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Break It Down: Ranking Every Major Wrestling TV Show (Week #9)

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1 month ago

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Break It Down

It’s been another brilliant week of wrestling on the road to AEW Revolution, while WWE continues to build towards WWE WrestleMania 37. The week brought big title matches, celebrities competing in the ring, and some really strong build-up to the major events around the corner.

But which shows stood out, which had the best matches, and which was ultimately the most entertaining of the week? Let’s Break It Down and find out!


6. WWE Raw

WWE Raw had a few highlights, with the first hour of the show being really enjoyable as it flew by. The match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus was PPV worthy and saw them bring the best out of each other, while The Hurt Business being so direct was excellent to see.

However, the decision to push back the WWE Championship match several times actually hurt the show overall. The flow and excitement really was taken out of the night. The show had so many lackluster segments, from squashing Naomi to the pointless Tag Team Championship match featuring Adam Pearce.

Charlotte and Nia Jax’s match failed to build any excitement either, with the show being full of smaller, forgettable matches. Of course, this episode did end with a bang though as Bobby Lashley became WWE Champion in dominant fashion, which was absolutely the right call.

5. IMPACT Wrestling

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/IMPACT

It was another good episode of IMPACT Wrestling that featured a lot of nice matches, but nothing overly standout to make the show pop. The opening triple threat was a solid match for the X-Division, while the build of Tenille Dashwood was also effectively booked.

Sami Callihan’s segment, turning up at Trey Miguel’s training area was interesting and felt unique due to how it was filmed, which allowed that to thrive. It was also great to see FinnJuice, and the tension between them and The Good Brothers could lead to something special.

However, the best work of the night came between Matt Cardona and Brian Myers. With Cardona being the special guest referee for Myers’ match with Eddie Edwards, he tried to cheat only for Cardona to stop it, which adds tension to their friendship that was really well booked.

4. WWE NXT UK

WWE NXT UK

WWE NXT UK featured the best match of the week, as Kay Lee Ray defended her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Meiko Satamoru in what was an amazing match. They went back and forth in a hard-hitting bout that really felt like a big deal, with the women delivering on the hype.

However, the whole show was entertaining for the majority of it. Seeing Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan back was a nice boost for the tag team division, which created a good match. However, having Williams sneakily cheat to help Jordan win was nice booking, and teases issues between them down the line.

The Supernova Sessions segment failed to deliver once again here, with this talk show really feeling very awkward. The whole focus being on Tyler Bate and him being a vegan, which wasn’t entertaining. But what was entertaining was the opening match between Ilja Dragunov and Sam Gradwell. It was physical, but the character work was excellent as Dragunov’s anger issues overcame him once again.

3. WWE SmackDown

Phot Credit: YouTube.com/WWE

The blue brand always does a great job of focusing its entire show on the upcoming PPV, and that’s exactly what happened with this episode. From the start, everything was about WWE Fastlane, with Daniel Bryan kicking off the show with a tremendous promo that was full of fire, really building his storyline with Roman Reigns.

The segment between The Street Profits/King Corbin and Sami Zayn fell flat, with all four feeling a little lost right now. However, the work between the Mysterio’s and Gable/Otis was far better, while the storyline work with Reginald throughout the night was excellently done, potentially leading him to work with Nia Jax.

Apollo Crews’ character change was fantastic and is exactly what he needed as a character. He feels far more interesting than he ever has done, setting up a big match with Big E, plus the main event steel cage match certainly delivered.

2. WWE NXT

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/WWE

Right from the opening tag team match, which was hard-hitting and full of great near falls, this show was enjoyable. Teasing Timothy Thatcher joining Imperium is an interesting idea that could lead to a fun storyline, plus the work with Cameron Grimes during the night was also very enjoyable.

Aliyah and Ember Moon had a nice match together, but the Women’s Tag Team Championship match just didn’t live up to the hype, with the poor finish being very disappointing. Seeing LA Knight appear was good, and while his promo was fairly generic, it was well put together.

It was good to see Lega Del Fantasma being booked stronger, making them feel like a threat again. But the main event was the treat of the night, with Finn Balor and Roderick Strong having a really solid main event to close the show.

1. AEW Dynamite

AEW Dynamite was an incredible show this week that really had something for everyone, creating one of the best shows the company has ever had. While the main event tag team bout and brawl as a slightly flat ending, everything else was brilliant.

The mixed tag team match featuring Shaq was better than it had any right to be, with everyone involved clearly giving their very best. The press conference segment was quite unique and put together well, with MJF and Chris Jericho having some great promos against The Young Bucks to build that match.

The six-man tag team match that saw Tully return to the rind was very fun, while the Women’s Tournament final was an excellent match, proving once again why the division needs more focus. Everything on the show built towards the PPV and it really did an amazing job of hyping up the show, showcasing how good a go-home show can be.

Sixth place= 1 point
Fifth place= 2 points
Fourth place= 3 points
Third place= 4 points
Second place=5 points
First place= 6 points

2020 results (each week, the points tally will be added up below):

WWE Raw- 17
IMPACT Wrestling- 31
WWE NXT- 39
AEW Dynamite- 45
WWE NXT UK- 25
WWE SmackDown- 27

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AEW

Break It Down: Ranking Every Major Wrestling TV Show (Week #14)

Published

47 mins ago

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Apr 11, 2021

By

Break It Down

It has been one of the most important weeks of the wrestling calendar year, with plenty going on as WWE WrestleMania 37 takes place. All the final build-up took place throughout what has been one of the busiest weeks of the year for the industry.

But even the non-WWE shows stepped up and really delivered this week, making the most of all the hype and excitement that was surrounding the wrestling world. But which show was the strongest from the week overall?


6. WWE Raw

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/WWE

To say it was the go-home episode of WWE Raw for WWE WrestleMania, this was not a good show in the slightest.  There was just a total lack of thrill to this show, with very little really building towards WWE WrestleMania in a positive manner.

The pointless match between Xavier Woods and AJ Styles with a classic distraction finish after around a minute was an example of how poor elements of the show were. The handicap match with Braun Strowman squashing Elias and Jaxson Ryker was another example.

However, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre did impress, with the Scotsman having a really solid match with King Corbin, showcasing how talented Corbin can be. Plus, Bad Bunny was an impressive part of the show, with his promo showing his passion and adding fire to his character. But overall, this didn’t feel like a big go-home show, which was a shame as people wanted more from this episode.

5. IMPACT Wrestling

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/IMPACT

It certainly wasn’t a bad episode of IMPACT Wrestling this week, but there were a few matches that didn’t quite connect which let the show down a little in comparison to such an action-packed week of wrestling elsewhere across the board.

The opening knockouts division match was messy and didn’t work at all, which is quite a surprise for such a talented division. Chris Sabin and Deaner was also a match that didn’t really deliver, which was a similar tone for Matt Cardona and Jake Something, which felt more like an angle than a match.

However, the work between Sami Callihan and Trey Miguel continued to be entertaining and the main event more than lived up to its hype, with Kenny Omega’s appearance on the show being a fun one overall.

4. WWE SmackDown

There were elements of WWE SmackDown that did feel like a clip show, simply being used to promote WWE WrestleMania 37. However, while some elements of the show did drag on because of that, the actual content on the night was all good to great.

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was fun, as always, and the match did well in highlighting the right people who have worked hard throughout the year, from Shinsuke Nakamura to King Corbin and the eventual winner, Jey Uso.

The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship match was a lot of fun and allowed everyone to look great, and it is a shame that this couldn’t have been featured over WWE WrestleMania at some point. However, it was the three promos from the Universal Championship competitors that really made this show what it was, with the work of all three men being absolutely sublime in selling their individual perspectives.

3. AEW Dynamite

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/AEW

AEW was in a tough spot this week, surrounded by so much WWE hype. However, the company did what it does best, and that’s putting together an interesting and enjoyable show. Hangman Page’s singles victory started the show well, and Jurassic Express and Bear Country had a really nice contest together.

AEW must stop bringing Sting and Tony Schiavone out together for every segment, but the work of Lance Archer was excellent. Death Triangle and Best Friends feuding feels like a bit of filler, and the TNT Championship match, while solid, feels like is needs more story to help cement Darby Allin’s title run.

However, Tay Conti and The Bunny impressed, and the main event match and Young Bucks heel turn was a great hook to end the show. But the highlight was Chris Jericho’s amazing promo and having Mike Tyson pop up just added a lot of fun. It was an exciting show with a lot going on, and it led to an enjoyable show that continued pushing forward a lot of great content.

2. WWE NXT UK

Photo Credit: YouTube.com/WWE

WWE NXT UK put together a massive card for WWE WrestleMania week, and all of the matches delivered, as well as some great backstage segments only adding to the show. The Heritage Rules match between Noam Dar and Tyler Bate was a nice way to start the show, with this stipulation match being a lot of fun to watch.

The development with Amir Jordan, no longer being about fun and dancing was great to see as he desperately sought out his former tag team partner to fight him, setting up a big match next week. Meanwhile, the women’s tag team match was an absolutely fantastic match.

They were given tons of time to put together a thrilling match and it was one that was only topped by the main event. WALTER battling Rampage Brown has a big fight feel about it and the two heavyweights created a real clash to bring the show to an end in style.

1. WWE NXT

Bronson Reed WWE NXT

Considering that the final-ever episode of WWE NXT on a Wednesday night was night one of the two-night Takeover event, it always had a high chance of being the best show of the week. Night one saw some unbelievable matches take place, in a show that delivered from start to finish.

From the excellent technical encounter between Pete Dunne and Kushida to the brilliant, hard-hitting main event between Raquel Gonzalez and Io Shirai, every match brought something different. The NXT Tag Team Championship match was fast-paced and full of energy, being one of the highlights of the night.

The gauntlet match was also a ton of fun, while the match of the night certainly ended up being WALTER and Tommaso Ciampa really living up to the idea of a dream match. While night two was also a tremendous show, this was the better of the two, and it was comfortably the show of the week.

Sixth place= 1 point
Fifth place= 2 points
Fourth place= 3 points
Third place= 4 points
Second place=5 points
First place= 6 points

2020 results (each week, the points tally will be added up below):

WWE Raw- 26
IMPACT Wrestling- 42
WWE NXT- 65
AEW Dynamite- 72
WWE NXT UK- 39
WWE SmackDown- 45

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AEW

AEW The House Always Wins Results (4/9): TNT Title Defense, 10-Man Tag Headline First Ever House Show

Published

2 days ago

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Apr 9, 2021

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All Elite Wrestling held their first ever house show on Friday night in Jacksonville, FL headlined by Darby Allin defending the TNT Championship against the winner of a battle royal that took place earlier in the show.

The co-main event of the evening saw a huge 10-man tag team match featuring AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, Michael Nakazawa and the Young Bucks teaming up with DDT Pro’s debuting Konosuke Takeshita.


AEW The House Always Wins
April 9, 2021
Jacksonville, FL

  1. TNT Title #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: The Butcher def. Austin Gunn, Colt Cabana, Colten Gunn, the Dark Order’s 10, Dustin Rhodes, Ethan Page, Lance Archer, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks and Scorpio Sky.
  2. The Pinnacle def. Jurassic Express & Dante Martin
  3. Jade Cargill def. Reka Tahaka
  4. Street Fight: Cody Rhodes def. Aaron Solow
  5. Best Friends def. Max Caster & TH2
  6. Eddie Kingston def. Cezar Bononi
  7. Hikaru Shida & Red Velvet & Ryo Mizunami & Tay Conti def. Britt Baker & The Bunny & Nyla Rose & Rebel
  8. Death Triangle & The Sydal Brothers def. Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita & Michael Nakazawa & The Young Bucks
  9. TNT Title Match: Darby Allin (c) def. The Butcher

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AEW

Christian Cage Compares His AEW Debut To Joining TNA In 2005

Published

2 days ago

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Apr 9, 2021

By

Christian

Christian Cage recently spoke about joining AEW, comparing it to when he left WWE to join TNA back in 2005.

The new AEW star spoke with ET Canada’s Shakiel Mahjouri, where he compared the two, discussing the importance of him betting on himself in both those scenarios.


“When I left in 2005, it was more to bet on myself and to prove a point. I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I felt like I needed to get away in order to come back and be better than I was. I needed to step away and prove that I can work at and wrestle at the top of the card and carry a show. I felt like if I just stayed in WWE, I wasn’t necessarily going to get that opportunity no matter what reactions or the quality of matches that I was putting on. So I needed to kind of bet on myself, get out of their face for a little while, go and prove that even if it was on a smaller scale that I could do that. I feel like I did. then I came back. This time is a little bit different. I didn’t leave WWE because I wasn’t under contract with WWE. I hadn’t been under contract for WWE in probably six, seven years at this point in time. So it was a choice that I made. I needed the best platform for me at this stage of my career where I felt like I could go out and do my best work and also elevate the next generation that is coming up behind me.”

Christian was also asked what is on his bucket list for his career, where Cage made it clear that right now it is to simply just be back and be able to write the final chapter of his career on his own terms.

“Yeah, I mean, right now, just to come back and to compete at a high level. If I couldn’t come back and be what I was, if not better, I wouldn’t even attempt this and for me, the only goal that I have is to put on quality matches and to be able to write this final chapter myself. It never sat well with me that I was told that this was done. So now that I’ve been kind of gifted this opportunity to rewrite this final chapter on my own, I don’t take that lightly. So I’m going to go out there and whether I’m working in main events, I’m working for championships, whether I become the champion, that’s all icing on the cake. But for me just to go out there and have quality matches and, at the same time, elevate and help teach the younger generation coming up and make sure that they’re set up for success in the future.” (H/T to Fightful.com for the transcriptions)

You can check out the full interview below:

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