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
Dakota Kai vs Candice LeRae
Should Cadnice LeRae have lost here? No, not at all. But conversely, Dakota Kai looks stronger for the win. I just wish it was not at the expense of LeRae.
Winner: Dakota Kai
Rating: 2.5/5
Alexa Bliss vs Iyo Sky
This was a match between two talented women with vastly different ring styles, yet they put on a solid match to cap off a fantastic night of action on Raw. I cannot wait to see these starts reprise their performance further down the road.
Winner: Iyo Sky
Rating: 3/5
AEW Dark: Elevation
Skye Blue vs Trish Adora
Squash City!
Winner: Skye Blue
Rating: 2/5
Abadon vs Abby Jane
Squash City!
Winner: Abadon
Rating: 2/5
WWE NXT 2.0
Wendy Choo vs Lash Legend
Squash City!
Winner: Wendy Choo
Rating: 2/5
Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark vs Toxic Attraction
Standard. This is not to say the match was bad, but it felt lacking in overall urgency and dynamism.
Winner: Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark
Rating: 2.5/5
AEW Dark
Marina Shafir vs Sio Nieves
Squash City!
Winner: Marina Shafir
Rating: 2/5
Abadon vs Freya States
Squash City!
Winner: Abadon
Rating: 2/5
Skye Blue vs Robyn Renegade
Squash City!
Winner: Skye Blue
Rating: 2/5
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite
Willow Nightingale, Athena, & Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford, & Serena Deeb
Oh, and just to add, Saraya remains absolute garbage. I cannot help but respect her WWE run, but she really should not be in a wrestling ring. Paige was great, but Saraya is just a piss poor excuse of a 'performer'.
Winner: Willow Nightingale, Athena, & Toni Storm
Rating: 2.5/5
Impact Wrestling
Mia Yim vs Gisele Shaw
Squash City!
Winner: Mia Yim
Rating: 2/5
Death Dollz vs Swingerellas
Squash City!
Winner: Death Dollz
Rating: 2/5
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Shotzi & Raquel Rodriguez vs Sonya Deville & Xia Li
Terrible. This was just an exercise in failure, as no-one looked particularly strong here. Shotzi as a face (or even heel for that matter) is just a complete failure. When a tank gets more traction as a talking point than your own wrestling (in)ability, you are just treading water.
Winner: Shotzi & Raquel Rodriguez
Rating: 1.5/5
WWE NXT Level Up
Indi Hartwell vs Sloane Jacobs
Squash City!
Winner: Indi Hartwell
Rating: 2/5
Kiana James & Arianna Grace vs Fallon Henley & Sol Ruca
Although not a straight up squash match, this really was a mediocre and lifeless encounter.
Winner: Fallon Henley & Sol Ruca
Rating: 2/5
AEW Rampage
Skye Blue & Madison Rayne vs Tay Melo & Anna Jay
This was a decent contest, but at the end of the day, this was all about Tay Melo and Anna Jay. Not only do they work well together, but they clearly demonstarte they have a solid amount of chemistry as a heel team.
Winner: Tay Melo & Anna Jay
Rating: 2.5/5
WWE Extreme Rules 2022
Bianca Belair vs Bayley
As Ladder matches go, this was pretty good. Both women worked hard, creating a real sense of urgency and intrigue as to who would walk away with the WWE Raw Women's Championship. Not every Ladder match needs to be a crazy spot fest, which was evident by the careful and calculated approach by both women to this encounter.
I will admit I had fully expected Bayley to come away as the winner to underline the domination of Damage CTRL, and although my predication was incorrect, I am not unhappy. Why? because in Bianca Belair, WWE has a woman who can be genuinely considered to be on equal footing with The Four Horsewomen. At this point, I'd even rate her better than Sasha Banks, especially as she doesn't come with the political baggage that The Boss brings to the table. Overall, this was a fantastic match that lived up to very high expectations.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 4/5
Liv Morgan vs Ronda Rousey
This feud has been the drizzling shits. SOmething about Liv Morgan being WWE SmackDown Women's Champion has not clicked, and the same can be said of her feud with Ronda Rousey. This match was fine, but it never clicked, coming across as a pale imitation of what could have been acheived by Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. Rousey is Champion again, but if we are being honest, who actually gives a hoot?
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rating: 2/5
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
Bianca Belair vs Bayley
It may not be the result I anticipated, but it was certainly a strong match from two fantastic wrestlers.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK:
Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair reminded fans how dominant she really is, and just how solid she is as a representative of WWE in holding the WWE Raw Women's Championship with such pride.
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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