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, Nia Jax, & Shayna Baszler vs Asuka, Mandy Rose, & Dana Brooke
I was bitterly disappointed with this match, as it felt inconsequential when compared to the appearance of Alexa Bliss halfway through the contest. When the attention is on Bliss and her friend Lilly, fans have no reason to care about the action going on in the squared circle. Very disappointing.
Winner: Asuka, Mandy Rose, & Dana Brooke
Rating: 1.5/5
Rhea Ripley vs Asuka
Rhea Ripley completely underlined how dangerous she is by destroying Asuka, winning in a manner that was cleaner than I had anticipated. Both women worked hard to create a sense of intrigue to their match, which genuinely contributed to a better than average episode of Raw. One Riptide was all it took for Ripley to put herself in the driver's seat for WrestleMania Backlash, with Charlotte Flair looking on with a sense of reverance and fear.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 3/5
AEW Dark: Elevation
Thunder Rosa vs Renee Michelle
Squash City.
Winner: Thunder Rosa
Rating: 1.5/5
Leyla Hirsch vs Dani Jordyn
Squash City 2: Electric Buggaloo.
Winner: Leyla Hirsch
Rating: 1.5/5
Jade Cargill vs Reka Tehaka
Yet another mediocre squash.
Winner: Jade Cargill
Rating: 1.5/5
Britt Baker vs Raychell Rose
Another squash, but this one at least felt useful in building up Britt Baker for her tilt at the AEW Women's Championship.
Winner: Britt Baker
Rating: 2/5
Tay Conti vs Madi Wrenkowski
Yet another squash. I miss competitive matches on Elevation.
Winner: Tay Conti
Rating: 2/5
WWE NXT
Raquel Gonzalez vs Mercedes Martinez
This contest was much better than I expected, purely due to the relative inexperience of both women. Raquel Gonzalez has settled in as NXT Women’s Champion, which was evident with the calm and measured approach to this matchup. Her patented Powerbomb ended proceedings, but both women can be happy with their efforts.
Winner: Raquel Gonzalez
Rating: 3/5
AEW Dark
Willow Nightingale vs Diamante
Willow Nightingale once again came across as a terrible wrestler. One to miss.
Winner: Diamante
Rating: 1/5
Nyla Rose vs Ashley D’Amboise
Squash City.
Winner: Nyla Rose
Rating: 1.5/5
Kris Statlander vs Julia Hart
This was a squash match done right, as Julia Hart at least good in defeat.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Rating: 2/5
Big Swole & Red Velvet vs MK Twins
This was a welcome breath of fresh air as we had a competitive contest, with MK Twins looking strong in defeat. Big Swole and Red Velvet deserved the victory, but they had to work for it. Not a bad effort overall.
Winner: Big Swole & Red Velvet
Rating: 2.5/5
AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite
Thunder Rosa vs Jazmin Allure
Thunder Rosa used this contest as a vehicle to underline how much of a threat she poses to Serena Deeb's NWA Women's Championship. I love to see Rosa fired up, and Jazmin Allure genuinely stood no chance here.
Winner: Thunder Rosa
Rating: 2/5
Impact Wrestling
Rosemary vs Havok
Whilst Rosemary was the better performer in this match, the spoils went to Havok. This isn’t the worst thing, admittedly, as Havok has shown some real improvement in the ring.
Winner: Havok
Rating: 2.5/5
WWE NXT UK
Isla Dawn vs Emilia McKenzie vs Dani Luna vs Meiko Satomura vs Jinny
Granted, the opening section of this match was poor, but it really started to heat up once Meiko Satomura joined. It was clear she was going to win this contest and go on to face Kay Lee Ray, but it was at least an interesting match. The post match actions were great, with Kay Lee Ray using the respect shown by Satomura against her, delivering a Superkick heard all around the UK.
Winner: Meiko Satomura
Rating: 3/5
WWE Main Event
Nikki Cross vs Naomi
It was lovely to see Nikki Cross return to the ring this week, with the Scottish star proving she can more than go in a WWE ring. It was even better to see her defeat Naomi, who has been quite established on Raw as of late. A Twisting Neckbreaker was enough for the much needed pinfall victory.
Winner: Nikki Cross
Rating: 2.5/5
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs Natalya & Tamina
This was only just a step above the standard match these two teams usually have, but commentary tried their best to make it seem important. Natalya and Tamina have now ended the largely uninspiring reign of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, but I fear we will have more rematches before a better team is considered for the Women's Tag Team Championship.
Winner: Natalya & Tamina
Rating: 2/5
WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2021
Bianca Belair vs Bayley
Admittedly, this match had the potential to be a stinker, if only due to the fact that the build has been pretty piss poor. But thankfully, both women worked hard to put on an entertaining contest. Bianca Belair managed to outwit Bayley by using her braid in a pinfall for the victory, which has done wonders for the credibility of the fledgling SmackDown Women’s Champion. All in all, this was a solid bout.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Rating: 3/5
Rhea Ripley vs Asuka vs Charlotte Flair
Easily one of the more intriguing contests of the night, I was highly excited by the prospect of Rhea Ripley firmly planting her flag into the women’s division on Raw. She did just that, pinning Asuka to retain her Raw Women’s Championship, whilst also showing just how canny and wise she is to outwit Charlotte Flair. Although Asuka taking the pinfall twice in one week is bad, it does at least appear that we will get Ripley vs Flair at Hell in a Cell.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rating: 4/5
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
Rhea Ripley vs Asuka vs Charlotte Flair
This was a stunning match to watch, with all three women coming across as absolute stars.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK:
Rhea Ripley
Pinning Asuka twice in one week, whilst also outwitting Charlotte Flair in a title match is no easy feat!
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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