Opinion: Match & Show Ratings for October 2 to October 8, 2022

Welcome to TPWW’s Emperor Smeat’s Match and Show Ratings for the week of October 2nd to October 8th, 2022.

Match and show star ratings (out of 5):

WWE

WWE RAW (Oct. 3)
* Judgement Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. AJ Styles & Rey Mysterio – 2.5
* United States Championship – Mustafa Ali vs. Bobby Lashley (c) – 3.0
* Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai – 2.5
* Otis vs. Johnny Gargano – 3.0
* Chad Gable vs. Braun Strowman – 3.0
* Solo Sikoa vs. Angelo Dawkins – 2.5
* Alexa Bliss vs. IYO SKY – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
Best – Chad Gable vs. Braun Strowman match.
Worst – RAW Women’s Championship match signing contract segment.
Show Notes – Opening Judgement Day’s pre-match rambling promo mocking Edge, Styles, & Rey Mysterio somewhat rough. JD vs. Styles & Mysterio tag was solid despite the ending shenanigans. Styles’ post-match angry bickering & shove to Rey was interesting while JD’s ambush attack on Styles was decent. Lashley taped backstage interview about his US title reign, Ali’s angry interruption demanding a title shot, & Lashley accepting was all right. Bloodline’s backstage segment about Zayn, Jimmy, & Sikoa cracking up over Zayn’s joke, Jey’s upset interruption over them goofing off instead of getting things ready for Reigns’ arrival next week, Zayn ordering Street Profits to acknowledge Reigns next week, & trash talk banter with Sikoa was all right. US title match moments: Lashley’s dodge counter of Ali’s running dropkick in the corner into Lashley’s punches & overhead suplex yeeting Ali across the ring. Ali’s escape, hook kick, & Tornado DDT counter of Lashley’s powerslam. Ali’s shove counter of Lashley’s top rope attack into Ali’s 450 Splash onto Lashley’s arm. Lashley’s spear & Hurt Lock finisher to Ali. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match ambush attack by Rollins was all right. Rollins and Riddle’s promo segment about Rollins mocking Lashley & Riddle, bro-filled banter, Rollins’ dig at Riddle’s failed marriage, Riddle’s retort dig at Rollins’ years-long lack of WWE gold success and Lynch being the better of the two, & interruption by Cormier was all right. Riddle’s failed attempt at getting the crowd to do a “Bro” sing along parody of Rollins’ theme was corny though. LeRae vs. Kai was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the flat ending shenanigans by Damage CTRL. Otis vs. Gargano was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Theory. Post-match attack by Alpha Academy and Theory & Strowman’s run-in save brawl was all right. Gable vs. Strowman moments: Strowman chucking Gable in the ring & then out of the ring onto Otis was cool. Strowman’s tilt-a-whirl catch counter of Gable’s running attack into Gable’s escape & ropes assisted bridging German suplex counter. Strowman’s swift big boot flooring Gable into Strowman’s extra high powerbomb to Gable. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. RAW Women’s title match contract signing segment about Bayley’s rambling reasons why she wanted a ladder match and claiming the crowd will turn on Belair just like they did to her, Belair’s retort mocking Bayley for her excuses over her recent failures, & Damage CTRL’s ambush attack to Asuka & Bliss backstage was mostly horrible. Sikoa vs. Dawkins was a solid back-and-forth action bout despite the constant ringside shenanigans by the Bloodline near the end. Edge’s taped video promo about his comeback from retirement being harder on his body due to being much older now & upcoming “I Quit” match with Balor was all right. Bliss vs. SKY was a mostly solid back-and-forth bout despite the anti-climatic finish & ending shenanigans by Damage CTRL and Belair. Post-match brawl with Asuka was decent.
Final Thoughts – This week’s Extreme Rules 2022 go-home show was average overall.

WWE NXT (Oct. 4)
* Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah – 3.0
* NXT North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier – Andre Chase vs. Von Wagner – 2.0
* Lash Legend vs. Wendy Choo – 2.0
* #1 Contender for NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship – Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin) vs. Zoey Stark & Nikkita Lyons – 2.5
* Duke Hudson vs. Julius Creed – 2.0 (Squash)
* Xyon Quinn vs. Hank Walker – 2.0
* NXT Tag Team Championship – Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 2.5
Best – Ilja Dragunov promo vignette.
Worst – Lash Legend vs. Wendy Choo being sloppy at times and the Bron Breakker & Javier Bernal backstage promo segment.
Show Notes – The new cosmetic & commentary changes to NXT after all the hype about their new era was underwhelming. Opening “State of the Commonwealth Address” segment with Pretty Deadly wearing old fashion powder wigs & royal robes, speech mocking several NXT tag teams, and royal decree to be made NXT Tag Champs for Life over lack of challengers, Brawling Brutes’ interruption demanding a match, banter, & brawl was decent. Hayes vs. Mensah was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Chase vs. Von Wagner was a somewhat solid bout despite the flat finish and ending ringside shenanigans by Mr. Stone & Thea Hail. Post-match ambush brawl by Wes Lee to Carmelo Hayes on commentary was cool. Sanga & Nathan Frazer’s backstage segment about Frazer’s pep talk to Sanga trying to cheer him up and Sanga rooting for Frazer to win his final match against Axiom & NA title was all right. Veer Mahan’s surprise appearance with Sanga at the end was interesting. Legend vs. Choo was somewhat solid at best despite being sloppy at times. Toxic Attraction vs. Stark & Lyons tag was a solid back-and-forth bout. Ilja Dragunov’s promo vignette about losing his NXT UK title over an injury, being upset seeing NXT UK’s last breath at Worlds Collide, promise to dethrone Breakker for the NXT title, & past history with McDonagh was superb. Grayson Waller Effect talk show segment with Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez’s trash talk banter about their upcoming match, Pick Your Poison & Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal matches announcement, & Apollo Crews’ ambush attack to Waller gouging his eyes under the ring was all right. Waller’s reactions & antics throughout the segment was a bit funny though. Schism’ backstage segment about them being upset over one of their hooded followers failing at their job handing out smiley stickers & recruiting people to their group was decent at best. Hudson vs. Creed was a decent jobber destruction brief bout. Post-match attack by Creed Bros, Damon Kemp’s interruption, & banter about their upcoming Ambulance match stip of Brutus is gone from NXT if Julius loses was decent. Axiom’s promo vignette about his upcoming match with Frazer & Final Chapter of their trilogy series was splendid. Grimes’ backstage talk with Schism’s hooded guy trying to convince him to leave the group, Schism’s ambush attack, & Gacy welcoming the mystery person as an official member was interesting. Breakker’s backstage interview about his upcoming NXT title match, Javier Bernal’s interruption mocking Breakker, & Breakker’s threatening match setup retort was somewhat dull. NXT Tag title match moments: Brutes’ double team Beats of the Ballard & Butch’s running knee strike to Prince sending him out of the ring. Holland’s slam to Wilson onto Prince into Prince’s escape & double foot kick counter of Holland’s powerbomb into Holland’s swift lariat flooring Prince. Wilson’s leaping sleeper to Holland into Holland’s drag to the corner & Butch’s sunset bomb counter. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans by Imperium.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was average overall.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (Oct. 7)
* Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet – 3.0
* Sonya Deville & Xia Li vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi – 2.0
* Bloodline (Sami Zayn & The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) & Braun Strowman – 3.0
* Intercontinental Championship – Sheamus vs. Gunther (c) – 4.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – Intercontinental Championship match minus the ending.
Worst – The overbooked ending shenanigans to the I.C. title match.
Show Notes – Opening Bloodline & Logan Paul’s promo segment about Paul Heyman’s insults digs at Paul, Paul’s brother, and a bunch of other guys, Paul’s retort dig at Jey Uso being the real Tribal Chief, Reigns’ death stare at Jey, Zayn’s peacekeeper pep talk to Reigns & Jey and poo-related insults to Paul was decent but also a bit funny. Sikoa vs. Ricochet was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Bloodline backstage lounge segment about Zayn being proud over Sikoa’s win and claiming Sikoa’s success was due to taking him under his wing, Jey’s angry retort, & Reigns’ retort agreeing with Zayn that Jey is a hothead, being tired of Jey’s antics, and telling Zayn its now his problem to deal with was all right. Zayn and Usos & New Day backstage segment about Woods & Kingston mocking the Usos for having a new boss, Zayn’s match challenge, & banter was decent. Legado Del Fantasma’s surprise SD debut & ambush attack on Hit Row was cool. Zelina Vega replacing Elektra Lopez in the group is interesting though. The White Rabbit stuff getting the full video segment treatment & reveal date for Extreme Rules was cool. Deville & Li vs. Rodriguez & Shotzi was a solid at best bout despite being sloppy at times. Rousey vs. Morgan SD Women’s title match hype video was all right. McIntyre’s pop-up surprise appearance during Karrion Kross & Scarlett’s entrance routine & brawl with security was splendid but ouch at McIntyre’s back after Kross’ stiff whacks with the leather strap. WWE piping in fake crowd reactions throughout the brawl was a bit funny though. Bloodline vs. New Day & Strowman 6-Man Tag was a good back-and-forth action filled bout. Maximum Male Models backstage segment about Max Dupri attack to Mansoor & Mace and proclaiming the return of LA Knight was all right. IC title match moments: Gunther’s block counter of Sheamus’ Beats of the Ballard into Gunther’s stiff chop & arms yank shove into the turnbuckle. Gunther & Sheamus’ slugfest exchange into Gunther’s sleeper hold. into Sheamus’ escape into Gunther’s chops & Sheamus’ strikes exchange into Gunther’s deadlift German suplex. Sheamus shrugging off Gunther’s forearms & chops into Sheamus’s strikes in return into Gunther’s sleeper into Sheamus’ back elbow strikes counter. Sheamus’ Beats of the Ballard fest to Gunther into Sheamus’ Avalanche White Noise. Gunther’s block, shotgun dropkick, & powerbomb counter of Sheamus’ Cloverleaf. Gunther’s knee drop, neck crank twist, & top rope splash combo to Sheamus. The ref blatantly ignoring Gunther’s tap out was dumb. Imperium & Brawling Brutes brawl at ringside. Gunther’s ref distracted shillelagh strike counter of Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. Match itself was an awesome physical action packed battle despite the overbooked ending shenanigans that dragged it down from being an all-time tier classic.
Final Thoughts – This week’s Extreme Rules 2022 go-home show was mostly very enjoyable overall.

WWE Extreme Rules 2022 (Oct. 8)
* Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match – Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland, Butch, & Sheamus) vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci, Ludwig Kaiser, & Gunther) – 4.0
* SmackDown Women’s Championship Extreme Rules match – Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan (c) – 1.5
* Strap match – Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross – 2.0
* RAW Women’s Championship Ladder match – Bayley vs. Bianca Belair (c) – 3.0
* I Quit match – Edge vs. Finn Balor – 3.0
* Special Guest Referee Fight Pit match – Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match & Bray Wyatt’s surprise return.
Worst – SmackDown Women’s Championship Extreme Rules match and the dragged out & overbooked shenanigans ending to the I Quit match.
Show Notes – Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match opener moments: Butch’s leaping attack to Vinci into Vince’s running tackle to Butch through the barricade. Gunther’s machine gun stiff chops & backdrop onto the bar table to Sheamus. Holland’s double backdrop to Vinci & Kaiser. Vinci & Kaiser’s Imperial Bomb to Holland on the outside & ouch at Holland’s head after his rough landing. Gunther’s hanging stomp hold to Butch on the post into Vince & Kaiser’s running dropkicks to Butch. Sheamus’ lariats fest & Beats of the Ballard combo to Gunther into Butch & Holland’s interruption beatings to Gunther. Sheamus’ Brogue Kick to Gunther into Vinci’s springboard splash breaking up Sheamus’ pin. Holland’s backdrop to Vinci & Butch’s leaping punch to Kaiser counter of Vinci & Kaiser’s Imperial Bomb to Holland. Kaiser’s shillelagh whack counter of Sheamus; Cloverleaf to Gunther. Butch & Holland’s grab counter of Gunther’s powerbomb to Sheamus into Brutes’ shillelagh whacks to Imperium. Sheamus’ Celtic Cross to Gunther through the announcer’s table & Brogue Kick finisher to Vinci. Match itself was a great hard hitting action bout. Miz’s backstage interview about wanting a chat with Triple H over his Dexter Lumis issues, bewildered look over Gritty randomly being backstage, & stomping on Gritty’s shirt gift was a bit funny. SD Women’s title match moments: Rousey’s bat swing strike counter of Morgan’s running Flying Nothing off the steel steps. Morgan botching the backstabber & chair in the corner spot multiple times was a bit funny. Morgan’s top rope senton to Rousey through a table into Rousey’s armbar hold into Morgan’s one armed powerbomb counter into Rousey’s armbar & biceps crusher finisher counter. Match itself was a mostly sloppy & rough bout topped with an anti-climatic ending. Morgan’s title reign was a dud in the end. McIntyre vs. Kross Strap match was somewhat solid at best despite dragging a lot & shenanigans ending with Scarlett. Miz & Gritty’s backstage segment part deux over Miz’s call to Maryse, Gritty’s interruption antics, & Miz’s angry reaction was a bit funny. RAW Women’s title Ladder match moments: Belair’s bodyslam to Bayley onto a prone ladder into Belair’s handspring moonsault. Bayley’s running sunset bomb to Belair onto a ladder in the corner. Ouch at Bayley’s arm after her running elbow drop off the apron to Belair onto a ladder. IYO SKY & Dakota Kai’s run-in shoving Belair off the ladder. Belair’s double KOD to Kai & SKY at the same time off the turnbuckle. Ouch at Bayley’s face after Belair’s KOD to Bayley onto a ladder. Match itself was good but not that fond of the booking decision to have Belair win since Bayley really needed it & WWE’s wonky handling of Damage CTRL. I Quit match moments: Balor’s slingblade to Edge on the floor into Edge’s running tackle to Balor through the barricade. Balor & Edge’s brawl in the crowd into Edge’s snap suplex onto the floor into Edge’s hockey stick attacks to Balor. Edge’s lift catch & head boink into the balcony counter of Balor’s running attack. Balor’s dodge & shove into the railing counter of Edge’s running attack nailing Edge’s yambag. Edge’s spear to Balor through the ropes onto Judgement Day on the outside. Ripley’s surprise handcuffing to the ropes & JD’s beatdown to Edge. Rey Mysterio & Beth Phoenix’s run-in brawls with JD. Edge’s spear to Priest & nut kick to Dom. Match itself was mostly good, especially the latter half, despite dragging too long & going overboard with the shenanigans near the end. Post-match Ripley’s chair whack to Phoenix’s head. Miz & Gritty’s backstage segment part trios about Gritty offering another shirt gift to Miz, Miz’s beatdown response, & Lumis’ ambush sleeper attack was all right. Fight Pit match moments: Rollins’ back elbows & suplex into the cage counter of Riddle’s grab hold into Rollins’ Frog Splash to Riddle off the pit’s scaffolding. Riddle’s escape & backdrop counter of Rollins’ Peruvian Necktie into Rollins’ landing on his feet counter into Riddle’s RKO. Rollins’ block & curb stomp counter of Riddle’s RKO. Rollins & Riddle’s brawl on the scaffolding into Rollins’ Buckle Bomb into the cage side. Rollins’ Pedigree to Riddle onto the scaffolding into Riddle’s RKO to Rollins causing him to fall off. Ouch at Rollins’s tailbone after his hard landing from his Floating Bro off the scaffold. Match itself was going on well until the abrupt ending. Bray Wyatt’s spooky lights out & creepy door surprise return was awesome.
Final Thoughts – Extreme Rules 2022 was a mostly enjoyable show overall.

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AEW

AEW Dark Elevation (Oct. 3)
* Skye Blue vs. Trish Adora – 2.0 (Squash)
* Brian Cage vs. Tracy Williams – 3.0
* Lance Archer vs. Cheeseburger – 2.5 (Squash)
* Abadon vs. Abby Jane – 2.0 (Squash)
* ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship – Primal Fear (Gabriel Hodder, Manny Soriano, & Matthew Omen) vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys (Brent and Brandon Tate) (c) – 2.5
* Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford vs. Gia Scott & LSG – 2.0 (Squash)
* Dante Martin & Tony Deppen vs. Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero Miedo) – 3.0
* The Factory (QT Marshall, Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solo, & Cole Karter) vs. Rocky Romero, Danhausen, & Best Friends (Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Dante Martin & Tony Deppen vs. Lucha Brothers match.
Worst – The Factory vs. Rocky Romero, Danhausen, & Best Friends 8-Man tag match dragging during the first half.
Show Notes – Blue vs. Adora opener was a mostly decent mostly squash style bout. Cage vs. Williams moments: Cage’s kick to Williams on the apron into Cage’s middle ropes suplex from the apron to inside the ring. Cage’s curls & overhead toss to Williams. Williams’ catch, chop, & leg capture suplex counter of Cage’s kick. Williams’ block & front face lock DDT off the top rope onto the turnbuckle counter of Cage’s superplex. Cage’s escape counter of Williams’ STF into Cage’s Drill Claw. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth hard hitting bout. Archer vs. Cheeseburger moments: Archer continuing his entrance routine while Cheeseburger had him in a sleeper hold was a bit funny. Archer’s suplex toss to Cheeseburger yeeting him across the ring. Match itself was an entertaining David vs. Goliath style mostly squash bout. Abadon vs. Jane was a decent brief squash bout. Cage’s hype vignette about his return to AEW Dynamite & upcoming TNT title match against Wardlow was decent. ROH 6-Man Tag titles match moments: Castle’s gut wrenches to Soriano into Castle & Brent’s double team hip toss to Soriano. Castle chucking the Boys to each Primal Fear guy on the outside into Castle’s Bang-a-Rang finisher to Soriano. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth bout. Sabian & Ford vs. Scott & LSG moments: Ford’s matrix dodge, cutter, & Muta Lock finisher counter of Scott’s running attack. Match itself was a mostly decent squash style bout. Martin & Deppen vs. Lucha Bros tag moments: Martin’s springboard flip over counter of Fenix’s running attack into the ropes into Martin’s dodge counter of Fenix’s rebound roundhouse kick into Fenix & Martin’s staredown afterwards. Deppen’s catch & toss in the face counter of Penta’s glove toss to him. Lucha Bros’ kicks fest, Fenix’s leg drop, & Penta’s top rope missile dropkick to Deppen’s yambag via Fenix’s legs hold. Lucha Bros’ stiff chops to Deppen in the ropes into Deppen’s block & leaping knee strikes counter of Lucha Bros’ double team suplex. Martin’s springboard side headlock to Penta into Deppen’s cannonball dive through the ropes to Penta on the outside. Fenix’s rope running kick to Martin into Penta’s kick to Deppen into Lucha Bros’ double team Fear Factor & double stomp finisher to Deppen. Match itself was a good back-and-forth action bout. The Factory vs. Romero, Danhausen, & Best Friends was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite dragging a bit at times.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Dark (Oct. 4)
* Marina Shafir vs. Sio Nieves – 2.0 (Squash)
* Ari Daivari vs. AR Fox – 3.0
* Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. Rohit Raju & Invictus Khash – 2.5
* Abadon vs. Freya States – 2.5
* Blake Christian vs. Slim J – 3.0
* The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Cezar Bononi) vs. Eli Isom & Chris Farrow – 2.0 (Squash)
* Parker Boudreaux vs. Terry Kid – 2.0 (Squash)
* Robyn Renegade vs. Skye Blue – 2.0
* Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) vs. Vary Morales & Levy Valenzuela – 2.5 (Squash)
* The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – The Workhorsemen vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal match.
Worst – Robyn Renegade vs. Skye Blue match falling apart near the end.
Show Notes – Shafir vs. Nieves opener was a decent mostly squash style bout. Daivari vs. Fox moments: Fox’s whip, running lariat through the ropes, & skinning the cat flip over ropes assisted dropkick counter of Daivari’s whip the corner. Daivari & Fox’s suplex duel into Fox’s corkscrew brainbuster to Daivari. Daivari busting out a Rock Bottom to Fox. Daivari’s ropes pull counter of Fox’s top rope attack into Fox landing on his feet, cutter, & springboard cutter counter. Daivari’s ref distracted nut shot & hammerlock lariat finisher. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Nese & Woods vs. Raju & Khash was a solid brief bout. Abadon vs. States moments: States’ catch & chuck onto the steel steps counter of Abadon’s running attack on the outside. States’ chop & apron axe kick to Abadon onto the ropes. Abadon’s pop-up, swift kick, & Black Dahlia finisher combo to States. Match itself was a solid back-and-forth hard hitting brief bout. Renegade Twins’ backstage interview about Robyn’s upcoming match against Blue & them being upset over claims of Twin Magic cheating during their matches was decent. Christian vs. Slim J moments: Slim’s ref distracted nut punch to Christian. Christian’s block, punches, backbreaker, front face whiplash into the ropes, swinging dropkick, & running Frog Splash counter of Slim’s enziguri. Sonny Kiss’ leg grab to Christian into Christian’s kick to Kiss into Slim’s dodge & leaping cazadora flatliner counter of Christian’s Flying Nothing into Slim’s leg capture neck crank finisher. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the ending shenanigans. The Wingmen vs. Isom & Farrow tag was a decent mostly squash style bout. Iron Savages backstage interview about JT Davidson’s threat to AEW’s Tag division was all right. Boudreaux vs. Kid was a decent jobber destruction brief bout. Renegade vs. Blue was a mostly solid back-and-forth bout despite falling apart near the end. Iron Savages vs. Morales & Valenzuela was a fine jobber destruction bout. The Workhorsemen vs. Martin & Sydal tag moments: Sydals’s ranas to Henry & Drake sending both tumbling outside into Henry’s leg sweep off the apron & piledriver onto the floor to Martin. Sydal’s dodge counter of Drake’s whip to Henry into the corner & Tornado DDT to Drake. Martin’s suicide dive to Henry on the outside into Martin’s apron shoulder tackle counter of Drake’s running attack into Martin’s swift lariat flooring Drake. Henry’s foot stomp to Martin into Sydal’s Meteora to Henry & pull away to Martin counter of Drake’s moonsault into Sydal’s roundhouse kick & Martin’s Nosedive finisher to Drake. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was mostly enjoyable overall.

AEW Dynamite “3rd Anniversary Show” (Oct. 5)
* MJF vs. Wheeler Yuta – 3.5
* Jay Lethal vs. Darby Allin – 3.0
* TNT Championship – Brian Cage vs. Wardlow (c) – 3.5
* Penelope Ford, Serena Deeb, & Jamie Hayter vs. Willow Nightingale, Athena, & Toni Storm – 3.0
* RUSH vs. Hangman Adam Page – 3.0
* Luchasaurus vs. Fuego Del Sol – 1.5 (Squash)
* Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Garcia & Bryan Danielson – 3.0
Overall – 3.5
Best – MJF vs. Wheeler Yuta match and the National Scissoring Day segment.
Worst – The flat shenanigans ending to the Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Garcia & Bryan Danielson match and the very questionable booking decision having Guevara be the one to score the pin win after his latest backstage controversy.
Show Notes – MJF vs. Yuta opener moments: MJF’s catch & powerbomb backbreaker counter of Yuta’s running attack was cool. MJF’s ropes pull counter of Yuta’s top rope splash into Yuta’s legs strikes & eye rake counter of MJF’s Avalanche Tombstone into Yuta’s top rope rana. MJF’s roll away & middle finger counter of Yuta’s splash into Yuta getting some great distance with his splash to MJF. MJF’s escape, Salt of the Earth, & modified SotE finisher counter of Yuta’s Seatbelt. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action bout. Post-match MJF’s conflicted handshake attempt, Lee Moriarty’s ambush attach to Yuta, & Regal’s walk-in save with the brass knuckles was pretty cool. Lethal vs. Allin was pretty good despite the anti-climatic finish & ending shenanigans by Dutt & Singh. Post-match handshake by Lethal & Allin was interesting. The Embassy & Cage vs. Wardlow TNT title match hype vignette was decent. TNT title match was a very entertaining hoss battle. Post-match brawl with Embassy & Samoa Joe and run-in save by FTR was nice. Women’s Trios match was a good back-and-forth action bout despite getting a bit sloppy near the end. Post-match brawl with Baker & Saraya was splendid. National Scissoring Day segment with Bowens boasting about Acclaimed being AEW’s best team and PG meaning of scissoring, Billy Gunn’s “Daddy Ass’ House” line and golden Scissors to the City gift, Caster’s church style scissoring peace be with you offering to the crowd and shout out to his dad being a SB champ with the Redskins, Strickland’s interruption bashing everything about the segment, Mark Sterling’s interruption offering Acclaimed his services, & Acclaimed’s beatdown response was awesome. Dark Order vs. Death Triangle Trios Tag hype vignette was splendid. Rayne & Blue backstage interview about their new pairing & TayJay’s interruption mocking Blue, Blue’s insult retort, & tag match setup was decent. RUSH vs. Page was a good back-and-forth bout despite the abrupt ending. Post-match Moxley’s surprise appearance putting an end to Private Party’s plans to beat up Page and trash talk promo about his upcoming AEW title match with Page, Page’s insults retort, & Moxley’s threat retort was all right. Luchasaurus vs. Del Sol was a mostly nothing extra brief squash bout. Post-match brawl with Jungle Boy and heated promo by Jungle being upset over Luchasaurus betraying their friendship, threat to hurt him piece by piece, & match setup was all right. JAS vs. Garcia & Danielson tag moments: Danielson’s drop toe hold & Cattle Mutilation to Jericho. Garcia & Jericho’s staredown into Garcia’s throat strike counter of Guevara’s Flying Nothing. Jericho & Garcia’s chops exchange into Jericho’s ropes hold counter of Garcia’s shotgun dropkick into Garcia’s knees counter of Jericho’s Lion Tamer. Garcia’s piledriver counter of Guevara’s GTH. Jericho’s suplex to Danielson through the timekeeper’s table. Guevara’s GTH & punches to Garcia into Garcia’s knees & Dragon Tamer counter of Guevara’s Shooting Star Press into Jericho’s ref distracted belt whack to Garcia. Match itself was a good action filled bout despite the flat finish & ending shenanigans.
Final Thoughts – This week’s 3rd Anniversary themed show was very enjoyable overall.

AEW Rampage (Oct. 7)
* Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. LFI (RUSH & Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy)) – 3.0
* Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. Varsity Blonds (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.) – 2.0
* TayJay (Tay Melo & Anna Jay) vs. Skye Blue & Madison Rayne – 2.5
AEW World Trios Championship – Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, & 10) vs. Death Triangle (PAC & Lucha Bros (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero Miedo)) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Blackpool Combat Club vs. LFI match and the AEW World Trios title match minus the ending sequence.
Worst – The anti-climatic ending shenangians to the AEW World Trios Championship match.
Show Notes – BCC vs. LFI Trios opener moments: Moxley & RUSH’s strikes & big boots exchange into Moxley’s stalling German suplex. Kassidy’s step up senton to Claudio on the outside & Quen’s 450 Splash to Yuta onto the entrance ramp. Moxley’s dodge counter of Quen’s big boot nailing RUSH into Moxley’s brutal looking suplex toss to Quen. Claudio’s Fireman’s Carry to Kassidy & Big Swing to Quen at the same time was cool. Moxley’s leaping cutter to RUSH. Yuta’s dodge & Claudio’s catch and Euro Uppercut counter of Private Party’s Silly String. Yuta’s Biceps Slice hold finisher to Quen. Match itself was an entertaining back-and-forth action bout. Death Triangle vs. Dark Order Trios Tag titles match hype video was all right. Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. Varsity Blonds tag was a mostly solid brief bout. Mark Sterling’s post-match promo revealing he trademarked the term “Varsity” for Nese & Woods’ new team name, threatening legal action if the Blonds ever use the “Varsity” name again, his groin pain issues since Acclaimed’s attack on him, Max Caster’s interruption rap diss mocking Draymond Green & Sterling’s nuts was a bit funny. Eddie Kingston’s backstage promo about his sarcastic apology over his actions causing his win over Sammy Guevara to be overturned & lack of screen time to talk was a bit funny. TayJay vs. Blue & Rayne Tag was a solid back-and-forth bout despite the flat ending. Dark Order & Death Triangle pre-match split-screen backstage interview about DO wanting to honor Brodie Lee’s legacy with a title win tonight & D.T.’s retort claiming they will retain their titles was all right. Swerve Strickland’s backstage promo about his upcoming match with Billy Gunn threatening to hurt him & be like Father Time and end his career was pretty good. AEW Trios Tag tiles match moments: Reynolds & Silver’s double team pancake slam & 10’s delayed suplex combo to Fenix. Fenix & Silver’s strikes exchange into Silver’s stiff forearm strike crumpling Fenix on the mat. Fenix’s kicks to Silver & Reynolds into Fenix’s toss of Silver onto Reynolds’ shoulders & kick to Reynolds causing him to powerbomb Silver. PAC’s kicks & snap German suplex bending Reynolds in half. PAC’s snap Backdrop Driver to Reynolds. Penta’s top rope shotgun dropkick to Reynolds’ family jewels via Fenix’s legs hold. 10’s lariats & spinebusters fest to Lucha Bros. Lucha Bros cazadora splash & PAC’s standing moonsault combo to 10. PAC’s snap German suplex to Silver into Silver’s fighting spirit rebound, strikes, & brainbuster combo to PAC. Silver & Reynolds’ moves fest to Penta into 10’s discus lariat to Penta. RUSH’s bell hammer offer to PAC into PAC’s ref distracted hammer whack to Reynolds. Match itself was a good action filled bout despite dragging a bit long & ending shenanigans by RUSH & Jose.
Final Thoughts – This week’s show was enjoyable overall.

AEW Battle of the Belts IV (Oct. 7)
* AEW All-Atlantic Championship – Trent Beretta vs. PAC (c) – 3.5
* TBS Championship – Willow Nightingale vs. Jade Cargill (c) – 3.0
* ROH World Tag Team Championship – Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) (c) – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – AEW All-Atlantic Championship match minus the ending.
Worst – The ending shenanigans to the All-Atlantic title match.
Show Notes – All-Atlantic title match opener moments: Trent’s swift forearm flooring PAC into Trent’s clothesline over the ropes & slingshot splash to PAC on the outside. Trent’s spear to PAC on the outside. PAC’s Avalanche brainbuster to Trent. Trent’s high angle suplex & Half & Half suplex combo to PAC. Trent’s strikes & spiked Torndao DDT bending PAC in half. PAC’s brainbuster counter of Trent’s suplex on the stage ramp through a table. Yikes at PAC’s bloody back afterwards. Trent’s knees counter of PAC’s Black Arrow. PAC’s headbutt counter of Trent’s spear. Trent’s Avalanche Half & Half suplex to PAC chucking him across the ring. PAC’s ref distracted hammer whack counter of Trent’s backdrop from the apron to inside the ring. Match itself was a very good back-and-forth action packed bout despite the ending shenanigans. Post-match Orange Caasidy’s run-in brawl with PAC was fine. Jericho & 2point0 backstage interview mocking Daniel Garcia for losing last week, wanting him to come back to the JAS, & Jericho’s quest to disrespect ROH’s legacy was all right. Claudio Castagnoli’s promo video about wanting to regain his ROH title regardless who is champ was all right. TBS title match moments: Willow’s brutal looking suicide dive splatting the Baddies on the outside. Cargill’s brutal looking slam to Willow on the apron. Cargill’s ragdoll toss to Willow across the ring & push ups taunt afterwards into Willow’s lariats flooring Cargill. Willow’s dodge & running rana counter of Cargill’s punch. Cargill’s block counter of Willow’s Dr Bomb into Willow’s dodge counter of Cargill’s pump kick into Cargill’s catch & slam counter of Willow’s rana into Cargill’s Jaded finisher. Match itself was a good back-and-forth bout. Post-match Vickie Guevero’s distraction & Nyla Rose stealing and running off with Cargill’s TBS title was a bit funny. Matt Hardy, Ethan Page, & Stokely Hathaway’s backstage segment about Page & Stokely having evidence of Hardy contract tampering with Private Party, Hardy’s angry response, & match setup was goofy. HOOK’s backstage segment ripping up the Trustbusters offer envelope was decent. Toni Storm & Hikaru Shida’s backstage promo about their issues with Britt Baker & Pals and upcoming tag match was all right. ROH Tag title match moments: Liona & Wheeler’s strikes on the outside into Liona’s hard whip to Wheeler into the guard rail into Wheeler’s dodge of Liona’s head first spear into the guard rail. FTR’s double team hanging DDT to Liona. Kaun’s gutbuster to Wheeler via Liona & Nana distraction assist. FTR’s double team spiked piledriver to Kaun. Liona’s block counter of FTR’s Big Rig into Liona’s strikes to FTR into FTR’s Big Rig to Liona. Harwood’s chucking Liona into Nana on the apron into Harwood’s backslide finisher to Liona. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth bout despite the flat ending. Post-match mass brawl with Brian Cage, Wardlow, & Samoa Joe was splendid.
Final Thoughts – Battle of the Belts IV was an enjoyable show overall.

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NJPW, Impact, & Other Wrestling

Tales From The Territories – “Memphis: Where Wrestling Was Real” (Oct. 4)
Overall – 3.5
Show Notes – The round-table discussion format was a superb choice for this series and same for focusing more on personal stories from those who worked in Memphis than a single major topic or story like with Dark Side of the Ring series. One notable takeaway from the episode was how much more violent the Territories era was compared to later eras in wrestling, both in regards to crowds and wrestlers. The former helping play a big role in the negative stereotype of wrestling fans to this day and the latter making today’s era of backstage issues and fights be child’s play compared to some of the stuff that went down in Memphis. Another takeaway was the heavy focus on trying to make everything presented be as “real” as possible due to how the Territories format worked back then by repeatedly running the same towns over & over again a lot with the same fans at shows.
Final Thoughts – Tales From The Territories debut episode was an interesting and entertaining look back on the glory era of Memphis Wrestling during the Territories era.

Impact Wrestling Impact! (Oct. 6)
* Kenny King vs. Frankie Kazarian – 3.0
* Gisele Shaw vs. Mia Yim – 3.0
* Special Guest Referee match – Moose vs. Steve Maclin – 3.0
* Decay (Taya Valkyrie & Jessika) defeated The Swingerellas (Swingerrella #1 & Swingerella #2) – 2.0 (Squash)
* Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley – 3.0
Overall – 3.0
Best – Moose vs. Steve Maclin match with Sami Callihan as the special guest referee.
Worst – Shogun, Jack Price, Jason Hotch, & Joe Hendry backstage segment and Impact production’s audio feed botch at the end of the show.
Show Notes – King vs. Kazarian opener moments: King’s catch & Royal Flush counter of Kazarian’s running leaping attack into Kazarian’s escape, kicks, & lariat counter flooring King. King’s dodge counter of Kazarian’s leg drop into King’s dropkick to Kazarian on the apron into King’s bodyslam & springboard leg drop to Kazarian. Kazarian’s escape & Crossface Chicken Wing finisher counter of King’s DVD hold. Match itself was a pretty good back-and-forth action bout. Kazarian vs. Bailey X-Division title match hype vignette was all right. Eddie Edwards’ heated promo video about his issues with Josh Alexander, upcoming Impact title match, & promise to become the new champ was splendid. Mike Bailey’s promo video about his X-Division title reign & upcoming title match with Kazarian was all right. Shaw vs. Yim was a pretty good back-and-forth bout. Post-match staredown between Yim & Mickie James was all right. Killer Kelly’s backstage promo about her feud with Tasha Steelz and entering the Call Your Shot match field, & ambush attack by Steelz and Savannah Evans was decent. Brian Myers’ backstage segment about the open challenge for his Digital Media title with a random VBD hooded cult member, rambling Delirious, & a random woman was a bit funny. Slamovich vs. Grace Knockouts title match hype vignette was superb. Moose vs. Maclin moments: Maclin’s stiff chop to Moose into Moose’s suplex counter of Maclin’s suplex onto the floor. Moose’s gouging of Maclin’s bloody head wound. Moose’s big boot flooring Maclin into Moose’s catapult onto the bottom ropes. Maclin’s kick counter of Moose’s running attack in the corner into Moose’s grab & Sky High counter of Maclin’s top rope move. Callihan’s Cactus Drivers to Moose & Maclin. Match itself was an entertaining hard hitting bout. Sami Callihan’s lackadaisical & goofing off ref antics throughout the match was a bit funny. Shogun, Jack Price, & Jason Hotch backstage segment over who gets to be the last person in the Call Your Shot match, Joe Hendry’s interruption revealing he beat them all to the punch, impromptu dance party afterwards was a bit corny. Decay vs. Swingerellas was a decent jobber destruction bout. VXT’s backstage interview trashing Decay & Jessicka was decent at best. Taven vs. Shelley was pretty good despite going overboard with the ringside shenanigans by Bennett & Maria Kanellis. Alexander’s taped backstage interview about his upcoming Impact title match with Edwards & Edwards’ interruption was decent but Alisha threatening to leave Edwards if he continues his antics was interesting. Knockouts title match contract signing segment about Scott D’Amore lengthy sermon about the upcoming match, Slamovich’s non-response, Grace’s retort about Slamovich’s undefeated streak & boasting about her own accolades in Impact, banter, & brawl was all right.
Final Thoughts – This week’s Bound For Glory 2022 go-home show was enjoyable overall.

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Weekly Awards:

• Best match of the week – Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match – Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland, Butch, & Sheamus) vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci, Ludwig Kaiser, & Gunther) (WWE Extreme Rules 2022)
• Best match of the week runner-up – Intercontinental Championship – Sheamus vs. Gunther (c) (WWE Friday Night SmackDown)
• Worst match of the week – SmackDown Women’s Championship Extreme Rules match – Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan (c) (WWE Extreme Rules 2022)
• Worst match of the week runner-up – Luchasaurus vs. Fuego Del Sol (AEW Dynamite “Third Anniversary Show)
• Best show of the week – AEW Dynamite “3rd Anniversary Show” & Tales From The Territories “Memphis”
• Worst show of the week – WWE NXT