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 Impact Wrestling's Knockouts, Lucha Underground's luchadoras, and even a glimpse at the women on the independent circuit.

I come to you on the other side of one of the busiest weeks of my life! I work for a city magazine, and am in my final year of college, so my schedule has been absolutely nuts. But I'm excited to be here, recapping this week in women's wrestling. And boy, this week is a doozy. Let's dive right in!



Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad

I mean... of course this was going to happen.

Everything seemed to be coming up Rousey as she and the Bellas once again dismantled the poor Riott Squad...that is, until the celebration. As the faces celebrated their victory, the Bellas blindsided Rousey and beat her back into the turnbuckle before taking their attack outside of the ring. They threw her into the steps and then the barricade before posing for the cameras and leaving a shell-shocked Rousey in their wake.

Winners: Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins
Rating: 2.5/5

Bayley & Finn Balor vs. Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal

Fox tagged the women in after the men started, but Balor and Bayley used some nifty teamwork to land a blow on Mahal. Fox and Bayley duked it out and Fox took control, but Bayley managed to escape from too much harm and tagged her partner in. Fox broke up a pin attempt, so Bayley neutralized her and Sunil Singh so that Balor could hit the Coup de Gras for the victory.

Winners: Bayley & Finn Balor
Rating: 3/5

Nia Jax vs. Ember Moon

Rock: meet hard place. Though this match was short, it was an impressive battle of wills against the agile striker Ember Moon and Nia Jax's incredible strength. Nothing could keep the other down, but Moon took advantage of Jax hitting the apron pretty hard out of the ring and slid back into the ring for a countout victory.

Winner: Ember Moon
Rating: 2.5/5

Stratusfaction

Trish Stratus came out to speak, but was soon interrupted by Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. The three exchanged words until Trish suggested that they fight that night in Chicago. The heels, of course, refused, so Trish suggested they make their Evolution match a tag match, and introduced her EXTREME partner: LITA!

I know people are up in arms over it no longer being a singles match, but I like the idea of Trish and Lita wrestling more than Trish and Alexa alone. Add that with Alexa's injury, and it's a win-win.



Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women's Championship)

As usual, Charlotte and Becky left no question as to who runs SmackDown. Their match was long, intense and the ending was as good an ending as you can ask for before their feud concludes. The two became so caught up in their fighting outside of the ring that they both got counted out.

After the match, the two continued brawling until Flair speared Becky right through the entrance LED boards. I sure hope Becky is, ya know, alive.

The animosity between this pair has made this feud the highlight of the entire blue brand. Becky Lynch's intensity and badass attitude has really elevated the feud to keep it exciting even after all of these weeks and matches.

Winner: No contest
Rating: 4/5



Tessa Blanchard vs. Keyra

Though Keyra caught Tessa off guard with a quick flurry of offense, Blanchard retreated out of the ring and gained the advantage by driving Keyra into the post. Back in the ring, she won with a Buzzsaw DDT. A short and sweet match, but Tessa is simply THAT dominant, so it works.

Winner: Tessa Blanchard
Rating: 2.5/5



Taya Valkyrie vs. Matanza

Taya attacked Matanza on the ramp, but in the ring, he beat her down fairly decisively. However, some well-timed boots and a Superkick brought Taya back into the match. However, when Matanza struck back against Taya, Mundo got involved, and the match was ruled a no-contest.

Winner: No contest
Rating: 3/5

Reklusa vs. Pentagon Dark

Pentagon didn't make it to the ring before Reklusa attacked him with a moonsault from the top rope. She then attacked his eyes, like a normal human. And though Penta tried his damndest, he couldn't keep her down for the count until after he kicked out of a pin attempt following a low blow and got the pinfall himself.

But then Reklusa and Marty the Moth beat him bloody and poured gasoline on him, so who's the REAL winner here?

Satan. The answer is Satan.

Winner: Pentagon Dark
Rating: 3.5/5



Okay, so Paige has a secret boyfriend, and apparently the only way to keep him secret is to go on a date with Nia's brother. Am I amused that she chose to tell the TV show and not her friend? You bet your ass I am!

In Brie and Bryan world, he was a bit of an asshole to her about weaning Birdie off of breastmilk, and their conflict was never really resolved. I...was not a fan.



Io Shirai vs. Zeuxis

After an early advantage from Zeuxis, Io Shirai did what we all expected: dominate. She beat Zeuxis down, and despite some cool aerial moments from the luchadora, the conclusion of this match always seemed foregone. This matchup may have lost some excitement because of that, but Shirai still put on one hell of a show.

Winner: Io Shirai
Rating: 3/5

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li

It still blows my mind how much Xia Li has improved and how fast. Even though Deonna emerged victorious, Xia Li appeared to have an answer to every clever move the Italian wonder threw at her. She's charismatic, too, so i wouldn't be surprised to see her making waves in NXT eventually.

Purrazzo moves on to face Io Shirai. I'm already popping my popcorn.

Winner: Deonna Purrazzo
Rating: 3/5

Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews

Tegan Nox infuses everything she does with the kind of infectious joy that makes every match she's in feel elevated and exciting. And she brought a ton of grit to her match against Nicole Matthews, who's taken on this awesome "gatekeeper of the indies" persona in the MYC that suits her well.

Nox continued to prove herself on the big stage, rallying after early dominance from Matthews to deliver the Shinest Wizard and advance to the next round.

Winner: Tegan Nox
Rating: 3/5

Mia Yim vs. Kaitlyn

I struggle to come up with the right words to express just how much fun it is to see Mia Yim make such an impression on the Mae Young Classic. Again. Her revamped badass attitude and her skill at in-ring psychology have made her truly impossible for anyone to ignore. She and Kaitlyn, who's got quite the story going into this tournament herself, put on a spectacularly fun match. Kaitlyn zeroed in on Yim's "injured" hand while Yim focused her energy on Kaitlyn's leg.

The two were evenly matched throughout, each resorting to a little heelishness in their drive to advance. In the end, Yim kicked out of Kaitlyn's spear in a thrilling moment and locked in a kneebar, forcing the veteran performer to tap out.

Winner: Mia Yim
Rating: 3.5/5



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

AAW: Pro

Match: Kylie Rae vs. Thunder Rosa
Winner: Kylie Rae

Glory Pro

Match: Jordynne Grace vs. Savanna Stone
Winner: Jordynne Grace

Ohio Valley Wrestling

Match: Megan Monroe, ODB & Victoria vs. Cali, Jaylee & Valerie Vermin
Winner: Megan Monroe, ODB & Victoria

Pro-Wrestling: EVE

Match: Viper vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Kasey vs. Laura Di Matteo (Pro-Wrestling: EVE International Title match)
Winner: Viper


You don't normally find me awarding this distinction to a match with a non-finish, but i love this feud so much that I just couldn't help myself. This match was given a ton of time to let the ladies do their thing, and they delivered. Absolutely.


The Blasian Baddy is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the Mae Young Classic. Her character, her technical skills... everything feels fresh and she remains phenomenal as ever. I'm thrilled to see her advance further int he MYC, and can't wait to see what her future in WWE holds.

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!