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.



Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott

Never trust an advantage when it's over Ronda Rousey unless your name is Holly Holmes.

Ruby Riott attacked with vigor, but Rousey managed to counter a Riott Kick into a suplex. Even interference from Sarah Logan couldn't keep Rousey at bay, as she locked in her signature armbar for the submission victory.

Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rating: 2.5/5

Bayley vs. Alicia Fox

Bayley was followed to the ring by fellow pure cinnamon roll Finn Balor, while Jinder Mahal accompanied Fox.

Alicia Fox came out swinging with a good amount of strikes and her northern lights suplex against Bayley, who fought back with some strong punches. She and Balor then both took out the interfering Mahal so that Bayley could land the Bayley-to-Belly for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2.5/5



Zelina Vega & Andrade Almas vs. Carmella & R-Truth

Vega took control of Carmella with ease to begin the match until the self-proclaimed princess managed to tag out. The men fought it out for a while before the ladies tagged in hot and Carmella locked in a stunningly gorgeous Code of Silence on Vega for the submission victory.

Seriously, watch the closing sequence to this match if you haven't already. This match was incredibly fun.

Winners: Carmella & R-Truth
Rating: 3/5

Asuka vs. Peyton Royce

Even with Billie Kay at her side, Peyton Royce was not ready for Asuka, who submitted her with the Asuka Lock with Naomi's help keeping Kay at bay.

This was about as eventful as you'd expect. Rest in peace to all of the hype and mystique that surrounded Asuka earlier this year.

Winner: Asuka
Rating: 2/5

Respect her

Becky Lynch praised herself for finally standing up and taking that she wanted (preach) before demanding the same star treatment that Flair got: magazine covers, action figures and glory. She then unveiled a new poster for the Australia show: her hoisting the title over Flair's prone form.

Speaking of the devil, Flair emerged with a fury, spearing and suplexing Lynch through the poster before locking in the figure four.



Kiera Hogan vs. Su Yung

With Allie at her side, Kiera Hogan took on the Undead Bride herself, who was accompanied by her maid of honor. Hogan kept up fairly well with Yung, but Yung kept the advantage over the fiery Knockout, hitting the Panic Switch for the pinfall victory.

After, Allie attacked Su Yung as the bridesmaids brought out her coffin. And while Allie escaped the coffin, Hogan took the fall for her and wound up inside.

Aw, friendship is magic.

Winner: Su Yung
Rating: 2.5/5



Mariposa vs. Marty Martinez (Lucha Underground Championship)

Ah yes, siblings doing battle because Marty wanted his first defense to be his sister!

Mariposa was positively decimated early on, smashed into an announce table as Marty reveled in making her bleed, because what's family for?

If your answer to my rhetorical question was chairs, you'd be correct.

Mariposa fought back against her brother with just under 20 chair shots that would have killed any mortal man. Unfortunately for her, Marty is no mere mortal, as he fought back with a brutal piledriver for the victory.

After the match, he thanked her, and she kind of...moaned? Gurgled? Growled? A mix of those three things.

Winner: Marty Martinez
Rating: 3.5/5



Lacey Evans vs. Candice LeRae

Lacey Evans had one tactic going into this match, and she executed it to perfection: make Candice so angry that she cannot win. And though some of Evans' trash talk spurred a classic babyface comeback from Candice, calling Candice a loser like Gargano fired Candice up enough to make the ref interfere, which allowed her to hit the Women's Right for the victory.

This is clearly the beginning, so I'm fine with seeing Candice dropping this one. Mind games, when executed right, are a super fun addition to any feud. These two have excellent chemistry so I'm excited to see more.

Winner: Lacey Evans
Rating: 2.5/5



I'm going to try and make this recap as succinct as possible because I have to cover botht he Super Show Down AND Mae Young Classic this week, and I doubt any of you desperately enjoy my opinions on reality television. Here goes:

Natalya had a wardrobe malfunction at Mania, which I never knew about. She was embarrassed, then realized it doesn't matter. Huzzah.

Lana stages a photoshoot on the beach with her and Rusev making out in tan swimsuits, and these pics (allegedly) circulate the internet and are pixelated to make it look like they were doing the nasty on the beach. Lana gets scolded because of course she does. But hey, Rusev on my screen is always a win in my book.

Naomi and Jimmy "fight" over her eating habits. I don't believe any of this is organic, so I'll just call it a night.



Toni Storm vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

This match was wildly physical and brutal. Though Toni Storm managed to emerge victorious, Lady Godzilla gave her one hell of a fight. In the end, it was a bridging Gedo Clutch that got Storm the pinfall.

Winner: Toni Storm
Rating: 3.5/5

Rhea Ripley vs. Kacy Catanzaro

Kacy Catanzaro cannot be real. It is unbelievable how good she is so quickly after learning how to wrestle. However, her Cinderella story came to an abrupt end when Rhea Ripley's powerhouse badassery came to play.Ripley won with a wicked Riptide.

Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 3.4/5

Lacey Lane vs. Taynara Conti

Speaking of Cinderella stories...

In what Michael Cole called a matchup of wildcards, Lacey Lane emerged victorious against the bad-natured martial arts master. Her unique look and exciting moveset have made her an unpredictable addition to the tournament's later rounds.

Winner: Lacey Lane
Rating: 3/5

Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez

This match was a clash of titans. These two legends in their own right were absolutely phenomenal in their match, which was an incredible mix of ego, desperation and masterful storytelling. Mercedes Martinez plays the desperate warrior unlike anyone I have ever witnessed, and Satomura has been incredible for a long time. It's wonderful to see them face each other on such a public stage. Satomura won with the Scorpio Rising.

Winner: Meiko Satomura
Rating: 4.5/5

WWE Super Show Down

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women's Championship)

You know a match is spectacular when the crowd is roaring while its two combatants just clock each other in the middle of the ring.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had one of the highlights of the night (morning?) in Australia, with the raucous crowd firmly behind Becky Lynch to absolutely nobody's surprise. After an even match including chaos in and out of the ring, Lynch was disqualified when she wailed on Flair with the title belt itself.

Ha, smart girl.

After the match, a furious Charlotte attacked Lynch on the ramp, but Lynch got the better of her and left her prone while she strutted away, title in hand.

Winner: Becky Lynch

Rating: 3.5/5

Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics

Asuka and Naomi controlled the match early on, but the hometown girls took advantage of a distracted referee to turn the tides in their favor and won with a wheelbarrow knee strike from Kay to Naomi.

It must have been an incredible moment for the two Australian natives. I'm glad WWE gave them a platform in front of their home crowd. But man, it really sucks to see what's happened to Asuka's monster aura.

Winner: The IIconics

Rating: 2.5/5

Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad

The Bellas looked pretty good alongside Rousey as they took on the Riott Squad. However, despite a gutsy showing from Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan, Rousey locked in a, yes, double armbar for the submission victory.

Winner: Rousey & The Bellas

Rating: 2.5/5

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

Westside Xtreme Wrestling

Match: Meiko Satomura vs. LuFisto
Winner: Meiko Satomura

PROGRESS

Match: Jinny vs. Millie McKenzie vs. Toni Storm (PROGRESS Women's Championship match)
Winner: Jinny

STARDOM

Match: Kagetsu vs. Momo Watanabe (World of STARDOM Title match)
Winner: Kagetsu


This match could very well be the best women's match I've seen all year. It was a passionate battle between two seasoned professionals who knew exactly how to tell a compelling story while also including mind-blowing feats of athleticism. I cannot remember the last time a match left me slack-jawed like this one did.


I've already put her over in this column, so I'll just say this:

It's about damn time the world saw what this beast can do.

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!