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.
WWE Monday Night Raw
Charlotte Flair vs Shayna Baszler
Used as a vehicle to get to a women's tag team match, this was simply insulting. Do not advertise a high profile match if you have no intention of actually fulfilling it!
Winner: Charlotte Flair (via DQ)
Rating: 1/5
Charlotte Flair, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke vs Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Lacey Evans
Having to restart the match due to a botched countout finish, this was not an entertaining spectacle. No-one seemed to be interested in putting on a good match, which was a shame considering the wasted potential of Charlotte Flair vs Shayna Baszler.
Winner: Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Lacey Evans
Rating: 1/5
Asuka vs Alexa Bliss
Surprisingly, this was a rather entertaining match. Alexa Bliss displayed her various personas, including the original Little Miss Bliss that we have not seen for many months. Randy Orton caused a no contest, which was a real shame as Bliss seemed primed for the victory. All in all, this was a decent contest.
Winner: No Contest
Rating: 2.5/5
WWE Superstar Spectacle
Charlotte Flair & Sareena Sandhu vs Natalya & Bayley
Sareena Sandhu, the former Samara, had the perfect opportunity to ingratiate herself with WWE fans by teaming up with Charlotte Flair to take on Natalya and Bayley. She performed well, securing the pinfall victory for her team following a Natural Selection by Flair.
This was a decent match that allowed Sandhu to come across well to a much larger WWE audience.
Winner: Charlotte Flair & Sareena Sandhu
Rating: 2.5/5
Impact Wrestling
Tenille Dashwood vs Rosemary
Rosemary and Tenille Dashwood worked hard, but they failed to truly sparkle. One talking point was Rosemary’s use of a new finisher, As Above So Below, which was used to pin Dashwood. Whilst not bad, it wasn’t as engaging as it could have been.
Winner: Rosemary
Rating: 2/5
AEW Dark
Shanna vs Kilynn King
This was a simple pinfall victory for Shanna to prepare for a match with Britt Baker the next night on Dynamite. Shanna looked good, which was the most important thing here.
Winner: Shanna
Rating: 2/5
Brooke Havok vs Britt Baker
Britt Baker also set herself up well for her match with Shanna, securing a rather easy submission victory.
Winner: Britt Baker
Rating: 2.5/5
Abadon vs Vertvixen
This was the standard Abadon fare, with the scary star securing a rather easy victory after hitting a Cemetery Drive.
Winner: Abadon
Rating: 2/5
Davienne vs Tay Conti
Tay Conti continued her improvement in AEW, securing a submission victory over the debuting Davienne. Flanked by The Dark Order, it is clear she is on an upward trajectory.
Winner: Tay Conti
Rating: 2.5/5
Red Velvet vs Madi Wrenkowski
This was slightly disappointing, as Red Velvet is capable of better, as is Madi Wrenkowski. Velvet won following a kick to Wrenkowski’s face, but this contest could have been so much more engaging.
Winner: Red Velvet
Rating: 2/5
Jazmin Allure vs Ivelisse
Ivelisse never looked like losing this match, hitting a Tornado Kick for the victory. I much prefer seeing Ivelisse team up with Diamante, but this wasn't a bad offering.
Winner: Ivelisse
Rating: 2/5
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite
Britt Baker vs Shanna
Britt Baker performed well in this match, bringing out a strong performance in Shanna. Baker faces Thunder Rosa next week, therefore a strong submission victory set her up well to oppose the former NWA Women's Champion.
Winner: Britt Baker
Rating: 3/5
WWE NXT
Aliyah and Jessi Kamea vs Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
As a showcase for Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez, this was a fabulous match to underline just how dominant they can be in the women's Dusty Rhodes Classic. Admittedly, Aliyah and Jessi Kamea offered no real competeition, but it was still entertaining to see Kai and Gonzalez dominate, wrapping up the victory with a One Handed Powerbomb. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I suspect many others would agree.
Winner: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
Rating: 3/5
WWE NXT UK
There were no women's matches this week on NXT UK.
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Bianca Belair vs Bayley
Bianca Belair has been suitably rehabilitated on SmackDown, however this week proved to be the final confirmation that she is a star.
Last week, Belair took on Bayley in an Obstacle Course Challenge, proving how she is physically superior to the former SmackDown Women’s Champion. This week, she defeated Bayley convincingly with a KOD, underlining just how dominant she can be, whilst also setting her up for a tilt at the women's Royal Rumble.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 3/5
WWE 205 Live
Marina Shafir and Zoey Stark vs Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
I like the concept of using 205 Live as a destination for some of the women's Dusty Rhodes Classic matches, especially as it gives the show some new fans who want to follow NXT's women's division.
Both teams worked hard here, with Marina Shafir showing off her wrestling talent for the first time in what feels like forever. However, the irrepressible talent of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart proved to be too much of a hurdle to overcome, with Ember Moon securing the submission victory with a Modified STF on Zoey Stark. This was yet another fine example of women's wrestling in NXT.
Winner: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart
Rating: 3/5
WWE Backstage
Natalya vs Tamina
Awful. Just awful.
Winner: Natalya
Rating: 1/5
WWE Royal Rumble 2021
Asuka & Charlotte Flair vs Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
This was yet another poor match, especially when you consider how talented everyone is. Well, except Nia Jax. Jax and Baszler took advantage of interference from Ric Flair and Lacey Evans to regain the Women's Tag Team Championship, but admittedly, this was a rubbish contest.
Winner: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Rating: 1.5/5
Sasha Banks vs Carmella
Admittedly, this was a much better match than I had anticipated, although Carmella almost caused a nasty injury with a dive through the ropes. Carmella showed enough aggression to come across as a real threat, but Sasha Banks retained her SmackDown Women’s Championship with a Banks Statement. Overall, both women worked hard to create an interesting and compelling match.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Rating: 3.5/5
2021 Women's Royal Rumble
The women’s Royal Rumble match is a near guarantee of an hour of entertainment. Fun cameo appearances, plus numerous standout performances all contribute to a solid outing, which is exactly what happened this year.
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair looked dominant, whilst Victoria was a nice surprise from the legend’s corner. Billie Kay was hilarious, tattempting eaming up with so many wrestlers. I cannot even take points off the match for the R-Truth appearance, as Alicia Fox winning and losing the 24/7 Championship is suitably bizzare for her character.
Ultimately, it was Belair who shone brightest, securing her place in Royal Rumble history, and I certainly cannot wait to see who she challenges at WrestleMania 37. This may just have eclipsed last year’s effort, as it was definitely a whole load of fun.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 5/5
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
2021 Women's Royal Rumble
This was just simple fun, building on the legacy of previous women's Royal Rumble matches.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK:
Bianca Belair
In winning the women's Royal Rumble, there is no-one else who deserves this accolade.
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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