Welcome to this week’s round-up of all the action from WWE’s women’s divisions. WWE are still running live and still cramming shows, but hopefully, that will change soon. There were five women’s division matches on RAW this week. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Has it ever happened before? NXT and SmackDown had two each, so it was a busy week for WWE’s women.

 

RAW

Shayna Baszler def. Indi Harwell

Nia Jax def. Kairi Sane

Liv Morgan def. Ruby Riott

Charlotte Flair def. Kayden Carter

Bianca Belair def. Santana Garrett

 

Before her match, Shayna Baszler was asked if she thought she went too far in her match against Sarah Logan last week. Baszler said no, she didn’t break any rules she just broke Sarah Logan’s arm.

Shayna Baszler vs Indi Hartwell

During Baszler’s entrance, they showed the footage of Baszler stamping on Logan’s arm.  Indi Hartwell lasted a little longer than Sarah Logan, but not much. She actually got a half chance at a roll-up attempt in, and made contact with a kick to Baszler’s face. Shayna Baszler laughed, then destroyed her with a couple of blows and stamped on her arm like she did to Logan.

But Baszler wasn’t done. After the match she threw Hartwell into a barricade and a ladder she’d set up against the steps, then trapped Indi Hartwell’s arm in the ladder and kicked it shut.

 

Charly Caruso interviewed The Kabuki Warriors before Kairi Sane’s rematch against Nia Jax. Caruso asked why the rematch should be any different. Asuka said ‘Be serious. Tonight, Kairi is ready for rematch… but no one is ready for Asuka’.

Kairi Sane vs Nia Jax

At the outset it looked like it was going to be much the same as last week, right down to Asuka shouting encouragement at a backstage monitor. Sane took a lot of punishment, but Nia Jax appeared to hurt her knee and she worked it hard. It meant she got Jax down for a little while and it looked hopeful for the briefest of moments. Nia Jax moved when Sane went for the InSane elbow and scooped her up to deliver and Annihilator.

 

Charly Caruso also interviewed Ruby Riott before her match against Liv Morgan. Caruso asked how the Riott Squad went from being so tight to so divided. Riott said that there never really was a Riott Squad to her. The reason she had to have double shoulder surgery was that she had been carrying Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan since their arrival. She was the one who made them look good and who made them look threatening. And now look. Sarah Logan is out with a broken arm and Liv Morgan will be lucky if she doesn’t break both her arms tonight. Morgan is still suffering the delusion that she’s all grown up and independent, but Riott is going to show her just how lonely and small and weak she is without her.

Ruby Riott vs Liv Morgan

Riott had set her game plan out clearly and set about executing it. Liv Morgan made her eat her words, and the canvas, finishing the match with a flatliner after Riott spent a little too much time trash-talking.

 

Charlotte Flair vs Kayden Carter

This is surely an NXT match, an NXT superstar versus the NXT Women’s Champion, but these are not normal times. Carter did great. She is great. She got a legitimate pin attempt and came close to submitting Flair. But she took a spear and was unable to stop Charlotte Flair bridging from the figure four into the Figure Eight, so she tapped.

 

Street Profits came out and danced on the announce desk to introduce Bianca Belair, then joined commentary for her match. Montez Ford is his wife’s number one fan and I’m loving her hanging out with them at the moment. Too often in WWE you see the woman wrestler diminished by her association to her male partner, think Candice LeRae becoming nothing more than Mrs Gargano for a few months. That’s not happening here, Ford and Dawkins are taking every opportunity to elevate Belair, from the obvious cheerleading to the more subtle way they defer to her in their interactions. With Street Profits already being a popular team, it’s a good strategy to bring her into RAW.

Bianca Belair vs Santana Garrett

Ford and Dawkins’ commentary made the match twice as much fun and it was already a pretty fun match. Santana Garrett is no pushover, but she was just there to showcase Belair’s skills which she did admirably. Belair finished it with a K.O.D. while Montez Ford screamed his encouragement. Ford and Dawkins went to the ring and put Bianca Beliar on their shoulders to celebrate post-match.

 

Sarah Logan was mentioned at least three times during the show, talking about her being out with a broken arm caused by the Shayna Baszler stamp. It’s really unusual for WWE to talk about released talent, more often there is a collective amnesia like they were never there. Hopefully, this is a good sign that Logan will be back on the active roster sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

NXT

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez def. Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart

Mia Yim def. Jessi Kamea

 

Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart vs Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

I was impressed by the teamwork from Blackheart and Nox. They were very in sync for a thrown together team. It looked like they were on track to get the victory they deserved, going into a break Shotzi Blackheart took out Kai and Gonzalez with an assisted leap off the top rope, but Kai and Gonzalez turned it around during the ads through nefarious means.

They had got themselves back in control when Tegan Nox came in to deal with Dakota Kai’s interference. She threw Kai out of the ring, Kai pulled her out as well, and Gonzalez delivered a one-armed powerbomb to Blackheart for the win.

 

It looks like we’re about to see a change in Candice LeRae. She and Johnny Gargano had a video segment on this week’s NXT, from their dinner table at home. LeRae served up dinner during the segment. It started with Johnny Gargano saying nice things about their relationship and their lives, but when the topic turned to NXT things got real dark real fast. When LeRae joined him it just got darker. They talked about being unappreciated as ‘the NXT way’ and the toxicity of the environment. They did everything the right way and got stabbed in the back time and time again. They’re going to tear NXT down and rebuild it in their image. They plan to make history as the first married couple to reign together as NXT Champion and NXT Women’s Champion. It was very well done, fading to black and while when they got dark and back into colour when it was all sweet and homely.

 

Io Shirai said she’s been waiting a long time to face Charlotte Flair so she can show her how great she is. She bows down to no one.

 

Mia Yim vs Jessi Kamea

All the talk at the start of the match was about Charlotte Flair picking Mia Yim as the first person she wants to face as NXT Women’s Champion. Jessi Kamea got a quick two-line biography. Not a bad match, a little short but it was there to serve a purpose. Mia Yim finished it with Protect Ya Neck.

Charlotte Flair appeared when the match was over. She asked Mia Yim if she accepted her challenge and Yim said it would be an honour. It seemed quite civilised as Flair said she was glad because she feels like she never got to thank Yim for their first match, but there is always a condescending sting in the tale with Charlotte Flair. In the next breath, she called Yim a ‘good hand’ and said that five years ago Yim helped make her a superstar. Now Flair can ‘finally’ do the same for her.

 

There was also a Chelsea Green promo package. Robert Stone did most of the talking but there was nothing standout to report. Green is better than everyone and is going to be champion etc.

 

 

 

NXT UK

This week’s NXT UK was an in-depth look at the WALTER vs Tyler Bate Match from NXT UK TakeOver Cardiff. That took up the whole show with the video packages for the superstars and all the extras, so there was no women’s division action. Isla Dawn was one of the superstars who commented on the match though.

 

 

 

SmackDown

Lacey Evans def. Sasha Banks

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross

 

Sasha Banks vs Lacey Evans

This could easily have been another grudge match, rather than a ladder match qualifier, after Evans interference last week. Sasha Banks was accompanied by Bayley and carried a picture of Lacey Evans’ daughter with her to the ring. Bayley held the picture up on the apron as soon as the match started, to distract Evans and give Banks the upper hand. That didn’t really work, Banks ended up in the barricade, but Bayley coming to Banks aid did the trick. Evans went after Bayley and Banks grabbed her and smashed her right hand into the ringpost.

Back in the ring things settled down for a while. Lacey Evans really is on a mission to destroy Sasha Banks if her bouncing Banks head off the ringpost is anything to go by. Banks was directing her focus on Evans’ right hand. Evans got out of the Bank Statement. Bayley had to put Banks’ foot on the rope after a Woman’s Right. Evans went for Bayley after that which ended up with Bayley in the ring. While the ref was dealing with her, Banks had Evans rolled up for a good five count. As soon as the ref turned around, Evans kicked out.

Banks screamed at Bayley to stay out of it then turned straight into another Woman’s Right and got pinned. Lacey Evans is in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

Sasha Banks and Bayley left together but when they got to the stage Tamina appeared and superkicked Bayley in the face. Tamina and Banks exchanged a look but Banks didn’t move to check on Bayley until after Tamina had left.

 

Carmella has a Money in the Bank qualifying match next week against Mandy Rose. Dana Brooke teased her about it a bit in the backstage segment before their match. Carmella gave her a hard time last week about her qualifier so it was payback, but it was all very gentle.

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (C) vs Carmella & Dana Brooke – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match

This one got serious fast. Within the first minute or so they were throwing themselves and each other around. There was as much action on the outside as there was in the ring at some points. Carmella would have got the pin on Alexa Bliss had Nikki Cross not tagged herself in unseen. As it was, Carmella took a 3D style finisher and got pinned in a match that was at least five minutes shorter than it should have been.

 

 

That’s it for another week of WWE women’s division action. Join me next week for whatever there is to round-up. In the meantime follow @ArnFuriousCom to make sure you never miss a review. You can also follow me @manda_why. Please stay safe.