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.



Lana vs Nia Jax

The insane rehabilitation of Lana continued this week as she took on Nia Jax. On paper, this is one of the worst matchups in WWE, and unfortunately, neither woman was able to put on any interesting offense.

Lana stole the victory with a surprise pinfall, however it only served to send Jax into a rage, taking out Lana with ease. Not a fun match, and not a fun segment overall.

Winner: Lana
Rating: 1/5


Dana Brooke vs Shayna Baszler

This was a nothing match, with Nia Jax drawing the disqualification to send a message to the rest of the women's roster. Both she and Shayna Baszler destroyed Dana Brooke, which was at least better than the poor match they had. Raw really struggled for quality in it's women's matches this week.

Winner: Dana Brooke (via DQ)
Rating: 1.5/5



The Riott Squad vs Billie Kay & Tamina

Awful.

Just awful. Please do not watch this so called match.

Winner: The Riott Squad
Rating: 1/5


Bianca Belair vs Bayley

Bayley and Bianca Belair are capable of greatness, so this exhibition was a great way to make me crave a longer match between the two.

Belair appeared to have Bayley’s number, however, the former SmackDown Women’s Champion was able to sneak a Rose Plant on the EST of WWE to draw first blood.

This was good, but they are capable of magic further down the line.

Winner: Bayley
Rating: 2.5/5



Shotzi Blackheart vs Indi Hartwell

This was all about the storyline, rather than the in ring competition, therefore Indi Hartwell drawing the disqualification was no surprise.

This didn’t really make either woman look strong, but at least it made storyline sense.

Winner: Shotzi Blackheart (via DQ)
Rating: 2/5


Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm

Toni Storm was finally able to get the monkey off her back in the form of Rhea Ripley. Albeit, she achieved this with support from Raquel Gonzalez, but who really cares about how she achieved it.

One Storm Zero later, and NXT has its next big flavour of the month.

Winner: Toni Storm
Rating: 3/5



Kay Lee Ray vs Isla Dawn

Kay Lee Ray wrapped up this match with ease, hitting a Gory Bomb for the pinfall victory. For a television match, it was ok, but it was a shame to see the NXT UK Women’s Champion fail to light up the show.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray
Rating: 2/5



Serena Deeb & Big Swole vs Ivelisse & Diamante

Ivelisse and Diamante tried hard, but they were unable to match the level of skill on display from Serena Deeb, who was able to inspire Big Swole to a submission victory. The action was good, but it did display the wider lack of talent within the division.

Winner: Serena Deeb & Big Swole
Rating: 2.5/5



Tenille Dashwood vs Alisha Edwards

The green nature of Alisha Edwards' wrestling was on full show here, but that is not to say Tenille Dashwood was much better. The contest failed to really get going until the finish, with Dashwood hitting a Spotlight Kick for the pinfall victory. Overall, this was not enjoyable.

Winner: Tenille Dashwood
Rating: 1.5/5


Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary

Rather than putting on a strong match, Impact Wrestling decided to focus on the ongoing storyline between Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee, and the team of Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary.

A distraction from the Knockout's Champion allowed Kiera Hogan to hit a Superkick and a Neckbreaker to secure the victory for her team.

Although this distraction made sense, I am still unclear as to what the overall purpose is of this feud. This match was ok, but it was secondary to the storyline.

Winner: Keira Hogan & Tasha Steelz
Rating: 2.5/5



Nikki Cross vs Lacey Evans

This was 2019 levels of bland. Neither woman made much of an impression, with Nikki Cross defeating Lacey Evans with a quick pinfall. The less said about this match, the better.

Winner: Nikki Cross
Rating: 1.5/5


Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs Asuka & Charlotte Flair

This match was all about Charlotte Flair’s return to WWE. As much as fans may despise how hard she is pushed, she remains one of the pillars of the women’s division.

As soon as she came out, it was clear she and Asuka would win the Women’s Tag Team Championship. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler put up a fight, although it wasn’t enough. One Natural Selection later, and we had new champions.

This was an acceptable match, however it was more about Flair’s return than the titles themselves.

Winner: Asuka & Charlotte Flair
Rating: 2.5/5


Sasha Banks vs Carmella

Sasha Banks was able to bring out perhaps Carmella’s best performance in a WWE ring, although she did not look like defeating the SmackDown Women’s Champion at all.

Banks made Carmella submit to the Banks Statement, but a little more suspense to the match would have helped a lot. As it was, this contest was fairly entertaining, and both women have to be praised for getting more out of Carmella than I thought possible.

Winner: Sasha Banks
Rating: 3/5



This was a great match to underline how talented Rhea Ripley is, whilst highlighting the threat Toni Storm poses.


Carmella looked great on the mic, and even better in the ring this week. Maybe, just maybe, she can become a star on SmackDown.

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!

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