Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for October 11 to October 17

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of October 11th to October 17th.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW WWE Draft Night 2 (October 12)
* No Disqualification match – Aleister Black vs. Kevin Owens – 3.0
* Seth Rollins vs. Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles – 3.5
* Lana & Natalya vs. Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose – 2.0
* Angel Garza vs. Andrade – 2.0
* RAW Tag Team Championship – Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler vs. New Day (c) – 3.0
* Cedric Alexander vs. Ricochet – 3.0
* #1 Contender for RAW Women’s Championship Battle Royal – 1.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Alexa Bliss mimicking the Fiend’s spooky antics and attack.
Worst – Women’s Battle Royal match.
Show Notes – Opening Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre segment was okay. RAW getting just one new person from all their first round picks was dumb. Black vs Owens was pretty good. Add Rose & Lars Sullivan to the pile of those got worse new themes. Miz TV segment was horrible. Both brands tag champions just swapping belts backstage was comically bad. Rollins, Hardy, and Styles promo segment and brawl was dull. Triple Threat match was very good. Ending to the women’s tag match was an awkward mess. Alexa Bliss mimicking The Fiend was great. RAW Tag title and Alexander vs. Ricochet matches were pretty good. Women’s Battle Royal was one of the worst ever in WWE history. This week’s episode was somewhat average overall.

NXT (October 14)
* #1 Contender for NXT Tag Team Championship – Undisputed Era vs. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan – 3.5
* Ashante “Thee” Adonis vs. Jake Atlas – 1.5
* Austin Theory vs. Johnny Gargano – 3.0
* #1 Contender for NXT Women’s Championship – Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae – 3.5
* Aliyah vs. Toni Storm – 1.5 (Squash)
* Imperium vs. Drake Maverick and Killian Dain – 2.0
* NXT North American Championship – Dexter Lumis vs. Damian Priest (c) – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s match.
Worst – Shotzi Blackheart’s promo.
Show Notes – Opening pre-match promo by Kyle O’Reilly was decent. Tag title contender’s match was very good. Ember Moon’s vignette was also very good. Adonis vs. Atlas was nothing special but the post-match fight with Legado del Fantasma was okay. Gargano Family interview segment was decent. Theory vs. Gargano was good despite being a bit dull at times. Women’s title contender’s match was very good despite the shenanigan based ending. Toni Storm’s new theme sounds good but could barely hear it because WWE pumped the fake crowd volume way too high up. NXT North American title match was decent at best. Blackheart’s show closing promo was horrendous. This week’s episode was enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (October 16)
* Lars Sullivan vs. Jeff Hardy – 2.5
* New Day vs. Sheamus, Cesaro, & Shinsuke Nakamura – 3.0
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler vs. Street Profits (c) – 1.5
* Universal Championship – Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – New Day’s SmackDown Farewell promo.
Worst – SmackDown Tag Team Championship match.
Show Notes – Opening Triple H & Stephanie McMahon promo segment and all-out roster brawl was decent. Sullivan vs. Hardy was nothing special. Bianca Belair vignette was wonderful. New Day pre-match promo was nice and heartful. 6-man tag match was pretty good despite being a bit too long. Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins promo and Mysterio Family & Murphy stuff afterwards was okay. SmackDown tag title match was a big waste of time with a lame no contest finish. SmackDown Women’s title contract signing segment was dull. Universal title match was pretty good, especially the finish. The post-match stuff with Reigns, Strowman, and Jey Uso was interesting despite dragging a bit. This week’s show was entertaining overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark (October 13)
* Four-way match – Evil Uno vs. The Blade vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Jungle Boy – 3.0
* Lee Johnson & Cesar Bononi vs. Lucha Bros – 2.5
* Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon – 2.5
* Matt Sydal vs. Sonny Kiss – 2.0
* Aaron Solow, Angel Fashion, & M’Badu vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, John Silver, & 10) – 2.5
* Elayna Black vs. Red Velvet – 2.0
* Fuego Del Sol vs. Ricky Starks – 1.5 (Squash)
* Ryzin & Maxx Stardom vs. Gunn Club – 2.0
* Nick Comoroto vs. Darby Allin – 2.5
* Griff Garrison vs. Colt Cabana – 2.0
* KiLynn King vs. Nyla Rose – 2.0
* D3 vs. Joey Janela – 2.0 (Squash)
* Elijah Dean vs. Wardlow – 1.0 (Squash)
* Baron Black vs. Eddie Kingston – 1.5 (Squash)
Overall – 2.0
Best – Four-way match.
Worst – The almost two-hour run time for the show.
Show Notes – Opening Four-way match was pretty good. Cutler vs. Avalon was decent at best but the double DQ finish was very creative for their on-going biggest winless loser of AEW storyline. Kiss’ backstage promo segment was decent. Match itself was nothing special but Red Velvet getting her first ever AEW win was interesting. SCU and Shawn Spears backstage segment was okay. King promo segemnt was decent. Vickie Guerrero post-match promo was okay. This week’s extra stuff episode was somewhat decent but way too long both in terms of match card and show length.

AEW Dynamite Anniversary Show (October 14)
* AEW World Tag Team Championship – Best Friends vs. FTR (c) – 3.0
* Sean Maluta & Lee Johnson vs. Kip Sabian & Miro – 1.5 (Squash)
* TNT Championship – Orange Cassidy vs. Cody (c) – 3.5
* AEW Women’s World Championship – Big Swole vs. Hikaru Shida (c) – 2.0
* AEW World Championship No Disqualification match – Lance Archer vs. Jon Moxley (c) – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – MJF and Inner Circle in-ring segment.
Worst – Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara restarting their cursed feud.
Show Notes – Opening AEW Tag title match was pretty good despite dragging a bit too long. Poor Sabian and Miro at having their arcade machine destroyed by Trent. MJF and Chris Jericho segment was great. Baker and Schiavone interview segment was comedic gold. Cody randomly back to a blonde look is a odd. TNT title match was very good and draw ending made the most sense for both guys from a booking perspective. The AEW Tag title contender’s segment was decent. Women’s title match was somewhat sloppy. Archer smashing some random guy through a fancy glass panel was great. AEW title match was very good. Post-match stuff with Eddie Kingston was okay. This week’s episode was very entertaining overall.

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NJPW & OTHER

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 14 (October 11)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Toru Yano vs. KENTA – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Juice Robinson vs. SANADA – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Worst – Toru Yano vs. KENTA match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was decent despite its somewhat slow paced action. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Sabre Jr. was pretty good. Yano vs. KENTA was decent but was also Yano’s weakest G1 match this year. Robinson vs. SANADA was pretty good despite the quality being below what both guys are capable of. Goto vs. Tanahashi was very good. Naito vs. EVIL was pretty good, especially the latter half, despite being a bit too long. Night 14 of G1 Climax 2020 was entertaining overall but the weakest in terms of quality for this year’s G1 shows.

GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport III (October 11)
* Simon Grimm vs. Matt Makowski – 2.5
* Bloodsport Women’s Tournament Semifinal match – Killer Kelly vs. Allysin Kay – 3.5
* Bloodsport Women’s Tournament Semifinal match – Leyla Hirsch vs. Lindsay Snow – 3.0
* Calvin Tankman vs. Alexander James – 3.0
* Erik Hammer vs. Kal Jak – 3.0
* Filthy Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide – 3.5
* Josh Alexander vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. – 3.0
* Bloodsport Women’s Tournament Finals match – Allysin Kay vs. Lindsay Snow – 3.0
* Chris Dickinson vs. Jon Moxley – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Chris Dickinson vs. Jon Moxley match.
Worst – The flat finish to the Simon Grimm vs. Matt Makowski match.
Show Notes – Opening ceremony with all the competitors was cool. Grimm vs. Makowski was decent despite the awkward finish. Both Women’s tournament semi-finals matches were very entertaining overall. Tankman vs. James was a fine bout. Hammer vs. Jak was pretty good. Lawlor vs. Homicide was very good, especially the latter half of the match. Alexander vs. Smith Jr. was pretty good. Women’s tournament finals was short in length but still pretty good in the end. Dickinson vs. Moxley was a wonderful hard hitting brawl. Moxley’s post-match promo was great. Bloodsport 3 was a very fun show overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 15 (October 13)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura – 2.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jeff Cobb vs. Will Ospreay – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Taichi vs. Shingo Takagi – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jay White vs. Minoru Suzuki – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.0
Overall – 4.0
Best – Jay White vs. Minoru Suzuki match.
Worst – Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was okay. Cobb vs. Ospreay was a very entertaining bout and bit surprised at Cobb being the winner. Ibushi vs. Takahashi was pretty good. Takagi vs. Taichi was very good. White vs. Suzuki was fantastic despite the shenanigan-based ending. Suzuki’s character as the most fearsome man to cross paths against in NJPW has been a pure joy to watch over the years. Ishii vs. Okada was great. Night 15 of G1 Climax 2020 was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 16 (October 14)
* Yuya Uemura vs. Yota Tsuji – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito -3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – SANADA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.
Worst – YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was entertaining. YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA was pretty good hard fought bout, especially the latter half of it. Robinson vs. Sabre Jr. was very good despite the ending being a bit weak. Naito’s pre-match antics with his dress shirt was funny. Yano vs. Naito was a nice entertaining comedic style match. Goto vs. EVIL was very good. SANADA vs. Tanahashi was great and one of the best B Block matches of this year’s G1 tournament. Night 16 of G1 Climax 2020 was very entertaining overall.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 17 (October 16)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Jeff Cobb – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.0
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi – 4.5
* G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii – 4.5
Overall – 4.5
Best – Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii match.
Worst – Yujiro Takahashi vs. Jeff Cobb match.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was pretty good. Takahashi vs. Cobb was mostly good and very surprised Takahashi actually won. Takagi vs. Suzuki was a great stiff hitting brawl despite the abrupt ending. Ospreay vs. Okada was great despite the ending being a bit flat due to the surprise shenanigans from Bea Priestley and Oka. Ospreay turning heel on Okada afterwards was very interesting. Taichi vs. Ibushi was an amazing kickfest of a match. White vs. Ishii was amazing and was surprised that White lost. Night 17 of G1 Climax 2020 was great and one of the best shows of this year’s tournament.

NJPW Strong NEVER Night 1 (October 16)
* Danny Limelight vs. Misterioso – 2.5
* Hikuleo vs. TJP – 2.5
* Alex Zayne vs. PJ Black – 2.5
* Chase Owens & KENTA vs. Jeff Cobb & David Finlay – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Chase Owens & KENTA vs. Jeff Cobb & David Finlay match.
Worst – Danny Limelight vs. Misterioso match.
Show Notes – Opening Limelight vs. Misterioso match was decent. Hikuleo vs. TJP was decent despite the ugly looking finisher by Hikuleo. Zayne vs. Black was a fine bout. The tag match was pretty good. This week’s NEVER themed episode of NJPW Strong was enjoyable but somewhat skippable.

NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 18 (October 17)
* Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – YOSHI-HASHI vs. Toru Yano – 3.0
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – KENTA vs. Tetsuya Naito – 3.5
* G1 Climax 2020 B Block match – EVIL vs. SANADA – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – EVIL vs. SANADA match.
Worst – Almost every B Block match ending via a roll-up of sorts.
Show Notes – Opening Young Lions match was pretty good. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yano was also pretty good. Goto vs. Robinson was very good and Juice had a very impressive performance in this year’s tournament. Tanahashi vs. Sabre Jr. was very good, especially the ending. KENTA vs. Naito was very good despite the weak ending and being a bit too long. Hiromu Takahashi being mostly useless saving his pal SANADA from the late match shenanigans was hilarious. EVIL vs. SANADA was fantastic and much better than their last encounter. Night 18 was enjoyable overall.

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Week awards:

• Best match of the week – G1 Climax 2020 A Block match – Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 17)
• Worst match of the week – #1 Contender for RAW Women’s Championship Battle Royal (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NJPW G1 Climax 2020 Night 17
• Worst show of the week – AEW Dark