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.



Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler & Lana vs Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose & Asuka

Considering this was the final Raw before Survivor Series, this match was all kinds of disappointing. Not only was the in ring action minimal and poor, but it was used as a vehicle to write Mandy Rose out of the classic Survivor Series elimination match.

Asuka made Lana tap out to an Asuka Lock, but there was no enjoyment to be had at all.

Winner: Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose & Asuka
Rating: 1.5/5



Natalya vs Tamina

Suffering the same fate as Raw's offering this week, Natalya and Tamika put on a very disappointing effort. Tamina never looked like winning, whilst the B.O.A.T. secured her spot in the Survivor Series elimination match by submitting Tamina to the Sharpshooter.

Just as poor, if not as worse as the Raw match.

Winner: Natalya
Rating: 1.5/5



Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter

This match never really had enough time to get going, with Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter failing to make an impact. In all fairness, Indi Hartwell didn't exactly set the world alight, but she is benefitting by simply being associated with Candice LeRae.

A Wicked Stepsister was all LeRae needed to secure the pinfall victory, but I'm disappointed this didn't receive more time.

Winner: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Rating: 2/5


Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs Ember Moon & Toni Storm

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez have truly been superb recently, and that was no different this week. They took the fight to Ember Moon and Toni Storm, falling only to a sneaky cradle by Storm on Kai.

Not happy with defeat, Gonzalez destroyed both Moon and Storm, underlining just how dangerous she is. This was a fantastic match, with a strong and impactful post match angle.

Winner: Ember Moon & Toni Storm
Rating: 3/5


Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley

I could go on all day and write pages about how talented Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley are. They are arguably the two biggest wrestlers in NXT outside of Adam Cole and Finn Balor, and they underlined that sentiment this week as they battled for Shirai's NXT Women's Championship.

Ripley took the fight to Shirai, with both women having periods of dominance. Just when it seemed Shirai was about to lose her precious title, she hit a Moonsault to secure the pinfall victory.

This was a contest which was exciting from beginning to end, however it has to be noted how it felt as if this was Ripley's final swansong before she is promoted to the main roster.

Winner: Io Shirai
Rating: 4/5



Kay Lee Ray vs Piper Niven

Continuing the trend of disappointing matches this week, Kay Lee Ray and Piper Niven put on a very lacklustre Falls Count Anywhere match. I have heard people praise this match, but I feel it was extremely disjointed and lethargic.

What was most insulting was the match finish, as Jinny sent them both through a table, only for Ray to land on top of Niven and secure the pinfall victory to retain the NXT UK Women's Championship.

Ray is not setting the world alight as Champion, whilst Niven is seriously damaged goods at this point.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray
Rating: 2/5



Serena Deeb vs Thunder Rosa

Serena Deeb was determined to prove she can be relied upon to anchor AEW's women's division, whilst Thunder Rosa was determined to reclaim her NWA Women's Championship.

Both women wrestled well here, exhibiting a strong array of moves and strikes. Deeb looked more vicious here than she has been so far in AEW, however Britt Baker tried to take out Rosa due to their ongoing Twitter feud. Rosa recovered, but she ultimately fell to Deeb.

Whilst not the best women's match in AEW, this was certainly a fun contest. It also helped that it set up a future match between Baker and Rosa, something I feel the women's division actually needs.

Winner: Serena Deeb
Rating: 3.5/5



Tenille Dashwood & Alisha Edwards vs Havok & Nevaeh

I did not like this match one bit, and that is primarily due to the storyline in which Tenille Dashwood cannot seem to succeed with anyone as her tag team partner.

Nevaeh hit a Cutter on Alisha Edwards to secure the pinfall victory, but it followed a poor and often boring match.

Can we please move on from this?

Winner: Havok & Nevaeh
Rating: 1.5/5



Asuka vs Sasha Banks

Although not as competitive as previous matches between the pair, this was nonetheless an entertaining bout. Sasha Banks managed to stamp her authority over the match, whilst Asuka underlined that she is always a threat in a one on one match.

After an entertaining contest that went back and forth, Banks managed to overcome a kick to the head and roll up Asuka for the pinfall victory. This was exactly the victory that Banks needed, as she is starting to make her reign as SmackDown Women's Champion come across as very credible.

Winner: Sasha Banks
Rating: 3/5


Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Peyton Royce, Lacey Evans & Lana vs Bianca Belair, The Riott Squad, Natalya & Bayley

This was poor. Despite the best efforts of many, this match was disjointed and boring. The fact that Lana was the sole remaining survivor speaks volumes for how bad this match was, especially when compared to a decent men's match.

Overall, very disappointing.

Winner: Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Peyton Royce, Lacey Evans & Lana
Rating: 2/5



If this is Rhea Ripley's final NXT match, she certainly signed off in style. This was all sorts of exciting and entertaining.


Once again, the star of WWE in 2020 is Io Shirai. She wrestles better than most males in the company, whilst elevating the NXT Women's Championship to levels it has not seen before. I cannot praise her enough. She is quite simply supreme!

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!