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.



Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya

With both Mickie James and Nia Jax at ringside, Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss took on Natalya in a match that, to no one's surprise whatsoever, came down to whose interference worked. Spoiler alert: it was Nia's. A well-placed trip by Jax allowed Natalya to lock in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory.

Just remember that somewhere, Ronda Rousey is waiting for her feud with Alexa Bliss.

Winner: Natalya
Rating: 2/5

Bayley, Ember Moon & Sasha Banks vs. Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan

The faces brought a lot of spunk to this match early on in a match Kurt Angle called Bayley and Sasha's "last chance" to make peace with each other. However, after Ruby Riott took advantage of a distracted Sasha to pick up the pinfall victory, Bayley and Sasha kind of...fell apart. Finally.

An infuriated Bayley absolutely dismantled Sasha, driven by years upon years of pent of emotion and frustration. The crowd ate it up, loving this new, motivated side of Bayley we haven't seen nearly enough of in recent months. After, Kurt Angle went and ruined a red hot angle by demanded that Bayley and Sasha attend therapy or be fired.

Roman Reigns never had to attend therapy. Just saying.

Winners: Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan
Rating: 3/5



Becky Lynch vs. Sonya Deville

Becky Lynch and Sonya Deville bothuse MMA-inspired movesets that mesh very well. After a test of strength and a few exchanges of momentum, Becky Lynch managed to ward off interference from Mandy Rose and lock in the Dis-Arm Her for the submission victory.

What does this mean for Becky Lynch, you might ask? I'm not sure, but the honest truth is...probably nothing! I have no idea what WWE is doing with the women not involved in the Asuka-Carmella-Ellsworth (sigh) drama! And to be frank, I don't have much faith in their ability to tell secondary stories with their women.

Elsewhere, the cast of GLOW stopped by to promote the show's second season on Netflix, having a cute interaction with Naomi (fittingly) and Lana. I've binged the new episodes already, and I can confirm that it's worth watching!

Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: 3/5



Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard

This match went exactly the same as all of their others: Tessa dominated but Madison hung on and won. After the match, however, Su Yung arrived with a bunch of undead bridesmaids (dope) and surrounded the ring to (help?) as Blanchard attacked Rayne.

SURPRISE! Allie is back! The scrappy underdog ran into the ring and cleaned house to close the night. Have I mentioned lately how insanely interesting Su Yung is? Yes? Oh well, it bears repeating. The undead gimmick is so versatile and Yung plays it perfectly.

Can't wait to see how Allie's return shakes things up!

Winner: Madison Rayne
Rating: 2/5



All that you need to know is that Ivelisse arrived and basically murdered Jeremiah Crane.

Excellent.

Winner: The audience.
Rating: 3/5



Candice LeRae vs. Lacey Evans

It's so nice to have Candice wrestling again. Though Evans was able to, rather violently, capture control from LeRae for a moment, LeRae fought back with a series of wicked chops and a stunning springboard quebrada.

Later, LeRae said that she couldn't let her husband's drama distract her from her own dreams in NXT and announced her ambitions for the NXT Women's Championship. Good. Having her connected to her husband is fine, but she deserves her own spotlight as well. She is, quite simply, that good.

Winner: Candice LeRae
Rating: 3/5



So, Nikki Bella is stressed about planning her wedding. There's drama about who will walk her down the aisle, and apparently that's the kind of thing her mom feels inclined to pressure her over. How nice. And then, after an awkward dinner with John Cena where the topic of kids is breached and a therapist appointment that was, of course, filmed, Nikki is unsure whether she really wants to marry John.

Nikki decides she will walk herself down the aisle, but Brie notices that something is still off with her. Maybe it's the fact that she's about to take part in a sham of a breakup for a reality show? Who knows.

Aside from that, Brie and Bryan are doing great. They go on three dates and get some well-deserved relaxing time.



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

Alternative Wrestling Show

Match: Cheerleader Melissa vs. Kris Wolf (AWS Women's Title match)
Winner: Cheerleader Melissa

RISE

Match: Delilah Doom vs. Shotzi Blackheart
Winner: No Contest

Ring of Honor

Match: Jenny Rose, Mayu Iwatani, Sumie Sakai & Tenille Dashwood vs. Hana Kimura, Hazuki, Kagetsu & Kelly Klein
Winner: Jenny Rose, Mayu Iwatani, Sumie Sakai & Tenille Dashwood


Though this wasn't technically a match, it WAS a beatdown and the most interesting thing to happen all week. We finally got to see Bayley let go and fight, and she and Sasha really have earned this feud. It's been touch and go for so many months, and the idea of a therapy segment makes me nervous, but I truly do hope they are given the feud they deserve.


You think Charlotte is the only woman to hold the title of queen in wrestling?

Io Shirai is a HUGE get for WWE: a hard-hitting striker and thrilling high flyer whose talent and skill as both a face and a heel is virtually unmatched. She has had a career for the ages with STARDOM, where she was revered as a top star - and with good reason. Her matches against the likes of Kairi Sane, Toni Storm and Mayu Iwatani have been spectacular. If she can keep her neck healthy, she will go far.

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!