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.



No Matches This Week

There were no women's matches on Raw this week, which was a real shame. The Raw women's division is currently the strongest it has ever been, therefore to have no attention to the division was a huge mistake.


Lacey Evans vs Camron Connors

Lacey Evans faced off against a local competitor by the name of Camron Connors, but rather than simply win in a dominant fashion, Evans wanted to rile the crowd by playing the cowardly heel. The tease of the countout loss for Evans was superbly played.

Evans returned to the ring and hit Connors with a strong Women’s Right for the pinfall victory. A short but sweet victory for Evans, this was a great way to rehabilitate her character. SmackDown may just be the best show for her to prove she has something to offer.

Winner: Lacey Evans
Rating: 2/5


Nikki Cross vs Mandy Rose

Nikki Cross has recently been able to string a strong series of performances together to show she is a credible contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and this week was no different.

Cross controlled this match, however the injection of Sonya Deville was a distraction to the quality on show. Cross hit The Purge on Mandy Rose for the pinfall, following Rose struggling to take a real hold of the match.

This match underlined the quality that Cross possesses, and the addition of Bayley and Sasha Banks on commentary made Cross appear a bigger threat to Bayley’s title. Cross needs a few more dominant displays to be taken seriously as a challenger to Bayley, but with each passing week she is closer to achieving this.

Winner: Nikki Cross
Rating: 2/5



There were no women's matches this week on NXT UK, which is a shame considering the high level of competition that exists within the NXT UK women's division.


Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair

Rhea Ripley guaranteed last week that she would defeat Bianca Belair, before moving onto a tantalising match with Io Shirai. Ripley was favoured to beat Belair, however Belair would not go down without a fight, and a fight is exactly what Ripley got.

The match itself was fairly even, with both wrestlers being able to show how talented they are as wrestlers. Ripley’s execution of her moves are a real delight to watch, and despite being so young, she wrestles like a seasoned veteran.

Shirai injected herself into the match by attacking Ripley, who was subsequently hit with a Spear by Belair for a near fall. Candice LeRae arrived to take out Shirai, which allowed Ripley to recover and hit Riptide on Belair for the pinfall.

This match was a fine example of the strength within the NXT women’s division, with Ripley looking like a real star. Shirai and LeRae were able to continue their issues with each other, which meant this fun match also included an interesting storyline development.

Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 3.5/5


Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox vs Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke

This match would determine the number one contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, which will be defended by The Kabuki Warriors next week on NXT. This was a development that made the titles seem important, whilst also elevating the winners as they would be deemed worthy of challenging for a main roster championship.

Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai winning was never really in doubt, especially as Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir have not impressed in the ring during their tenure in NXT.

Nox and Kai were in control for the majority of the match, with Duke and Shafir never looking like posing a real threat. The finish to the match had Nox hit Duke with a Shiniest Wizard for the pinfall.

This was a rather basic match, however it served as a way to build up Nox and Kai for next week’s title match.

Winner: Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox
Rating: 2/5



Britt Baker vs Jamie Hayter

Britt Baker came off a loss to Riho last week, therefore she needed a strong performance in order to reaffirm the threat she poses in AEW’s women’s division.

Baker is a crowd favourite, but Jamie Hayter was a new face to AEW fans. Despite this, Hayter was able to make a great impression on fans, taking the fight to Baker in a competitive match. Baker’s strength ultimately shone through as she submitted Hayter with a Lockjaw.

Baker winning was the right decision, but Hayter looked good in defeat. The match was entertaining, with Baker redeeming herself after last week’s defeat.

Winner: Britt Baker
Rating: 2.5/5



Sarah Logan vs Natalya

Women’s matches on Main Event are nearly always torturous to watch, as they feel extremely bland and boring, with the results ultimately meaning nothing and feeling inconsequential. Despite this, I was surprised at just how mediocre this match was.

After an uninspiring back and forth match, Sarah Logan attempted to end the match with a Running Knee Strike, but Natalya was able to avoid the move before locking on the Sharpshooter for the submission victory.

Natalya continues to be presented as a strong wrestler within WWE, however she is unable to actually produce interesting matches. This match was the very definition of mediocre, therefore it is appropriate it took place on Main Event. This match should only be viewed if you happen to be a big fan of either Logan or Natalya.

Winner: Natalya
Rating: 1/5



Madison Rayne vs Shotzi Blackhart

Despite having a strong Knockouts division on paper, performances have been lacking in most Knockouts matches over the past few months. Thankfully, this match was one of the better offerings from Impact in quite a while.

Madison Rayne is a solid wrestler, and this was evident in how she controlled the match. Shotzi Blackheart put in a good performance, hitting a 619 to the delight of the crowd. Rayne was able to wrap up the match with a Cross Rayne for the pinfall.

This was the best women’s match on Impact for a number of months, with Rayne underlining how talented she is when given an opportunity to shine. I wouldn’t be opposed to having Rayne challenge Taya Valkyrie for the Knockouts Championship soon.

Winner: Madison Rayne
Rating: 2.5/5



This was a typical example of the frenetic and entertaining style of matches within the NXT women's division. The interwoven storylines also helped contribute to a highly entertaining match.


Rhea Ripley is an undoubted star, and once again she underlined just how talented she is. Ripley needs to capture the NXT Women's Championship sooner rather than later.

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!