Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for October 30 to November 5, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of October 30th to November 5th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Oct. 31)
* Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross – 2.5
* Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins – 3.5
* Damian Priest vs. Karl Anderson – 2.5
* Trick or Street Fight match – Matt Riddle vs. Otis – 3.0
* The Miz vs. Mustafa Ali – 3.0
* WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Asuka & Alexa Bliss vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai & IYO SKY) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins match and the WWE Investigates “60 Minutes” parody segment with Johnny Gargano.
Worst – JBL’s trash tier promo segment & the questionable booking decisions for the women’s matches on the show.
Show Notes – Belair vs. Cross opener was a solid bout despite the ending shenanigans by Damage CTRL. Post-match brawl with Damage CTRL, Asuka, & Alexa Bliss was all right. Belair & Pals backstage interview about their issues with Damage CTRL & Women’s Tag titles match request was decent. Lashley & Lesnar non-face-to-face backstage interview segment about Lashley bashing Lesnar, Lesnar’s no show and in-ring promo asking for a fight, & brawl was pretty good. Theory vs. Rollins moments: Rollins’ slingshot baseball slide to Theory on the outside into Rollins’ suplex toss onto the barricade & knee drop off the announcer’s table to Theory onto the barricade. Rollins’ Falcon Arrow counter of Theory’s Fisherman Buster. Theory’s backdrop & sit down pin counter of Rollins’ Pedigree into Rollins & Theory’s pins exchange into Theory’s swift punch & Usihgoroshi. Theory’s rolling Blockbuster to Rollins. Rollins’ backdrop slam & Curb Stomp finisher counter of Theory’s Pedigree. Match itself was a very good hard fought action packed bout. Roman Reigns’ promo boasting about being the GOAT and bashing Logan Paul for not being on his level. Heyman’s trying to hype up Paul as a threat and insult dig instead, Miz’s interruption warning about Paul’s steel pins in his hand boosting his punching power and deal offer to help out each other’s issues, & Reigns’ Superman Punch rejection was all right overall. Miz’s backstage medical office interview about his lawsuit threat if Gargano’s interview revealing Miz’s big secret airs & Ali’s interruption mocking Miz and his tiny balls was a bit corny. Priest vs. Anderson was a mostly solid bout despite the flat ending. Post-match ambush attack by Judgement Day was okay. JBL’s rambling promo bragging about Texas, Fox News-esque rant about “snowflakes” and “woke” young people ruining the great state, and his disgust towards modern day Texans stunk. Corbin’s promo boasting about him being the modern day wrestling god and thanking the poors for spending their money just to see him, R-Truth’s interruption praising JBL & Corbin’s Halloween costumes and insults digs, & brawl was all right & a bit funny though. Trick or Street Fight moments: Alpha Academy’s Chippendale’s dancers costumes reveal & dancing entrance was a bit funny. Otis’ body tackle counter of Riddle’s running attack into Otis’ worm style elbow drop & jiggle dance taunt. Elias shoving a pumpkin on Otis’ head into Riddle’s RKO finisher to Otis. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Miz vs. Ali was a good back-and-forth bout, especially the latter half, despite the ending shenanigans by Lumis. WWE’s 60 Minutes spoof about Johnny Gargano detailing Lumis falling on hard times after his NXT firing, reenactments with Gargano dressed up as Lumis and Miz, and evidence of Miz’s recorded phone call deal with Lumis to stage Lumis’ attacks on him in return for money. Gargano’s belief that Lumis’ recent non-staged attacks is due to Miz stopping the money flow was goofy but funny overall. WWE Women’s Tag titles match moments: Damage CTRL’s attack to Bliss on the outside into Kai’s dodge counter of Asuka’s kick onto the post into SKY’s Dragon Screw to Asuka. Bliss dropkick & Asuka’s Russian Leg Sweep counter to Kai. Asuka’s Codebreaker counter of SKY’s Flying Nothing. Bayley & Belair’s brawl at ringside. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout but not a fan of the title change booking decision.
Final Thoughts – This week’s Crown Jewel 2022 go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall despite the very questionable booking decisions over the women’s matches.

WWE NXT (Nov. 1)
* R-Truth vs. Grayson Waller – 2.5
* Thea Hail vs. Kiana James – 2.5
* Odyssey Jones vs. Javier Bernal – 2.0
* Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Stark – 2.5
* Cora Jade vs. Valentina Feroz – 2.0
* NXT Tag Team Championship – Wes Lee & Bron Breakker vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – NXT Tag Team Championship match.
Worst – R-Truth’s suffering a legit serious leg injury.
Show Notes – Opening Breakker’s promo about NXT Halloween Havoc 2022, Pretty Deadly’s interruption mocking Breakker, Breakker’s wankers retort, & PD bragging their title defense win was better than Bron’s. Lee’s interruption bashing PD, banter, Lee letting PD have their spotlight moment, Lee & Breakker’s interruption of PD’s antics, match setup, & R-Truth’s entrance interruption was all right overall. R-Truth vs. Waller moments: Yikes at R-Truth’s back after crashing hard from his botched sunset dive to Waller on the outside. Match itself was going on decently until Truth’s legit knee injury derailed it. Waller’s post-match promo boasting about being the most dominate star in WWE, his win over Truth, & being the best thing in NXT was all right. Schism backstage sit-down interview segment about Ava Raine’s reason for joining the group due to them being the only ones who cared about her well-being in NXT after her recent injury and heated retort to Vic Joseph’s questioning her intent. Joe Gacy & Dyad’s rambling responses and smiley pin offer to Joseph, & Raine’s angry retort to Grimes claiming she’s been brainwashed was decent overall. Hail vs. James was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the flat ending. Post-match ambush attack by Charlie Dempsey to Andre Chase & run-in save by Duke Hudson was all right. Briggs, Jensen, & Henley backstage interview about them calling dibs next for a shot at the NXT Tag titles, interruption by Kiana James’ assistant handing Henley a letter, & Henley’s upset reaction was interesting. Jones vs. Bernal was a mostly solid bout despite dragging a bit at times. Mandy Rose’s 1-Year NXT Women’s title reign celebration segment Toxic Attraction boasting about Rose’s title reign dominance, them being the most dominate force in NXT, & Rose appreciation video. Rose boasting about proving her doubters wrong and claiming she’s been the greatest thing about NXT since showing up & Alba Fyre’s smokey interruption brawl was somewhat dull topped with a flat ending. Apollo Crews’ backstage interview about his NXT title goal & Von Wagner’s interruption calming he and not Crews is the next future champ was decent. Scrypts’ rambling poem phone call promo segment was a bit corny. Hartwell vs. Stark was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the flat ending & Stark being made to look like a moron over how she lost. Djak’s tape recorder promo about his new era & ruling NXT soon was decent. Feroz, Sanga, & Veer Mahan backstage segment about Sanga no longer wanting to hang out with Feroz & agreeing with Mahan’s words about his kindness in NXT being taken advantage of by others was all right. Jade vs. Feroz was a mostly solid back-and-forth bout. Post-match Wendy Choo’s run-in save brawl of Jade’s attack attempt to Feroz was decent. NXT Tag Team titles match was going on well until the ending shenanigans by Carmelo Hayes. Post-match brawl by Lee & Hayes, Von Wagner’s ambush attack to Breakker, & McDonagh’s rambling threat to Crews backstage was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Nov. 4)
* No Disqualification match – Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville – 2.5
* Ricochet vs. LA Knight – 2.5
* Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya – 2.5
* 5-on-1 Handicap match – Team Jobbers vs. Braun Strowman – N/A
* Intercontinental Championship – Rey Mysterio vs. Gunther – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Intercontinental Championship match.
Worst – Bray Wyatt’s rambling backstage promo segment.
Show Notes – Morgan vs. Deville opener moments: Morgan’s rough looking suicide dives to Deville on the outside. Morgan’s block counter of Deville’s German suplex off the apron into Morgan snapping and willingly crashing through a table with Deville. Deville’s block & top rope powerbomb counter of Morgan’s superplex onto a pile of chairs. Morgan’s Oblivion finisher to Deville onto a pile of chairs. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout despite dragging a bit at times. Emma’s backstage interview about her WWE return, Xia Li’s interruption mocking Emma for being a loser, & Emma’s punch retort was decent. Paul vs. Reigns WWE Universal title match hype video was all right. Ricochet vs. Knight moments: Knight’s pre-match promo bashing the ring announcer for botching his entrance intro again & Ricochet’s suicide dive outta nowhere to end it. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth action bout despite being a bit sluggish at times & anti-climatic finish. Bloodline backstage segment about Zayn’s pep talk about Reigns beating Paul and Usos breaking the tag titles record after they beat the Brutes at Crown Jewel 2022, Jey Uso’s insults retort to Zayn, & Zayn’s upset reaction was all right. Bray Wyatt’s rambling backstage promo about not being fond of people interrupting him when he’s trying to be serious about talking about his problems, Wyatt video cuts antics, & Wyatt’s rants to a random backstage guy over interrupting him was a bit corny & goofy. Usos’ promo boasting about their upcoming record setting tag titles reign, New Day’s interruption about them demanding to be next if Usos retain at Crown Jewel to protect their tag titles record, ambush attack by Brawling Brutes to Usos, & run-in save brawl by Zayn & Sikoa was all right but also a bit weird in terms of the face/heel dynamic being randomly flipped. Baszler vs. Natalya was a solid back-and-forth bout. Post-match Baszler’s knee attack KOing Natalya was okay. Kross vs. McIntyre match hype video was pretty good. Team Jobbers vs. Strowman non-match of Strowman’s destruction of the jobbers & MVP was splendid. Legado’s backstage lounge promo segment bashing Shinsuke Nakamura & boasting about Legado’s growing empire in WWE was all right. IC title match moments: Gunther chucking Mysterio to the outside into Gunther’s powerbomb onto the apron. Gunther’s block counter of Mysterio’s Crucifix Bomb into Mysterio & Gunther’s tug of war duel into Mysterio’s Crucifix Bomb. Gunther’s mid-ropes backdrop counter of Mysterio’s second sleeper hold. Mysterio’s kicks, top rope sitout senton, & springboard moonsault combo to Gunther. Gunther chucking counter of Mysterio’s top rope attack. Gunther’s block counter of Mysterio’s top rope rana into Mysterio’s rana counter of Gunther’s super powerbomb. Gunther’s catch counter of Mysterio’s top rope rana into Mysterio’s sunset roll-up counter of Gunther’s powerbomb. Gunther’s dodge, shotgun dropkick, & powerbomb combo counter of Mysterio’s Frog Splash. Mysterio & Gunther’s chop exchange into Mysterio’s rana & 619 setup into Gunther’s big boot counter. Match itself was a very good hard fought action filled bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s Crown Jewel 2022 go-home show was mostly enjoyable overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Oct. 31)
* Diamante vs. Madison Rayne – 2.5
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Rhett Titus – 2.5
* Kiera Hogan vs. Skye Blue – 2.5
* Brandon Cutler vs. Dante Martin – 2.5
* Athena vs. Janai Kai – 2.0
* Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) & Orange Cassidy vs. Anthony Young, Victor Andrews, & Patton – 2.0 (Squash)
* Eddie Kingston & Ortiz vs. Breaux Keller & Myles Hawkins – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Trish Adora – 2.0 (Squash)
* QT Marshall vs. Danhausen – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Lee Marshall’s surprise return
Worst – The buzzill ending shenanigans to the QT Marshall vs. Danhausen match.
Show Notes – Diamante vs. Rayner opener was a solid back-and-forth bout. Kazarian vs. Titus moments: Kazarian’s whip in the corner & running Russian Leg Sweep combo to Titus. Titus’ high angle dropkick & ropes assisted belly-to-belly suplex to Kazarian. Titus’ modified spinning back suplex to Kazarian. Kazarian & Titus’ counters exchange on the apron into Kazarian’s guillotine leg drop onto the ropes & slingshot cutter finisher combo. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Marshall’s backstage locker room interview mocking Lexy Nair’s Halloween costume and bashing Halloween, Danhausen’s interruption popping out of a locker, banter about their past encounter and upcoming match, & Danhausen going back into the locker was all right & a bit goofy. Hogan vs. Blue was a mostly solid back-and-forth brief bout. Cutler vs. Martin was a solid bout with some nice comedic based moments. Athena vs. Kai moments: Athena’s lifted Tree of Woe stiff kicks to Kai into Kai’s dodge counter of Athena’s kick onto the turnbuckle. Athena’s shove into the post, falling elbow backdrop slam onto the apron, & brutal looking O-Face finisher combo to Kai. Match itself was a somewhat solid hard hitting bout despite being a bit off at times. Cassidy & Best Friends vs. Young, Andrew, & Patton Trios moments: Trent’s swift kick counter of Patton’s springboard Flying Nothing. Best Friends’ & Cassidy’s triple team chokeslam powerbomb finisher to Young. Match itself was a decent mostly squash style bout. Kingston & Ortiz vs. Keller & Hawkins was also a decent mostly squash bout. Post-match Kingston pretending to listen to Ortiz over not attacking his opponents after matches, beating up Keller while Ortiz wasn’t looking, & Ortiz having enough of the antics and letting Kingston get it out of his system was a bit funny. Cargill vs. Adora moments: Cargill’s brutal looking big boot nailing Adora into Cargill’s Jaded finisher. Match itself was a decent mostly squash bout. Post-match Nyla Rosa & Pals “Beastie Section” antics on the stage & Cargill chasing them away was decent. Marshall vs. Danhausen moments: Danhausen’s rolls & wristlock counter of Marshall’s wristlock. Marshall’s kick counter of Danhausen’s curse attempt into Danhausen’s leg catch & chops fest counter. Danhausen’s top rope rana to Marshall. Danhausen’s cutter to Marshall on the outside via Lee Johnson distraction assist. Johnson’s ref distracted shove to Danhausen onto the ring post into Marshall’s Diamond Cutter finisher to Danhausen. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Johnson. Post-match Johnson reuniting with Marshall was interesting though.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dark (Nov. 1)
* Danhausen vs. Jon Cruz – 2.5
* Fuego Del Sol & Waves & Curls (Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan) vs. The Embassy (Brian Cage & Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Kaun)) – 3.0
* Nyla Rose vs. Leva Bates – 1.5 (Squash)
* Dante Martin vs. Encore – 2.5
* AEW Interim Women’s World Championship Eliminator match – Diamante vs. Toni Storm – 3.0
* Trustbusters (Ari Daivari & Sonny Kiss) & Tony Deppen vs. Orange Cassidy & Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) – 3.0
* Kip Sabian vs. Dean Alexander – 2.5
* Marina Shafir vs. Kennedi Copeland – 1.5 (Squash)
* Rey Fenix vs. AR Fox – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Rey Fenix vs. AR Fox match.
Worst – Marina Shafir vs. Kennedi Copeland being a mostly nothing squash bout.
Show Notes – Danhausen vs. Cruz opener moments: Cruz shrugging off and mocking Danhausen’s curse into Danhausen’s clothesline flooring Cruz in response. Danhausen’s dodge & overhead suplex toss counter of Cruz’s running attack. Danhausen’s slingshot release German suplex, pump kick, & capture Implant DDT finisher combo to Cruz. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Del Sol & Waves and Curls vs. The Embassy Trios tag moments: Cage’s catch & back toss counter of Del Sol’s top rope crossbody into Del Sol’s landing on his feet, superkick, & ropes assisted Tornado DDT into Cage’s front toss counter. Kaun’s big boot to Del Sol & Cage’s F-10 to Brandyn. Embassy’s triple team assisted Liger Bomb finisher to Jordan. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Rose vs. Bates moments: Vickie Guerrero & Rose’s pre-match promo about Rose being nice enough to the crowd to make her match an open challenge for her stolen TBS title. Match itself was a somewhat decent brief mostly squash style bout. Post-match Rose & Pals antics mocking Jade Cargill’s win streak was a bit funny. Martin vs. Encore moments: Encore’s catch & stalling backdrop counter of Martin’s springboard attack. Encore’s block & whip counter of Martin’s Half & Half Uranage into Martin’s leapover & Half & Half Uranage finisher. Match itself was a solid fast paced competitive bout. Diamante vs. Storm moments: Diamante’s toss over the ropes, guillotine neck drop & running sliding dropkick to Storm on the apron. Diamante & Storm’s slugfest exchange into Diamante’s kick into Storm’s Lou Thesz Press. Diamante’s cazadora stunner to Storm. Diamante’s suplexes to Storm into Storm’s escape & Three Amigos counter. Diamante’s dodge counter of Storm’s hip attack into Storm’s hip attack & apron assisted Tornado DDT. Storm’s hip attack & Texas Cloverleaf finisher combo to Diamante. Match itself was a pretty good bout. Trustbusters & Deppen vs. Cassidy & Best Friends Trios was a good back-and-forth action bout. Sabian vs. Alexander was a solid bout. Shafir vs. Copeland was a somewhat decent extra brief jobber destruction bout. Fenix vs. Fox moments: Fox’s leaping kick to Fenix on the apron into Fenix’s catch, punches, & apron guillotine stunner counter of Fox’s running attack. Fenix’s loud stiff chops to Fox in the corner. Fox’s leap over counter of Fenix’s running attack into Fox’s slingshot sunset splash sending Fenix to the outside into Fox’s sunset dive splatting Fenix. FOX rolling twisting brainbuster to Fenix. Fox’s leap up Spanish Fly to Fenix on the top rope into Fox’s 450 Splash. Fenix’s rebound roundhouse kick counter of Fox’s whip into Fenix’s spin kick in the corner & Black Fire Driver finisher combo to Fox. Match itself was an entertaining action filled bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (Nov. 2)
* Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal – 3.0
* AEW World Championship Eliminator match – Lee Moriarty vs. Jon Moxley – 3.0
* ROH World Championship Open Challenge match – Colt Cabana vs. Chris Jericho (c) – 3.0
* AEW All-Atlantic Championship Triple Threat match – Luchasaurus vs. Rey Fenix vs. Orange Cassidy (c) – 3.5
* TBS Championship – Marina Shafir vs. Jade Cargill (c) – 1.5
* ROH World Television Championship – Brian Cage vs. Samoa Joe (c) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – AEW All-Atlantic Championship Triple Threat match, Katsuyori Shibata’s surprise appearance, & the Swerve In Our Glory and Rick Ross segment.
Worst – TBS Championship match.
Show Notes – Allin vs. Lethal opener was a pretty good bout despite the ending shenanigans by Fake Sting. Cole Karter being revealed as the fake Sting was interesting despite the flat reveal moment but Jeff Jarrett’s surprise appearance & attack on Allin afterwards was cool. Jarrett’s promo bashing Sting & AEW and boasting about the legendary Jarrett wrestling family was all right. Newest Elite’s “Thanos snap” vignette with Omega & Death Triangle was cool. Moriarty vs. Moxley was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Post-match ambush attack by Ethan Page to Moxley was decent. Saraya’s taped backstage interview bashing Britt Baker, her reasons for joining AEW, & non-answer if she’s medically cleared to compete was decent. Acclaimed’s Daddy Ass Birthday Bash segment about Max Caster’s rap about lack of cake for Billy and digs at Swerve Strickland & Elon Musk. Acclaimed’s foam fingers merch plug, crowd signs and “World’s Greatest Daddy” trophy gifts to Billy, joke dig at Billy’s DX’s 25th anniversary show absence, & adoption papers for Billy to adopt the Acclaimed as his new kids. Gunn’s interruption being upset over not being invited to their dad’s party and ambush attack by W. Morrissey & run-in save by FTR was mostly splendid overall. ROH World title moments: Cabana being the surprise mystery opponent was pretty cool. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout despite the anti-climatic ending. Post-match JAS attack attempt on Ian Riccaboni & run-in save mass brawl by BCC was nice. All-Atlantic title match moments: Orange & Fenix’s moves & counters exchange into Orange’s Air Plane spin style Tornado DDT. Luchasaurus’ block counter of Orange & Fenix’s stereo suicide dives into Luchasaurus’ shove to Orange into the steep steps & chokeslam to Fenix through the timekeeper’s table. Luchasaurus’ catch & headbutt counter of Orange’s Orange Punch. Jungle Boy’s chair attack counter of Luchasaurus’ chokeslam to Orange off the stage. Jungle’s running crossbody to Luchasaurus off the stage through a table. Orange’s Orange Punch finisher counter of Fenix’s Rolling Nothing. Match itself was a mostly very entertaining action filled bout. Post-match attack by PAC on Orange & Shitaba’s surprise walk-in save with Best Friends was awesome. Orange vs. Shibata for the All-Atlantic title on Rampage is going to sweet. Swerve In Our Glory & Ric Ross backstage segment about Ross partying with Swerve, Lee’s issues with Swerve’s cheating antics and attack on Billy, Ross’ objections to Lee’s accusations, & Swerve’s 8-man tag match setup was wonderful, more so due to Ross’ over-the-top acting. TBS title match was a mostly nothing bout topped with Vickie Guerrero & Nyla Rosa’s trash talk promo antics throughout the match being a big swing & miss. House of Black’s resurrection vignette was splendid & interesting. Hayter vs. Storm AEW Interim Women’s title match hype video was all right. ROH TV title match moments: Cage’s spiked German suplex to Joe. Cage’s brutal looking inverted Pump Handle Slam to Joe. Cage’s Olympic Slam & discus lariat to Joe. Joe’s grapevine sleeper finisher counter of Cage’s clothesline. Match itself was a very good hard hitting hoss battle. Post-match Embassy attack on Joe, run-in save by Wardlow, & Hobbs’ ambush attack to Wardlow was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly very enjoyable overall despite some overbooked issues at times.

AEW Rampage (Nov. 4)
* AEW All-Atlantic Championship match – Katsuyori Shibata vs. Orange Cassidy (c) – 3.5
* Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker vs. Skye Blue & Madison Rayne – 2.5
* Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. WarJoe (Wardlow & Samoa Joe) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – AEW All-Atlantic Championship match.
Worst – Gates of Agony vs. WarJoe match dragging a bit too long.
Show Notes – Opening Shibata hype vignette was cool. All-Atlantic title match moments: Orange’s dodge counter of Shibata’s PK. Orange’s forearm strike on the apron & suicide dive to Shibata on the outside. Shibata’s hard chucks to Orange onto the barricades. Orange’s DDT & shotgun dropkick to Shibata in the corner. Shibata’s STO counter of Orange’s running attack. Orange shrugging off Shibata’s Orange style comedic kicks into Orange & Shibata Indian seated staredown into Orange’s comedic style slaps to Shibata into Shibata’s forearm flooring Orange in return. Orange’s brutal looking backdrop driver to Shibata. Shibata shrugging off Orange’s PKs into Shibata’s Orange Punch. Shibata’s pop up DVD counter of Orange’s Kawada kicks to the head. Orange’s Tornado DDT spiking Shibata. Orange’s pop up Orange Punch finisher counter of Shibata’s running PK. Match itself was a very entertaining back-and-forth action filled bout & legit surprised over the amount of head-based bumps Shibata took. Toni Storm’s backstage interview about her former friendship with Hayter & their upcoming AEW Interim Women’s title match was decent. Blackpool Combat Club backstage interview about their heated issues with Chris Jericho’s attacks on ROH non-wrestlers & Claudio and Danielson both demanding ROH title matches as revenge was all right. Hayter & Baker vs. Blue & Rayne moments: Rayne’s escape & cutter counter of Baker’s wasitlock into Hayter’s chokebreaker to Rayne. Baker’s ripcord knee to Blue & Baker and Hayter’s stereo trust kicks to Blue & Rayne. Hayyer’s stiff ripcord lariat finisher to Rayne. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Post-match promo by Baker about redefining bullies and claiming Hayter will be the next Women’s champ & interruption brawl by Storm was all right. Jericho & Guevara’s backstage interview about Jericho’s response to BCC’s ROH title match request earlier being him wanting Danielson and Claudio at the same time but with the twist of adding Guevara in the match to even the odds for him was interesting. Ricky Starks’ promo thanking the fans for their support of him, entering the AEW title #1 Contender’s tournament, wanting to carry AEW, & warning to Moxley and MJF if he wins was splendid. Guevara’s backstage interview about him guaranteeing the ROH title will stay in the JAS & match challenge request to Danielson was decent. Gates of Agony & WarJoe pre-match split-screen backstage interview was decent. Gates of Agony vs. WarJoe moments: Kaun’s chop to Joe in the corner into Joe’s stiff chop dazing Kaun in return. Wardlow’s release German suplexes fest to Gates of Agony. Joe’s legs yank & sleeper counter of Liona’s running attack to Wardlow. Kaun’s knee strike & forearms to Wardlow into Wardlow’s headbutt counter of Kaun’s forearm strike into Wardlow’s powerbomb symphony finisher. Match itself was a pretty good hard hitting hoss battle despite dragging a bit long. Post-match Hobbs’ staredown with Wardlow was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Nov. 3)
* Impact X-Division Championship tournament First Round match – “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Kenny King – 3.0
* Savannah Evans vs. Jessicka – 2.5
* Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan – 3.0
* Moose vs. Ace Austin – 3.0
* Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Frankie Kazarian & Josh Alexander – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Aussie Open vs. Frankie Kazarian & Josh Alexander match.
Worst – The anti-climatic shenanigans ending to the Savannah Evans vs. Jessicka match.
Show Notes – Opening outdoor nighttime desert promo by Edwards blame PCO for Honor No More’s demise & upcoming match with PCO was all right. Bailey vs. King moments: Bailey’s kicks to King in the corner into King’s flapjack onto the turnbuckle & spinebuster counter of Bailey’s running attack in the corner. King’s Exploder suplex to Bailey onto the ramp. King’s catch & Exploder suplex counter of Bailey’s windmill kick. Bailey’s rana & top rope moonsault counter of King’s powerbomb on the ramp. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout despite the abrupt ending. Alexander & Motor City Machine Guns backstage segment about MCMG’s words of advice about Bully Ray not being a trustworthy person was all right. Gisele Shaw & VXT’s backstage segment about Shaw handing out new photos of herself, VXT’s angry response blaming her for their loss to Mickie James last week, breaking up as a group, & Green vs. James match setup was a bit interesting. Evans vs. Jessicka was a decent women’s hoss battle despite the anti-climatic ending & ringside ending shenanigans by Steelz & Decay. Steve Maclin backstage rant about him being tired of constantly getting jumped in line by others for Impact title shots, being done waiting for his time, & doing what he wants from now on which is Impact World title gold was splendid. Major Players backstage segment about their issues with Heath & Rhino, Joe Hendy popping out of a fridge after Myers said “Say His Name”, Hendry’s speech about the Digital Media title, & Major Players bewildered reaction was a bit funny. Edwards & PCO’s cinematic nighttime brawl in the Nevada desert was entertaining. Mickie James & Taylor Wilde backstage segment about James’ unfinished business with Green & turning down Wilde’s request to be in her corner to counter Purrazzo was all right. Young vs. Callihan was going on well as a hard hitting bout until the buzzkill DQ brawl by the VDB hooded guys. Alan Angels & Big Kon being revealed as two of the mystery hooded VDB guys was interesting. Moose vs. Austin moments: Moose’s catch & high angle Uranage counter of Austin’s The Fold. Moose’s Inverted Press Slam counter of Austin’s top rope attack yeeting him across the ring. Austin’s dodge & roll-up finisher counter of Moose’s spear into the post. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Bully Ray. Aussie Open vs. Kazarian & Alexander moments: Fletcher’s clothesline to Alexander over the ropes via Davis’ distraction assist. Davis’ backdrop driver onto the apron & Fletcher’s brainbuster combo to Alexander. Alexander’s overhead suplex counter of Fletcher’s running attack. Kazarian’s kick counter of AO’s Coriolis to Alexander into Alexander’s ankle lock to Davis into Fletcher’s superkick to break the hold. Fletcher’s forearm strike to Alexander into Alexander’s swift punch in return. Alexander’s suplex over the ropes counter of Fletcher’s suplex into Kazarian’s springboard cutter finisher to Davis. Match itself was a very good hard fought action filled bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 (Nov. 5)
* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – Titan & BUSHI vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira & TJP) (c) – 3.5
* United Empire (Gideon Grey, Aaron Henare, & Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)) vs. Alex Zayne, David Finlay, Toru Yano, & Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.0
* Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hikuleo – 2.0 (Squash)
* NJPW World Television Championship tournament Semifinals Round – Ren Narita vs. SANADA – 4.0
* NJPW World Television Championship tournament Semifinals Round – EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 2.5
* Incredible Tag Team match – Master Wato & El Desperado defeated Hiromu Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori – 4.0
* Tama Tonga & Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA & Jay White – 3.5
* IWGP Tag Team Championship – United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) – 4.5
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay (c) – 4.5
Overall – 4.5
Best – IWGP Tag Team Championship & IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship matches.
Worst – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hikuleo match being more of a brief angle than actual match.
Show Notes – IWGP Jr. Tag titles match opener moments: Titan & BUSHI’s shotgun dropkicks & stereo dives to UE. Titan’s apron rana grab to TJP over the ropes into Titan’s Asai moonsault to UE on the outside. Titan’s kick to Akira counter of UE’s Leaning Tower to BUSHI into BUSHI’s backstabber to TJP. TJP’s catch & Akira’s double foot stomp counter of Titan’s matrix dodge into UE’s Leaning Tower finisher to BUSHI. Match itself was a very good hard fought action packed bout. United Empire vs. Zayne, Finlay, Yano, & Tanahashi 8-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action bout. Takahashi vs. Hikuleo moments: Chris Charlton on commentary bashing Karl Anderson for no showing, dig at Triple H , & insult digs at Good Bros being shameless taking WWE’s blood money bag despite their past comments. SHO & Takahashi’s pre-match ambush attack to Hikuleo into Hikuleo’s beatdown to them afterwards. Match itself was a decent jobber destruction extra brief bout. Narita vs. SANADA moments: SANADA’s hard whip to Narita into the guard rail into SANADA’s big boot & Magic Screw via guard rail assist counter of Narita’s running attack. SANADA’s piledriver to Narita on the floor. SANADA’s boot counter of Narita’s running attack in the corner into Narita’s overhead suplex counter of SANADA’s running attack. Narita & SANADA’s moves & counters exchange into SANADA’s Skull End. Narita’s knees & O’Connor Roll counter of SANADA’s moonsault. Narita’s block & sleeper counter of SANADA’s O’Connor’s Roll. Narita & SANADA’s moves exchange into Narita’s Narita Special #4 finisher counter of SANADA’s discus lariat. Match itself was a great back-and-forth hard hitting action bout. EVIL vs. Sabre Jr. moments: ZSJ’s ambush sleeper & crucifix pin attempt to EVIL via Young Lions distraction antics at the start of their match. EVIL’s bodyslams to Oiwa & Fujita onto ZSJ on the outside. Match itself was a solid bout. ZSJ having a couple of Young Lions as his underlings is interesting. Incredible Tag moments: Wato & Hiromu’s chops, moves, & counters exchange into Hiromu tossing Wato into his corner for a refused tag out by Ishimori. Despy beating up Hiromu into Despy’s stiff chop to Wato tagging out. Wato beating up Hiromu & swift slap to Despy tagging out for his turn. Ouch at Hiromu’s back after the loud thud from Despy’s suplex onto the ramp. Hirmou finally snapping & beating up tag to Ishimori for his turn in the match. Hiromu’s DVD to Wato into the corner into Ishimori’s double cross knee strike to Hiromu causing Wato to fall on Hiromu for the pin victory. Match itself was a greatly entertaining Strange Bedfellows style bout. Tonga & Okada vs. KENTA & White was a very good back-and-forth action bout. IWGP Tag titles match moments: Harwood’s punches to Khan into Harwood’s dodges & spiked DDT counter of Khan’s strike. Wheeler’s dodge & lariat counter of Khan’s whip into Wheeler’s uppercut & deadlift German suplex to Cobb. Wheeler & Khan’s slugfest on the apron into Wheeler’s uppercut flooring Khan into Cobb’s strike & suplex from the apron to inside ring into Wheeler’s block & FTR’s Doomsday style bulldog to Cobb. Khan’s Exploder suplex to Wheeler sending him flying across the ring. Harwood & Khan’s forearms & lariats exchange into Khan’s STO counter of Harwood’s lariat. Cobb’s catch & snake eyes on the guard rail counter of Wheeler’s slingshot splash. Harwood & Khan’s moves & counters exchange into FTR’s Power & Glory to Khan. Khan’s block & moves fest counter of FTR’s Big Rig. Wheeler’s escape & FTR’s Big Rig finisher counter of Khan’s Eliminator. Match itself was a fantastic hard fought action battle. IWGP US title match moments: Naito’s hip toss style neckbreaker & Dragon sleeper style neckbreaker combo to Ospreay. Ospreay’s vicious whip to Naito sending him over the guard rail. Ospreay’s swift forearm flooring Naito off the guard rail. Naito’s running neckbreaker to Ospreay via turnbuckle assist. Naito’s block counter of Ospreay’s Oscutter into Ospreay’s Kawada kicks counter into Naito’s shove, ropes assisted neckbreaker, & apron hanging neckbreaker counter. Ospreay’s escape, flip over the guard rail, & springboard Oscutter counter of Naito’s neckbreaker onto the guard rail. Naito’s Tornado DDT to Ospreay into Ospreay’s feet landing escape & Oscutter counter of Naito’s Poison Rana. Naito’s block & Destino counter of Ospreay’s Stormbreakker into Ospreay’s block, Hidden Blades, & Stormbreakker finisher combo. Match itself was a fantastic back-and-forth action filled battle. Post-match promo by Ospreay about his open challenge for his next opponent & Shota Umino’s surprise appearance accepting the offer via KOing Ospreay was cool.
Final Thoughts – Battle Autumn 2022 was a terrific show overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay (c) (NJPW Battle Autumn 2022)
• Best match of the week runner-up – IWGP Tag Team Championship – United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) (NJPW Battle Autumn 2022)
• Worst match of the week – TBS Championship – Marina Shafir vs. Jade Cargill (c) (AEW Dynamite)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Marina Shafir vs. Kennedi Copeland (AEW Dark)
• Best show of the week – NJPW Battle Autumn 2022
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT