second Gear Crew mass brawl was cool. Match itself was mostly entertaining despite being a mess in terms of pacing & dragging very long. Joey Janela Spring Break 6 Part 2 was a very enjoyable show overall.
Impact Wrestling Impact! (March 31)
* Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King – 3.0
* Chump Chump Challenge match – Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice vs. Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) – 2.0 (Squash)
* Madman Fulton vs. Josh Alexander – 2.5 (Squash)
* Impact World Knockouts Championship #1 Contenders Battle Royal match – Jordynne Grace vs. Jessie McKay vs. Havok vs. Alisha vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Savannah Evans vs. Rosemary vs. Lady Frost vs. Tenille Dashwood vs. Madison Rayne – 2.5
* Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Aiden Prince – 2.0
* Masha Slamovich vs. Abby Jane – 2.0 (Squash)
* Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Jay White) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – JONAH & PCO’s abandon warehouse brawl & the Bullet Club vs. Motor City Machine Guns match.
Worst – Trey Miguel & Mike Bailey backstage segment.
Show Notes – Opening Alexander & Scott D’Amore heated backstage segment about Moose’s recent antics & attack on Alexander’s wife was splendid. Gresham’s pre-match promo about his praise of ROH and his issues with Edwards & interruption by King bashing Gresham and ROH was fine. Gresham vs. King notable moments: King’s corkscrew splash to Gresham on the outside. Gresham’s catch & Dragon Screw onto the ropes counter of King’s kick. King’s spiked Full Nelson suplex & Tiger Driver combo to Gresham. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match brawl with Edwards & Rocky Romero was all right. MCGM’s backstage interview about their match against Bullet Club was all right but Sabin’s DBZ reference was a bit funny. PCO & JONAH’s cinematic warehouse brawl was entertaining. Fulton vs. Alexander notable moments: Alexander’s high angle suplex bending Fulton in half. Alexander’s stiff rolling punch, German suplex, powerbomb, & ankle lock finisher combo to Fulton. Match itself was a fine mostly squash bout. Trey Miguel & Mike Bailey backstage segment mocking Ace Austin was a bit corny. Mickie James’ taped promo about Green’s actions last week & wanting revenge was all right. Matt Cardona & Green’s backstage interview about their actions last week & Green’s issues with James was decent. Knockouts Battle Royal was mostly solid. Violent By Design’s moody lights backstage promo about Good Bros, Decay, & control over the “sickness” was superb. Morrissey’s running gag of breaking Myers’ announcer’s table almost every week has been funny. Bullet Club vs. MCMG notable moments: White’s loud stiff chop to Sabin fazing him. MCMG’s leg sweep & sunset Senton combo to White. White’s DDT & Bey’s flying elbow combo to Sabin. Sabin’s cannonball off the apron to White. Bey’s Swanton to MCMG on the outside. Bey got some sweet air with his top rope splash to Sabin. Sabin’s cutter to Bey via Shelley assist. White’s Half & Half German &Bey’s Art of Finess finisher combo to Sabin. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.
Weekly Awards:
- Best match of the week – New Japan Cup 2022 Finals – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Finals)
- Best match of the week runner-up – Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes (WWE WrestleMania 38)
- Worst match of the week – 2-on-1 Handicap match – Omos vs. Viking Raiders (WWE RAW)
- Worst match of the week runner-up – SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs. TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado (NJPW New Japan Cup 2022 Finals)
- Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite
- Worst show of the week – WWE RAW