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, ROH's Women of Honor, and even a glimpse at the women on the independent circuit.



Becky Lynch vs The Kabuki Warriors

Last week The Kabuki Warriors defeated Charlotte Flair, however this week was Becky Lynch's turn to try and take down the Women's Tag Team Champions before they compete at TLC. Lynch entered this match knowing The Kabuki Warriors were on a dominant run, therefore it would take a herculean effort to be victorious.

Unfortunately, this week's handicap tag team match offering was poor in comparison to last week's effort. The Kabuki Warriors had trouble wearing Lynch down, and whilst some of this can be expected as Lynch is the reigning Raw Women's Champion, the numbers game should have been enough for The Kabuki Warriors to win easily. After a fairly even match up with numerous near falls, the action spilled to the outside, which led to Asuka hitting Lynch with a chair shot to cause the DQ win in Lynch's favour.

The action wasn't over however, as Kairi Sane put Lynch through a table with the Insane Elbow. This made the result of the match irrelevant, providing The Kabuki Warriors with the advantage going into Sunday's TLC match. The match was good, but it felt like there was a missed opportunity to annihilate Lynch with the numbers advantage.

Winner: Becky Lynch (via DQ)
Rating: 2/5



Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs Fire & Desire

Prior to this match, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were being interviewed, which led to Fire and Desire ambushing Bliss and Cross, with all 4 wrestlers brawling on the way to the ring.

The match started immediately, and quite frankly, it was a poor effort. Bliss and Cross dominated, with both Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville looking weak and ineffective. The finish of the match had Bliss take out Rose, whilst Cross hit a Purge on Deville for the pinfall victory.

This match was supposed to be the next stage in a mini rivalry, however it felt as if this was the actual conclusion of their feud, as Bliss and Cross easily dominated the contest. Another issue for me is from a technical perspective, as Cross hitting the Purge on Deville was not picked up on the live feed, which is just another reason why this match was uninteresting and poor. Bliss and Cross deserve so much better than this.

Winner: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Rating: 1/5


Dana Brooke vs Bayley

This was a squash match, with Bayley regaining some of her recently lost momentum. Dana Brooke hasn't done much recently outside of highlighting her personal life with Batista on Twitter, so it was good to see her compete against the reigning SmackDown Women's Champion, rather than indulging in a pointless match on Main Event.

After Bayley slapped Brooke, it was a real surprise to see Brooke hit a Batista Bomb in tribute to her love interest. This fired up Bayley however, who hit a Rose Plant for an easy pinfall victory. Bayley looked dominant as she defeated Brooke with ease, but it was wonderful to see Brooke actually show what she is capable of here. It was a squash match, but the perfect kind of squash match which everybody looked good in.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2/5



Kay Lee Ray vs Isla Dawn

Isla Dawn has fallen under the radar in NXT UK as of late, which is why it was surprising to see her compete against Kay Lee Ray. Dawn showed real desire to work hard in this match, delivering enough moves to Ray to gain a near fall. Unfortunately for Dawn, Ray's overall strength shone through, as she took out Dawn's knee as she attempted to hit a German Suplex on the NXT UK Women's Champion, with Ray hitting the Gory Bomb for the pinfall victory. This was a good match, with both wrestlers looking great.

It was interesting to see Toni Storm and Piper Niven come out to the ring post match, with Storm hitting the ring to take down Ray, whilst Niven joined the action shortly after. This resulted in Ray bailing, only for Sid Scala to arrive and announce at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, Ray would defend the NXT UK Women's Championship against both Storm and Niven in a triple threat match. This will be an amazing match, with all 3 wrestlers undoubtedly wanting to steal the show come January 12, 2020.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray
Rating: 2.5/5


Mia Yim vs Dakota Kai

This was the next step in Dakota Kai's journey to taking out the team she betrayed at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, with Mia Yim the wrestler who was taken out before the match, allowing Kai to replace her and nearly cost her team the victory.

Yim attacked Kai from the bell, dominating for a while before Kai was able to cut her off. The intensity of this match never waned throughout, with both wrestlers competing as if their lives depended on it. Kai once again attempted to use Tegan Nox's knee brace, only for the referee to remove this from her. This allowed Kai to expose a turnbuckle, which Yim ran into, and Kai cradled Yim for the pinfall victory.

This was a great contest that played well into Kai's ongoing storyline. What was even better however, was the post match attack in which Yim gained revenge on Kai by hitting a Backdrop Driver through a table. Not only did Yim look dangerous, but Kai needed 8 stitches to close up the resulting laceration she received from the attack. As a match, the contest was great, but the post match angle on top further reinforced the strength of NXT's women's division.

Winner: Dakota Kai
Rating: 3.5/5


Kayden Carter vs Bianca Belair

Bianca Belair is in dire need of some true direction. It seems she is stuck in a cycle of winning lower profile matches, before choking in matches that actually matter. This results in her starting at the bottom, with the vicious cycle starting once more.

This peculiar booking trait appears to have kicked in again, as Belair easily defeated Kayden Carter in a match that doesn't progress her into a feud with someone important. Belair dominated the majority of the match, finishing the match with a Spear and a KOD onto Carter for the pinfall victory.

Belair looked strong, whilst Carter looked weak and ineffective. Belair needs to start winning the higher profile matches, otherwise she will remain in NXT purgatory. Belair put on a great performance, but until she is beating the likes of Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae and even Mia Yim, the future does not look bright for her.

Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 2/5



Big Swole vs Emi Sakura

This was Big Swole's first AEW match since signing a long term AEW contract, and it looked as if this fuelled her desire to put on a great performance. Emi Sakura has already established herself as one of the cornerstones of AEW's fledgling women's division, but Swole was not about to let Sakura's reputation precede her.

The match itself was relatively even, with Swole just about getting more offense in. After a hard hitting 10 minutes, Swole traded strikes with Sakura before hitting a stiff Lariat on Sakura. As Sakura tried to cut Swole off, Swole countered with Dirty Dancing for the pinfall victory.

This match was a great way to showcase Swole, whilst also allowing Sakura to look good in the process. For an AEW Dynamite women's match, this was a better offering than we have been treated to in recent weeks. Both wrestlers looked good, and in my eyes, that makes for a good match.

Winner: Big Swole
Rating: 3/5



The Kabuki Warriors vs Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch

This match was the main event of TLC, which made the defence of the Women's Tag Team Championship feel special. The Kabuki Warriors definitely had the advantage going into this contest, as they had been able to get the better of both Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch over the last couple of weeks on Raw.

The action in this match was not just hard hitting, but often too violent at times. Kairi Sane also appeared to sustain a concussion at some point within the match, as her actions for the latter part of the contest felt off. Asuka managed to climb the ladder and unhook the titles for the victory after what felt like a war of attrition, with all 4 women looking extremely banged up.

This match was good, but it felt lacking in urgency and drama. It often felt as if it was more about beating each other up, rather than traversing the ladder for the titles. Alas, it was better than most of the matches on offer at TLC, and The Kabuki Warriors continue to be presented as the strongest women on the main roster.

Winner: The Kabuki Warriors
Rating: 3/5



This was easily the best women's match of the week, as it had great in ring psychology, with an overarching storyline narrative that adds suspense to Dakota Kai's matches. The post match angle was perfect, which made the entire package a delight to watch on this week's episode of NXT.


Dakota Kai not only defeated Mia Yim in what was an extremely exciting match, but she took her punishment after the match in her stride. This new Kai is a great improvement on the previous model, and it is great to see her racking up the victories.

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!