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.
WWE Monday Night Raw
Charlotte Flair & Asuka vs Naomi & Lana vs Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke
The winner of this match would receive a shot at the Women's Tag Team Championship, therefore the favourites had to be Charlotte Flair and Asuka.
The negative aspect to this match was the interference of Ric Flair and Lacey Evans, which is honestly, infuriatingly shit. I am sick of seeing this every week, however Naomi and Lana took advantage to pin Asuka following a Rear View. The match was disjointed, with the interference only making the contest more tortorous to watch.
Winner: Naomi & Lana
Rating: 1.5/5
Impact Wrestling
Tasha Steelz vs Havok
This was not a fun match unfortunately, with Havok and Tasha Steelz struggling to truly put on an interesting contest. After a plodding match, Havok defeated Steelz with a Tombstone. Mediocre at best.
Winner: Havok
Rating: 1.5/5
Susan vs Jordynne Grace
ODB made her return post match, which was at least notable and exciting. Jordynne Grace displayed her consistent qualities in victory, hitting a Grace Driver on Susan for the pinfall victory. I enjoyed the amount of interference in this match, as this was overbooking done well.
Winner: Jordynne Grace
Rating: 2.5/5
AEW Dark
Tay Conti vs Tesha Price
Tay Conti once again evidenced how much she has improved since joining AEW, easily defeating Tesha Price. This was a strong women's match to feature on this week's epsiode of Dark.
Winner: Tay Conti
Rating: 2.5/5
Thunder Rosa vs Dani Jordyn
Thunder Rosa easily won via pinfall, which was important considering her match with Britt Baker the next night on Dynamite. Dani Jordyn didn't offer much resistance, unfortunately.
Winner: Thunder Rosa
Rating: 2.5/5
Leyla Hirsch vs Katalina Perez
Leyla Hirsch once again won in a swift manner, destroying Katalina Perez with an Armbar. Hirsch is a machine, and I love the way she has been presented so far.
Winner: Leyla Hirsch
Rating: 2.5/5
Ivelisse & Diamante vs Vertvixen & Jazmin Allure
This was a standard tag team match, with Ivelisse and Diamante enjoying the lion's share of the offense. They won following a kick to the face, which was at least consistent with the way they have been booked on Dark.
Winner: Ivelisse & Diamante
Rating: 2/5
Alex Gracia vs Red Velvet
Red Velvet defeated Alex Gracia following a Big Boot, which was important considering how she has been inserted into Cody Rhodes' match against Shaq and Jade Cargill. Overall, this was everything that it needed to be.
Winner: Red Velvet
Rating: 2/5
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite
Thunder Rosa vs Britt Baker
I was eagerly awaiting this match, especially when considering how strong the build has been. Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker both worked hard, but it was Baker who brought more to the match than I had anticipated.
Rosa looked to have the match won, but Baker played the wily heel well by using the turnbuckles to take down the former NWA Women's Champion, submitting her to a Lockjaw. This was a great finish as it garners sympathy for Rosa, whilst Baker looks dominant with the victory. I for one cannot wait for a rematch.
Winner: Britt Baker
Rating: 3.5/5
WWE NXT
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
All four women worked hard to put on a strong match, with either team having clear opportunities to progress to the finals of the women's Dusty Rhodes Classic.
Once again, it was the role of Raquel Gonzalez to delight the fans, smashing around the team of Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter with ease. Dakota Kai and Gonzalez worked well together, with Kai taking Carter out ringside to allow Gonzalez to pin Catanzaro following a Powerbomb. All in all, this was a fantastic match to have on this week's episode of NXT.
Winner: Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Rating: 3/5
Toni Storm vs Jessi Kamea
It is criminal that Mercedes Martinez caused the disqualification, as I was looking forward to this matchup.
Winner: Jessi Kamea (via DQ)
Rating: 1/5
WWE NXT UK
Nina Samuels vs Xia Brookside
This was, quite frankly, awful. Nina Samuels defeated Xia Brookside with a Rollup, but the match was completely devoid of any imagination. Both women looked ineffective, with NXT UK's women's division coming across poorly. At least Meiko Satomura is here to save the division.
Winner: Nina Samuels
Rating: 1.5/5
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Bayley vs Ruby Riott
Bayley defeated Ruby Riott in a rather dull match, with Billie Kay once again costing her so called ally the victory. Bayley took advantage of the inadvertent distraction to pin Riott, which came across as tired and boring. Kay and The Riott Squad need to be treated better than this!
Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2/5
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
Thunder Rosa vs Britt Baker
This match more than exceeded my expectations, with both women coming across well. Thunder Rosa is now the sympathetic babyface, whilst Britt Baker solidified her effective heel persona.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK:
Britt Baker
Britt Baker once again underlined the threat she poses to AEW's women's division, and knocking off the former NWA Women's Champion sets her up well for another tilt at the AEW Women's Championship.
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!
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