Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for July 31 to August 6, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of July 31st to August 6th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Aug. 1)
* AJ Styles vs. Mustafa Ali vs. The Miz – 3.0
* Seth Rollins vs. Montez Ford – 3.5
* Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka – 2.0
* Dolph Ziggler vs. Ciampa vs. Chad Gable – 3.0
* IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair – 3.0
* #1 Contender for United States Championship match – Ciampa vs. AJ Styles – 3.5
* Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Seth Rollins vs. Montez Ford and Ciampa vs. AJ Styles matches.
Worst – Triple H’s main roster creative handling following the same problems as Vince McMahon with overdoing DQ & non-finishes in a show.
Show Notes – Opening Becky Lynch promo about the return of her “The Man” persona and praising WWE’s Women’s division and Belair, Belair’s respect and hug response to Lynch, & Bayley and Pals backstage attack to Lynch was all right. US title history video package was superb. Styles vs. Ali vs. Miz moments: Styles reverse DDT setup to Miz into Ali’s leaping neckbreaker to Styles causing Miz to get DDTed. Ali’s top rope Tornado DDT outta nowhere to Styles on the outside. Ali’s swift superkick & 450 Splash to Miz into Styles’ Styles Clash finisher to Ali onto Miz was awesome. Match itself was a really good action filled bout. Rollins’ promo bashing Riddle, Street Profits’ interruption, & banter was decent. Rollins vs. Ford moments: Ford’s backdrop counter of Rollins pedigree on the floor. Rollins’ strike, Buckle Bomb, & Falcon Arrow counter of Ford’s top rope attack. Ford’s dodge & Frog Splash counter of Rollins’ Frog Splash into Rollins’ knees & curb stomp finisher counter. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Bliss vs. Asuka was mostly solid despite the DQ ending by Bayley & Pals. Post-match attack by Bayley & Pals, run-in save by Belair, & Belair demanding a match was decent. Ziggler vs. Ciampa vs. Gable was pretty good. Edge’s promo about Judgement Day’s attack on him & vowing to kill the group for revenge was decent. SKY vs. Belair moments: SKY’s Asai moonsault to Belair on the outside. Belair’s catch & swing into the barricade counter of SKY’s rana off the apron. Belair’s Spider superplex & standing moonsault combo to SKY. SKY’s rolling stomp counter of Belair’s waistlock. Match itself was going on really well until the buzzkill No Contest brawl ending with Bayley, Kai, Bliss, & Asuka. Ciampa vs. Styles moments: Ciampa’s knee strike counter of Styles’ Phenomenal Forearm into Ciampa’s Project Ciampa. Styles’ Styles Clash counter of Ciampa’s top rope Air Raid Crash. Styles’ kicks counter of Miz’s leg grab hold on the outside into Ciampa’s knee stike & Fairy Tale Ending finisher to Styles. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action bout. Undisputed WWE Tag titles match moments: Usos’ catch & slam into the post counter of Dominik’s slingshot splash to the outside. Dominik’s Tornado DDT counter of Jimmy’s top rope Samoan Drop. Rey’s rana counter of Usos’ 1D. Ouch at Dominik crashing hard on the floor from his overshot dive to Jey. Match itself was a quite good action filled bout despite the flat ending. Post-match attack by Judgement Day to the Mysterios & run-in save brawl with Edge was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall & Triple H’s changes in creative have been mostly positive so far for RAW.

WWE NXT (Aug. 2)
* Vacant NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Four-Way Elimination match – Katana Chance & Kayden Carter vs. Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz vs. Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley) vs. Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) – 3.0
* NXT North American Championship Open Challenge match – Nathan Frazer vs. Giovanni Vinci – 3.0
* Mandy Rose vs. Sarray – 1.5
* Axiom vs. Duke Hudson – 2.0
* NXT Tag Team Championship – The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Stacks) vs. The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) (c) – 3.0
* Brooks Jensen vs. Joe Gacy – 2.0
* Alba Fyre vs. Lash Legend – 2.5
* Falls Count Anywhere match – Von Wagner vs. Solo Sikoa – 3.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Falls Count Anywhere match
Worst – JD McDonagh & Bron Breakker NXT Heatwave Summit segment.
Show Notes – NXT Women’s Tag titles Elimination match opener was pretty good. Brooks & Jensen backstage interview about NXT’s Tag division, rambling interruption by Joe Gacy & Pals about father-like stuff, & banter was corny. Hayes & Williams’ pre-match promo boasting about Hayes was nothing special but Frazer stealing Vinci’s open challenge answer spot was a bit funny. N.A. title match was going on really well until the ending shenanigans by Williams & Vinci. McDonagh & Breakker NXT Heatwave Summit segment about McDonagh’s claims of Breakker being in fear of him while the crowd chanted boring & plans to hurt him, Breakker’s retort promising pain, banter, & McDonagh signing the NXT title match contract in blood was mostly dull. Rose vs. Sarray was somewhat solid at best topped with a flat ending & being rough at times. Rose’s post-match chair attack to Sarray & run-in save brawl with Stark was decent. Tiffany Stratton’s promo vignette mocking Wendy Choo and NXT’s Women’s division & boasting about herself was all right. Axiom’s backstage interview about his NXT arrival & Hudson’s interruption mocking Axiom’s small size, brawl, & match setup banter was all right. Axiom vs. Hudson was a mostly solid brief bout despite the abrupt ending. NXT Tag titles match was a good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Santos Escobar. Legado bailing on The Family & reuniting with Escobar was interesting. Roxanne Perez’s promo video about Cora Jade betraying their friendship & tossing NXT Women’s title in the trash, & match challenge was all right. Jade’s backstage interview denying Perez’s request, interruption by Rose offering a NXT Women’s title shot in return of getting rid of Stark, & Jade’s non-decision was decent. Jensen vs. Gacy was mostly solid despite the ending shenanigans by Pretty Deadly, Gacy’s Pals, & Jensen’s Pals. Gacy’s post-match rambling promo was decent but someone in the crowd shouting out “Gacy likes pineapple on pizza” was hilarious. Falls Count Anywhere match moments: Wagner’s chair whacks, backdrop onto a chair, & more chair whacks combo to Sikoa. Ouch at Sikoa’s back after Wagner’s bodyslam onto prone chairs. Wagner’s swift lariat to Sikoa on the outside into Sikoa’s Samoan Drop to Wagner onto the announcer’s table that didn’t break. Wagner & Sikoa’s parking lot brawl into Wagner’s toss into a dumpster to Sikoa. Sikoa’s Uranage to Wagner onto steel steps. Sikoa’s escape, superkick, & top rope Splash through the announcer’s table finisher counter of Wagner’s DVD onto the apron. Match itself was a very entertaining hardcore style brawl.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall & also dragged at times.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Aug. 5)
* Ricochet vs. Happy Corbin – 3.0
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ludwig Kaiser – 2.5
* #1 Contender’s for SmackDown Women’s Championship – Sonya Deville vs. Aliyah vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi vs. Xia Li vs. Natayla vs. Shayna Baszler – 2.0
* Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. Jim Mulkey & Tommy Gibson – 2.0 (Squash)
* Erik vs. Kofi Kingston – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Ricochet vs. Happy Corbin match.
Worst – Liv Morgan’s promo segment and the Women’s Gauntlet match being mostly dull.
Show Notes – Opening sports style play breakdown segment by McAfee about his nut shot to Corbin at SummerSlam was a bit funny. Ricochet vs. Corbin moments: Corbin got some really great height with his backdrop counter of Ricochet’s running attack. Ricochet’s strikes, springboard elbow strike, & standing Shooting Star Press combo to Corbin. Corbin’s catch & Torture Rack style neckbreaker counter of Ricochet’s springboard attack. Corbin’s top rope toss to Ricochet onto the apron into Ricochet’s ropes crotch to Corbin via McAfee distraction assist. Ricochet’s Recoil & Shooting Star Press finisher combo to Corbin. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action filled bout. Usos & Sami Zayn backstage segment about Zayn’s respect for Usos over their SummerSlam win and Usos’ denying Zayn a meeting with Reigns was all right. Nakamura vs. Kaiser was a solid back-and-forth bout. Usos & Zayn’s backstage segment part deux about Usos wanting Zayn to handle everything Heyman does for the Bloodline for shows since Heyman’s out injured was decent. Liv Morgan’s interview about her controversial win at SummerSlam and foul mouthed retort to “you tapped out” chants, & Deville’s interruption bad mouthing Morgan and Adam Pearce, claiming she will hurt Morgan, and SD Women’s title goal was decent at best & somewhat rough. Women’s Gauntlet match moments: Deville vs. Aliyah portion was dull. Deville vs. Rodriguez portion was somewhat decent but also a bit dull. Rodriguez vs. Shotzi portion was also somewhat decent but nothing special. Rodriguez vs. Li portion was mostly solid. Rodriguez’s one arm powerbomb finisher counter of Natayla’s top rope punches. Rodriguez vs. Natalya portion was mostly solid. Baszler’s catch counter of Rodriguez’s corkscrew elbow drop. Rodriguez vs. Baszler portion was solid despite the abrupt finish. Match itself was somewhat solid at best despite being dull & dragging at times. Usos & Zayn’s backstage segment part trios about Usos denying Zayn’s request to see Reigns & demand that he starts pulling his weight in the group or get kicked out was interesting. Vikings Raiders vs. jobbers was a decent jobber destruction bout. Post-match Kingston’s sneak kendo stick attack was all right. Kingston vs, Erik was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the abrupt ending. The announcement of the return of the WWE Women’s Tag belts & tournament to crown a new champ was splendid. Reigns’ promo about his respect for Lesnar while also hating him for hurting Heyman, McIntyre’s interruption about wanting to beat up the Bloodline now, Karrion Kross’ surprise return and ambush attack to McIntyre, & Kross and Reigns staredown was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average at best overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Aug. 1)
* Julia Hart vs. LMK – 2.0 (Squash)
* Leila Grey vs. JC – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Butcher, The Blade, Angelico, & Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. Joey Ace, Victory Chase, Julio Cruz, & Waves & Curls (Jaylen Brandyn and Traevon Jordan) – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Factory (QT Marshall, Anthony Ogogo, Aaron Solo, & Nick Comoroto) vs. Bobby Orlando, Bryce Donovan, Brett Gosselin, & T.U.G Cooper – 2.0 (Squash)
* Serpentico vs. Cole Karter – 2.5
* Athena vs. Christina Marie – 2.0 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura, Marina Shafir, & Nyla Rose vs. Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm, & Hikaru Shida – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Women’s Trios match.
Worst – The extra heavy amount of squash matches.
Show Notes – Hart vs. LMK opener was a decent mostly squash style bout. Grey vs. JC was a decent squash match. 10-Man Tag moments: Butcher’s lift and toss & Blade’s knee strike combo counter of Chase’s running attack into Angelico’s brutal looking modified Bow & Arrow finisher. Match itself was a fine jobber destruction brief bout. The Factory vs. Orlando, Donovan, Gosselin, & Cooper 8-Man Tag was a decent squash bout. Serpentico vs. Karter moments: Karter’s powerslam counter of Serpentico’s running attack into Karter’s 450 Splash finisher. Match itself was a solid bout. Athena vs. Marie was a decent mostly squash style bout. Karter & Marshall’s backstage segment about Karter accepting Marshall’s offer and joining The Factory was interesting. Women’s Trios match moments: Sakura’s stiff chop in the corner & vicious looking hair toss spin to Storm. Storm’s Jawbreaker & Nightingale’s strikes fest to Rose. Nightingale’s cartwheel counter of Shafir’s Irish whip into Nighingale’s whip & pounce to Shafir. Rose’s catch counter of Shida’s running knee strike in the corner into Rose’s hold & Shafir’s punch to the back to Shida. Sakura’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Shida into Shida’s escape & kicks counter of Sakura’s delayed underhook backbreaker. Nightingale, Storm, & Shida’s triple team suplex counter of Rose & Shafir’s double team suplex to Shida. Shida’s snap suplex to Sakura to Rose & Shafir in the corner into Storm’s running hip attack in the corner into Shida’s Falcon Arrow finisher to Sakura. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall but also skippable outside of The Factory & Karter’s backstage segment and Women’s Trios match.

AEW Dark (Aug. 2)
* The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari & Slim J) vs. Logan Cruz & Tyshaun Price – 2.5
* Willow Nightingale vs. Harley Cameron – 2.5
* Diamante vs. Rocky Radley – 2.5
* The Factory (Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto) vs. KC Rocker & Caleb Teninty – 2.0 (Squash)
* Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Jonathan Hudson – 2.5
* Serpentico vs. Parker Boudreaux – 2.5 (Squash)
* The Wingmen (“Pretty” Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth) vs. The Acclaimed – 3.0
* AEW All-Atlantic Championship – Connor Mills vs. PAC (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – AEW All-Atlantic Championship match.
Worst – Ari Daivari’s promo segments being mostly flat and somewhat dull.
Show Notes – Trustbusters vs. Cruz & Price Tag opener was a solid back-and-forth bout. Daivari’s post-match promo about his recent name change being in reference to Entourage & boasting about his new group & his fortunes was mostly decent. Nightingale vs. Cameron was a solid back-and-forth bout. Diamante vs. Radley was also a solid bout. Factory vs. Rocker & Teninty tag was a decent squash bout. Dean vs. Hudson was a solid back-and-forth action bout. Serpentico vs. Boudreaux moments: Boudreaux’s back suplex Bomb finisher to Serpentico. Match itself was a fine jobber destruction bout. Post-match Trustbusters interview about Daivari boasting about Boudreaux joining his new group & Bordreaux’s “I’ve arrived” line was somewhat decent. The Wingmen vs. The Acclaimed tag moments: Nemeth’s pre-match promo boasting about him & Avalon’s looks, being the kings of AEW Dark, & beating up the Acclaimed as a favor to the Gunns was decent. Caster’s pre-match rap mocking The Wingmen for being nobodies & Hunter Biden dig was pretty good. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. All-Atlantic title match moments: Excalibur teasing Kip Sabian as the identity of the mystery man with a box on his head in the crowd & a potential feud with PAC in the future is interesting. Mills’ brainbuster counter of PAC’s suplex. Mills’ top rope uppercut & springboard moonsault combo to PAC. PAC’s swift slap & Tombstone piledriver to Mills onto the stage. PAC’s head stomps, knee drop off the middle ropes, & brainbuster to Mills. PAC’s angry ringside confrontation with the mystery box mask man was interesting. Mills & PAC’s forearms strikes exchange into PAC’s ropes assisted release German suplex into Mills’ rebound lariat spinning PAC onto the mat. PAC’s dodge & superkick counter of Mills’ moonsault to the outside into PAC’s Liger Bomb. Mills’ dodge & 450 Splash counter of PAC’s 450 Splash. PAC’s kicks fest to Mills’ into PAC’s dropkick counter of Mills’ springboard moonsault. Mills’ Torture Rack style cutter counter of PAC’s springboard attack. PAC’s swift kick & Avalanche brainbuster counter of Mills’ top rope attack into PAC’s Black Arrpw finisher. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (Aug. 3)
* Orange Cassidy vs. Jay Lethal – 3.0
* Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Storm (Thunder Rosa & Toni Storm) – 3.5
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ren Jones – 2.5 (Squash)
* Christian Cage vs. Matt Hardy – 3.0
* Dumpster match – Gunn Club (Austin & Colten Gunn) vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) – 3.5
* Wheeler Yuta vs. Chris Jericho – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Storm match and the Dumpster match.
Worst – Sonjay Dutt’s goofy promo segment.
Show Notes – Cassidy vs. Lethal opener was a good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match promo by Dutt & Lethal bashing Orange and Wardlow, run-in save by Best Friends and Wardlow, & TNT title match setup was mostly decent. HOOK’s FTW title win recap video was all right. Cole’s storytime promo boasting about Undisputed Elite and their loyalty, Cole denying the Young Bucks a spot in the Trios tourney, Cole and reDRagon’s ambush attack on Bucks & Cutler, & Hangman Page’s run-in save and reunion with the Bucks was sweet. Cage’s backstage interview about Jungle Boy & Jungle trying to run him over with a car was a bit crazy. Hayter & Baker vs. Thunder Storm – Hayter’s double suplex counter of Thunder Storm’s double team suplex. Baker’s Avalanche Air Raid Crash to Storm into Hayter’s sliding lariat & Baker’s curb stomp combo. Thunder Storm’s double German suplex to Hayter & Baker. Storm’s hip attacks to Baker & Hayter into Baker’s dodge counter into Storm’s accidental hip attack to Rosa into Hayter’s ripcord lariat finisher to Storm. Match itself was a very good hard hitting bout. Taz disbanding Team Taz after Hobbs ambush attack to Starks last week was interesting. Hobbs’ new entrance theme & getting the special Cody stage entrance treatment was cool. Hobbs vs. Jones was a fine jobber destruction brief bout. Post-match Hobbs & Starks brief brawl was sweet. Miro’s promo vignette about his god sending him a female visitor & his stance on House of Black was interesting. Ethan Page’s grievances promo about lack of tv time, no action figure, & bashing fans for cheering him despite not buying her merch, interruption by Stokely offering his services was interesting. Dumpster match moments: Caster’s pre-match rap digs at the Gunns, Vince McMahon’s WWE retirement, & Joe Biden’s positive COVID test was awesome. Gunns’ double team powerbomb to Bowens into the dumpster. Austin’s toss to Bowens off the dumpster onto a pile of trash cans. Caster tossing Austin off the entrance tunnel into a dumpster & Mic Drop off the tunnel to Colten through a table was cool. Match itself was a very entertaining hardcore style bout. Post-match Outlaws callback with the Acclaimed shoving the dumpster off the stage was cool. Castagnoli vs. Takeshita ROH title match hype video was splendid. Yuta vs. Jericho moments: Jericho & Yuta’s palm strikes exchange into Yuta’s German suplexes fest into Jericho’s roll over & Walls counter. Yuta’s knees counter of Jericho’s Lionsault into Jericho’s Codebreaker counter of Yuta’s Flying Nothing. Jericho’s escape & Liontamer finisher counter of Yuta’s seatbelt. Match itself was a good hard fought action bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark Elevation Special Thursday Edition (Aug. 4)
* Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida – 3.0
* Serpentico vs. Mance Warner – 2.5
* Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. Dean Alexander & Damian Chambers – 2.0 (Squash)
Overall – 3.0
Best – Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida match.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Sakura vs. Shida opener moments: Sakura’s whips to Shida into the guard rail & ringside apron. Sakura’s Dragon Sleeper to Shida into Shida’s escape & suplex counter. Sakura’s dodge counter of Shida’s springboard Flying Nothing into Sakura’s ropes assisted double underhook backbreaker. Shida’s leaping knee strike & diving uppercut combo counter of Sakura’s running attack. Sakura’s stiff chop & Liger Bomb to Shida. Shida’s escape & rana counter of Sakura’s delayed double underhook backbreaker. Shida’s springboard spin kick & Tamashii finisher combo to Sakura. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Jade Cargill & Stokely Hathaway’s promo badmouting Madison Rayne, Rayne’s retort mocking Hathaway’s introduction and her recent AEW hiring as both a wrestler & coach, Hathaway denying Rayne’s match request with Cargill, & Rayne vs. Leila Grey match setup was all right. Serpentico vs. Warner moments: Warner’s stiff chops flooring Serpentico into Warner’s slugfest to Serpentico in the corner. Luther’s ref distracted big boot & chuck into the guard rail to Warner on the outside. Warner’s lariat, running knee strike, & Evenflow DDT finisher counter of Serpentico’s powerbomb attempt. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Nese & Woods vs. Alexander & Chambers was a decent squash style bout. Warner’s video promo about his upcoming match against Jon Moxley was splendid.
Final Thoughts – This week’s special edition brief show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (Aug. 5)
* AEW Interim World Championship Eliminator match – Jon Moxley vs. Mance Warner – 3.5
* Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ryan Nemeth – 2.0 (Squash)
* Madison Rayne vs. Leila Grey – 2.5
* AEW World Tag Team Championship Street Fight – Josh Woods & Tony Nese vs. Swerve in Our Glory (Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee) (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – AEW Interim World title Eliminator and AEW World Tag Team titles Street Fight matches.
Worst – Madison Rayne vs. Leila Grey match dragging too long.
Show Notes – Moxley vs. Warner opener moments: Moxley’s snap suplex to Warner onto a chair. Moxley & Warner’s chops exchange into Warner crotching Moxley on the guard rail into Warner’s clothesline to Moxley off the guard rail. Moxley’s Dragon Screw & Figure Four to Warner. Moxley shrugging off Warner’s slugfest in the corner into Moxley’s slugfest in return. Warner’s whips into the steel steps & guard rail into Warner’s snap suplex to Moxley on the floor. Warner’s DDT onto the steps counter of Moxley’s piledriver. Moxley’s swift punch to a chair onto Warner’s head counter of Warner’s chair attack. Moxley’s superplex, overhead elbow strikes, head chomp, & running knee strike combo to Warner into Warner’s rebound lariat flooring Moxley. Moxley’s Kimura Lock, head stomps, piledriver, & sleeper finisher combo to Warner. Match itself was a very entertaining & bloody hard hitting brawl. Starks’ & The Factory taped backstage segment about QT Marshall & Aaron Solo’s offer to join his group & Starks; angry refusal was all right. Takeshita vs. Nemeth was a decent mostly squash style bout. Post-match brawl with Peter Avalon was decent. Best Friends taped backstage interview about their recent struggles and entering the Trios Tag tournament, & interruption by Danhausen was all right. Rayne vs. Grey was a solid back-and-forth bout despite dragging a bit long. Post-match Jade Cargill promo badmouthing Rayne and issuing an open challenge for next week’s Dynamite show & Kiera Hogan’s failed ambush attack was all right. Lucha Bros vs. RUSH & Andrade match hype video was splendid. Strickland & Lee and Sterling & Pals pre-match split-screen backstage interview was all right. AEW Tag titles Street Fight moments: Nese’s sneak powder attack to Lee into Swerve’s kick of Nese’s powder bag into his face. Nese’s dodge counter of Swerve’s hard chuck of a tool box into the steel steps. Woods’ spinning suplex to Swerve into the steps. Lee’s running splashes to Nese & Woods in the corners into Lee chucking Nese into Woods. Sterling’s chair whack to Lee into Lee’s chair grab into Nese’s dropkick & Woods’ pump kick to the chair onto Lee into Swerve’s 450 Splash breaking up Nese & Woods’ double team pin. Lee’s yank to Woods out of the ring and dodge & headbutt counter of Nese’s flying attack off the apron. Lee’s chuck off the top rope to Sterling through tables. Nese’s superkick to Lee into Woods’ German suplex to Lee through tables on the outside. Swerve’s backdrop counter of Nese’s running attack onto a pile of chairs & trash can lid into Swerve’s top rope double foot stomp finisher. Match itself was a very good hard hitting hardcore style bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

AEW Battle of the Belts III (Aug. 6)
* TNT Championship – Jay Lethal vs. Wardlow (c) – 3.0
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa (c) – 3.5
* ROH World Championship – Konosuke Takeshita vs. Claudio Castagnoli (c) – 4.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – ROH World Championship match.
Worst – The anti-climatic ending to the AEW Women’s title match.
Show Notes – TNT title match opener moments: Lethal’s injury fakeout into Lethal’s sneak pin attempt into Lethal’s dodge counter of Wardlow’s shoulder tackle into the post into Lethal’s dive to Wardlow on the outside. Wardlow’s roll over counter of Lethal’s Jackknife pin into Lethal’s punches counter of Wardlow’s powerbomb. Wardlow’s catch counter of Lethal’s Lethal Injection into Wardlow’s powerbomb grab & Lethal’s escape counters exchange into Wardlow’s stiff headbuut & powerbomb finisher to Lethal. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Post-match brawl with Sonjay Dutt & Satnam Singh was all right. AEW Women’s title match moments: Rosa’s dropkicks to Hayter sending her out of the ring into Hayer’s forearm strike counter of Rosa’s dive to the outside. Rosa’s block & DDT counter of Hayter’s snap suplex on the floor. Hayter’s shove off the top rope to Rosa via Baker distraction assist into Hayter’s backbreaker onto the steel steps. Rosa & Hayter’s stiff forearms exchange into Rosa’s Norther Lights suplex. Rosa’s brutal looking running low dropkick to Hayter onto the ropes sending both crash to the outside into Rosa’s rough senton to Hayter’s head. Hayter’s chokebreaker counter of Rosa’s running attack into Hayter’s vertical drop brainbuster. Baker & Storm’s brawl on the outside. Ouch at Hayter’s head after getting spiked by Rosa’s cazadora pin finisher. Match itself was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout despite the anti-climatic ending. ROH World title match moments: Claudio’s dodge counter of Takeshita’s plancha into Claudio’s shove into the ringside apron into Takeshita’s stiff chop. Claudio & Takeshita’s suplex duel exchange into Takeshita’s delay suplex. Takeshita’s ropes yank counter of Claudio’s running attack into Takeshita’s tope con hiro to Claudio on the outside. Claudio’s top rope Gutwrench suplex to Takeshita. Claudio’s Giant Swing to Takeshita into Claudio’s running uppercuts in the corners into Takeshita’s boot & Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Claudio’s whip into the corner. Takeshita’s top rope DDT to Claudio onto the turnbuckle into Takeshita’s Frog Splash. Claudio’s Euro uppercut counter of Takeshita’s running flying lariat. Claudio’s uppercuts into Takeshita’s deadlift German suplex into Claudio’s lariat into Takeshita’s lariat. Takeshita’s knee strike & brainbuster to Claudio. Takeshita’s rana counter of Claudio’s Ricola Bomb. Claudio’s catch & DVD counter of Takeshita’s running leaping knee strike. Claudio’s springboard spinning uppercut, lariat, overhead elbow strikes, & Ricola Bomb finisher combo to Takeshita. Match itself was an awesome grapple heavy & action packed battle.
Final Thoughts – Battle of the Belts III was a mostly very enjoyable show overall

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 9 (July 31)
* Ryohei Oiwa, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SHO, El Phantasmo, Yujiro Takahashi, & KENTA – 3.0
* Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) – 3.0
* United Empire (Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, & Will Ospreay) vs. Jado, David Finlay, & Tama Tonga – 3.0
* TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. BUSHI, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Lance Archer – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. Jay White – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – EVIL vs. Tetsuya Naito – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – EVIL vs. Tetsuya Naito match.
Worst – The abrupt & flat ending to the Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Show Notes – 8-Man Tag opener was pretty good. Team Filthy vs. TMDK Tag was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. United Empire vs. Jado, Finlay, & Tonga 6-Man Tag was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Suzuki-Gun vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Cobb vs. Archer moments: Archer’s apron cannonball dive to Cobb & Young Lions. Archer’s shove into the apron ropes & chokeslam onto the apron counter of Cobb’s running attack on the outside. Cobb’s grab & Spin Cycle counter of Archer’s wristlock rope walk. Archer’s DDT counter of Cobb’s Tour of the Islands. Cobb’s dropkick & standing moonsault to Archer. Archer’s stiff chokeslam to Cobb bouncing him on the mat. Archer’s running elbow splatting Cobb in the corner. Cobb’s strikes counter of Archer’s superplex into Archer’s leaping knee into Cobb’s German suplexes counters of Archer’s Blackout & chokeslam into Cobb’s deadlift German, swift punch, & Tour of the Islands finisher. Match itself was a very entertaining hard hitting hoss battle. Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI moments: YOSHI’s backdrop attempt counter of Juice’s piledriver onto the exposed floor into YOSHI’s rana into the post counter of Juice’s powerbomb. YOSHI’s loud stiff chest bruising chops fest to Juice in the corner. YOSHI’s thrust kick, suplex toss onto the ropes & running dropkick to Juice on the ropes into YOSHI’s basement dropkick. YOSHI’s dodge & running swinging neckbreaker counter of Juice’s lariat. Juice’s block & Left Hand of God counter of YOSHI’s lariat into YOSHI’s Dragon Suplex counter of Juice’s Pulp Friction into YOSHI’s Karma finisher to Juice. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth hard hitting action filled bout. Owens vs. White moments: White trying to bribe Owens with an envelope of cash, Owens getting upset at getting conned with a stack of mostly blank paper, & White blaming someone else for stealing the money was a bit funny. White & Owens’ antics trying to fool the other for the cheap win & Owens yelling out “where’s my money” several times while beating up White was funny. White feeling conflicted over beating up Owens while Owens gave no shit in return was nice. Owens’ elbows to White into White’s Saito Suplex & Uranage combo. Owens’ C-Trigger to White into White’s block counter of Owens’ Package Piledriver into Owens’ Styles Clash. Owens’ C-Triggers to White into White’s Bladerunner counter of Owens’ Package Piledriver. Match itself was a quite good bout with some nice comedic moments. Fale vs. Okada moments: Okada’s ropes assisted bodyslam to Fale. Okada managing to lift up Fale for an Air Raid Crash was impressive. Okada’s dropkick counter of Fale’s Grenade into Okada’s dropkick counter of Fale’s running attack into Fale’s lariat counter of Okada’s Rainmaker. Okada’s neckbreaker & Money Clip finisher counter of Fale’s Bad Luck Fale. Match itself was pretty good despite the flat abrupt ending. EVIL vs. Naito moments: EVIL’s hard whip to Naito flipping him over the guard rail. Naito’s block & Dragon Suplex counter of EVIL’s Everything Is Evil into EVIL’s block into Naito’s leg lariat counter of EVIL’s running attack. EVIL’s block & stiff lariat counter of Naito’s Esperanza sending him crashing to the floor. Ouch at EVIL’s landing after his hard landing from his flip over the guard rail from Naito’s hard Irish whip. Naito’s elbow strikes fest & Destino combo to EVIL. EVIL chucking Naito into the ref & low blow afterwards. Naito’s block of EVIL & Togo’s apron Magic Killer into Naito’s guillotine to Togo & rope kick nut shot to EVIL. Naito’s piledriver to EVIL off the apron through a table on the outside was crazy. Naito’s spiked Esperanza to EVIL into EVIL’s shove into the exposed turnbuckle counter of Naito’s Destino. EVIL’s stiff spiked lariat counter of Naito’s running attack. EVIL’s block of Naito’s Destino into Naito’s Tornado DDT, Valencia, & Destino finisher counter. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout.
Final Thoughts – G1 Climax 2022 Night 9 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 10 (Aug. 2)
* United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) – 3.0
* Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL vs. TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer – 3.0
* El Phantasmo, Chase Owens, & Bad Luck Fale vs. BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo, Juice Robinson, & Jay White – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Great-O-Khan vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Toru Yano – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – SANADA vs. Tama Tonga – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – SANADA vs. Tama Tonga match.
Worst – The flat ending shenanigans to the House of Torture vs. Suzuki-Gun 8-Man tag team match.
Show Notes – United Empire vs. TMDK Tag opener was a good hard hitting bout. House of Torture vs. Suzuki-Gun 8-Man Tag was pretty good despite the wrench attack ending shenanigans by SHO. Bullet Club vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag was a pretty good, especially the latter half. YOSHI-HASHI, Tanahashi, & Okada vs. Bullet Club 6-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action bout. Great-O-Khan vs. Ishii moments: Ishii’s escape counter of Khan’s Mongolian Chop into Khan’s snap suplex counter of Ishii’s suplex. Ishii’s shotgun dropkick to Khan into Khan’s rebound lariat flooring Ishii. Ishii’s Tiger suplex & stiff lariat to Khan. Khan’s escape counter of Ishii’s brainbuster into Khan & Ishii’s headbutts to each other into Khan’s Sheep Killer. Khan’s Tenzan Tombstone & Eliminator counter of Ishii’s lariat. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Lawlor vs. Yano moments: Yano’s eyes closed reaction to Lawlor taking off his denim jorts revealing denim trunks underneath routine was a bit funny. Lawlor trading a “Sister Act” DVD for Yano’s DVD & Lawlor’s upset reaction over getting an empty case was funny. Yaho getting fooled by Lawlor’s fake wig after his hair pull attack was a bit funny. Yano taking off his pants revealing another set of pants & Lawlor doing the same with his trunks afterwards was a bit funny. Lawlor shrugging off Yano’s low blows via a hidden cup into Lawlor’s knee strike & NKOTB finisher. Match was an entertaining comedic heavy style bout. SANADA vs. Tonga moments: SANADA’s kicks & whip into the corner to Tonga into Tonga’s rebound lariat to SANADA. SANADA’s leapfrogs & dropkick counter of Tonga’s running attacks into SANADA’s plancha to Tonga on the outside. Tonga’s Tonga Twist counter of SANADA’s TKO. SANADA’s dodge counter of Tonga’s running attack into Tonga’s catch, rolling DVD, & Supreme Flow combo counter of SANADA’s running attack. Tonga & SANADA’s counters exchange into SANADA’s springboard dropkick. Tonga’s knees counter of SANADA’s moonsault into SANADA’s catch & Skull End counter of Tonga’s Gun Stun was cool. SANADA & Tonga’s forearms exchange into Tonga’s leaping DDT. Tonga & SANADA’s counters exchange into SANADA’s O’Connor Roll into Tonga’s pin break & Gun Stun finisher. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout. KENTA vs. Goto moments: KENTA’s dodge of Goto’s running attack into Goto’s dodge & discus lariat of KENTA’s kick. KENTA’s powerslam counter of Goto’s running attack into KENTA’s top rope flying clothesline & STF combo. Goto’s reverse GTR & stiff lariat combo to KENTA. Goto & KENTA’s forearms exchange into Goto’s headbutt & swift kick flooring KENTA into Goto’s Ushigoroshi. KENTA’s escape & shove to the ref in the corner counter of Goto’s GTR into KENTA’s DDT. KENTA’s ref distracted low blow & shove into the ref. KENTA’s staff whack counter of Goto’s ropes assisted GTR. Goto’s catch counter of KENTA’s G2S into KENTA’s palm strikes counter into Goto’s block & GTR setup into KENTA’s knee strike, Busaiku knee, & G2S finisher counter. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth hard hitting action bout. Finlay vs. Ospreay moments: Ospreay’s brutal looking arm bending wrenching hold to Finlay. Finlay’s vicious looking swift backbreaker to Ospreay. Finlay’s escape & Uranage backbreaker counter of Ospreay’s neckbreaker. Finlay & Ospreay’s slugfest exchange on the top rope into Ospreay’s strike flooring Finlay into Finlay’s leaping strike & superplex. Ospreay’s enziguri counter of Finlay’s strikes on the apron into Ospreay’s leap over the ropes & springboard Oscutter to Finlay on the apron. Finlay’s catch counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter into Ospreay’s swift punch & Oscutter combo. Finlay’s dodge & stunner counter of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade into Finlay’s Acid Drop. Ospreay’s escape & heel kick counter of Finlay’s Trash Panda into Finlay’s swift lariat flooring Ospreay. Finlay’s backslide counter of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade into Finlay’s Trash Panda finisher. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout & surprised that Finlay won.
Final Thoughts – G1 Climax 2022 Night 10 was a very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 11 (Aug. 5)
* Kosei Fujita & David Finlay vs. Jado & Tama Tonga – 3.0
* Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) – 3.0
* TAKA Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., & Lance Archer vs. BUSHI, SANADA, & Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Bullet Club (Gedo, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, KENTA, & Jay White) – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Juice Robinson – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Chase Owens vs. Taichi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Aaron Henare vs. Tetsuya Naito – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. JONAH – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – EVIL vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Jeff Cobb vs. JONAH match.
Worst – The overboard House of Torture style shenanigans & abrupt ending to the EVIL vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Show Notes – Fujita & Finlay vs. Jado & Tonga opener was a good back-and-forth action bout. United Empire vs. Team Filthy Tag was a good hard fought action filled bout. Suzuki-Gun vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. CHAOS vs. BC 10-Man Tag was pretty good. Takahashi vs. Robinson moments: Kevin Kelly explaining Pieter’s seductive dance being her “interpretive dance” tale of how Yujiro will beat Juice & Tom Lawlor’s “Rock Hard” innuendo of Juice’s nickname about her dance on commentary was a bit funny. Ouch at Juice’s arm after his hard landing from Yujiro’s backdrop counter via SHO assist of his piledriver onto the exposed floor. Yuijro’s dodge counter of Juice’s running attack into the exposed corner into Yujiro’s Pendulum DDT. Yuirjo’s ref distracted nut shot & cane whack to Juice into Yujiro’s Big Juice finisher. Match itself was mostly solid despite the ending shenanigans by SHO & Yujiro. Owens vs. Taichi moments: Owens’ Sumo duel fakeout to Taichi into Owens’ sneak attack strikes. Owens & Miho’s back-and-forth banter over Owens’ wanting a smooch, Miho’s angry refusals, & Owens’ beatings to Taichi in response into Taichi’s angry kicks fest to Owens. Owens’ escape & strikes combo counter of Taichi’s Saito suplex into Taichi’s trust kick into Owens’ rebound lariat into Taichi’s pop-up lariat & Saito suplex. Taichi’s dodge counter of Owens’ top rope knee drop into Owens’ block of Taichi’s Yokozuna Elbow into Owens’ pump kick into Taichi’s enziguri flooring both guys. Owens’ sumo strikes & swift kick to Taichi. Owens & Taichi’s moves & counters exchange into Taichi’s Yokozuna Elbow & Black Mephisto finisher. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout. Henare vs. Naito moments: Henare’s inside heel hook hold to Naito. Henare’s elbow strike counter of Naito’s neckbreaker into Naito’s atomic drop & neckbreaker combo. Henare’s dodge & curb stomp counter of Naito’s enziguri. Naito’s dodge, kick, & Tornado DDT counter of Henare’s roundhouse kick. Naito’s ripcord elbow strikes fest flooring Henare into Naito’s top rope rana. Henare’s Berserker Bomb counter of Naito’s Destino. Henare’s loud roundhouse kick & standing senton to Naito. Naito’s moves fest counter of Henare’s Ultima into Henare’s catch & Ultima counter of Naito’s running attack. Naito’s Destino Outta Nowhere counter of Henare’s Streets of Rage into Naito’s Destino finisher. Match itself was a very good hard fought action filled bout. Cobb vs. JONAH moments: Cobb’s flying shoulder tackle off the apron to Cobb on the outside. JONAH’s gate swing whack to Cobb. JONAH’s big boot to Cobb on the apron into JONAH’s running shove to Cobb into the ringside apron. Cobb’s running splash to JONAH onto the ropes into JONAH’s running splash to Cobb onto the ropes into Cobb’s running dodge & lariat counter of JONAH’s attack. JONAH & Cobb’s slugfest exchange into Cobb’s chops & forearms fest to JONAH in the corner. Cobb’s lift & overhead suplex to JOHAN was impressive. JONAH’s spear counter of Cobb’s whip & Tour of the Islands. Cobb’s catch counter of JONAH’s top rope attack into JONAH’s roll over pin attempt counter. JONAH’s superplex to Cobb into JONAH’s Torpedo finisher. Match itself was an awesome hard hitting hoss battle. EVIL vs. Tanahashi moments: EVIL’s block & kick counter of Tanahashi’s Slingblade into EVIL’s leg swings onto the post. Tanahashi’s catch & Dragin Screw counter of EVIL’s kick into Tanahashi’s Dragon Screws fest to EVIL into Tanahashi’s Texas Cloverleaf into Togo’s bell ring shenanigans to break the hold. EVIL’s ref distracted chair toss to Tanahashi’s head. Tanahashi’s Twist & Shout counter of EVIL’s Everything Is Evil. The refs pull away counter of Togo & EVIL’s Magic Killer into Tanahashi’s reverse & Magic Killer to EVIL via ref assist. Tanahashi’s roll-up finisher counter of EVIL’s Everything Is Evil. Match itself was mostly good despite going overboard with the House of Torture style shenanigans & abrupt ending. Post-match failed attack by EVIL resulting in a nut shot by Tanahashi was a bit funny.
Final Thoughts – G1 Climax 2022 Night 11 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 12 (Aug. 6)
* SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens, & EVIL vs. Ryohei Oiwa, David Finlay, Tama Tonga, & Tomohiro Ishii – 3.0
* Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb vs. Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor) – 3.0
* Bad Luck Fale, Juice Robinson, & KENTA vs. BUSHI, SANADA, & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & JONAH) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – El Phantasmo vs. YOSHI-HASHI – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2022 A Block match – Lance Archer vs. Toru Yano – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2022 C Block match – Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2022 B Block match – Great-O-Khan vs. Jay White – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay – 5.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay match.
Worst – NJPW’s Young Lions extra bad luck tonight being around Lance Archer.
Show Notes – 8-Man Tag opener was a really good back-and-forth action bout. Henare & Cobb vs. Team Filthy tag was a good hard hitting bout. Bullet Club vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth bout. TMDK vs. Tanahashi & Okada Tag was a very entertaining action filled bout. El Phantasmo vs. YOSHI-HASHI moments: ELP’s springboard moonsault to YOSHI on the outside into ELP’s toss of YOSHI into the ring into YOSHI’s knees counter of ELP’s springboard Swanton. YOSHI’s low dropkick counter of ELP’s running attack spiking his head hard onto the mat. YOSHI’ stiff chop sending ELP over the ropes into YOSHI’s sunset dive to the outside. YOSHI’s dodge & Dragon suplex counter of ELP’s Sudden Death into ELP’s Sudden Death counter of YOSHI’s lariat. ELP’s UFO & Thunder Kiss 86 combo to YOSHI. YOSHI’s superkick counter of ELP’s running attack into YOSHI’s swift lariat. YOSHI’s spiked Destroyer & Karma finisher combo to ELP. Match itself was a great hard fought action packed bout. Archer vs. Yano moments: Yano chucking a Young Lion in Archer’s way of his apron cannonball dive into Yano taping up Archer & a Young Lion’s arm to the guard rail into Archer KOing the Young Lion to make it easier to drag him through the guard rail to beat the countout. Archer using the KOed Young Lion as a weapon to Yano. Match itself was an entertaining comedic heavy style bout. Sabre Jr. vs. Goto moments: ZSJ’s hanging armbar to Goto onto the ropes. ZSJ’s arm twists & hard arm yank onto the mat to Goto. ZSJ & Goto’s stiff kicks & strikes exchange into Goto’s lariat flooring ZSJ. Goto’s dodge & reverse GTR counter of ZSJ’s strike attack. Goto’s stiff kicks into ZSJ’s catch & Dragon Suplex counter of Goto’s kick. Goto’s catch counter of ZSJ’s kick into ZSJ’s stiff palm strikes fest into Goto’s stiff headbutt. Goto’s escape & Ushigoroshi counter of ZSJ’s Guillotine choke. Goto’s lift shove into the corner & ropes assisted Shoto counter of ZSJ’s running attack. Goto’s swift kick & GTW to ZSJ. ZSJ’s leap up hanging armbar to Goto into Goto’s kicks into ZSJ’s seated armbar finisher. Match itself was a great back-and-forth hard hitting action bout. Great-O-Khan vs. White moments: White’s ropes assisted kneebar cranks to Khan. Khan’s judo throw counter of White’s two sweet chop. White’s stiff chop to Khan into White’s Flatliner counter of Khan’s running attack into White’s deadlift German suplex & Uranage. Khan’s block & belly-to-belly suplex counter of White’s sleeper suplex. White’s catch, kneebreaker, Dragon Screw, & TTO hold combo counter of Khan’s kick. White’s stiff chops to Khan into Khan’s Mongolian Chop flooring White. Khan’s claw & Sheep Killer counter of White’s Bladerunner. White’s kicks counter of Khan’s claw into Khan’s swift punch flooring White. White’s Bladerunner finisher counter of Khan’s claw. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. Takagi vs. Ospreay moments: Ospreay’s kick counter of Takagi’s back drop into Takagi’s back drop counter of Ospreay running attack into Takagi’s lariat to Ospreay over the ropes. Ospreay’s block counter of Takagi’s suplex into Takagi’s Twist & Shout. Ospreay’s Slumdog Millionaire counter of Takagi’s suplex. Ospreay & Takagi’s frantic moves & counters exchange into Ospreay’s bicycle kick was cool. Takagi & Ospreay’s duel on the top rope into Ospreay’s Avalanche Spanish Fly. Ospreay & Takagi’s forearms exchange into Takagi’s cutter & pop-up DVD counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s escape & Made in Japan counter of Takagi’s Stormbreaker into Ospreay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s stiff chops & kicks to Takagi into Takagi’s Poison Rana into Ospreay’s Hidden Blade. Ospreay’s heel hook kick & swift roundhouse kick to Takagi. Takagi’s backslide counter of Ospreay’s top rope attack into Ospreay’s standing Spanish Fly counter of Takagi’s running attack. Takagi’s lariat, Dragon Suplex, & Pumping Bomber combo to Ospreay. Takagi’s diving lariat & Last of the Dragon finisher to Ospreay. Match itself was a magnificent action packed battle & match of the G1 tournament so far.
Final Thoughts – G1 Climax 2022 Night 12 show was great overall.

JCP Ric Flair’s Last Match (July 31)
* Pre-show: Yuya Uemura vs. Ren Narita – 3.0
* Pre-show: Bunkhouse Battle Royal – 2.5
* Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) defeated The Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) – 3.5
* Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Killer Kross – 2.5
* #1 Contender for PROGRESS World Championsip Four Corners match – Konosuke Takeshita vs. Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne vs. Jonathan Gresham – 3.5
* Kerry & Ricky Morton vs. Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr. – 3.0
* Four-way Lucha Scramble match – Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix – 4.0
* Impact World Championship – Jacob Fatu vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 3.0
* The Von Erichs (Marshall & Ross von Erich) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) – 3.0
* Impact Knockouts World Championship Triple Threat match – Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering vs. Jordynne Grace (c) – 3.0
* Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett vs. Andrade El Idolo & Ric Flair – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Four-way Lucha Scramble match.
Worst – The No Contest shenanigans ending to the Impact World Championship match.
Show Notes – Uemura vs. Narita pre-show was a quite good back-and-forth bout. Bunkhouse Battle Royal pre-show match was mostly solid despite the flat ending. MCMG vs. The Wolves Tag moments: Shelley’s discus forearm to Richards into Richards’ catch & Ankle Lock counter of Shelley’s enziguri. Shelley’s dodge counter of Richards’ top rope attack into Shelley’s DDT & Flatliner combo to the Wolves. Sabin’s Tornado DDT to Richards via kick to Edwards assist. Sabin’s kicks counter of Wolves running attack in the corner into Edwards’ kick & Backpack Stunner counter of Sabin’s top rope attack. Edwards’ waistlock to Shelley into Sabin’s yank away & cutter to Edwards. MCGM’s Skull & Crossbones finisher to Edwards. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action filled bout. Smith Jr. vs. Kross was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the abrupt ending. Four Corners match moments: Wayne’s bicycle kick, Dragon Suplex, & Code Red combo to Angels. Wayne’s leap over escape counter of Takeshita’s German suplex into Takeshita’s dodge & Blue Thunder Bomb counter of Wayne’s kick. Angels & Wayne’s stereo moonsaults to Takeshita & Gresham. Gresham’s dodge counter of Takeshita’s running attack in the corner into Gresham’s wheelbarrow roll to Wayne & leaping cutter to Takeshita into Gresham’s springboard moonsault to Wayne & dive to Angels on the outside. Match itself was a very good mostly fast paced action filled bout. The Mortons vs. Anderson & Pillman Jr. Tag was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. 4-Way Lucha Scramble match moments: Fenix’s stiff chops to Kid into Kid’s dodge & spinning spiked Tornado DDT counter of Fenix’s strike. Taurus’ flip over lung blower counter of Kid’s Tombstone piledriver. Taurus’ stiff discus lariat to Fenix, stiff chop to Kid, & powerslam counter of Bandido’s springboard attack. Taurus’ Avalanche Press Slam to Kid into Fenix & Bandido’s double team superkick to Taurus. Kid’s Crucifix Bomb to Taurus sending him out of the ring into Bandido’s scary looking dive through the ropes into Taurus’ catch counter into Bandido’s Code Red counter into Fenix’s plancha to Bandido on the outside. Bandido’s top rope Fallaway Slam to Kid onto Fenix & Taurus on the outside was crazy. Fenix’s impressive looking sit-out Fear Factor finisher to Taurus. Match itself was an amazing frantic action packed bout. Impact World title match moments: Fatu’s handspring moonsault to Alexander. Alexander’s shoulder tackle & Northern Lights suplex to Fatu off the ropes. Fatu’s split legged moonsault to Alexander. Alexander’s clothesline & powerbomb backbreaker to Fatu. Fatu’s tope con hiro to Alexander on the outside. Fatu’s moonsault splatting Alexander. Match itself was going on really well until the lame no contest shenanigans ending by the Major Players & Mark Sterling. Post-match brawl with DDP was splendid. Von Erichs vs. Briscoes was a good back-and-forth action bout. Impact Knockouts title match was a good bout despite Ellering suffering an ankle injury early into it. Lethal & Jarrett vs. El Idolo & Flair moments: Lethal’s chop to Flair into Flair’s chop flooring Lethal in return. Flair’s chops & punches fest to Jarrett into Flair’s ref distracted low blow counter of Lethal’s grab attempt into Andrade’s lariat to Lethal over the ropes. Flair’s chop & Figure Four counter of Lethal’s Flying Nothing. Jarrett’s boinking Flair’s head with Karen Jarrett’s shoe busting him open. Lethal’s punches to Flair in front of his family into Flair heart attack fakeout & eye poke counter. Jarrett’s Figure Four to Flair into Andrade’s top rope splash outta nowhere to break up the hold. Andrade’s swift lariat flooring Jarrett, snap suplex to Lethal, & front suplex to Jarrett on top of Lethal. Andrade’s dodges of Lethal’s superkicks nailing Jarrett & the ref into Andrade’s Poison Rana. Andrade’s yank away counter of Jarrett’s guitar shot to Flair nailing Lethal into Andrade’s superkick to Jarrett. Flair’s brass knuckles shot & Figure Four pin finisher to Jarrett. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout.
Final Thoughts – Ric Flair’s Last Match was an enjoyable show overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Aug. 4)
* Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rosemary – 3.0
* Impact Digital Media Championship – Black Taurus vs. Brian Myers (c) – 3.0
Gisele Shaw vs. Masha Slamovich – 2.5
* Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) – 3.0
* Raj Singh vs. Sami Callihan – 2.0 (Squash)
* Derby City Street Fight – PCO vs. Doc Gallows – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Derby City Street Fight.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rosemary match & Decay’s somewhat corny backstage segment.
Show Notes – Purrazzo vs. Rosemary opener moments: Purrazzo’s Fujiwara Armbar counter of Rosemary’s spear. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout despite the ringside ending shenanigans by Jessicka. Honor No More backstage segment about their upcoming match, needing to be united and trust each other, Edwards’ issues with PCO, Vincent vouching for PCO, & Edwards’ retort was all right. Impact Digital Media title moments: Taurus’ shoulder tackle, lariat, & lariat to Myers over the ropes into Taurus’ dive to Myers on the outside. Taurus’ 619 & top rope missle dropkick combo to Myers. Taurus’ spear counter of Myers’ Roster Cut. Myers’ eye poke & roll-up finisher counter of Taurus’ powerbomb. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Post-match brawl by Decay & Gujjar to Myers was decent. Shaw vs. Slamovich moments: Shaw’s running knee strike to Slamovich. Slamovich’s dodge & deadlift German suplex counter of Shaw’s running attack into Slamovich’s stiff strike & Snow Plow finisher. Match itself was a solid bout. VBD vs. MCMG Tag moments: MCMG’s double team superkick to Doering into Doering’s double clothesline to MCMG. Shelley’s Guillotine drop to Deaner on the ropes into Deaner’s knees counter of Shelley’s slingshot splash. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match attack by VBD and run-in save brawl by KUSHIDA was all right. MCMG & KUSHIDA’s backstage promo about demanding a tag match with VBD at Emergence, Alexander’s interruption wanting Shelley to be focus on their Impact title match, & Edwards’ interruption trying to persuade Alexander to join his group was all right. Singh vs. Callihan was a decent mostly squash bout. Callihan’s post-match promo calling out Moose and Maclin & brawl was all right. Killer Kelly vignette about her actions last week was all right. Derby City Street Fight moments: PCO’s suplex to Gallows onto the ramp. Gallows’ big boot to PCO on the apron onto a prone chairs on the outside. PCO & Gallows chair tosses to each other into Gallows’ chair whack. Ouch at PCO’s back after Gallows’ toss off the tope rope onto a pile of prone chairs. PCO’s chokeslam to Gallows through a table on the outside. PCO’s trash can whacks to Gallows’ head. Gallows’ chain wrap punch & Gas Mask slam to PCO onto the exposed ring boards. PCO’s drum kit shot flooring Gallows. Gallows’ strike & chokeslam through the ring boards counter of PCO’s top tope senton. PCO’s slugfest, lariat, & reverse DDT to Gallows onto the exposed ring board. PCO’s top rope elbow drop with a thumb tacks loaded glove finisher to Gallows was crazy. Match itself was a very entertaining & brutal hardcore style bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – G1 Climax 2022 D Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 12)
• Best match of the week runner-up – ROH World Championship – Konosuke Takeshita vs. Claudio Castagnoli (c) (AEW Battle of the Belts III)
• Worst match of the week – Mandy Rose vs. Sarray (WWE NXT)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – #1 Contender’s for SmackDown Women’s Championship – Sonya Deville vs. Aliyah vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi vs. Xia Li vs. Natayla vs. Shayna Baszler (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Best show of the week – NJPW G1 Climax 2022 Night 12
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT