Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for July 24 to July 30, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of July 24th to July 30th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (July 25)
* Theory vs. Drew McIntyre – 2.5
* Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley vs. Theory & Sheamus – 3.0
* Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Judgement Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) – 2.5
* Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop – 1.5
* AJ Styles & Dolph Ziggler vs. Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) – 2.5
* Bloodline (The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) & Roman Reigns) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) & Riddle – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – The small subtle changes made to help improve RAW’s stale format & flow and the Bloodline vs. Street Profits & Riddle match.
Worst – The ImPaulsive TV segment with Logan Paul, Maryse, & The Miz.
Show Notes – Opening Miz & Logan Paul brawl was pretty good & refreshing start to a WWE show than just the typical long drawn out promo segment. Reigns’ long drawn out entrance, Heyman’s promo about Lesnar, Theory’s interruption about his MitB cash-in proclamation, & Reigns’ mocking retort was all right despite dragging long. Reigns’ dig at Theory’s “daddy” Vince no longer being around to protect him was great though. Theory vs. McIntyre was solid despite the lame DQ ending by Sheamus & Pals. Post-match brawl & run-in save by Lashley was decent. McIntyre & Lashley vs. Theory & Sheamus moments: Lashley’s delayed suplex to Sheamus & Flatliner to Theory combo into Sheamus’ stiff big boot flooring Lashley on the outside. Holland’s leg grab to McIntyre off the apron into McIntyre’s headbutt to Holland and catch & overhead suplex to Butch onto Holland. Match was a quite good back-and-forth action bout despite the flat ending distraction shenanigans by Ziggler. Usos’ ambush attack on Theory & Reigns’ handing a KOed Theory his MitB case back was all right. The Mysterio 20th anniversary WWE debut tribute video was splendid. Mysterio’s promo reflecting over his WWE career and being a trailblazer for smaller guys in WWE, emotional Eddie Guerrero shout out, and praising his family and fans, & interruption by J.D. was superb. Mysterios vs. Judgement Day was a solid back-and-forth action bout. Mysterio’s backstage party, Rhea Ripley kidnapping Dominik, & Judgment Day’s sneak attack on Rey was decent. Belair’s brief promo boasting about herself was nothing special but the brawl with Lynch was all right. Bliss vs. Doudrop was somewhat dull topped with a flat ending. ImPaulsive TV segment about Paul bashing Miz, Maryse bashing Paul for mocking Miz and his balls, Miz’s promo about their upcoming match, & brawl with Ciampa was mostly awful & cringey. Street Profits & Usos bickering backstage segment with Jeff Jarrett putting an end to it twice was a bit funny. Bloodline vs. Street Profits & Riddle 6-Man Tag moments: Ouch at Jimmy boinking his head on the floor from his dive to Ford. Angelo’s pounce to Usos sending them over the barricade. Reigns’ toss counter of Riddle’s RKO into Reigns’ spear finisher. Match itself was a very good action filled bout but the ref botching the pin count call was a bit funny. Rollins’ post-match attack on Riddle was all right. This week’s SummerSlam 2022 go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall.

WWE NXT (July 26)
* Grayson Waller vs. Wes Lee – 3.0
* Apollo Crews vs. Xyon Quinn – 2.0
* Gigi Dolin vs. Zoey Stark – 2.0
* Giovanni Vinci vs. Andre Chase – 3.0
* Indi Hartwell vs. Arianna Grace – 1.5
* The Family (Tony D’Angelo, Stacks, Cruz Del Toro, & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Damon Kemp, & Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed)) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – The Family vs. Diamond Mine match.
Worst – JD McDonagh’s awful rambling promo & nothing mini-brawl with Bron Breakker segment.
Show Notes – Opening Stark’s promo about her return from ACL injury and her issues with Toxic Attraction, Cora Jade’s interruption mocking Stark, insults filled banter, T.A.’s interruption about Rose boasting about her lengthy NXT Women’s title reign and mocking Stark, & banter was decent at best. Waller vs. Lee moments was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Trick Williams. The Schism backstage rambling interview about Jagger & Rip’s new outlook & Joe Gacy’s wanting to be a father-like figure for Grimes and have him join his band of weirdos was corny. Toxic Attraction backstage interview about Rose boasting Dolin will beat Stark, interruption by Sarray wanting a title shot, & Jayne & Rose’s retort was decent. Dolin vs. Stark moments: Stark’s superkick & modified GTS finisher to Dolin. Match itself was a decent at best brief bout. Post-match Jade ambush attack on Stark & run-in save by Roxanne Perez was all right. Wendy Choo’s nightmare dream video segment about Tiffany Stratton & wanting revenge for last week and end of their feud was all right. JD McDonagh’s rambling promo about popcorn death, timekeeper’s hammer popping out an arm socket, Wade Barrett having arthritis in his hand making is easier to hurt him from a handshake, threatening to hurt Vic Joseph, interruption by Bron Breakker, & mini-brawl was terrible. Axiom’s comic book style recap video of his NXT debut was cool. Perez’s backstage interview about her issues with Jade throwing the NXT Women’s Tag titles in the trash, Alundra Blaze surprise appearance, & announcement of 4-way match to crown new tag champs was interesting. Perez being completely fine with dropping her half of the Women’s Tag titles was weird though. Vinci vs. Chase moments: Vinci’s catch & brainbuster counter of Chase’s top rope sunset flip attack. Chase’s kick & Tiger Bomb counter of Vinci’s springboard attack. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout, especially the latter half. Hartwell vs. Grace was a somewhat boring & sluggish match. Mr. Stone & Von Wagner foul mouthed backstage promo about Solo Sikoa was all right. The Family vs. Diamond Mine 8-Man Tag moments: Julius’ catch & Exploder suplex to Cruz, leap up superplex to Del Toro, & German suplex to D’Angelo. Stacks’ running Euro uppercut breaking up Julius’ Ankle Lock on D’Angelo into Brutus’ pounce sending Stacks flying into the ropes. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action filled bout. This week’s show was average overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (July 29)
* Irish Donnybrook match – Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus – 4.0
* Aliyah vs. Shotzi – 2.0
* Ronda Rousey & Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville & Natalya – 2.5
* New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Irish Donnybrook match
Worst – Liv Morgan, Ronda Rousey, Natalya, Sonya Deville, & Shotzi backstage and in-ring segments being a somewhat overbooked mess.
Show Notes – McIntyre vs. Sheamus opener moments: Sheamus’ shillelagh whacks to McIntyre. McIntyre’s escape & chuck into the post counter of Sheamus’ White Noise. Sheamus chucking a chair into McIntyre’s face. McIntyre’s escape & Future Shock DDT counter of Sheamus’ White Noise onto a pile of chairs. Holland’s ambush shillelagh attack & Sheamus’ Brogue Kick to McIntyre. McIntyre’s shove into the post & overhead suplex to Holland through a table on the outside. McIntyre chucking Sheamus into the mini-bar into Butch’s splash off the oak barrel & Sheamus’ bar stool strike to McIntyre. Sheamus’ Avalanche White Noise to McIntyre. McIntyre’s dodge & shillelagh strikes counter of Sheamus’ shillelagh strike into McIntyre’s Claymore Kick to Butch into Sheamus’ White Noise to McIntyre. McIntyre’s catch & powerbomb through a table counter of Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. Match itself was an awesome hard fought action filled battle. McIntyre’s post-match brief interview about wanting to take the WWE title off of Reigns & Theory’s ambush attack was decent. Corbin trolling McAfee in the crowd, McAfee getting heated over Corbin’s non-stop trash talk, & Corbin’s swift low block kick to McAfee was funny. Theory’s backstage interview about his MitB cash-in plans and trashing McIntyre was decent but Heyman’s talk with Theory was interesting. Aliyah vs. Shotzi was a mostly solid bout. Morgan, Rousey, Natalya, & Deville backstage trash talk segment abruptly ending, Shotzi’s random nothing promo & brawl with Rousey, & Rousey’s impromptu promo bashing a fan for interrupting her & demanding Morgan come out to the ring was a mess. Rousey & Morgan vs. Deville & Natalya was a solid back-and-forth bout despite dragging a bit long. Usos, Street Profits, & Jeff Jarrett’s promo segment about Jarrett wanting to set things straight for their tag titles match, Usos and S.P.’s heated banter about rules breaking, & brawl was splendid. Jarrett’s comedic sell of Jey’s accidental superkick during the brawl was a bit funny. Maximum Male Models summer fashion segment was decent but also their weakest one so far in terms of campy absurdity. New Day vs. Viking Raiders was a solid back-and-forth bout despite dragging a bit long. Post-match Viking Raiders’ shield attack on Woods was all right. Heyman’s promo boasting about Reigns’ lengthy WWE title reign and him putting an end to Lesnar once and for all, Lesnar’s interruption, & brawl with Theory and McIntyre was all right. This week’s SummerSlam 2022 go-home show was enjoyable overall.

WWE SummerSlam 2022 (July 30)
* RAW Women’s Championship – Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair (c) – 3.0
* The Miz vs. Logan Paul – 3.5
* United States Championship – Theory vs. Bobby Lashley (c) – 2.5
* No Disqualification match – Judgement Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio – 3.0
* Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee – 3.0
* Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) (c) – 3.0
* SmackDown Women’s Championship – Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan (c) – 2.0
* Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing match – Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing match.
Worst – The flat ending to the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles match and Kane’s special appearance on the show.
Show Notes – RAW Women’s title match moments: Belair’s powerbomb counter of Lynch’s top rope guillotine leg drop. Belair’s catch counter of Lynch’s crossbody into Lynch’s escape & Diamond Duster stunner counter of Belair’s press slam. Belair’s roll out & KOD onto the floor counter of Lynch’s Disarm-Her. Belair’s Spanish Fly & KOD finisher combo counter of Lynch’s top rope Manhandle Slam. Match itself was a mostly good back-and-forth bout despite being rough at times. Post-match Bayley, Dakota Kai, & Io’s surprise appearances were awesome & them forming as a group is interesting but Lynch’s random post-match face turn & Io’s random name change was a bit odd. Miz vs. Paul moments: Paul’s apron moonsault to Miz on the outside. Miz’s leg swipe & gutbuster counter of Paul’s top rope attack setup. Paul’s Figure Four to Miz into Paul’s top rope crossbody & standing moonsault combo. Ciampa & AJ Styles brawl at ringside into Paul’s stiff Phenomenal Forearm to Miz. Paul’s top rope Frog Splash to Miz through the announcer’s table was cool. Paul’s dodge counter of Miz’s weapon attack into Paul’s Skull Crushing Finale finisher. Match itself was a very entertaining action filled bout. US title match was a solid back-and-forth bout. Judgement Day vs. Mysterios Tag moments: Dominik’s suicide dive to Priest on the outside via Rey’s ropes pull assist into Rey’s Asai Moonsault to Balor. Mysterio’s sliding splash with a chair to Balor’s yambag on the outside. Ripley’s legs yanks counter of Mysterios double 619 to Balor & Priest into Ripley’s front Electric Chair slam to Dominik. Edge’s Brood style surprise entrance was pretty cool. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Corbin vs. McAfee: McAfee’s “Bum Ass Corbin” choir song mocking Corbin was funny. McAfee’s flip escape of Corbin & McAfee’s top rope hold into Corbin’s shotgun dropkick sending McAfee crashing into the corner. McAfee’s slingshot splash to Corbin on the outside into Corbin chucking McAfee onto the announcer’s table. McAfee’s leap up superplex counter of Corbin’s top rope attack. McAfee’s Swanton to Corbin on the outside. McAfee’s ref distracted nut kick & Destroyer finisher to Corbin. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Undisputed WWE Tag titles match moments: Ford’s swift slap to Jey into Jey’s counter & swift slap counter of Ford’s backdrop into Ford’s standing Blockbuster to Jey. Ford’s ropes yank counter of Usos running attack into Dawkins’ somersault dive to the Usos on the outside. Dawkins’ pounce & Ford’s suplex combo to Jimmy. Usos’ superkicks fest to Street Profits into Jimmy’s Uso Splash to Dawkins. Dawkins’ dodge counter of Jey’s superkick into Jarrett’s catch & spin counter of Jey’s accidental superkick into Dawkins’ sitout powerbomb & Ford’s Frog Splash to Jey. Match itself was a good hard fought action filled bout despite the flat ending. Riddle’s promo calling out Rollins & brawl was decent. SD Women’s title match was mostly solid despite the screwy ref count & tap out shenanigans ending. Undisputed WWE Universal title match moments: Lesnar driving a tractor to the ring during his entrance was a bit funny. Lesnar leap off the tractor nailing Reigns was cool. Lesnar’s overhead suplex to Reigns off steel steps onto the floor. Lesnar dumping Reigns on the tractor lift & dumping Reigns comically into the ring. Reigns Guillotine Choke counter of Lesnar’s F5 into Lesnar’s Guillotine choke counter. Lesnar using the tractor to lift up the ring was both funny & awesome. Usos’ ambush attack to Lesnar into Lesnar’s brutal suplexes to Usos & F5 to Heyman onto the announcer table into Reigns’ spear to Lesnar. Theory’s ambush attack to Reigns into Lesnar’s F5 to Theory into Usos’ superkicks to Lesnar. Reigns’ spear to Lesnar into Reigns smashing Lesnar with Theory’s MitB case. Reigns’ belt strike attacks & table pieces, chairs, & steel steps burying finisher to Lesnar. Match itself was a great chaotic bout despite going overboard with the shenanigans at the end. SummerSlam 2022 was a very enjoyable show overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (July 25)
* Angelico & Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. AR Fox, Liam Gray, & Adrian Alanis – 3.0
* Marina Shafir & Nyla Rose vs. Angelica Risk & Shalonce Royal – 2.0 (Squash)
* Toni Storm vs. Emi Sakura – 3.0
* Kris Statlander vs. Brittany – 2.5 (Squash)
* Robyn Renegade vs. Hikaru Shida – 2.5
* The Factory (Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto) vs. Dark Order (Evil Uno & 10) – 2.5
* Brandon Cutler vs. Baron Black – 2.0
* JD Drake vs. Konosuke Takeshita – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Toni Storm vs. Emi Sakura and JD Drake vs. Konosuke Takeshita matches.
Worst – Brandon Cutler’s pre-match promo segment.
Show Notes – Trios Tag opener moments: Alanis’ spinning backbreaker to Angelico into Gray’s leaping neckbreaker & Alanis backbreaker combo to Angelico. Fox’s dodge & enziguri counter of Angelico’s strike into Fox’s running leaping elbow in the corner & rolling spiked cutter. Kassidy’s springboard cutter on the ropes counter of Fox’s springboard Flying Nothing. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Shafir & Rose vs. Risk & Royal moments: Rose’s Torture Rack style cutter to Risk. Match itself was a decent jobber destruction bout. Storm vs. Sakura moments: Sakura’s Dragon Sleeper & Whirling Dervish counter of Storm’s body slam. Storm’s block & Tornado DDT counter of Sakura’s whip into the ring apron. Sakura’s delayed double underhook backbreaker to Storm. Storm’s Alabama Slam counter of Sakura’s backbreaker attempt. Storm’s Hip attack in the corner, Tornado DDT, & Pendulum DDT finisher combo to Sakura. Match itself was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. Statlander vs. Brittany was a fine brief mostly squash bout. Renegade vs. Shida moments: Shida’s stiff slap in the corner & running knee strike to Renegade on the turnbuckle. Shida’s missile dropkick to Robyn & splash to Charlette combo. Match itself was solid despite the ref looking like a moron for not noticing the Renegade Twins’ different hair styles during almost all of Charlette’s cheating portion. Factory vs. Dark Order tag moments: 10 & Uno’s stereo pump kicks to Factory into Uno’s DDT to Comoroto on the apron into 10’s discus lariat finisher to Solo. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth action bout. Cutler’s pre-match promo boasting about being friends with the Young Bucks & mocking Black’s winless AEW record and Atlanta was goofy but not in a good way. Cutler vs. Black was a somewhat decent bout & Black getting his first ever win in AEW was interesting. Drake vs. Takeshita moments: Takeshita’s kick counter of Drake’s running attack into Drake’s catch & flip toss over the ropes counter causing Takeshita to crash hard on the outside. Takeshita’s dodge & German suplex counter of Drake’s strike. Drake’s backdrop counter of Takeshita’s haymaker lariat into Drake’s running cannonball in the corner & moonsault combo. Takeshita’s flip over escape & Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Drake’s suplex. Takeshita’s Irish whip & Jumping Knee finisher to Drake. Match itself was a pretty good action filled bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (July 26)
* Keira Hogan vs. Allie Recks – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ryan Nemeth vs. Alex Reynolds – 2.5
* Marina Shafir vs. Tracy Nyxx – 2.0 (Squash)
* Slim J vs. Blake Li – 2.5
* Julia Hart vs. Renee Michelle – 2.0
* Cole Karter vs. Mike Orlando – 2.5
* Angelo Parker vs. Cameron Stewart – 2.0 (Squash)
* Blake Christian vs. Ari Daivari – 3.0
* “Pretty” Peter Avalon vs. Dante Martin – 3.0
* AEW All-Atlantic Championship – LJ Cleary vs. PAC – 4.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – AEW All-Atlantic Championship match.
Worst – Julia Hart vs. Renee Michelle match and the ending shenanigans to the Blake Christian vs. Ari Daivari match.
Show Notes – Hogan vs. Recks opener was a decent mostly squash style bout. Nemeth vs. Reynolds moments: Reynolds’ throat first whip into the ropes & leaping double foot stomp to Nemeth. Reynolds’ big boot to Nemeth in the corner into Reynolds’ top rope Stunner finisher. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Shafir vs. Nyxx was a decent mostly squash bout. Slim J vs. Li moments: Slim J’s inverted STF finisher to Li. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout & Slim J getting his first ever AEW win was interesting. Hart vs. Michelle was mostly solid despite being a bit sluggish in pacing. Karter vs. Orlando was a solid back-and-forth action bout & Karter getting his first ever AEW win was interesting. Parker vs. Stewart was a decent brief jobber destruction bout. Christian vs. Daivari moments: Christian’s moonsault grab, backbreaker, & Half-and-Half suplex combo to Daivari. Daivari’s hip toss into the corner counter of Christian’s running attack. Christian punches, suplex toss onto the ropes, & Frog Splash to Daivari on the ropes. Daivari’s hammerlock styled lariat & Frog Splash finisher to Christian. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Slim J. Daivari’s post-match promo boasting about his trust fund making him richer than Tony Khan, buying out Slim J’s contract services, & finding more people for his new group was decent. Avalon vs. Martin was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. AEW All-Atlantic title match moments: PAC’s missile dropkick to Cleary sending him tumbling out of the ring. PAC’s swift brutal back-to-back kicks flooring Cleary twice. PAC’s headlock to Cleary into Cleary’s escape into PAC’s Irish Whip & snap German suplex to Cleary. Cleary’s catch & roundhouse kick counter of PAC’s thrust kick. Cleary’s dodge, springboard single foot dropkick, & Ushigoroshi counter of PAC’s Flying Nothing. Cleary’s strike & kicks to PAC into PAC’s spin kicks into Cleary’s superkick counter of PAC’s running attack. Cleary’s leaping kick & superplex counter of PAC’s top rope attack sending PAC to the outside into Cleary’s dive into Cleary’s back-to-back Destroyers. PAC’s vicious arm yank & Brutalizer finisher to Cleary. Match itself was a great hard fought hard hitting action filled bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen 2022 (July 27)
* Interim AEW World Championship – RUSH vs. Jon Moxley (c) – 4.0
* FTW Championship – Danhausen vs. Ricky Starks (c) – 2.5
* FTW Championship – HOOK vs. Ricky Starks (c) – 3.0
* Sammy Guevara vs. Dante Martin – 3.5
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Tony Nese & Mark Sterling vs. Swerve Strickland – 2.5
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Miyu Yamashita vs. Thunder Rosa (c) – 3.0
* Daniel Garcia vs. Bryan Danielson – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Interim AEW World title match, HOOK’s FTW title win, and the Daniel Garcia vs. Bryan Danielson match.
Worst – AEW Women’s World Championship match being a bit off at times.
Show Notes – Interim AEW World title match opener moments: Moxley & RUSH’s stiff chops exchange into RUSH’s superkick & powerslam combo. Moxley’s head stomps to RUSH into RUSH’s escape counter of Moxley’s Paradigm Shift into RUSH’s overhead suplex to Moxley into the corner. Moxley’s head chomp counter of RUSH’s top rope attack into Andrade’s ref distracted rope crotch toss to Moxley. Rush’s straitjacket piledriver to Moxley. Moxley’s dodge & Death Rider counter of RUSH’s punch into Moxley’s Bulldog Choke finisher. Match itself was a great hard hitting action filled bout. Post-match JAS promo about Anna Jay threatening to choke out everyone, Jericho demanding an AEW title match, & Moxley’s retort bashing Jericho’s silly trademarks, wanting the old “Lionheart” Jericho, & accepting the match went from being goofy to splendid in the end. AEW Trios Tag debut announcement was cool. FTW title match was a solid brief bout. Starks’ post-match promo wanting another challenger & HOOK answering it was cool. FTW title match #2 was an entertaining brief bout & HOOK wining the FTW title was awesome. Stark’s post-match interview about his hard work bringing glory back to the FTW title and not wanting to wait anymore for his time to shine was superb while Hobbs’ ambush attack at the end was interesting. Guevara vs. Martin moments: Martin chucking Guevara off the ramp into Martin’s sunset dive to Guevara off the stage. Match itself was a very good action filled bout. Jungle Boy interview about his bad blood issues with Christian Cage, dig at Cage’s wife divorcing him over money issues and small wiener, and Luchasaurus only hung out with Cage to protect him until he came back, & Cage’s interruption bashing Luchasaurus for being Jungle’s lapdog, wanting bury Jungle next to his dad, and prey on Jungle’s weaknesses was splendid. AEW Women’s title match moments: Yamashita’s kicks fest to Rosa into Rosa’s block & jumping knee counter of Yamashita’s Crash Rabbit Heat into Rosa’s roundhouse kick & Fire Thunder Driver finisher counter of Yamashita’s kick. Match itself was good despite being a bit off at times. Garcia vs. Danielson moments: Garcia’s hard chuck into the steps & DDT onto the exposed floor combo to Danielson. Danielson’s Avalanche super backdrop to Garcia. Danielson’s escape, Cattle Mutilation, & Tiger suplex counter of Garcia’s sleeper. Garcia’s forearms & Danielson’s kicks exchange into Danielson’s Busaiku Knee. Garcia’s piledriver & Sharpshooter finisher to Danielson. Match itself was a great physical action filled bout despite the ending shenanigans by Jake Hager & surprised Garcia won. This week’s show was great overall.

AEW Rampage Fight for the Fallen 2022 (July 29)
* Trios match – Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, & Satnam Singh vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, & Orange Cassidy) – 3.0
* “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin – 2.0 (Squash)
* Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Sydal – 3.0
* Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The Trios Tag Team match and the comedic banter between Wheeler Yuta & Chris Jericho during their promo segment.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Sydal and Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho matches.
Show Notes – Trios Tag opener moments: Taylor & Beretta’s strikes to Singh into Singh’s running crossbody splatting both. Taylor’s whip into the corner & overhead suplex to Lethal into Beretta’s Soul Food suplex to Lethal. Taylor & Beretta strikes & double team low kick sending Singh out of the ring into Lethal’s Lethal Injection breakup of Best Friends’ hug moment. Dutt’s hands in the pocket comedic kicks to Cassidy & Cassidy snapping Dutt’s pencil in response was a bit funny. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth bout. Post-match attack by Lethal & Pals and run-in save by Wardlow was all right. Cole Karter & QT Marshall backstage segment about Marshall offering Karter a spot in the Factory & “sleeping with the fishes” reference of Karter’s demise in NXT was somewhat decent. Moriarty vs. Sydal moments: Moriarty’s strikes & Front Chancery suplex to Sydal. Moriarty’s dodge counter of Sydal’s standing Mariposa into Sydal’s leaping spin kick & running dropkick to Moriarty. Moriarty’s uppercut & hard chuck into the guard rail, & running big boot to Sydal into the guard rail. Sydal’s roundhouse kick to Moriarty into Moriarty’s hammerlock lariat flooring Sydal. Moriarty’s leg shove to Sydal on the top rope into Moriarty’s overhead elbow strikes & Border City Stretch finisher. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by Stokely Hathaway. Britt Baker’s backstage promo bad mouthing Thunder Rosa & trying to put a wedge in Rosa & Storm’s friendship over the AEW Women’s title was all right. Castagnoli’s promo about his ROH title win and calling out Yuta to celebrate with him, Jericho’s interruption bad mouthing both guys, Yuta’s retort boasting about his win over Garcia & claiming he could beat Jericho, & Yuta vs. Jericho match setup banter was all right but also a bit funny. Acclaimed’s trash day music video bashing Gunn Club and digs at Amber Heard, Ass Boys, & Billy Gunn should have shot blanks instead of having kids was splendid. Jay vs. Soho pre-match split-screen backstage interview was decent. Jay vs. Soho moments: Jay’s thrust kick to Soho into Soho’s Saito suplex counter of Jay’s running attack. Jay’s wrist lock twist & Soho’s headbutts exchange into Soho’s headbutts fest. Soho’s roll over counter of Jay’s Queen Slayer into Soho’s No Future Kick. Jay’s catch & Queen’s Slayer counter of Soho’s Senton. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the hand cast weapon ending shenanigans by Jay. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 5 (July 24)
* Dick Togo, SHO, & EVIL vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, & Hirooki Goto – 2.5
* Chase Owens & KENTA vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) – 3.0
* TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) vs. BUSHI & Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Will Ospreay) vs. TAKA Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer – 3.0
* David Finlay, Tama Tonga, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo, Juice Robinson, & Jay White – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Taichi vs. SANADA – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Bad Luck Fale – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Worst – Jeff Cobb vs. Bad Luck Fale match.
Show Notes – House of Torture vs. CHAOS 6-Man Tag opener was a solid bout. Bullet Club vs. Team Filthy Tag moments: Lawlor’s overhead slam to Owens into KENTA’s kicks to Lawlor into Lawlor’s cravat & knee strikes to KENTA. KENTA’s roll-over & Game Over counter of Lawlor’s St. Andrews Cross hold. Owens’ C-Triggers & Package Piledriver finisher combo to Isaacs. Match itself was a pretty good action filled bout. TMDK vs. BUSHI & Takagi Tag was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. United Empire vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag moments: ZSJ & Ospreay’s moves & counters fest exchange into ZSJ’s Cobra Twist. Archer’s pounce counter of Ospreay’s running attack sending him flying into the ropes. Match itself was a pretty good action filled bout. Finlay, Tonga, & Okada vs. Bullet Club 6-Man Tag moments: Finlay’s slingshot splash & hard whips into the guard rail combo to Robinson. Tonga’s dodge & Finlay’s stunner counter of Robinson’s bicycle kick into White’s DDT counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun into Tonga’s Gun Stun outta nowhere finisher to Gedo. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout. Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo moments: Kevin Kelly explaining Pieter’s seductive dance being her “interpretive dance” tale of Yuijro’s victory over Finlay & will unite all children in joy with his win over ELP. Yujiro selling Pieter in return for an easy quick G1 win from ELP & Yujiro getting pissed at ELP trying to double cross him was a bit funny. Yujiro shove counter of ELP’s Thunder Kiss 86 into Yujiro’s Pimp Juice to ELP on the floor. ELP’s UFO to Yujiro into Yujiro’s low blow counter of ELP’s pin. ELP’s swift nut punch & Sudden Death to Yujiro, dive to SHO on the outside, & Thunder Kiss 86 finisher combo to Yujiro. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. ELP getting Pieter to leave with him instead of Yujiro was interesting. Taichi vs. SANADA moments: SANADA’s spin kick & Dragon Sleeper counter of Taichi’s thrust kick into Taichi’s escape & toss into the corner into Taichi’s modified chokeslam counter of SANADA’s top rope Flying Nothing. Taichi’s elbow strike to SANADA into SANADA’s rolling elbow strike & bridging Half suplex to Taichi. Taichi’s strike counter of SANADA’s moonsault attempt into SANADA’s flip over escape & O’Connor Roll counter of Taichi’s top rope chokeslam. SANADA’s Skull End to Taichi into Taichi’s knees & Gedo Clutch counter of SANADA’s moonsault into SANADA’s O’Connor’s Roll into Taichi’s eye poke & Gedo Clutch counter. SANADA’s O’Connor’s Roll finisher counter of Taichi’s Judo throw & Yokozuna Elbow. Match itself was a very good hard fought action filled bout. Fale vs. Cobb moments: Cobb’s escape, superkick, & suplex counter of Fale’s Bad Luck Fall into Cobb’s Tour of the Islands finisher. Match itself was a solid hoss battle bout. Naito vs. Tanahashi moments: Naito’s eye rake & toss over the ropes to Tanahashi into Tanahashi’s “skinning the cat” save & headscissors grab into Naito’s shove & sliding dropkick counter. Naito’s crucifix bodyscissors hold to Tanahashi. Naito’s boot counter of Tanahashi’s running attack in the corner into Tanahashi’s catch & Dragon Screw counter. Tanahashi’s bodyslam & stomp off the seoncd rope to Naito. Naito’s spiked top rope Esperanza to Tanahashi. Naito’s elbow strikes fest to Tanahashi’s neck into Naito’s top rope rana into Tanahashi’s roll-up counter. Tanahashi’s German suplex, spinebuster, & Dragon Screw combo to Naito. Tanahashi & Naito’s lengthy forearm strikes exchange into Naito’s elbow strikes & enziguri into Tanahashi’s Twist & Shouts counter of Naito’s Destino. Naito’s whip counter of Tanahashi’s whip into Tanahashi’s Slingblades counter. Tanahashi’s Aces High to Naito into Naito’s dodge & Jackknife pin counter of Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow. Tanahashi & Natio’s strikes exchange into Naito’s Valencia into Tanahashi’s roll-up finisher counter of Naito’s Destino. Match itself was an amazing hard fought action filled bout. NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 5 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 6 (July 26)
* Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima vs. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi – 2.5
* TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay) vs. Jado, Tama Tonga, & Hirooki Goto – 3.0
* TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada – 3.0
* BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Gedo, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, & Jay White – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – EVIL vs. KENTA – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Lance Archer vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Juice Robinson vs. David Finlay – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Juice Robinson vs. David Finlay match.
Worst – The lame buzzkill countout ending to the EVIL vs KENTA heel style cheating antics match.
Show Notes – Young Lions vs. SHO & Takahashi Tag was a solid bout. TMDK vs. Yano & Ishii moments: JONAH’s blocks & spiked DDT counter of Ishii’s brainbuster & German suplex attempts. Ishii & Tito’s forearms & chops exchange in the corner into Tito’s ripcord lariat. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. United Empire vs. Jado, Tonga, & Goto 6-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth bout. Suzuki-Gun vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tanahashi, & Okada 6-Man Tag moments: ZSJ’s kicks to Tanahashi into Tanahashi’s block & Dragon Screw counter into ZSJ’s escape & neck twist counter into Tanahashi’s block & Dragon Screw counter. Tanahashi’s forearm & neck twist to ZSJ into Tanahashi’s Slingblade & YOSHI’s lariat finisher combo to TAKA. Match itself was a good action filled bout. LIJ vs. Bullet Club 8-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action bout. Owens vs. Great-O-Khan moments: Owens’ powder throw attack during Khan’s entrance. Khan’s back rake to Owens on the top rope into Khan’s Tree of Woe, claw, & sliding dropkick combo. Owens’ kick to Khan on the top rope into Khan’s claw grab counter of Owens’ top rope snapemare into Owens’ kick & sunset bomb into the corner. Khan’s Sheep Killer, chops, backbreaker, & claw hold combo to Owens. Owens’ dodge, double arm yank into the ropes, C-Trigger, & Package Piledriver finisher combo counter of Khan’s running attack into the ropes. Match itself was a pretty good bout & surprised that Owens won. EVIL vs. KENTA moments: EVIL’s ring bell block counter of KENTA’s bell hammer strike & shove into the timekeepers table. KENTA’s Cobra Twist to EVIL & hand grab squeeze to Dick Togo counter of EVIL’s Cobra Twist cheat attempt. KENTA & EVIL’s yank out of the ring apron antics to each other into Togo’s leg grab for the countout finish. Match itself was a mostly solid bad guys out cheating each other style bout despite the lame countout ending. Archer vs. Lawlor moments: Archer & Lawlor’s forearms exchange into Lawlor’s headlock into Archer’s shove & pounce sending Lawlor flying across the ring. Lawlor’s forearm strikes in the corner into Archer’s block, whip, & stiff lariat counter of Lawlor’s whip. Archer’s release overhead suplex launching Lawlor across the ring. Lawlor’s dropkick, Tornado Triangle Hold, arm bar, & overhead elbow strikes to Archer into Archer’s escape & swift big boot counter. Lawlor’s leaping Triangle Choke counter of Archer’s pounce. Archer’s forearm to Lawlor on the apron, boot to Isaacs, & chokeslam to Lawlor onto Isaacs on the outside. Lawlor’s escape counter of Archer’s chokeslam into Lawlor’s lift slam to Archer. Archer’s leaping knee strike, stiff forearm, & Blackout finisher to Lawlor off the top rope. Match itself was a very entertaining hard hitting action bout. Robinson vs. Finlay moments: Juice’s hard arm yank slam to Finlay onto the mat. Juice’s hard whips to Finlay into the guard rail. Finlay’s strikes, neckbreaker, & leaping neckbreaker combo to Juice. Juice’s catch, Snake Eyes onto the turnbuckle, & Fujiwara armbar counter of Finlay’s running attack. Finlay’s backdrop counter of Juice’s piledriver onto the exposed floor. Finlay’s hard whips to Juice into the guard rail. Finlay’s Irish Curse backbreaker counter of Juice’s punch. Finlay’s foot stomp & hand smashes to Juice. Juice’s eye poke & shoulder shove to Finlay into the exposed post. Juice’s escape, swift punch, & gutbuster counter of Finlay’s sunset bomb. Juice’s superplex to Finlay into Finlay’s Trash Panda counter of Juice’s suplex. Juice’s Left Hand of God & Pulp Friction combo to Finlay. Finlay’s escape & stunner counter of Juice’s top rope assisted Pulp Friction. Finlay’s lariat to Juice sending him flying over the top rope into Juice’s swift punch counter of Finlay’s dive into Juice’s piledriver onto the exposed floor. Finlay’s shillelagh whack & Trash Panda finisher counter of Juice’s US title belt attack. Match itself was an awesome hard fought physical action filled battle. G1 Climax 2022 Night 6 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 7 (July 27)
* SHO & EVIL vs. Yuto Nakashima & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* El Phantasmo & KENTA vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) – 3.0
* United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) – 3.0
* Ryohei Oiwa, David Finlay, YOSHI-HASHI, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo, Chase Owens, Juice Robinson, & Jay White – 3.0
* TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer vs. BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Bad Luck Fale vs. Toru Yano – 2.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Aaron Henare vs. Hirooki Goto – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Tama Tonga vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Aaron Henare vs. Hirooki Goto and Tama Tonga vs. Tomohiro Ishii matches.
Worst – Bad Luck Fale vs. Toru Yano match.
Show Notes – SHO & EVIL vs. Nakashima & Tanahashi opener was a pretty good bout, especially the latter half. Bullet Club vs. Team Filthy Tag moments: ELP & Lawlor’s forearms exchange in the rhythm of the crowd’s clapping was cool. ELP’s Purple Nurple to Lawlor into Lawlor’s enjoyed reaction & ELP’s disgusted reaction afterwards was funny. Match itself was an entertaining bout with some nice comedic moments. United Empire vs. TMDK Tag was a good hard hitting bout. Oiwa, Finlay, YOSHI-HASHI, & Okada vs. Bullet Club 8-Man Tag moments: Oiwa’s roll-up counter of Owens’ Package Piledriver into Owens’ escape & vicious looking C-Trigger finisher. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Suzuki-Gun vs. LIJ 8-Man Tag moments: Archer’s block counters of Takagi’s running shoulder tackles into Takagi’s escape & Judo toss counter of Archer’s chokeslam. ZSJ’s cravat, snapmare, & neck twist counter of Naito’s slingshot dropkick in the corner. ZSJ’s catch & Ankle Lock counter of BUSHI’s running rana. Match itself was a good action filled bout. Takahashi vs. Ospreay moments: Yujiro being sad walk during his entrance over Pieter might have dumped him for ELP, Pieter’s surprise appearance trying to mend the fences with Yujiro, & their hug moment reuniting as pals was wonderful. Kevin Kelly explaining Pieter’s seductive dance being her “interpretive dance” tale of ELP being despicable towards her was a bit funny. Yujiro’s knees counter of Ospreay’s standing Shooting Star Press. Yujiro’s leaping strike counter of Ospreay’s Shooting Star attempt into Ospreay’s hand chomp & chop counter of Yujiro’s super Fisherman Buster into Ospreay’s flying forearm strike. Yujiro’s Satellite DDT & Pimp Juice combo to Ospreay. Yujiro’s catch counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter into Ospreay’s pop-up punch & Hidden Blade finisher counter of Yujiro’s Big Juice. Match itself was a very good hard fought action filled bout. Fale vs. Yano moments: Yano’s countout antics to Fale almost backfiring on him badly was a bit funny. Yano’s block, backslide attempt, & low blow counter of Fale’s Grenade into Fale’s back push counter of Yano’s backslide Yano into the exposed turnbuckle into Fale’s roll-up finisher. Match itself was somewhat solid at best but had some nice comedic moments. Henare vs. Goto moments: Henare’s heel hook to Goto into Henare’s STF & curb stomp combo. Goto’s dodge & discus lariat counter of Henare’s kick. Henare’s running knee strike in the corner, Samoan Drop, & Senton splash combo to Goto. Goto’s escape & Ushigoroshi counter of Henare’s Ultima. Henare’s punch counter of Goto’s GTR into Goto’s reverse GTR & lariat. Henare’s Berserker Bomb counter of Goto’s running attack. Henare shrugging off Goto’s running lariat in the corner into Goto & Henare’s stiff forearms exchange into Henare’s leaping knee strike & Rampage combo. Goto’s catch, toss into the corner, & Shoto via corner assist counter of Henare’s running attack. Henare shrugging off Goto’s swift kick into Goto’s GTW counter of Henare’s running attack. Match itself was a great back-and-forth hard hitting battle & one of Henare’s best matches in NJPW. Tonga vs. Ishii moments: Tonga’s elbows strikes counter of Ishii’s backdrop suplex attempt into Ishii’s backdrop suplex. Ishii’s yeet toss counter of Tonga’s running attack. Ishii’s delayed superplex to Tonga. Tonga’s flip over escape counter of Ishii’s powerbomb into Ishii’ss flip over counter of Tonga’s Dragon hold into Tonga’s Tonga Twist counter of Ishii’s Dragon hold. Tonga’s twisting rana & rolling DVD counter of Ishii’s powerbomb into Tonga’s Supreme Flow splash. Ishii & Tonga’s counters fest into Ishii’s backdrop suplex counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun was cool. Ishii & Tonga’s moves & counters fest part deux into Tonga’s spiked Guillotine DDT. Tonga’s brainbuster to Ishii. Ishii’s block & TKO counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun. Ishii’s running lariat spiking Tonga’s head on the mat. Ishii’s spiked brainbuster finisher counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout. G1 Climax 2022 Night 7 was a great show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 8 (July 30)
* Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi – 2.5
* El Phantasmo & KENTA vs. Jado & Tama Tonga – 2.5
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb, & Great-O-Khan) vs. TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, & Lance Archer – 3.0
* Dick Togo & EVIL vs. BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Bullet Club (Gedo, Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Juice Robinson, & Jay White) – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – David Finlay vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. JONAH – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – SANADA vs. Great-O-Khan – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Worst – The odd screwy ref count finish to the Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Show Notes – Young Lions vs. SHO & Takahashi opener was a solid back-and-forth bout. El Phantasmo & KENTA vs. Jado & Tonga moments: Tonga’s running forearm strike breaking up ELP’s Sudden Death attempt to Jado into KENTA tossing Tonga out of the ring into Jado tossing out of the ring into ELP Sudden Death finisher to Jado. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. United Empire vs. Suzuki-Gun 6-Man Tag moments: Archer’s running elbow strikes to Henare & Ospreay into the corner into Ospreay’s block & chop counter of Archer’s chokeslam into Archer shrugging off the chop & Ospreay’s foul mouthed upset reaction afterwards. Match itself was pretty good, especially the latter half. Togo & EVIL vs. BUSHI & Naito was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. CHAOS vs. Bullet Club 10-Man Tag was pretty good. Finlay vs. Takagi moments: Takagi’s powerbomb, STF, & crossface combo to Finlay. Takagi’s chops & knee strikes combo to Finlay into Finlay’s Uranage backbreaker counter of Takagi’s Made in Japan. Takagi’s toss & stiff sliding lariat counter of Finlay’s Slice Bread. Takagi’s lariat into the corner counter of Finlay’s Slice Bread into Finlay’s springboard stunner & Slice Bread. Takagi’s catch & Noshigami counter of Finlay’s Flying Nothing. Takagi’s catch & Dragon Sleeper counter of Finlay’s stunner into Finlay’s dodge & slingshot stunner counter of Takagi’s GTR on the ropes into Finlay’s roll-up finisher. Match itself was a very good hard hitting action filled bout & surprised Finlay won. Lawlor vs. JONAH moments: Lawlor’s run around the ring stiff PK to JONAH. JONAH’s pounce into the apron counter of Lawlor’s run around the ring part deux into JONAH’s hard whip to Lawlor into the guard rail. JONAH’s bodyslam to Lawlor into Lawlor’s dodge counter of JONAH’s running senton into Lawlor’s cravat knee strikes to JONAH on the ropes. Lawlor & JONAH’s forearms exchange into Lawlor’s kicks & hammerlock elbow strikes into JONAH’s headbutt into Lawlor’s enziguri. JONAH’s catch, TKO onto the ropes, stiff powerbomb, & Torpedo finisher counter of Lawlor’s Tornado DDT. Match itself was a good hard hitting bout. Post-match ELP on guest commentary offering JONAH a hamburger while he was leaving was a bit funny. Great-O-Khan vs. SANADA moments: SANADA’s flip over the post & springboard dropkick counter of Khan’s whip into the corner. Khan’s head smashes to SANADA in the corner into SANADA’s dropkick counter of Khan’s running attack into Khan’s stiff lariat counter of SANADA’s running attack. SANADA’s forearms & Khan’s Mongolian Chops exchange into SANADA’s sneaky low blow kick while getting floored. Khan’s knees counter of SANADA’s moonsault. Khan’s swift punch & ugly looking moonsault to SANADA. SANADA’s arm drag, pop-up TKO, & moonsault finisher counter of Khan’s Eliminator. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout despite the somewhat anti-climatic ending. Sabre Jr. vs. Tanahashi moments: ZSJ & Tanahashi’s wristlock duel into ZSJ’s finger bending hold & wristlock into Tanahashi’s swift body punches counter. Tanahashi’s springboard crossbody & neck crank twist to ZSJ. ZSJ’s Dragon Screw & hanging cross armbreaker to Tanahashi on the ropes. ZSJ’s armbar, STF style armbar, & crucifix hold counter of Tanahashi’s strikes. Tanahashi’s strikes combo into ZSJ’s Cobra Twist counter of Tanahashi’s running attack into Tanahashi’s escape & Dragon Screw counter. Tanahashi’s Slingblade fakeout & Dragon Screw to ZSJ. Tanahashi & ZSJ’s counters exchange into ZSJ’s armbar & Triangle Choke. ZSJ’s Dragon Screw style arm whips & bicycle kick combo to Tanahashi. Tanahashi’s Twist & Shots to ZSJ into ZSJ’s Front Chancery into Tanahashi’s driver counter of ZSJ’s Zack Driver. Tanahashi’s Ace High to ZSJ into ZSJ’s roll over Euro Clutch into Tanahashi’s roll-up finisher. Match itself was a great hrad fought grapple heavy & action filled bout despite the screwy ref pin count ending. NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 8 was a very enjoyable show overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (July 28)
* Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin – 3.5
* Laredo Kid & Trey Miguel vs. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice – 2.5
* Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone – 2.0
* Shera vs. Josh Alexander – 2.5
* Rich Swann vs. KUSHIDA – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin and Rich Swann vs. KUSHIDA matches.
Worst – The awkward ending to the Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone match.
Show Notes – Edwards vs. Austin opener moments: Edwards’ atomic drop & whip to the ropes to Austin into Austin’s dodge & ropes pull counter of Edwards’ running attack causing Edwards to crash to the outside into Austin’s top con hiro dive. Austin’s spinning heel kick to Edwards into Edwards’ overhead toss counter of Austin’s running attack into the corner. Austin’s dodge & springboard kick counter of Edwards’ Boston Knee Party. Edwards’ pop-up powerbomb & Tiger Driver counter of Austin’s The Fold into Edwards’ Die Hard Driver finisher. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Heath’s backstage interview about him being willing to play just as dirty as Honor No More for revenge was all right. Alexander backstage interview about him not backing down from any challenge as Impact champ & Shelley’s interruption about being the best skilled challenger Alexander will be facing for his title was all right. Kid & Miguel vs. Swinger & Dice was a solid match with some nice comedic moments. Myers, Gujjar, & Deacy backstage segment about Myers trying to weasel out of defending his Digital Media title against Gujjar, Decay accepting the open challenge, Myers trying to back out of it, & Scott D’Amore suddenly popping up making the match official was a bit funny. Nieves vs. Stone was somewhat solid despite the rough & flat ending. Post-match Killer Kelly staredown & brawl was decent. Violent By Design backstage segment about Young claiming they still have the sickness & plans to take out the Motor City Machine Guns & KUSHIDA was all right. Shelley hype vignette was splendid but the Johnny Gargano surprise appearance part praising Shelley was interesting. Moose’s backstage interview about him denying any alliance with Maclin against Callihan was okay. Mia Yim’s backstage interview about her return to Impact & upcoming Knockouts title match against Grace was decent. Honor No More messing around with the feed of the show & D’Amore going crazy over their antics was a bit funny. D’Amore stip of HNM must beat Bullet Club at Emergence to finally get their Tag titles shot or else disband was interesting. Swann vs. KUSHIDA moments: KUSHIDA’s arms pull reverse bodyscissors hold to Swamm. KUSHIDA’s strikes & leaping armbar combo to Swann. KUSHIDA’s dodge & kicks counter of Swann’s Phoenix Splash. Swann’s block & German suplex counter of KUSHIDA’s Hoverboard Lock. KUSHIDA’s leaping kick & diving Hoverboard Lock finisher counter of Swann’s top rope attack. Match itself was a very good hard hitting bout. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 5)
• Best match of the week runner-up – G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Juice Robinson vs. David Finlay (NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 6)
• Worst match of the week – Indi Hartwell vs. Arianna Grace (WWE NXT)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen 2022
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT