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.

We're slowing down now that the MYC is wrapped up and Evolution has come and gone, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a lot of exciting stuff going down! Let's dive in!



Bayley, Sasha Banks & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad

Yes, this match again. It was fairly evenly matched throughout, as one would expect when these six have wrestle together constantly for the past however many weeks/months/lifetimes. It ended, however, with a no-contest after Riott broke Nattie's father's sunglasses. Yowzah.

Are we being set up for tag titles? Can we be set up for tag titles? Because honestly, I need this feud to have some sort of substance other than broken glasses.

Winner: No contest
Rating: 2.5/5

Nia Jax vs. Ember Moon

Okay, okay, maybe I jumped the gun a bit last week when I said that Ember was being used as a prop in the Nia Jax/Tamina feud. It looks like Ember is being used as a face against the heelish duo of the Samoan superpowers.

Jax won with a Samoan Drop, and her post-match celebration was interrupted by Tamina, who attacked an already wrecked Ember Moon. Jax hesitated, then enthusiastically joined in. If this ends with Ember Moon overcoming all of The Odds™to earn a title shot, then I'm down. But this is probably leading to Nia and Tamina forcing Ronda to overcome The Odds™, so...blah.

Speaking of Rousey, her mother apparently tried to wake her by breaking her arm as a child, so that's, um... okay.

Winner: Nia Jax
Rating: 2.5/5



Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Cross

Becky Lynch, who is still THE MAN, tore down Rousey's promo making fun of her odd journey to get to the top of WWE before issuing an open challenge for anyone daring enough to challenge her...

AND NIKKI CROSS ANSWERED HER!

Deep breaths, everyone, deep breaths. Nikki put up a great fight against her fellow European maniac, but in the end, Bex is the champ for a reason, and won with a Dis-Arm Her. I'm not sure if this counts as an official call-up, but I'll be damned if Nikki Cross wouldn't be so much fun to watch on SmackDown's Survivor Series team.

Speaking of which, that team will consist of Charlotte, Naomi, Carmella, Asuka and Sonya Deville, a fact that Mandy Rose seemed miffed about. Rose made a disparaging comment to Naomi, who attacked in retaliation until the fight was broken up.

Yeah...nothing to worry about here, folks...

Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: 3/5



Jordynne Grace vs. Katarina

I've been a fan of Jordynne Grace's work on the indies for years now, so it's great to see her be given such a fun debut on Impact. She's got loads of talent and carries the feeling of a powerhouse despite her lack of height. After a very even match, Grace managed to squeeze a win out with a bear hug.

It was a great debut for Grace, if a bit too even for my liking. I kind of hoped for a squash, especially for someone who appears to be billed for strength and might. Oh well.

Elsewhere, Allie remains dealing with Su Yung's wonderful dark nonsense, and Taya Valkyrie is in no way finished with Tessa Blanchard.

Winner: Jordynne Grace
Rating: 3/5



In something totally normal and not horrifying, Rosa... took over? Possessed... Taya's body after she and Johnny Mundo said that they loved each other.

Elsewhere, Melissa Santos' love life continues to be a desolate and sad place.

Now, onto the most exciting thing... SHAUL GUERRERO! Eddie's daughter was then interrupted by Famous B, who talked trash and proceeded to have his ass handed to him by Chavo and Shaul. Good content, good content.




Dakota Kai vs. Taynara Conti

Despite prolific offense from the always-competitive Conti, Kai worked her way back to a surefire victory over the Brazilian black belt. Her plucky, never-say-die attitude is definitely something that fans easily latch on to.

In other news, it looks like we'll be having Bianca Belair and Mia Yim feuding sometime soon. What an embarrassment of riches.

Winner: Dakota Kai
Rating: 2.5/5

NXT: UK

Mae Young Classic winner Toni Storm did battle with Dakota Kai and came out victorious, but then Team Kick herself was attacked by none other than Jinny!

I'm thrilled. Jinny is relentlessly good and has a very unique energy that translates to TV (or...stream...whatever) very well. I'm excited to see what more this feud will have to offer.


Well. Things feel really complicated. Trinity and Jimmy can't seem to agree about where to live. Naomi, on one hand, wants the vibrant social life and proximity to family that Atlanta provides. Jimmy, on the other hand, wants to stay in Pensacola because it's where his kids are. Naomi finally ends up telling him she wants to move to Atlanta, but it's right before he has to go to the ring and he gives her a non-answer.

For once, I'm hoping this is scripted.

Paige and Lana, meanwhile, feuded in Lake Tahoe. It was all very dramatic, and honestly raised my stress levels. Fun stuff.



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

Pro-Wrestling: EVE

Match: Viper vs. Millie McKenzie
Winner: Viper

STARDOM

Match: Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita vs. Bea Priestley & Chardonnay
Winner: Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita

Ring of Honor

Match: Madison Rayne vs. Britt Baker
Winner: Madison Rayne

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Match: Nodoka Tenma & Yuu vs. Raku & Yuna Manase
Winner: Nodoka Tenma & Yuu


What a fun moment for the European crowd to experience live, and what a well-deserved debut (?) for Nikki Cross. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair remain the most exciting aspect of SmackDown, and this match was just one example of the incredible talent on SmackDown.


I'm still waiting for someone else to give me a reason why Becky Lynch shouldn't have this award this week.

Still waiting...

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!