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.


Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Nia Jax returned to remind us all not to trust everything we read on the internet and to take the place of Survivor Series captain Alicia Fox, who is still as hilarious as she was winning the thing. She's great, okay? Anyways, Bayley brought a lot of fight, but in the end it just wasn't enough as Nia Jax won with a leg drop.

Look, I'm fine with the whole, "underdog loser Bayley" thing, but only if this actually leads to a legitimate underdog storyline. She has too much potential and connects too well with young fans to have her waste away because Creative fundamentally misunderstood the source of her appealw hen she was first called up.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2.5/5

Asuka vs. Stacie Cullen

Stacie Cullen wasn't ready for Asuka.

Winner: Asuka
Rating: 2/5

Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James (Raw Women's Championship match)

They really are all-in with Bliss. The Raw Women's Champion looked absolutely dominant against Mickie James. I mean really, she pinned her with an elbow. An elbow!

Bliss is being booked and built spectacularly well. She wins, and she wins with gusto. James is an established veteran who can shoulder losses without her overall reputation being damaged, so using her in a filler feud with Bliss as she prepares to face off against Natalya at Survivor Series works well. They have great in-ring chemistry, and I hope this isn't the end of James' push.

Winner: Alexa Bliss
Rating: 3/5



The women just talked backstage, and that was that.

No, really. Here's the entirety of women's wrestling on SmackDown:



Nikki Cross vs. Taynara Conti

Taynara Conti is utterly adorable, and it honestly scares me a bit. The Mae Young Classic newcomer continues to impress every time she is given opportunity. With time, she will fit right in with NXT's ever-growing women's division.

Conti showed a spark of life as she worked over Cross' arm, but Cross was too unhinged to be bothered. She pinned the newcomer with a wild swinging neckbreaker.

Winner: Nikki Cross
Rating: 2.5/5



Rosemary & Allie vs. Sienna & KC Spinelli

Impact Wrestling continued its exodus from the Impact Zone with a match from Border City Wrestling in Canada. The babyfaces secured the victory after Sienna knocked over KC Spinelli.

This week, it was announced that Taya Valkyrie would not be at Bound for Glory due to personal reasons and would not return to Impact until 2018. Whatever the situation, it's disappointing. However, whenever she and Rosemary do get their coveted match, it is bound to be glorious.

Yeah, that was on purpose.

Winners: Rosemary & Allie
Rating: 2.5/5



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. Rika Tatsumi (Princess of Princess Title match)
Winner: Reika Saiki

AAW Pro

Match: Kylie Rae vs. Su Yung
Winner: Kylie Rae

STARDOM

Match: Chardonnay & Scarlett vs. HZK & Io Shirai
Winner: Chardonnay & Scarlett

PROGRESS

Match: Toni Storm vs. Charli Evans (PROGRESS Women's Championship match)
Winner: Toni Storm



Shoutout to Raw for giving its women three matches on Monday. James and Bliss put on a fun match late in the night, proving how talented they are and how good they can be when given the time. Not like they haven't done it already, but it's nice to be reminded as much as possible how talented the ladies really are.


Look, I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on WWE's most prolific release of the week. Emma's talent may not have been as obvious near the end of her WWE run, but man, when she was motivated, she was good. I have no doubt that she'll shine wherever she is, but it's a shame WWE never gave her the chance to truly take off. Here's hoping that she finds the success she seeks in greener pastures. Godspeed, Emma! Here's to the next chapter.

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.