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.



There was no match this week, as Sarah Logan decimated Charlotte before their match officially began. This was a great scene to witness as Logan looked stronger in that moment than she has ever looked before in WWE.



Alexa Bliss vs Mandy Rose

This was a surprisingly entertaining match, with Mandy Rose putting in her best performance in a WWE ring. Alexa Bliss had some role to play in this feat, however Rose has made a clear improvement in the ring on her own merit.

Both wrestlers had periods of control within the match, with Bliss in particular looking strong and energised. Rose’s moves were crisper than what we have become accustomed to, whilst each aspect of the match was laid out logically. The finish of the match had Otis come out and inadvertently distract Bliss, allowing Rose to roll her up for the pinfall victory.

This match benefitted both women, as Rose looked smart for taking advantage of the distraction, whilst Bliss did not lose clean. It was an entertaining match which came off well.

Winner: Mandy Rose
Rating: 2.5/5



Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley & Toni Storm vs Bianca Belair, Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray

This match followed a rather intriguing set of promos from the women involved, with the match itself not disappointing. It also felt like the best way possible to start NXT off in 2020.

Rhea Ripley shone hardest throughout the match, which is understandable considering she is the freshly anointed NXT Women’s Champion, however everyone involved looked strong. Io Shirai in particular came out of this match as a more calculated wrestler, as she took out Bianca Belair for what she saw as disrespect in being tagged out. This allowed Ripley to hit a Riptide for the pinfall victory.

This was a fabulous way to start NXT in 2020. Ripley and Shirai looked particularly strong, whilst the overarching issues within the NXT women’s division continue to rumble, with everyone wanting to scrape and claw their way to the top. This was a fun and entertaining contest, with absolutely no negative aspects to it.

Winner: Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley & Toni Storm
Rating: 3/5


Mia Yim vs Kayden Carter

Mia Yim aimed to start 2020 off correctly as she took on a hungry Kayden Carter. Carter didn’t have much to shout about in 2019, which meant she entered this match hungry to show what she could do.

Yim dominated the majority of the match, whilst Carter made a good impression within the match. Despite being in control, Carter was able to avoid the killer blow until Yim was able to finally hit her patented Protect Ya Neck, securing the pinfall victory.

Yim showed fire here that was missing from most of 2019, and hopefully she can use this to make a case for herself to win the NXT Women’s Championship this year. Carter looked good in defeat, and hopefully another year of seasoning in NXT will help her develop. This was a good match that served it’s purpose well, and also introduced Chelsea Green to NXT with her new advisor Robert Stone.

Winner: Mia Yim
Rating: 2.5/5



Riho vs Kris Statlander

Riho successfully retained her AEW Women’s Championship last week against Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida, which meant this week she would once again defend the title, this time against Kris Statlander.

This contest was extremely disappointing, and this can be attributed to the interference from Nightmare Collective, who cost Statlander the victory. Awesome Kong tripped Statlander up, which allowed Riho to secure the pinfall.

Despite this negative interference, the match itself just didn’t click. There was real hope this match would come off well, especially as both wrestlers are talented, but they just didn’t connect as opponents.

Winner: Riho
Rating: 1/5



Havok vs Rosemary

Unfortunately for Impact Wrestling, Havok in 2020 appears to be just as slow and uninteresting as she had been in 2019. This was evident in how uninterested fans were in the contest, seemingly more interested in what Suzie was doing at ringside.

After what felt like a lifetime, Havok was able to hit a Draping DDT on Rosemary, following this up with a Tombstone for the victory. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't interesting. Impact Wrestling urgently needs to do more to interest fans in the Knockout's, and avoid offering up tired matches with poor performers.

Winner: Havok
Rating: 1.5/5


ODB, Tenille Dashwood & Jordynne Grace vs Taya Valkyrie, Kiera Hogan & Madison Rayne

This match was the very definition of filler, as it featured middling performances that never really got out of first gear. This has been an issue with matches in the Knockout's division, as no single storyline feels important, and Taya Valkyrie feels undeserving of the Knockout's Championship.

The faces were able to take it to the heels here, with Jordynne Grace looking strong in the process. Grace teamed up well with ODB, which played into the finish as Valkyrie was isolated by ODB and Grace, with ODB pinning Valkyrie following a Vader Bomb.

The match wasn't wholly offensive, but it was not entertaining in the slightest. Serving as a teaser for Hard to Kill, this match will have done nothing to persuade people to order the event.

Winner: ODB, Tenille Dashwood & Jordynne Grace
Rating: 2/5



Natalya vs Chelsea Green

This match was flat out disappointing, as Natalya is never motivated on Main Event, whilst Chelsea Green is still developing as a performer. With Green destined for NXT due to her association with Robert Stone, this match lacked any real desire from either wrestler.

In what was a fairly even contest, Natalya managed to wear Green down long enough to connect with a Clothesline, before transitioning into a Sharpshooter for a predictable and tired submission victory.

This was a very by the numbers Main Event match that delivered very little entertainment. Definitely one to avoid.

Winner: Natalya
Rating: 1/5


Kay Lee Ray vs Piper Niven vs Toni Storm

Kay Lee Ray’s NXT UK Women’s Championship was on the line in this match, with multiple storylines being explored in the build up to it. Ray believed she was better than everyone else in the NXT UK women’s division, whilst Piper Niven and Toni Storm had lingering issues surrounding each other’s supposed support.

The match started off brightly, with each wrestler trying to impose their rule over the match. Niven used her size to overpower Ray and Storm, but Ray attempted to encourage Niven and Storm to focus on each other during the match. This ultimately failed as an alliance of sorts was made to take down Ray, but Storm managed to take advantage of Niven to hit a Pedigree and a Frogsplash, only for Ray to steal the victory instead.

Ray retaining was the right decision, as it played into her heel character and made the fans despise her more. It was a good match that was laid out well, with everyone involved looking strong. It was a true representation of the talent available in NXT UK.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray
Rating: 3.5/5



Taya Valkyrie vs ODB vs Jordynne Grace

Some triple threat matches struggle to use the formula correctly, often resorting to a series of one on one interactions before a convoluted finish happens, which is exactly what happened in this match, which failed to live up to expectations.

Each wrestler had opportunities to show they were the dominant performer, but no-one was able gain a foothold in the match. ODB tried hard, but her moves seemed sloppy, especially her TKO. Jordynne Grace was unable to capitalise on her strong performance on this week's episode of Impact, and Taya Valkyrie relied too much on John E Bravo. Valkyrie secured victory after Grace hit a Grace Driver on ODB, only for Bravo to take her out as Valkyrie stole the pinfall on ODB.

This was an extremely poor match. It was slow, offensive and downright boring. ODB is unfortunately past the point of putting on a great match, whilst Valkyrie is holding the Knockout's Championship back. Considering this was on pay-per-view, this match was pure garbage.

Winner: Taya Valkyrie
Rating: 1/5


This was a highly entertaining match which contributed to another solid NXT UK TakeOver. The match was exciting, whilst the overarching storyline was superbly played out.


Not only did Kay Lee Ray successfully defend the NXT UK Women's Championship, but she highlighted to fans just how talented she is in the ring. She put everything she could into her performance, and it showed.

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!