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, ROH's Women of Honor, and even a glimpse at the women on the independent circuit.



Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville

This was a non title match, and unfortunately it played out as a non title match with very little heat. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have already raised the reputation of the Women’s Tag Team Championship, but despite the series of good to great matches they have had recently, the quality of this match was extremely poor.

The match was very disjointed, with Mandy Rose often looking like a rabbit in the headlights as she transitioned from one move to another. It is great that in spite of this, Sonya Deville came off well, displaying the clear talent she has. Deville could realistically be a challenger for the SmackDown Women’s Championship if she so desired, however this would leave Rose floundering with no clear direction.

The finish of this match was well played out as Cross pinned Deville following a Purge. This highlighted that Cross can also finish matches, as Bliss has been securing the victories recently. The champions continue to bring eyes to the women’s tag division, and should be commended for the hard work they are putting in.

Winner: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Rating: 1.5/5


Honourable Mention: Sasha Banks Delivers a Memorable Promo!

Despite not wrestling this week, the promo Sasha Banks delivered was memorable for all the right reasons. She fully committed to her new heel persona and gave fans a reason to look forward to Becky Lynch's next Raw Women's Championship match, assuming that Banks will be confirmed as Lynch's next opponent. Banks has returned a bigger star than she was when she went on her hiatus.



There were no women’s matches on SmackDown this week, however Charlotte and Bayley traded barbs during A Moment of Bliss. The promo segment cemented Charlotte as the slimy heel she is, whilst elevating Bayley to appear as Charlotte’s equal. Bayley was determined to prove she is better than Charlotte, displaying genuine passion in the promo. This was a great segment, but a tag match to build to their future match would have been better.



Havok vs Alisha Edwards

This was a simple squash match which Havok dominated. Havok tossed Alisha Edwards around as if she was a rag doll, and the only moments that Edwards had any offense came from Havok not connecting with a few of her moves. Despite Edwards taking Havok to the mat with a Bulldog and attempting to jump off the turnbuckle, the sheer overwhelming strength of Havok showed as she caught Edwards and gave her a Tombstone for the pinfall. This was a simple squash match that served it's purpose of reinforcing just how destructive Havok can be.

Winner: Havok
Rating: 2/5



Kay Lee Ray vs Shax

This match was quite simply a very entertaining squash, with Kay Lee Ray underlining her credentials ahead of her match with Toni Storm at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. Ray started the match with a series of strikes to Shax before focusing on her arm. Further strikes followed before Ray was able to hit a Clothesline for a 2 count, before a brief comeback by Shax was stopped with a Superkick and a Gory Bomb for the pinfall.

After the match, Ray reminded fans that she would be challenging Toni Storm in 10 days, noting how weak she feels Storm is. Ray guaranteed that she would beat Storm for the NXT UK Women's Championship and leave Storm returning home to nothing, as the championship is the only thing Storm has. Ray declared this is because everybody abandoned Storm, however Storm arrived to hit Ray, who decided to bail and leave. This perfectly set up their upcoming match, allowing the fans to salivate over how good the match may be.

A great squash followed by a well performed post match angle means this was one of the highlights of the week. NXT UK's women's division continues to go from strength to strength.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray
Rating: 2.5/5



Mia Yim vs Vanessa Borne

Mia Yim recently lost to Shayna Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Toronto II, therefore this was the ideal match to help her regain some seriously needed momentum. Vanessa Borne started the match off strongly, however Yim quickly turned the match around and unloaded her full complement of kicks and strikes, before swiftly ending the match with Protect Ya Neck for the pinfall.

Outside of the entertainment gained by watching Yim win in dominant fashion, this match felt flat. This may be due to the post match angle in which Baszler offered Yim a place within her stable, only for Yim to refuse and start taking out Jessamyn Duke. This led to Baszler and Marina Shafir beating on Yim until officials broke them up, which suggests their feud will continue. It is hard to be excited for a rematch as their TakeOver match felt lifeless, but in all honesty there are very few realistic challengers to Baszler outside of Io Shirai.

Overall this match was inoffensive, however it felt like a starter, with the post match angle being the main course.

Winner: Mia Yim
Rating: 1.5/5



Dana Brooke vs Sarah Logan

This was a short match that unfortunately dragged on, which can be attributed to the fact that these 2 wrestlers have competed against each other numerous times on Main Event without actually showing signs of improvement. The match started off with Dana Brooke taking control and hitting her signature Back Handspring Elbow and Cartwheel Splash, with Sarah Logan responding with a series of kicks and punches. After a section of traded strikes, Brooke attempted a Senton off the top rope, only for it to be countered by Logan keeping her knees up. This was swiftly followed with a Cradle by Brooke for the pinfall.

The glaring problem with this match is the lack of a cohesive structure, which takes away any element of intrigue from the match. It was a very paint by numbers match, which is unfortunately the current calling card of a Main Event match. This disappointed, and for the second week running I am not recommending people watch this match unless they are hardcore fans of the wrestlers involved.

Winner: Dana Brooke
Rating: 1/5


Kelly Klein vs Karissa Rivera

The Women of Honor Championship was on the line in this match, however it never seemed as though Kelly Klein was in danger of losing the championship to Karissa Rivera. The match was ultimately slow, with a complete lack of drama or intrigue as to who would win, largely thanks to how Rivera was presented.

Klein dominated not only the opening section of the match, but the majority of the match, with Rivera only getting in some believable offense near the end of the match. Rivera was able to counter a Fall Away Slam and hit Klein with a kick and a series of chops before hitting a Spinebuster for a 2 count. Rivera followed this with a series of strikes, only to be hit with a K Power by Klein who picked up the pinfall, retaining the championship.

By having little to no offense during the majority of the match, Rivera was never portrayed as a real threat to Klein. The Women of Honor division needs freshening up, however the matches also need to mean something to get the fans invested. Without this, the division is going to struggle to reach the heights that other companies are able to achieve.

Winner: Kelly Klein
Rating: 2/5



In what has admittedly been a poor week for women's wrestling, this match was able to serve it's purpose well. Squash matches can be an effective storytelling device, and this match was perfectly booked to make Kay Lee Ray look like a credible opponent for Toni Storm at the upcoming NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. The quality of the wrestling was good, and it was largely a very entertaining match.


Despite not having a match this week, Sasha Banks followed up on her blistering return last week with a memorable promo. The anticipation of a match between Banks and Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship is already at a fever pitch, and with most matches this week failing to deliver, Banks has earned the title of woman of the week.

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!