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
Naomi vs Shayna Baszler
Simply not a good enough contest to hold two weeks before WrestleMania, this was just not entertaining. Naomi rolled up Shayna Baszler for the pinfall victory, but she gained absolutely no credibility as a result.
Winner: Naomi
Rating: 1.5/5
AEW Dark: Elevation
Leila Grey vs Penelope Ford
Unfortunately for fans, this was an extremely paint by numbers match. Penelope Ford was victorious following a Double Knee Gutbuster, but the clear lack of ring presence was evident in both women here.
Winner: Penelope Ford
Rating: 1.5/5
Alex Gracia vs Thunder Rosa
Thunder Rosa was once again a star here as she controlled the match, but Alex Gracia once again failed to show any clear development. I wish Gracia was able to take on some of Rosa's natural talent, as it is clear there is some potential there. It just needs unlocking as a result of more encounters with established talent. A Thunder Driver from Rosa was enough for a poor victory.
Winner: Thunder Rosa
Rating: 2/5
Leyla Hirsch vs Vipress
This was all about Leyla Hirsch, who once again looked like a star. An Armbar followed a series of Suplexes, giving Hirsch the well deserved victory.
Winner: Leyla Hirsch
Rating: 2/5
Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida vs Jazmin Allure & Tesha Price
Squash City!
Winner: Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida
Rating: 2.5/5
Kilynn King vs Ryo Mizunami
Easily the most competitive and entertaining match of the night, both women worked hard to create an interesting dynamic. Kilynn King tried to absorb Ryo Mizunami's stiff offense, but finally fell to a Top Rope Leg Drop. Overall, this was a fine match to showcase on Elevation.
Winner: Ryo Mizunami
Rating: 2.5/5
Impact Wrestling
Fire 'N' Flava vs Havok & Nevaeh
This was all about Nevaeh turning on Havok, which was admittedly entertaining. The problem was that this made the match seem inconsequential, which is a real shame.
Winner: Fire 'N' Flava
Rating: 2/5
AEW Dark
Jazmin Allure vs Madi Wrenkowski
This was a fair back and forth contest, allowing both women to look effective. Madi Wrenkowski prevailed with a Reality Check, giving her an overall winning record in AEW of 3-2.
Winner: Madi Wrenkowski
Rating: 2/5
Vipress vs Diamante
Diamante looked strong here, which is a real positive as she has potential as a singles star. She won via submission, which drilled home how strong she can be. Now just keep her away from Ivelisse and her reported heat with management.
Winner: Diamante
Rating: 2/5
Big Swole, Red Velvet & Kilynn King vs Vertvixen, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo
Overall, I found this to be a fun little contest, with all four women looking strong. Red Velvet's light shone brightest, however, as she secured the victory for her team.
Winner: Big Swole, Red Velvet & Kilynn King
Rating: 2.5/5
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite
The Bunny & Nyla Rose vs Tay Conti & Hikaru Shida
Unfortunately, this match didn't really click for me, which is a real shame as there was a real chance of this contest being a sleeper hit. The Bunny stole the pinfall victory for her team, but this was not an effective manner to build her up.
Winner: The Bunny & Nyla Rose
Rating: 2/5
WWE NXT
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs Gigi Dolan & Zeda Ramir
Squash City 2: Electric Bugaloo.
Winner: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Rating: 2/5
Zoey Stark vs Raquel Gonzalez
This was a hard hitting match designed to maintain Raquel Gonzalez's momentum. Both women worked hard, but the irrepressible Gonzalez was not to be denied victory as she put away Zoey Stark with a One Armed Powerbomb. All in all, this was a spirited match that benefited the overall show.
Winner: Raquel Gonzalez
Rating: 3/5
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs Xia Li
Simply a match to showcase Xia Li's strength, which is not to be sniffed at. She looked strong, whilst Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter lost nothing in defeat.
Winner: Xia Li
Rating: 2/5
WWE NXT UK
Aoife Valkyrie vs Stevie Turner
This was a decent, if unspectacular match to showcase both women. Stevie Turner is the former Bobbi Tyler, and both women tried their best to put on a decent showing. The match was fairly even, but it was Aoife Valkyrie who hit a Flying Axe Kick for the pinfall victory.
Winner: Aoife Valkyrie
Rating: 2/5
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Natalya vs Shayna Baszler.
Pure trash. Natalya won with a rollup, but there was absolutely nothing to enjoy about this so called contest.
Winner: Natalya
Rating: 1/5
Bianca Belair vs Carmella
Carmella was fired up for this contest, taking the fight to Bianca Belair before the bell even rang. Unfortunately for The Untouchable One, she was unable to overcome the overwhelming strength of The EST of WWE, who hit a KOD for the pinfall victory. Overall, this was a solid and entertaining match.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 3/5
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
Zoey Stark vs Raquel Gonzalez
Fans were not blessed with a great week of wrestling, however, this match was the best of the bunch.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK:
Raquel Gonzalez
By completely destroying Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez put Shirai's NXT Women's Championship in the greatest jeopardy since she won the title.
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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