Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of WOMEN'S WRESTLING WEEKLY—a rundown of the events which have transpired in the world of women's professional wrestling over the past several days not just with the Superstars on WWE programming, but with GFW's Knockouts, Lucha Underground's luchadoras, and even a glimpse at the women on the independent circuit.



Sasha Banks vs. Emma vs. Alicia Fox

This week's episode of Raw was centered on finding a replacement for Bayley, who will miss SummerSlam. Bayley was interviewed in the ring before this match and got unbelievably booed, which was more uncomfortable than it was amusing, considering her injury was real. Bayley endorsed Sasha Banks, and the matches began.

Banks was dominant throughout the match, although Emma (give her a chance, dangit!) got a fair amount of offense in as well. Fox got her perfect Northern Lights suplex in, but as aforementioned, the match was all about Banks. She made the heroic comeback and managed to outmaneuver Emma into a Banks Statement.

Banks was the most sensible choice to win, so I have no complaints on that front. She and Bliss may not be the biggest fans of each other, but the truth of that is irrelevant. They work well together every time. I only hope that after this, Creative finds a place for Emma somewhere on the midcard. She's too talented to waste.

Winner: Sasha Banks
Rating: 2.5/5

Nia Jax vs. Mickie James vs. Dana Brooke

The more Nia Jax acts like a devil-may-care beast, the more I enjoy her. Jax was like a wall to be conquered for Dana Brooke and Mickie James. Brooke's flashiness and James' experience all amounted to nothing but the barest hints of offense against Jax, who looked like she was enjoying herself throughout.

Jax pinned Brooke with a leg drop, to no one's surprise.

While I'm not thrilled to be seeing another clash between Banks and Jax, I can't help but be impressed at the progress Jax makes every time she steps into the ring. She wrestles regularly, and she is picking up on the nuances of effective storytelling well.

Next week should be interesting indeed.

Winner: Nia Jax
Rating: 2/5



Charlotte Flair vs. Lana

The match itself was simple: Lana was utterly outmatched and everyone knew it.

But it got me thinking about my complicated feelings regarding Lana. The woman is no wrestler, not yet. She looks green and moves clunkily and is clearly still a very new student of the game. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I can't help but feel annoyed every time I see her getting more ring time than Emma. And it's not the kind of heel heat I want to feel, it's the feeling that my time is being wasted.

I also don't appreciate the clearly objectifying chants that ring out whenever she's in the ring.

On the other hand, the story with her and Tamina and the fact that Lana's gimmick is literally that she can't wrestle is amusing to an extent. I'm curious to see where it goes and hopes Lana continues training hard, because the last time we got a wrestler whose gimmick was that she was beautiful and never wrestled...she left to become an actress.

Winner: Charlotte Flair
Rating: 2/5

Naomi vs. Carmella

Welcome back, James Ellsworth.

Carmella is another name who has shown remarkable progress since the draft. Her strikes have gotten better and her character work is incredible. Naomi controlled a majority of the match, and it took direct interference from a returning Ellsworth to allow Carmella to steal the win.

Carmella's shadow looms large as Naomi prepares to face Natalya at SummerSlam. Her cash-in, whenever it happens, will be wild.

Winner: Carmella
Rating: 2/5



Sienna's Sit-In

Sienna, the lovely heel that she is, staged a sit-in until Karen Jarrett told her who her next challenger would be: Gail Kim, who wants to retire with the GFW Women's Championship.

You know what I say to this? GO FOR IT. Give Gail Kim the Trish treatment. After all she has done for GFW in all of its incarnations, she deserves it.



Iconic!

No women's matches on NXT this week, but several interesting developments with the women of NXT, including Andrade Almas' new valet (fka Thea Trinidad) looking like even more of a boss, Nikki Cross running around with the tag team titles and the Iconic Duo doing Iconic Duo things.

NXT is great, you guys.



This section includes recaps of matches from around the world in various lesser-known independent promotions throughout the week.

CWF Mid-Atlantic

Match: Aspyn Rose vs. Kaci Lennox
Winner: Aspyn Rose

PROGRESS

Match: Deonna Purrazzo & Jinny vs. Dahlia Black & Dakota Kai
Winner: Deonna Purrazzo & Jinny

Hoodslam

Match: Samara vs. Nurse Ratchet
Winner: Samara

STARDOM

Match: AZM, HZK & Viper vs. Gabby Ortiz, Toni Storm & Xia Brookside
Winner: AZM, HZK & Viper


The women worked a quick pace and told an effective story. The biggest downside to this match would probably be the fact that we likely won't see Fox or Emma get a platform like this as often as they should.


I can't imagine keeping my composure when a stadium is audibly booing you when you're saying goodbye because you're legitimately injured. Bayley stumbled, but she stayed on message. Hopefully, this break will have a silver lining, and she will be greeted with an ovation upon her triumphant return.

So there you have it, the breakdown for the week in women's wrestling. What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from these women? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!