Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for August 29 to September 4, 2021

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of August 29th to September 4th, 2021.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (August 30)
* Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler – 2.5
* Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal & Veer – 2.5
* United States Championship Triple Threat match – Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest (c) – 3.5
* Eva Marie vs. Doudrop – N/A
* Karrion Kross vs. Humberto Carrillo – 2.0 (Squash)
* Nia Jax vs. Charlotte Flair – 1.0
* Omos vs. John Morrison – 1.5 (Squash)
* AJ Styles vs. Xaiver Woods – 2.5
* RAW Tag Team Championship – MVP & Bobby Lashley vs. RK-Bro (c) – 3.0
Overall – 2.0
Best – United States Championship Triple Threat match.
Worst – The Nia Jax vs. Charlotte Flair and Omos vs. John Morrison matches.
Show Notes – Opening Priest, Sheamus, McIntyre, MVP, & RK-Bro promo about Lashley & US title was decent despite dragging a bit long. Jax’s splatter promo to Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. stunk. Ripley vs. Baszler was a solid back-and-forth style match. Viking Raiders red moody lights backstage promo was okay. Viking Raiders vs. Mahal & Veer was decent and a bit surprised Mahal ate the pin loss. McIntyre breaking his sword during his pre-match backstage warmup was funny. McIntyre’s Tower of Doom via a Tree of Woe position was cool. US title Triple Threat was a very good hard hitting action filled match and bit surprised Drew was the one to get pinned. Goldberg taped interview about Lashley was fine. 24/7 title park segment with Tozawa disguised as a dog was very goofy but also a bit funny. Marie vs. Doudrop was a waste of time. Kross still looks very goofy in his knockoff Mad Max villain gear. Kross vs. Carrillo was a mostly dull squash style match. RK-Bro backstage segment about Riddle being a dumbass was okay. Jax somehow managed to bust out one of the worst ever looking spinebuster to Flair. Jax vs. Flair was a very sluggish match topped with it falling apart near the end & dragging way too long. Omos vs. Morrison was a very sloppy squash style match. Styles vs. Woods was a solid back-and-forth action bout. Riddle’s standing corkscrew splash onto MVP via Orton assist was nice. RAW Tag title was a pretty good action filled match. This week’s show was mostly boring overall, especially the latter half.

NXT (August 31)
* Mandy Rose vs. Sarray – 2.5
* Duke Hudson vs. Kyle O’Reilly – 3.0
* Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. Drake Maverick & Grayson Waller – 2.0
* Johnny Gargano vs. LA Knight – 3.0
* Jessi Kamea vs. Raquel Gonzalez – 2.0
* Roderick Strong vs. Ikemen Jiro – 2.5
* Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ridge Holland – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ridge Holland match.
Worst – Jessi Kamea vs. Raquel Gonzalez match.
Show Notes – Sarray’s brutal looking dropkick to Rose onto the ropes sending her to the floor was cool. Rose vs. Sarray opener was a solid match despite the flat countout finish. Ciampa taped backstage angry promo about Holland was all right. Hudson vs. O’Reilly was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Ilja Dragunov promo segment about his NXT UK title was all right. Kay Lee Ray backstage sitdown interview about her NXT plans & mocking NXT Women’s division was fine. Carmela Hayes backstage interview segment about his title shot plans & Legado’s response was all right. WWE going overboard with the fake crowd audio during the Imperium vs. Maverick & Waller match was a bit annoying. Ouch at Gargano’s head after Knight’s rough drop to him onto the ropes. Gargano vs. Knight was a quite good back-and-forth action filled match despite the flat finish & ending shenanigans with Dexter Lumis. Kamea vs. Gonzalez was decent at best despite being a bit sloppy. Ember Moon backstage interview about Ray was okay. Samoa Joe backstage sitdown interview about his NXT title & plans was splendid. Ouch at Jiro’s back after getting slammed onto the steel steps by Strong. Strong’s knee backbreakers to Jiro looked awful. Grizzled Young Vets mocking Cameron Grimes’ replica Million Dollar belt was funny & same for Grimes boinking Gibson’s toe with his belt. Ciampa’s brutal looking knee fest to Holland on the ropes was cool. Ciampa vs. Holland was a very good hard hitting match. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

Friday Night SmackDown (September 3)
* SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contender’s match – The Street Profits vs. The Usos – 2.5
* Rick Boogs vs. Dolph Ziggler – 2.0 (Squash)
* Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins – 3.0
* Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio – 2.0
* Universal Championship – Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns (c) – 3.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Universal Championship match.
Worst – WWE Creative’s very lazy booking for this week’s show.
Show Notes – Usos & Street Profits opening promo about their brawl last week was decent at best. Ford’s twisting Frog Splash to Jimmy Uso was sweet. Street Profits vs. Usos was a mostly good back-and-forth action match despite the buzz kill DQ finish. Paul Heyman backstage interview being interrupted by a Lesnar phone call is interesting but Kayla snooping in during his call was a bit funny. Becky Lynch & Bianca Belair promo segment about their SummerSlam match & feud was all right despite being a bit awkward at times, especially the crowd reactions to Lynch. Ziggler & Toni Storm backstage segment was nothing special but Storm rejecting Ziggler’s hook up attempt was a bit funny. Rollins busting out several of Edge’s moves to Cesaro was nice. Cesaro’s powerbomb counter of Rollins’ stomp was cool. Cesaro vs. Rollins was a quite good back-and-forth action bout despite WWE’s done to death lame DQ booked finish. Reigns & Heyman backstage segment about Lesnar was fine. Edge’s backstage interview about Rollins was fine. KO Show segment with Happy Corbin & Logan Paul was decent but still have no interest in the on-going Owens vs. Logan mini-feud. Carmella & Liv Morgan backstage segment was awkward but also a bit funny as well. Zayn vs. Dominik was somewhat dull. Reigns’ nut shot to Balor to break Balor’s pin attempt was funny. Universal title match was a very good action filed bout, especially the latter half. This week’s show was average overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (August 30)
* Daniel Garcia vs. Tyler Sullivan – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jora Johl vs. Kal Herro – 2.0 (Squash)
* Emi Sakura vs. Ashley D’Amboise – 2.5 (Squash)
* Diamante & Nyla Rose vs. Big Swole & Julia Hart – 3.0
* Dante Martin vs. Adam Grace – 2.0 (Squash)
* Thunder Rosa vs. Laynie Luck – 2.5
* Anthony Bowens vs. Brian Cage – 2.5
* Hikaru Shida vs. Heather Reckless – 2.0 (Squash)
* Chaos Project vs. Fuego Del Sol & Sammy Guevara – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Diamante & Nyla Rose vs. Big Swole & Julia Hart match.
Worst – Almost half of the matches on the card being just squashes or near squash style matches.
Show Notes – Garcia vs. Sullivan opening short squash style match was decent. Sakura having a butler for her queen style entrance is interesting and same for Lulu Pencil’s AEW debut as Sakura’s butler. Sakura’s Romero Special & chinlock combo to D’Amboise was nice. Sakura vs. D’Amboise was a fun extended squash style match. Diamante & Rose vs. Swole & Hart was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. Matt Hardy & Johl backstage promo about Johl’s win earlier was all right. Martin has some of the best looking dropkicks in wrestling these days. Rosa’s delayed KO sell of Luck’s knee to her head was a bit funny. Rosa vs. Luck was a solid short match. Jade Cargill & Mark Sterling backstage promo segment about the Women’s Casino Battle Royale match was decent. Cage’s catch & Drill Claw counter of Bowens’ Blockbuster neckbreaker was impressive. Bowens vs. Cage was a solid back-and-forth style match. Team Taz post-match attack on Cage was fine. Ouch at Reckless’ back after Shida’s rough backbreaker counter to her head scissors. Chaos Project vs. Del Sol & Guevara was a pretty good back-and-forth action match. This week’s show was average overall.

AEW Dark (August 31)
* Kris Statlander vs. Selene Grey – 2.0 (Squash)
* Joey Janela vs. Robert Anthony – 2.5
* Emi Sakura vs. Laynie Luck – 2.0 (Squash)
* Men of the Year (“All Ego” Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky) vs. Mat Fitchett & GPA – 2.0 (Squash)
* Serpentico vs. Frankie Kazarian – 2.0
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Blair Onyx – 1.0 (Squash)
* 2point0 vs. Jason Hotch & Travis Titan – 2.0 (Squash)
* The Bunny vs. Sierra – 1.5 (Squash)
* Tay Conti vs. Heather Reckless – 2.0 (Squash)
* QT Marshall vs. Evil Uno – 3.0
* Matt Sydal vs. PAC – 3.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Matt Sydal vs. PAC match.
Worst – Leyla Hirsch vs. Blair Onyx match.
Show Notes – Statlander vs. Grey opener was an okay short squash style match. Janela’s top rope sunset powerbomb to Anthony was nice. Janela vs. Anthony was a solid back-and-forth action bout. The mystery muscular woman (Kayla Rossi) appearing during Janela’s post-match attack as his new enforcer is interesting. Ouch at Luck’s back after Sakura’s brutal looking double underhook backbreaker. Sakura vs. Luck was a decent squash match. Serpentico vs. Kazarian was mostly solid despite dragging a bit. Onyx doing the spider crawl during her match with Hirsch was nice and a bit interesting considering the recent AEW rumors with Bray Wyatt. Uno’s dive from the top rope to Marshall & Nick Comoroto on the outside was nice. Marshall vs. Uno was a quite good back-and-forth action filled match. Ouch at Pac’s neck from Sydal’s brutal looking snapmare spiked DDT. Sydal’s Poison Rana to PAC was cool. Sydal vs. PAC was a very good back-and-forth action packed match. This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite (September 1)
* FTR vs. Santana & Ortiz – 4.0
* Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans – 3.0
* Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Brian Cage – 3.0
* Penelope Ford vs. Tay Conti – 2.5
* Eight-Man Tag Team match – Jurassic Express & Lucha Bros vs. The Elite (The Good Brothers & The Young Bucks) – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – FTR vs. Santana & Ortiz match.
Worst – Jim Ross’ commentary work quality being rough during the first half of the show.
Show Notes – Santana & Ortiz double tope suicida to FTR was sweet. Wheeler’s Big Rig to Ortiz looked brutal. FTR vs. Santana & Ortiz opener was an awesome hard fought action packed match. CM Punk promo & brawl with Garcia, 2.0, Allin, & Sting & promo by Sting afterwards was splendid. Omega vs. Cage match hype video was all right. MJF backstage sitdown interview about him mocking Jericho & their upcoming match was superb. Cassidy vs. Evans was pretty good and was surprised it ended during the split screen ad break. Post-match Best Friends, HFO, & Jurassic Express brawl was fine. Kingston vs. Miro match hype promo video was superb. Jericho interview segment about MJF & AEW career was wonderful. Allin promo vignette about Punk was all right. Hobbs vs. Cage was a good hoss style fight despite the shenanigans ending. Malakai Black promo vignette about Lee Johnson was excellent. The Factory & Paul Wight brawl was decent but Gunn Club turning heel on Wight was interesting. Britt Baker backstage interview about Women’s Battle Royale match was fine. Ford vs. Conti was a solid match despite being a bit sloppy but Anna Jay’s surprise return was nice. Luchasaurus’ chokeslam to Nick onto Matt Jackson & Gallows onto the outside & Jungle Boy’s corkscrew splash to The Elite on the outside were cool. 8-Man Tag was a very entertaining action packed match. The Elite’s post-match attack, Omega’s promo, & brawl with Christian was all right. This week’s All Out 2021 go-home show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (September 3)
* Malakai Black vs. Lee Johnson – 3.0
* 2-on-1 Handicap match – Rebel & Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander – 3.0
* Daniel Garcia vs. Darby Allin – 3.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – Miro & Eddie Kingston sermon-based promo segment and the Daniel Garcia vs. Darby Allin match.
Worst – AEW’s four-man booth experiment for Rampage not really working or meshing out that well these past few weeks.
Show Notes – Black’s current entrance in AEW might be cooler than the smokey lift rise-based one he had during his time in WWE. Ouch at Johnson’s back & ankles after either his botched landing from his suicide dive to Black on the outside or Black’s rough counter slam into the barricade. Johnson’s KO sell of Black’s Black Mask kick was cool. Black vs. Johnson opener was a pretty good back-and-forth style match despite dragging a bit long. Dustin Rhodes angry backstage interview about Black & wanting revenge for the Nightmare Family was fine. Miro sermon promo disparaging Eddie Kingston, Kingston’s sermon-based response, & brawl was wonderful. Kingston’s “redeem these nuts” line was funny. Ouch at Hayter’s head from Statlander’s stiff looking running forearm strike on the corner. Statlander’s front Electric Chair & powerslam combo to Rebel & Hayter was impressive. Rebel & Hayter vs. Statlander was an entertaining match. Garcia & Allin pre-match backstage split-screen interview was okay. Yikes at Allin head after crashing hard into the table and barricade from Garcia’s escape counter. Allin’s top rope back drop counter of Garcia’s rear naked choke was cool. Garcia vs. Allin was a very good back-and-forth action match. The post-match brawl with 2point0, Sting, & CM Punk was splendid. This week’s All Out go-home show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark Saturday Edition (September 4)
* 2point0 vs. Rosario Grillo & Hunter Knott – 2.0 (Squash)
* Wheeler Yuta vs. Baron Black – 2.5
* Julia Hart vs. Heather Reckless – 2.0 (Squash)
* Hikaru Shida vs. Missa Kate – 2.5
* Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue – 3.0
* The Pinnacle (Shawn Spears & Wardlow) vs. Brandon Gore & JDX – 2.0 (Squash)
* Dark Order (John Silver & 10) vs. Zachariah & Ren Jones – 2.5 (Squash)
* Penelope Ford vs. Queen Aminata – 2.0 (Squash)
* Frankie Kazarian vs. Dean Alexander – 2.0 (Squash)
* Jade Cargill vs. Blair Onyx – 1.5 (Squash)
* Chaos Project vs. Jurassic Express – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – The strong focus towards the build for the Women’s Casino Battle Royale match & the show closing CM Punk promo segment.
Worst – Jade Cargill vs. Blair Onyx match.
Show Notes – 2point0 vs. Grillo & Knott opener was a decent squash style match. Vickie Guerrero & Nyla Rosa backstage promo about Women’s Casino Battle Royale match was okay. Ouch at Hart injuring her leg from the botched cartwheel elbow strike to Reckless on the corner. Hart vs. Reckless was a somewhat sluggish squash match. Jon Moxley & Satoshi Kojima backstage press conference about their upcoming match & brawl was splendid. Rose & Jade Cargill backstage attack on Hart was okay. Velvet vs. Blue was an entertaining competitive match. The Bunny & Penelope Ford backstage promo about the Women’s Royale match was all right. Tony Khan giving Blue a spot in the Women’s Battle Royle match is interesting. Silver’s feat of strength spot with him carrying Zachariah & Jones on his shoulders at the same time was impressive. Silver’s Spin Cycle & 10’s Full Nelson finisher combo to Zachariah was cool. Dark Order vs. Zachariah & Jones was a fun squash match. Mark Sterling & Cargill backstage promo about Women’s Battle Royale match was decent. Thunder Rosa’s backstage promo about Rose & Cargill attack on her & Women’s Battle Royale match was fine. Chaos Project vs. Jurassic Express was a quite good back-and-forth action match. CM Punk’s show closing promo praising the crowd & Golden Girls theme song sing-a-long was wonderful. This week’s special Saturday show was average overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Impact! (September 2)
* Six-Person Intergender Tag Team match – The Influence (Madison Rayne, Kaleb with a K, & Tenille Dashwood) vs. Taylor Wilde, Jordynne Grace, & Rachael Ellering – 3.0
* Decay (Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) vs. Fallah Bahh & No Way – 2.5
* X-Division Championship Open Challenge match – Jake Crist vs. Josh Alexander (c) – 3.0
* Intergender Tag Team match – Rohit Raju & Shera vs. Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green – 2.0
* Ace Austin vs. Tommy Dreamer – 2.5
Overall – 3.5
Best – The post-match X-Division title match promo segment between Josh Alexander & Chris Sabin and the Brian Myers wrestling lessons segment.
Worst – No Way, Fallah Bahh, & TJP somewhat dull “friendship” backstage segment.
Show Notes – Ouch at Kaleb’s neck after Wilde’s spiked Tornado DDT to him. Influence vs. Wilde, Grace, & Ellering opener was an entertaining match. Deonna Purrazzo & Matthew Rehwoldt’s backstage interview about Mickie James & Trey Miguel was all right. Decay vs. Bahh & No Way was a solid back-and-forth style match. W. Morrissey & Moose forming an alliance is interesting. Moose promo & brawl with Edwards & Morrissey segment was fine. No Way, Bahh, & TJP buddies backstage segment was a bit dull. Violent By Design vignette about trying to cure Rhyno from his “sickness” again was superb. Jake Crist being the hyped up mystery opponent for Alexander was okay but also a bit of a buzz kill. Alexander’s big boot to Crist bending him in half was cool. X-Division title match was a quite good back-and-forth action bout. Alexander’s post-match interview about wanting to be the best ever X-Division champ & Chris Sabin response was splendid. Brian Myers wrestling seminar with a bunch of nobodies & Zicky Dice about wrestler alliances was hilarious. Raju & Shera vs. Cardona & Green was mostly solid. Brandi Lauren being converted as another Su Yung maiden is interesting. Good Brothers promo mocking Willie Mack & Rich Swann & brawl with Swann was all right. Austin’s top rope springboard leg drop to Dreamer was cool. Austin’s The Fold finisher out of nowhere to Dreamer was awesome . Austin vs. Dreamer was mostly decent, especially the latter half. This week’s show was very enjoyable overall.

NJPW Strong BBQ Brawl (September 3)
* Daniel Garcia vs. Josh Alexander – 3.5
* TJP vs. Rey Horus – 3.0
* Hikuleo vs. Matt Morris – 2.5
Overall – 3.0
Best – Daniel Garcia vs. Josh Alexander match.
Worst – Hikuleo vs. Matt Morris match.
Show Notes – Kevin Kelly’s commentary during the Garcia vs. Alexander match about Garcia’s lack of “man muscles” was a bit funny. Alexander’s C4 finisher to Garcia looked brutal. Garcia vs. Alexander opener was a very entertaining back-and-forth action match. TJP vs. Horus was a quite good competitive action filled match. TJP backstage promo about his feud with Horus was fine. Hikuleo vs. Morris was a mostly solid match despite its sluggish action at times & dragging a bit too long. Hikuelo’s post-match attack & run-in save by Juice Robinson was fine. This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 2021 in MetLife Dome Night 1 (September 4)
* Pre-show: Stardom Special match – Lady C & Maika vs. Saya Kamitani & Momo Watanabe – 3.0
* BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tiger Mask & Robbie Eagles – 3.0
* YOH vs. SHO – 4.0
* Provisional King of Pro Wrestling 2021 Championship No DQ I Quit match – Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens (c) – 3.5
* Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada – 4.5
* IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship – Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) – 3.5
Overall – 4.0
Best – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada match.
Worst – Kevin Kelly’s mic audio issues on English commentary throughout the show.
Show Notes – Pre-show women’s tag was an entertaining action filled match. BUSHI & Takahashi vs. Tiger Mask & Eagles opener was a quite good back-and-forth action match. SHO’s new heel-based remix of his entrance theme is tremendous. SHO timing his kicks to YOH’s arm on the barricade to the ref count was funny. YOH’s brutal looking Stargazer submission to SHO was cool. SHO vs. YOH was an amazing physical battle despite the ending shenanigans. SHO joining Bullet Club afterwards makes sense based on how his match with YOH ended. Yano bringing back his former villain persona for his entrance was great. Holy crap at Yano’s head after the double table didn’t break from Owens’ Package Piledriver. Yano’s crazy look & threatening to gouge out Owens’ eye with scissors as the finish was great. KOPW title match was way better than I had expected. Cobb’s catch & suplex counter to Okada’s running crossbody on the outside was cool. Cobb’s spin clycle to Okada launching him from the corner was impressive. Cobb’s reverse Tombstone to Okada was sweet. Cobb’s Super Tour of the Islands to Okada was awesome. Cobb vs. Okada was a fantastic hard hitting action packed battle and a bit surprised Cobb won. Ibushi’s top rope moonsault to Tanahashi on the outside was cool. Ibushi & Tanahashi’s forearm slugfest was nice. Ibushi really does hate his neck and tonight’s match was no different. IWGP US title match was a very good back-and-forth action filled match and a bit surprised at its somewhat short length. Wrestle Grand Slam at MetLife Dome Night 1 was an amazing show overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 2021 in MetLife Dome Night 1)
• Best match of the week runner-up – YOH vs. SHO (NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 2021 in MetLife Dome Night 1)
• Worst match of the week – Nia Jax vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE RAW)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Leyla Hirsch vs. Blair Onyx (WWE RAW)
• Best show of the week – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 2021 in MetLife Dome Night 1
• Worst show of the week – WWE RAW