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.


Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

The women delivered at No Mercy, delivering one of the best matches on the card. This was surprising to many because multi-Superstar matches tend to be very messy, but WWE booked this match very intelligently by making this match a collection of one-on-one stories: Emma's desperation, Alexa avoiding Jax, Bayley and Sasha's growing dissension.

The stories were there, and Bliss built on it by capitalizing on a weakened Bayley to retain her title. As she retreated, we got a wonderful glimpse at a dark, infuriated Nia Jax, hinting that the conflict between the two former friends is far from over.

Winner: Alexa Bliss
Rating: 3.5/5



Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Emma

Earlier in the show, Alexa Bliss came out to brag about defeating all of the best Raw had to offer...before Mickie James came out and promptly destroyed Little Miss Bliss on the mic in a beautiful way. It's easy to forget how good Bliss and James are together, so what is likely their mini-feud while we all await the arrival of Asuka should be fun to watch.

Backstage, some tension was apparent between Sasha Banks and Bayley after they cost each other No Mercy's match, but the two old friends decided to put their small disagreements aside to defeat Emma and Nia Jax. It was that teamwork that won the duo the match against a still game Nia Jax and Emma, who sadly took the fall after eating a Bayley-to-Belly.

The seeds are being planted for a Banks/Bayley feud, which is likely a long way away, but the prospect is still exciting all the same.

Winners: Bayley & Sasha Banks
Rating: 2.5/5



Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella

Charlotte, as Charlotte does, controlled a good portion of the match until James Ellsworth got involved in Carmella's favor, but it wasn't enough to stop Flair, who won with a mere kick to the head of Ms. Money in the Bank.

Afterwards, Natalya cut a quick promo on Flair, saying how excited she was to defeat Flair in front of her recovering father. How lovely. Flair wasn't even halfway bothered, because she's Charlotte Flair and she has no time for trash talk.

Winner: Charlotte Flair
Rating: 2.5/5



Liv Morgan vs. Vanessa Borne

In classic babyface fashion, Liv Morgan started off strong before Borne took control of the match for a good portion of the match. However, some quick-paced offense from a frenzied Morgan allowed the Jersey girl to take control and keep it for a victory with a Codebreaker.

This will be one of Morgan's biggest opportunities yet. She has been working her way slowly but steadily up the NXT ladder, so it will be interesting to see how she fares under the bright lights of a TakeOver title shot.

Winner: Liv Morgan
Rating: 2/5



Taya Valkyrie, Sienna & Taryn Terrell vs. Allie, Gail Kim & Rosemary

All six women got the opportunity to show their stuff with some fun spots in what was a quick but well-paced and physical match. Allie ended up eating the pin after a distraction allowed Sienna to throw her into the turnbuckle and roll her up.

Taya Valkyrie has breathed life into a women's division that was loaded with talent but lacked any real direction. She looked wonderful and exhibited fantastic chemistry with Gail Kim and Rosemary. Her time at Impact should be fun indeed.

Winners: Taya Valkyrie, Sienna & Taryn Terrell
Rating: 3/5


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

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Match: Reika Saiki vs. Mizuki (TOKYO Princess of Princess title match)
Winner: Reika Saiki

Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment

Match: Priscilla Kelly vs. Aria Blake
Winner: Priscilla Kelly

STARDOM

Match: Toni Storm vs. Mayu Iwatani (World of STARDOM title match)
Winner: Toni Storm (NOTE: Storm won after Iwatani sustained an injury 2 minutes into the match. She was admitted to the hospital.)

Beyond Wrestling

Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Penelope Ford
Winner: Deonna Purrazzo



Singular stories and clever match-calling allowed this potentially mess of a multi-woman match to be a ton of fun. Usually, only two or three women were in the ring at a time, and this allowed every participant to shine and kept the crowd engaged with the story of lucky survival they ended up telling.


Bliss retained her title in a pay-per-view against all odds and exchanged words with Mickie James. Who else could this be?

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! Also, come back next week for a full breakdown of the Mae Young Classic's first round of episodes and matches.