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.




Ember Moon, Natalya and Sasha Banks vs. Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan

The faces took control of this fairly meaningless (story-wise) tag match early on, with Ember Moon and Sasha Banks inflicting some serious punishment on Sarah Logan. Natalya continued their momentum, which only shifted when Ruby Riott stepped in for her embattled stablemates. However, the brief advantage she granted her team wasn't enough to prevent Liv Morgan from tapping out to Nattie's Sharpshooter.

And the crawl to Money in the Bank continues...

Winners: Ember Moon, Natalya and Sasha Banks
Rating: 2.5/5

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Mickie James (MITB qualifier)

If WWE has taught me anything over the past few months, it's that friendship is a lie and the only thing we should cherish is blind ambition.

Though it at first seemed like Bayley was virtually in a handicap match against James and Bliss, James soon made it very clear that she was in this match for herself. Despite some teaming up throughout, the two sometimes-allies were certainly not a team in this. At the match's end, Mickie james tried to steal the pinfall, but Bliss managed to hit her DDT on Bayley to secure herself a spot in the ladder match.

Speaking of Money in the Bank, Nia Jax has officially challenged Ronda Rousey to face her at Money in the Bank. That's right folks, Rousey will get her first-ever title shot in what will presumably be her second singles match with the company. My, oh my.

Winner: Alexa Bliss
Rating: 2.5/5



Mandy Rose vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sonya Deville (MITB qualifier)

First things first, the title picture for Money in the Bank is set, and it's a doozy.

During Carmella's self-proclaimed "Mellabration," hometown hero Paige announced that she had found Carmella an opponent for her mandatory title defense. And who else but the still-hot Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka? That's right, Asuka is getting another chance to claim her first main roster championship.

Now, onto the match! Who's going ladder-climbing?

Despite their excellent teamwork, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, who both have amazing individual entrances now, I might add, could not overcome the might of SmackDown's most underutilized Superstar: Becky Lynch. In a rare and welcome victory, Becky Lynch secured herself a place in another Money in the Bank ladder match! This one's gonna be good, folks.

Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: 2.5/5



Lacey Evans vs. Brandi Lauren

This sucker was an absolute squash for Lacey Evans, who didn't exit the arena before being attacked by a vengeful (and STILL adorable, ugh) Kairi Sane, who got her to the ring before she managed to escape having to suffer an InSane Elbow.

Elsewhere, Candice LeRae slapped Tommaso Ciampa, who continued playing mind games with the wife of his old best friend. And boy, I really want this to end with a LeRae/Ciampa match. Fun fact: it's happened once before.

Winner: Lacey Evans
Rating: 1/5



Kiera Hogan vs. Tessa Blanchard

Hogan began the match with authority, but once Tessa Blanchard got control, she kept control. Talking some mad trash throughout the match, Blanchard secured a pinfall decisively, and didn't stop there. It took Madison Rayne coming to her friend's defense to get Impact's new villain to retreat.

Oh, and how go our resident zombie queens? Well, Su Yung held a funeral for Rosemary, and set her coffin on fire with her mist spray.

You heard me.

Winner: Tessa Blanchard
Rating: 2/5



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

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Match: Marika Kobashi and Reika Saiki vs. Maki Ito and Mizuki (TOKYO Princess tag title match)

Winner: Marika Kobashi and Reika Saiki

American Combat Wrestling

Match: Elizabeth vs. Claritza

Winners: Elizabeth

Bar Wrestling

Match: Xia Brookside vs. Joey Ryan

Winner: Xia Brookside


The Raw women take the cake once again with a fun, character-driven match that featured three talented women telling a clear and simple story. Quite literally the bare minimum of storytelling, and they killed the game. These three have so much talent, and Bayley can be so much fun when she's not stuck in convoluted stories. To be fair,s he still is in one, but still. Great match.


It's not often I'll put two women on here just because they got awesome new entrances, but here we are. Deville and Rose finally got the chance to branch out as individual characters. And from the moment they stepped onto the ramps, they felt like fully fleshed out people. They were so much fun to watch on Monday, and I may or may not have watched their entrances time and time again.