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.



Bayley vs Charlotte

Bayley entered this match off the back of an effective heel turn, however the match turned into a damp squib as neither she or Charlotte were able to put on an entertaining match. Bayley’s wrestling style and demeanour in the ring is not currently conducive to a successful heel character, and it was this confusing behaviour that led to a poor match.

Charlotte dominated the majority of the match which made no sense as she was effectively the face of the match, although being in her hometown makes this a less egregious decision. Bayley managed to rally back and stole the victory by slamming Charlotte into an exposed turnbuckle. This finish worked as it was evidence of Bayley finally tapping into her darker character.

I went into this match expecting a great contest, however this was not to be. If Bayley was better presented and Charlotte was able to play the face in peril, a rematch would undoubtedly be much better. As it was, they could have done much better than this.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2/5


Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs Fire & Desire

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross had the momentum going into this match, and despite Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville posing no real threat to the Women’s Tag Team Championships, this was a fun little match.

Cross was the star of this match as she made up for Bliss being taken out in a double team attack. Cross managed to take out Sonya Deville and hit the Anarchist Suplex on Rose for the pinfall to retain the titles, highlighting her strong wrestling skills in the process.

Bliss and Cross retaining was the right decision, as they have fully revitalised the women’s tag team division. They are entertaining and competent in the ring, whereas Fire and Desire are very rough around the edges. The result may have been a forgone conclusion, but the match was enjoyable nonetheless.

Winner: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Rating: 2/5

Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks

Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks was one of the tantalising matches going into Clash of Champions, and they did not disappoint. The wrestling portion of the match was incredible, with both wrestlers being presented as real stars. Banks and Lynch both used their arsenal of submission moves effectively whilst also showing fans just how much they hate each other.

Unfortunately, the match ended in a DQ victory for Banks as Lynch hit the referee with a steel chair in a poorly contrived spot, however this did lead to a wild post match brawl which harkened back to the days of the Attitude Era.

This was a great match which left fans craving more. Their follow up at Hell in a Cell promises to be an even better match, with Lynch and Banks cementing their place at the top of the women’s division. This was the best women’s match of Clash of Champions by a country mile.

Winner: Sasha Banks via DQ
Rating: 3/5



Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs Sasha Banks & Bayley

Sasha Banks and Bayley both needed to stamp their authority on this match, and that is exactly what they did. The match was fairly even until the finish, with Banks hitting a Backstabber on Nikki Cross before following it up with a Banks Statement. Cross desperately tried to escape, but eventually she had to submit, which effectively portrayed her as a face that fans want to get behind.

All 4 women played their roles well in this match, but the undoubted star of the match was Cross, who continues to show just how effective her character is as a face. Teaming up with Alexa Bliss has allowed Cross to show a side of her character that fans didn’t believe she was capable of, and her sheer dedication to the role is great to see. This was a great Raw match, with everyone benefitting from the experience.

Winner: Sasha Banks and Bayley
Rating: 3/5


Lacey Evans vs Dana Brooke

Lacey Evans appears to be back in favour on Raw, however her performances have not been much better than her recent offerings on Main Event. Evans once again competed against Dana Brooke, however this match felt like a rushed version of their Main Event matches.

Evans dominated the majority of the match, and following hitting a Women’s Right on Brooke, Evans slapped on the Sharpshooter to make Brooke submit. This wasn’t offensive, but it was not interesting at all. However, it was nice to see Evans seemingly move on from her mini feud with Natalya.

Winner: Lacey Evans
Rating: 1/5



Sasha Banks vs Charlotte

This was a great match, with Sasha Banks and Charlotte both performing to a high level. The contest was fairly even, with both wrestlers desperate to follow up a disappointing Clash of Champions with a win to regain momentum.

The finish of the match however was extremely flat and disappointing, as Bayley entered the ring to break up Charlotte’s Figure 8 for the DQ win. This was clearly the result of the writers not wanting to have either wrestler lose clean, but unfortunately this took away from the match.

Thankfully, Bayley causing the DQ was appropriate for her new character. Bayley is slowly displaying more heel traits, therefore the finish of this match can be forgiven when taken into context of the wider storyline. Hopefully Banks and Charlotte will have a true rematch soon with no shenanigans.

Winner: Charlotte via DQ
Rating: 3/5



Taya Valkyrie vs Alisha Edwards

Taya Valkyrie has struggled recently as Knockouts Champion to produce compelling matches, and unfortunately this continued as she competed against Alisha Edwards.

Valkyrie dominated the majority of the match, however the contest felt secondary to the storyline between Edwards and Ace Austin. Valkyrie hit a Knee Strike on a distracted Edwards before hitting the Road to Valhalla for the pinfall victory.

This match did little to enhance the reputation of either wrestler, with the Knockouts Division in general feeling rather lacklustre at the moment.

Winner: Taya Valkyrie
Rating: 1.5/5


Havok vs Su Yung

This was a match I was looking forward to, however both Havok and Su Yung failed to capitalise on the No DQ stipulation. The match felt largely lethargic and disjointed, although both wrestlers were able to have periods of dominance.

The finish of the match came when Yung went for the Mandible Claw, only for Havok to counter it and hit the Tombstone for the pinfall. Both wrestlers are capable of better performances than this, however I hope this was the culmination of their disappointing feud.

Winner: Havok
Rating: 1/5



Rhea Ripley vs Debbie Keitel

Rhea Ripley delivered another effective squash match here by absolutely decimating Debbie Keitel. Ripley toyed with Keitel throughout the match before hitting Riptide for the victory, which further enhanced her mystique as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the NXT UK women’s division.

More interestingly, Jinny and Jazzy Gabert interrupted Ripley’s post match promo, in which Ripley stated her intention is to regain the NXT UK Women’s Championship. Jinny proceeded to talk smack before Gabert was taken out by Ripley. It will be interesting to see how this storyline continues.

Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 2/5



Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair vs Mia Yim vs Candice LeRae

This match has the honourable distinction of being the first NXT match on the USA Network, and all 4 women rose to the occasion in what was an incredible contest.

The match was fairly even, with everyone getting an opportunity to show their skills for a new audience. Io Shirai and Bianca Belair played up to their heel characters, whilst Candice LeRae has mastered the art of being a valiant face that fans cannot help but support.

Shirai is arguably the biggest star of the NXT women’s division, therefore she would have been expected to win. However, LeRae shocked everyone by defeating Mia Yim after hitting a Poison Rana and a Lionsault for the pinfall.

The match was the perfect way to not only decide who would face Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship, but to also entice new fans to the product. This was an effective and highly exciting match, and all 4 women need to be praised for their impressive performance.

Winner: Candice LeRae
Rating: 4/5


Aliyah vs Xia Li

Xia Li clearly has potential in the NXT Women’s division, however her performance against Aliyah was lacking that special something. Li dominated the match, although at one point she did slip off the ropes which hurt the overall pace of the match.

The finish of the match had Li pin Aliyah following a Tornado Kick, which made Li look strong. The problem for Aliyah is she feels like a complete afterthought, whilst Li will struggle to dislodge Candice LeRae as the face that fans can get behind.

This match was serviceable, however it didn’t really benefit either wrestler.

Winner: Xia Li
Rating: 1.5/5



This was the perfect match to start the new 2 hour era of NXT, with new fans and old able to enjoy what was a fantastic match. This was simply one of the best NXT women’s matches for quite a while.


Candice LeRae was able to capitalise on her amazing performance at NXT TakeOver: Toronto II by winning this week, becoming the next challenger to Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship. Her performance showed she is more than just Mrs Johnny Gargano, and I hope she is able to put in a great performance against Baszler in a few weeks.

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!