Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for September 25 to October 1, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of September 25th to October 1st, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Sept. 26)
* Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY – 3.0
* Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio – 3.0
* Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) vs. Johnny Gargano & Kevin Owens – 3.5
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Omos vs. Joey Gibson and Greg Lester – 1.5 (Squash)
* Nikki A.S.H. vs. Candice LeRae – 2.0 (Squash)
* Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles – 3.5
* Damian Priest vs. Matt Riddle – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Candice LeRae’s surprise return, Alpha Academy vs. Johnny Gargano & Kevin Owens match, and the Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles match.
Worst – Bianca Belair & Pals and Damage CTRL’s opening promo segment and the flat or shenanigans endings to most of the matches on the show.
Show Notes – Belair & Pals opening promo about Belair’s issues with Bayley, Damage CTRL’s interruption about Bayley claiming Belair’s success is only due to WWE handpicking her to be a big star unlike herself who had to work hard to achieve success, bickering banter, & ladder match setup was somewhat decent at best. Belair vs. SKY was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the anti-climatic ending. Miz’s backstage pep talk to his “Miz Force” security guys offering money and gifts if they successfully protect him & hunt down Lumis was a bit funny. Rollins vs. Mysterio was going on really well until the ending ringside shenanigans by Judgement Day. AA vs. Gargano & Owens moments: Owens & Gable’s counters exchange into Owens’ Sharpshooter. Gargano’s kick and turnbuckle lawn dart & Owens’ Swanton combo to Gable. Gable’s dodge & high angle German suplex counter of Owens’ pop-up powerbomb. AA’s Electric Chair style bulldog to Gargano. Owens’ elbow drop off the guard rail to Otis through the announcer’s table. Gable’s swift punch & Cliffhanger DDT to Gargano via Theory’s leg grab assist. Gargano’s apron PK to Theory & spiked One Final Beat finisher to Gable. Match itself was a very good action filled bout. Theory & Alpha Academy backstage segment bickering over their Gargano & Strowman issues, Strowman’s interruption phone call threatening to destroy Gable, & Gable’s depressed reaction while Theory & Otis talked about their revenge plan on Gargano was a bit funny. Otis vs. jobbers team was the usual stale Omos style jobber destruction bout. Miz’s backstage upset reaction over his Miz Force being laid out and shocked revelation Lumis is nearby & Lumis revealing he was the disguised mannequin Oilers player and attack was a bit funny. LeRae’s surprise return was cool while her match against Nikki ASH was a decent mostly squash style brief bout. Zayn vs. Styles moments: Zayn’s split-legged moonsault to Styles on the outside. Style’s catch, & Rack Bomb counter of Zayn’s kick. Styles’ suplex neckbreaker counter of Zayn’s suplex. Zayn’s swift punch & Blue Thunder Bomb to Styles via Sikoa distraction assist. Zayn’s modified Orange Crush to Styles. Zayn’s block & Exploder into the corner counter of Styles’ Styles Clash. Sikoa’s ref distracted leg yank & Uranage to Styles on the outside into Zayn’s Helluva Kick finisher. Match itself was a very good action filled bout despite the ending shenanigans. Post-match promo by Balor mocking Styles for losing his match, Styles’ middle finger rejection of Balor’s new offer to join his group, & J.D.’s beatdown attack was all right. LeRae, Belair & Pals, & Damage CTRL backstage segment about LeRae hoping Belair will shut up Bayley at Extreme Rules & bickering banter with Damage CTRL was decent at best. Priest vs. Riddle moments: Priest’s slam to Riddle onto the barricade. Ouch at Riddle’s back after his hard landing from his Floating Bro to Priest on the outside. Priest & Riddle’s counters exchange into Riddle’s roll-up finisher. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout despite the abrupt ending & dragging long. Post-match attack by JD & run-in save brawl with Edge was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

WWE NXT (Sept. 27)
* Fallon Henley vs. Mandy Rose – 2.5
* NXT North American Championship Ladder match Qualifier – Wes Lee vs. Tony D’Angelo – 2.0
* Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca – 1.5
* Joe Gacy vs. Cameron Grimes – 2.0
* Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayden Carter – 2.5
* Xyon Quen vs. Ilja Dragunov – 3.0
* Brutus Creed vs. Damon Kemp – 2.5
* Pub Rules match – Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Bron Breakker’s “Steiner Math” reference during the show opening promo segment and Pretty Deadly’s “Day in the Life” video segment.
Worst – Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca match being somewhat sloppy and a poor debut showcase match for Ruca.
Show Notes – Dragunov’s opening promo about his NXT return and NXT title gold plans, McDonagh’s interruption bashing Ilja and threatening to end his career, & Breakker’s triple threat NXT title match setup interruption was decent but Breakker’s Steiner Math reference was splendid. Schism’s promo video about Grimes rejecting Gacy’s offer to join his group & threat of beatings as a consequence was decent. Henley vs. Rose was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the abrupt ending. Rose’s out of breath post-match promo bashing Alba Fyre & Frye’s fire setting message interruption was decent at best. Apollo Crews’ video promo about his issues with Grayson Waller trying to blind him, his bloody eye power costing Waller’s match last week, & unfinished business between the two was all right. Dragunov & Quen backstage segment about Quen mocking Dragunov and claiming if he got the same chance to carry the ball he wouldn’t have failed & Dragunov’s insults retort was all right. Lee vs. D’Angelo moments: Lee’s match ending drop toe hold into the turnbuckle counter of D’Angelo’s running attack. Match itself was mostly solid despite dragging at times & real injury stoppage. Pretty Deadly’s “Day in the Life” metrosexual-esque vignette about their daily exercise, breakfast, fashion, and hours long appreciation of each other routine was splendid. Miller vs. Ruca was a somewhat solid at best bout despite being sloppy at times and a rough NXT debut showcase for Ruca. Gacy vs. Grimes was a somewhat dull match topped with shenanigans ending by the Dyad. Waller’s backstage interview about him freaking out over Crews’ special vision powers & upcoming match next week was all right. Lyons vs. Carter was a mostly solid back-and-forth bout. Chase U’s student rally segment about Chase’s win over Hayes, NA title ladder match qualifier against Von Wagner, & fouled mouth response to a reporter Dave’s question was a bit funny. Frazer’s promo video about his upcoming final match against Axiom being a chance to qualify for the NA title ladder match was all right. Quen vs. Dragunov was a pretty good hard hitting bout. Creed vs. Kemp was a mostly solid bout despite the lame DQ chair attack ending by Kemp. Lyons, Stark, & Toxic Attraction backstage segment bickering over who gets next NXT Women’s Tag titles shot & Fyre setting fire to the ground was a bit corny. Pub Rules match moments: Briggs chucking a trash can to Coffey’s head. Briggs & Jensen chair whacks counter of Gallus’ trash can lids attack. Coffey’s backslide & Wolfgang’s chair assisted knee drop to Jensen. Wolfgang’s catapult & Coffey’s swift punch combo to Briggs into Gallus’ belt whacks into Briggs & Jensen’s belt whacks in return. Briggs & Jensen’s beer glasses smashes to Gallus. Briggs’ big boot to Joe Coffey through a table on the outside into Briggs & Jensen double team hip toss to Wolfgang through a table in the corner & Total Elimination finisher to Mark. Match itself was a pretty good hardcore style bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly average overall despite being dull at times.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Sept. 30)
* Sami Zayn & Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet & Madcap Moss – 3.0
* Drew McIntyre vs. Austin Theory – 2.0
* Los Lotharios (Angel & Humberto) vs. Hit Row (Ashante “Thee” Adonis & Top Dolla) – 2.0
* Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey – 2.5
* Bayley vs. Shozti – 2.5
* Austin Theory & Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) vs. Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano, & Drew McIntyre – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Max Dupri teasing the return of LA Knight & the Austin Theory & Alpha Academy vs. Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano, & Drew McIntyre match.
Worst – The lame DQ ending shenanigans to the Drew McIntyre vs. Austin Theory match & the somewhat rough post-match brawl between Liv Morgan & Ronda Rousey.
Show Notes – Zayn & Sikoa vs. Ricochet & Moss opener moments: Zayn’s entrance tron now saying “Honorary Uce” is cool. Moss tossing Zayn & Sikoa out of the ring into Ricochet’s running splash via Moss’ lift assist to Zayn & Sikoa on the outside. Zayn’s roll-up & Blue Thunder Bomb to Moss via Sikoa’s distraction assist. Moss’ roll-over catch & Jackhammer counter of Zayn’s top rope crossbody. Sikoa’s ref distracted chair toss counter of Ricochet’s dive to the outside. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans. Post-match Sikoa’s destruction of Moss was all right. Bloodline backstage segment about Jey Uso letting Sikoa in the Bloodline’s room but denying Zayn, Zayn reminding Jey that he’s an official member of the group now, Jey’s threat about not being fooled by Zayn’s antics, & Zayn telling Jey to take up his issues with Reigns was quite good. Karrion Kross & Scarlett back alley promo about his reasons for taking down McIntyre, upcoming strap match, & WWE Universal title goal was decent. Theory’s backstage interview bashing Wales and Winnipeg and badmouthing McIntyre & McIntyre’s surprise match setup angry interruption was all right & a bit funny. McIntyre vs. Theory was going on decently until the lame DQ ending by Alpha Academy. Post-match attack by Theory and Alpha Academy & run-in save brawl by Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens was all right. Maximum Male Models backstage segment about Mansoor & Mace promising to break the world record for longest pose, Max Dupri’s disappointed reaction, & Hit Row’s interruption insult was corny. Los Lotharios vs. Hit Row was a somewhat decent match at best. Natalya vs. Rousey was a solid back-and-forth bout. Post-match brawl between Rousey & Liv Morgan was somewhat decent at best & a bit rough. Imperium’s promo segment bashing and promising to destroy the Brawling Brutes & Sheamus’ brawl interruption, Imperium’s beatdown response, & Sheamus making fun of Imperium’s weak effort was all right. Bayley vs. Shotzi moments: Shotzi getting her mini-tank back for her entrance was cool. Bayley vs. Shotzi was a solid bout. Post-match attack by Bayley & run-in save brawl with Bianca Belair was decent. MMM backstage segment about Max Dupri putting an end to Mansoor & Mace’s attempt to break the world record for longest pose & leaving the group was interesting. 6-Man Tag moments: Gargano tossing Theory & Gable & McIntyre sending Otis to the outside into Owens’ cannonball dive off the apron onto Theory & Gable. Gable’s German suplex to Owens bending him in half. Otis’ catch counter of Gargano’s slingshot splash into Owens’ superkick counter into Owens & Gargano’s superkicks fest to Otis. Gargano’s Tornado DDT to Otis off the apron, Owens’ Stunner to Gable on the announcer’s table, & McIntyre’s Claymore finisher to Theory. Match itself was a good action filled bout despite the abrupt ending.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Sept. 26)
* Mixed Tag Team match – Skye Blue & Capt. Shawn Dean vs. Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford – 3.0
* Serpentico vs. Ortiz – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Mixed Tag Team match and Eddie Kingston’s passionate speech about his mental health issues and wanting to help others overcome their own struggles.
Worst – N/A
Show Notes – Mixed Tag match opener moments: Sabian’s backdrop counter over the ropes counter of Dean’s running attack into Sabian’s swift kick flooring Dean off the apron. Ford’s cartwheel back elbow strike and face wash kick & Sabian’s cannonball to Dean in the corner. Dean’s catch & float-over spiked DDT counter of Sabian’s strike. Blue’s kicks & swinging neckbreaker combo to Ford. Blue’s running leaping knee strike to Ford on the ropes into Sabian’s shove away to Ford into Blue’s Canadian Destroyer to Sabian. Ford’s matrix dodge & cutter counter of Blue’s running attack. Dean & Sabian’s slugfest into Sabian’s fingers trick & headbutt into Dean’s Sky High. Sabian’s knees & Anarchist Suplex finisher counter of Dean’s Frog Splash. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. Powerhouse Hobbs’ heartfelt backstage promo opening up about dealing with trauma throughout his life, mental health struggles, and tell his kids its okay for men to cry, & wanting to help others overcome their own struggles was touching. Serpentico vs. Ortiz moments: Ortiz’s ripcord clothesline to Serpentico. Luther’s ref distracted swift kick & snap suplex to Ortiz on the outside. Ortiz’s clotheslines & powerslam combo to Serpentico. Serpentico’s headscissors, leaping Flatliner, & Swanton combo to Ortiz. Ortiz’s block & Fisherman Buster finisher counter of Serpentico’s suplex. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Eddie Kingston’s inspirational backstage promo about mental health being a hereditary issue in his family, his father breaking the cycle in order to not lose his son and another loves one to suicide, wanting to drop the stigma with mental health issues, getting the help he needed to overcome his issues while wanting to help others overcome their own issues, and telling people they are never alone in their struggles and suicide does not have to be the only option was excellent.
Final Thoughts – This week’s extra short show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (Sept. 27)
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Jay Malachi – 3.0
* Leila Gray vs. Tiara James – 2.5
* Jeeves Kay vs. Gus De La Vega – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jora Johl vs. Blake Li – 2.0 (Squash)
* Anna Jay A.S vs. Kelly Madan – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ryan Nemeth vs. Arjun Singh – 2.5
* Leon Ruffin vs. Bshp King – 2.5
* Angelico vs. Caleb Konley – 2.5
* Renegade Twins (Charlette & Robyn Renegade) vs. Mila Moore & Mylo – 1.5 (Squash)
* Nick Comoroto vs. Shaheem Ali – 2.5
* Anthony Henry vs. Dante Martin – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Anthony Henry vs. Dante Martin match.
Worst – Renegade Twins vs. Mila Moore & Mylo mostly nothing squash match.
Show Notes – Del Sol vs. Malachi opener moments: Malachi’s feet landing counter of Fuego’s Monkey Flip from the corner into Malachi’s ropes assisted slingshot rana & dropkick combo. Malachi’s block counter of Fuego’s O’Connor Roll into Fuego’s Fisherman Suplex. Fuego’s kicks fest, running uppercut, & spear to Malachi in the corner into Malachi’s backdrop over the ropes onto the apron counter of Fuego’s running attack into Fuego’s dodge, kick, & ropes assisted Dragon Sleeper counter of Malachi’s attack. Fuego’s top rope double foot stomp, Tornado DDT, & Muta Lock finisher combo to Malachi. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Gray vs. James was a solid back-and-forth brief bout. Kay vs. De La Vega was a decent mostly squash style brief bout. Aubry Edwards’ backstage promo about her history with bipolar disorder, depression struggles, & wanting others to be okay with asking for help with their own mental health issues was touching. Johl vs. Li moments: Johl’s dodge & brutal looking pump kick finisher counter of Li’s Flying Nothing. Match itself was a decent mostly squash bout. Jay vs. Madan was also a decent mostly squash bout. Nemeth vs. Singh was a solid back-and-forth bout. Ruffin vs. King moments: Ruffin’s flip over, springboard cutter, & Crucifix Bomb finisher combo counter of King’s back suplex. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth brief bout & Ruffin getting his first ever AEW win is interesting. Angelico vs. Konley moments: Angelico’s modified Argentine Backbreaker finisher to Konley. Match itself was a solid competitive bout. Renegade Twins vs. Moore & Mylo Tag was a mostly nothing special brief squash bout. Comoroto vs. Ali moments: Comoroto’s catch, smash into the ringside apron, & backdrop driver onto the apron counter of Ali’s slingshot splash on the outside. Match itself was a decent hoss battle despite the flat ending. Henry vs. Martin moments: Henry’s catch & overhead slam onto the apron counter of Martin’s slingshot dive. Henry’s neck crank twist to Martin on the apron. Martin’s forearm strikes escape counter of Henry’s double wristlock into Henry’s swift forearm flooring Martin. Martin’s dodge counter of Henry’s baseball slide into Martin’s springboard twisting splash on the outside. Henry’s lariat & Fisherman brainbuster counter of Martin’s running attack. Martin’s swift punch counter of Henry’s running attack into Martin’s Nosedive finisher. Match itself was a really good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match ambush attack by JD Drake & run-in save by Matt Sydal was all right. Martin & Sydal’s post-match interview about their issues with the Workhorsemen & tag match challenge was decent.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dynamite (Sept. 28)
* Matt Menard vs. Bryan Danielson – 3.0
* AEW World Championship Eliminator match – Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley – 3.0
* AEW Interim Women’s World Championship Lumberjack match – Serena Deeb vs. Toni Storm (c) – 3.0
* Ricky Starks vs. Eli Isom – 2.0 (Squash)
* ROH World Championship – Bandido vs. Chris Jericho (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – ROH World Championship match.
Worst – The Saraya & Britt Baker awkward & dragged out promo segment.
Show Notes – JAS opening pizza party celebration segment with Luigi Primo about JAS mocking Philly pizza, Anna Jay threatening to choke out the crowd, Jericho bragging about being the best ever ROH Champ, Garcia rejecting Jericho’s goofy bucket hat gift and KO punch to Primo, Garcia’s speech teasing he wants out of JAS, Jericho’s interruption threat to Garcia, Danielson’s interruption offering Garcia a spot in BCC, heated banter, & matches setup of Garcia & Danielson vs. JAS and Danielson vs. Menard was both a bit goofy but also entertaining. Menard vs. Danielson moments: AEW production botch of Danielson’s theme before the bout & Regal going crazy and horny reactions afterwards on commentary was hilarious. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Moxley vs. Robinson match hype video was pretty good. Yuta & MJF’s promo segment bashing each other and MJF denying the crowd his catchphrase leaving Gunn Club to do it was all right despite Yuta’s rough promo delivery. Robinson vs. Moxley was a good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. Post-match Moxley & Hangman Page staredown confrontation, MJF’s interruption promo mocking both guys and boasting he will win the AEW title, & Yuta’s surprise ambush attack to MJF was splendid. Bandido hype vignette was all right. Saraya’s promo about wanting to bring change and be the revolution to AEW’s Women’s division, calling out AEW’s women’s division for praises, Baker & Pals interruption about Baker mocking Saraya’s neck issue and her ring name, insults-filled banter, & Saraya’s dig at Vince McMahon was mostly awkward & dragging a bit too long. AEW Interim Women’s title match was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite dragging at times. Acclaimed & Billy Gunn backstage interview about their AEW title win, National Scissoring Day celebrations next week, and open challenge offer & Lee’s interruption sarcastically congratulating Acclaimed was all right. AFO backstage segment about Andrade being very upset with Private Party & Matt Hardy persuading them to bolt from the AFO and reunite with him was all right. Starks vs. Isom was a decent brief jobber destruction bout. Jungle Boy vs. Cage & Luchasaurus feud video package was splendid. ROH World title match moments: Bandido’s catch & one handed military press slam counter of Jericho’s running attack. Bandido’s thrust kick counter of Jericho’s Flying Nothing into Bandido’s very lengthy delay suplex. Bandido & Jericho’s punches exchange on the top rope into Bandido’s front slam into Jericho’s Codebreaker counter of Bandido’s Flying Nothing. Bandido’s rana to Jericho off the apron onto the outside busting open Bandido’s nose. Bandido’s top rope sunset bomb to Jericho. Jericho’s catch & Walls counter of Bandido’s X Knee. Bandido’s top rope moonsault style Fallaway Slam to Jericho was awesome. Jericho’s Liontamer finisher to Bandido. Match itself was a great hard fought action filled bout. Jericho’s Post-match promo about Jericho wanting to destroy everything about ROH, match offer to Danielson, & attack on ROH ring announcer was splendid.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall considering the circumstances with Hurricane Ian affecting AEW & being more storyline heavy than usual as a result.

AEW Rampage (Sept. 30)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship Triple Threat match – Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) (c) – 3.0
* Lee Moriarty vs. Fuego Del Sol – 2.0 (Squash)
* Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter – 3.0
* RUSH vs. John Silver – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – HOOK’s New Jack style beatdown of Ryan Nemeth segment and the RUSH vs. John Silver match.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter match.
Show Notes – AEW Tag title match moments: Caster’s pre-match rap diss mocking Adam Levine, Private Party, and Matt Hardy, & Ben Simmons dig was superb. Bowens’ top rope leg drop to Quen’s yambag via Caster’s legs spread hold assist. Quen’s moonsault to Butcher & pop-up shotgun dropkick to Blade. PP’s double team neckbreaker & Swanton to Blade. Butcher’s toss of Kassidy to Blade into Blade’s gutbuster & sitdown powerbomb. Kassidy’s slingshot crossbody to Butcher & Blade on the outside into Caster’s top rope splash to Butcher, Blade, & Kassidy into Acclaimed’s Arrival & Mic Drop finisher combo to Quen. Match itself was an entertaining action filled bout. The Firm’s backstage interview about Gunn Club mocking FTR and all of their non-AEW tag titles, AEW Tag titles goal, & mocking FTR’s “Top Guys” catchphrase was all right. Jade Cargill backstage interview bashing AEW’s Women’s locker room, Vickie Guerrero & Pals interruption, insults banter with Nyla Rose, & match setup was decent. Moriarty vs. Del Sol was a decent mostly squash style bout. Post-match W. Morrissey’s brutal looking chokeslam to Fuego was cool. Hangman Page & Dark Oder’s backstage interview about Page’s upcoming match against Moxley & interruptions by Jose the Assistant and Andrade trying to sow discontent in the group was all right but Andrade and 10’s mask vs. AEW career match stip setup was very interesting. Nightingale vs. Hayter moments: Nightingale’s cartwheel counter of Hayter’s whip into Hayter’s big boot flooring Nightingale. Hayter’s chokebreaker to Nightingale. Nightingale’s pounce to Hayter yeeting her out of the ring. Baker’s ref distracted leg grab counter of Nightingale’s moonsault into Hayter’s deadlift German suplex & ripcord lariat finisher to Nightingale. Match itself was a quite good back-and-forth action bout despite the ending shenanigans by Baker. WarJoe hype vignette was splendid. Ryan Nemeth’s promo bashing Philly icons and ECW & HOOK’s interruption beatdown while his music played throughout it New Jack style was cool. Trustbusters’ envelope offer to join their group & HOOK taking the envelope was interesting. Swerve Strickland vignette about his issues with Billy Gunn costing him the Tag titles was all right. Moxley vs. Page AEW title match hype video was all right. Silver & RUSH’s pre-match split-screen backstage interview about Dark Order’s issues with AFO trying to poach 10 from them & insults banter was fine. RUSH vs. Silver moments: RUSH & Silver’s slugfest at the timekeeper’s table into RUSH’s trash can toss to Silver. Silver & RUSH’s running lariats & splashes exchange into Silver’s deadlift German suplex. RUSH shrugging off Silver’s stiff chops into RUSH’s stiff forearm flooring Silver. Silver’s kicks fest & short arm brainbuster to RUSH. RUSH’s running forearm strike & Bulls Horn finisher to Silver via Andrade’s distraction assist. Match itself was a quite good hard hitting action bout. Post-match brawl with AFO, Dark Order, & Hangman Page was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

NJPW Burning Spirit 2022 (Sept. 25)
* Hikuleo, KENTA, & El Phantasmo vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, & Shingo Takagi – 3.0
* Doc Gallows vs. Toru Yano – 1.0
* Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale) vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) – 3.0
* Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. SANADA & Tetsuya Naito – 3.0
* TMDK (Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste, JONAH) vs. Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Kazuchika Okada – 3.5
* Jado & Tama Tonga vs. Taiji Ishimori & Jay White – 3.0
* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – Team Six of Nine (Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi) vs. United Empire (Francisco Akira & TJP) (c) – 3.0
* NEVER Openweight Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Karl Anderson (c) – 3.0
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay (c) – 4.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match.
Worst – Doc Gallows vs. Toru Yano match.
Show Notes – Bullet Club vs. LIJ 6-Man Tag opener moments: Takagi’s ref distracted nut shot & Ground Cobra roll-up finisher to ELP. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans. Post-match Takagi’s bent knee smacks to ELP’s butt for trying to cheat & calling him a baby was a bit funny. Gallows vs. Yano was giant dud topped with a lame double countout ending. Bullet Club vs. United Empire Tag was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Dangerous Tekkers vs. LIJ Tag was a good back-and-forth bout. Post-match SANADA & Taichi’s mask exchange was cool while Naito & ZSJ’s ear grabs angry argument with the ref putting a stop to it and both guys yanking the ref ears in response was a bit funny. TMDK vs. Honma, Makabe, & Okada 6-Man Tag moments: Tito’s chops & lariats in the corner to Makabi into Tito’s T-Bone suplex. Honma, Makabi, & Okada’s running attacks to JONAH in the corner into Honma’s missile Kokeshi, Okada’s bodyslam, & Honma’s Kokeshi. JONAH’s catch & brutal looking Uranage counter of Okada’s Rainmaker. JONAH’s swift lariat & Torpedo finisher counter of Honma’s running attack. Match itself was a very entertaining hard hitting action bout. Jado & Tonga vs. Ishimori & White was a quite good back-and-forth action filled bout. IWGP Jr. Tag titles match moments: Taguchi’s “butt wash” butt style strikes to TJP in the corner. Akira’s rope walk Coast-to-Coast to Taguchi in the corner via TJP’s wrist hold assist into TJP’s foot wash strikes to Taguchi. Wato’s dodge counter of Akira superkick to TJP into Wato’s leaping neckbreaker to Akira. Wato’s leaping Flatliner counter of Akira’s wheelbarrow attack via TJP assist. TJP’s punch counter of Wato’s top rope Recemente to Akira into TJP’s Electric Chair hold & Akira’s springboard rana to Wato off the top rope. Wato’s step-up superlex to Akira via TJP assist into Taguchi’s Ankle Lock & Dodon’s Throne to Akira. TJP’s spiked running Spanish Fly counter to Wato of Team 6 or 9’s Number Nine to Akira into Akira’s flip over to TJP counter of Taugchi’s Dragon style hold into UE’s reverse DDT & double foot stomp combo into UE’s Leaning Tower finisher to Taguchi. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. NEVER Openweight title match moments: Tanahashi’s strikes & kicks to Good Bros into Anderson’s Gun Stun to Tanahashi onto the ropes via Gallows distraction assist. Gallows’ ref distracted chokeslam to Tanahashi on the apron. Tanahashi’s Dragon Screw to Gallows onto the ropes into Anderson’s spinebuster counter of Tanahashi’s Slingblade. Tanahashi’s block, ground Dragon Screws, & Texas Cloverleaf combo counter of Anderson’s Gun Stun. Anderson’s knees counter of Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow via Gallows’ distraction assist. Anderson & Tanahashi’s counters exchange into Anderson’s Gun Stun finisher. Match itself was mostly good despite the flat finish & ending shenanigans. Post-match attack by Gallows & White, run-in save brawl by Tonga, & face turn by Hikuelo shoving White into Tonga’s Gun Stun and hug with Tonga afterwards was splendid. IWGP US title match moments: Ospreay’s leap over the guard rail counter of Finlay’s whip on the outside into Ospreay chucking a table at Finlay. Finlay’s spear into the guard rail counter of Ospreay’s table attack. Finlay’s Blue Thunder Bomb to Ospreay. Ospreay’s block counter of Finlay’s superplex into Ospreay & Finlay’s strikes exchange on the apron into Ospreay’s apron powerbomb & Sky Twister to Finlay. Finlay’s shillelagh whack counter of Ospreay’s attack on the outside into Finlay’s smashes to Ospreay’s hand. Ospreay’s enzijuri’s fest to Finlay. Finlay’s German suplex to Ospreay off the apron. Finlay’s standing Shiranui to Ospreay onto a table that didn’t break. Finlay’s spear & Acid Drop combo to Ospreay. Finlay & Ospreay’s counters exchange into Ospreay’s Spanish Fly into Finlay’s Trash Panda. Ospreay’s Hidden Blade to Finlay into Finlay & Ospreay’s strikes exchange into Finlay’s Oscutter. Ospreay’s block & super Oscutter counter of Finlay’s Acid Drop. Ospreay’s Pedigree & elbow strike to Finlay into Ospreay’s Stormbreaker finisher. Match itself was a great hard fought action packed battle.
Final Thoughts – Burning Spirit 2022 was a mostly very enjoyable show overall.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Sept. 29)
* Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) vs. Laredo Kid & Trey Miguel – 3.5
* Impact Digital Media Championship – Crazzy Steve vs. Brian Myers (c) – 3.0
* Delirious vs. Black Taurus – 3.0
* PCO & Vincent vs. Rich Swann & Heath – 3.0
* Pick Your Poison, Monster’s Ball match – Masha Slamovich vs. Allie Katch – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Monster’s Ball match.
Worst – Bobby Fish’s backstage interview segment.
Show Notes – Bullet Club vs. Kid & Miguel tag opener moments: Miguel’s atomic drop & Fisherman suplex to Bey. Miguel’s dropkick counter of Bey’s Art of Finesse to Kid via Austin’s lift assist. Miguel’s springboard sunset bomb to Miguel via Kid lift assist. Austin’s shove off the ropes counter of Kid’s top rope attack to Bey into Bey’s Art of Finesse & Austin’s The Fold finisher combo to Bey. Match itself was a very good action filled bout. Some random yellow hoodie guy in the crowd trying to interrupt Impact’s commentary team’s ad read segment was interesting. Digital Media title match was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the shenanigans ending. Myers’ post-match promo about him making the Digital Media title the most prestigious belt in Impact & open challenge offer for BFG 2022 was all right. Johnny Swinger & Zickey Dice backstage segment about Swinger reopening the Swinger’s Palace & interruptions by Swingerellas, John E. Bravo, and Taya & Jessicka over marriage issues and past history was a bit funny. Joe Hendry vignette about some random guy dealing with serious family, marriage, and inheritance-related issues & Hendry being revealed as the person who got all of the inheritance money was a bit funny. Rosemary & Father Mitchell backstage segment about Rosemary contacting Mitchell to deal with her issues with Jessicka and wanting the old Havok back, Taya & Jessicka’s interruptions being upset over Rosemary’s antics, & Taya demanding Rosemary to stay together or be out of their group was decent & also a bit goofy. Delirious vs. Black Taurus was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Bobby Fish’s backstage interview about his Impact debut, Impact title plans, & entering the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match was decent at best. Honor No More’s celebration segment about Edwards’ being happy over HMN’s success at Victory Road 2022 but still being upset at PCO over his recent failures, Taven bashing Impact for not supporting them and boasting about their Impact Tag titles, Maria’s video gift to Edwards showcasing his recent pin win over Alexander, Alexander’s interruption about HNM being in fear of being overlooked, heated banter over their upcoming Impact title match, & brawl with MCMG, Swann, and Heath was splendid. PCO & Vincent vs. Swann & Heath was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Monster’s Ball match moments: Slamovich’s block & Air Raid Crash into the corner counter of Katch’s piledriver. Slamovich’s snap suplex to Katch onto a chair. Slamovich’s DVD onto an upright chair & head chomp to Katch. Katch’s trash can boink counter of Slamovich’s top rope attack into Katch’s superplex onto a trash can lid & DVD through a door. Slamovich pouring out a bag of thumb tacks, putting a bunch in her mouth, & smiling while spitting them out was crazy. Katch’s block, knee strike, & piledriver onto tacks counter of Slamovich’s Snow Plow. Slamovich shrugging off Katch’s trash can whack into Slamovich’s Snow Plow finisher to Katch onto tacks & cut up soda cans. Match itself was a great hardcore style bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay (c) (NJPW Burning Spirit 2022)
• Best match of the week runner-up – ROH World Championship – Bandido vs. Chris Jericho (c) (AEW Dynamite)
• Worst match of the week – Doc Gallows vs. Toru Yano (NJPW Burning Spirit 2022)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Amari Miller vs. Sol Ruca (WWE NXT)
• Best show of the week – NJPW Burning Spirit 2022
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT