Welcome to this week’s round-up of all the action from WWE’s women’s divisions. Somehow it is the go-home week for TLC, which seems to have come around quickly and without much in the way of build. But here we are.

RAW

Becky Lynch def. The Kabuki Warriors

 

The solitary women’s division match of the night was set up in a pre-filmed locker room segment between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Flair approached Lynch and said she doesn’t like her, but she dislikes The Kabuki Warriors more, so would Lynch be interested in being Becky Two Belt again. Lynch gloated a bit that Flair was asking for her help, and Flair pointed out Lynch has had her own issues with Asuka and Sane. Becky Lynch agreed but said she’d had issues with Flair too, so she was just going to take on The Kabuki Warriors alone. She said she was facing them for the opportunity to collect an old debt, meaning for a one on one against Asuka.

 

Becky Lynch vs The Kabuki Warriors

Becky Lynch got her hands on Asuka immediately, but she allowed herself to be distracted by kicking Kairi Sane off the apron, caught a kick from Asuka and lost control of the match. With the one on one against Asuka, and the bragging rights of having done something Charlotte Flair couldn’t do, on the line Lynch wasn’t going to allow them to keep control for too long.

The match played out much like the one Flair had last week. Lynch did better than could be expected against two competitors as strong as Asuka and Sane, but regularly fell foul of the numbers disadvantage. Sane saved Asuka from tapping out to her own Asuka Lock. Asuka saved Sane from a Dis-Arm-Her. Also like the match Flair had last week, it was probably the best match of the night.

The victory, when it came, didn’t happen the way Becky Lynch would have wanted. She got it via disqualification when Asuka hit her in the stomach with a chair. It went downhill from there for her. After another chair shot, Asuka and Kairi Sane set up a table at ringside. Asuka battled Lynch onto the table and Sane put her through it with an InSane Elbow.

 

In the trainer’s room, Lynch got a visit from Charlotte Flair who snarkily asked how it went. Lynch said fine if it means she gets her shot at Asuka. Flair said good match and left.

As she walked off down the corridor, she was attacked from behind by Asuka and Kairi Sane.

Charly Caruso asked Asuka and Sane to tell her what happened, then respectfully asked them to translate their answer. Asuka said, ‘We challenge you to challenge us this Sunday for our titles.’

Back in the trainer’s room, Flair and Lynch agreed they would take the match but they’d make it a Tables Ladders and Chairs match.

The match was immediately confirmed in a really very odd, Monday After the Weekend Update, segment with the Street Profits. Funny, but weird. I can’t help thinking that now Montez Ford is on RAW properly, it’s probably time for Bianca Belair to make the jump across.

 

The only other news from RAW’s women was a promo video saying Liv Morgan is coming back soon with a makeover.

 

 

 

NXT

Dakota Kai def. Mia Yim

Bianca Belair def. Kayden Carter

 

Shayna Baszler had an interesting promo package with a long car analogy and a run-through of all the women Baszler has tapped, napped, or snapped in her title reign. It’s an impressive list and Baszler is confident she’ll add Rhea Ripley to it next week.

The Rhea Ripley promo package was much more origin story based, and focused on how many accolades she’s racked up in a relatively short space of time.

 

Mia Yim made it clear before her match with Dakota Kai that she was looking for a fight, not a wrestling match. Kai stole the most important match of her career and put her in an ambulance. She’s going out to inflict enough pain to put Kai in one.

Mia Yim vs Dakota Kai

The match was part grudge match, part wrestling match, and part straight out fight. There’s a lot of bitterness here already, but realistically it’s probably fairly early in the feud so there’s still a lot of intensity to ramp up. That also explains the result. They gave each other a decent beating, rather than it being the one-sided affair Yim was looking for, then Dakota Kai tried to use Tegan Nox’ knee brace which she’s still carrying around with her. The ref saw her and took it off her and Mia Yim tried to capitalise off the distraction, but Kai was ready for her. She kicked Yim away and managed to get the turnbuckle pad off. When Yim came back at her, Kai shoved her forehead into the exposed turnbuckle and pinned her.

Dakota Kai didn’t have time to celebrate. Mia Yim attacked her after the match and they brawled into the technical area. Yim dragged a couple of tables into position then beat Kai up to the tech tables above them and put them both through. The landing looked grim. Only one of the tables broke and it looked like they both hit their heads on the way down.

 

Kayden Carter vs Bianca Belair

I feel like it’s been a weird few months for Belair. She was great in WarGames and Survivor Series. She’s been on and around major storylines, but she hasn’t been the focal point and she’s not currently in the title picture. She’s clearly a future champ, but it’s hard to see where she filters in right now.

This could have been all Belair, but she still likes to pose and posture when she should be focusing, and it’s still giving opponents opportunities. Carter got a nice run in after getting her knees up on Belair’s moonsault, but it was a temporary reprieve and Belair finished it with a K.O.D.

 

 

NXT UK

Kay Lee Ray def. Isla Dawn

 

Kay Lee Ray vs. Isla Dawn

This one opened the show this week. It was ok, if a bit predictable. Kay Lee Ray did some damage to Isla Dawn’s knee early on and it was clearly bothering her throughout the short match. Dawn had a token couple of chances, but there was never a doubt about the winner, Kay Lee Ray via Gory Bomb.

After the match, Ray yelled into the mic about how dominant she is. Apparently, she’s in complete control outside the ring as well. She’s proved she’s still in Toni Storm’s head and she’s got Piper Niven rattled.

Piper Niven’s music hit at that point and she appeared, only for Toni Storm to run past her and get to Kay Lee Ray first. After a quick brawl, Ray pushed Storm into Niven and escaped while they argued. Sid Scala came out and stopped Kay Lee Ray leaving until he’d made an announcement. At NXT UK TakeOver Blackpool there will be a triple threat, Kay Lee Ray vs Piper Niven vs Toni Storm.

 

 

 

Main Event

No women’s division action on Main Event this week.

 

 

 

SmackDown

Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss def. Fire & Desire

Bayley def. Dana Brooke

 

Fire & Desire vs Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss

Rose and Deville attacked Bliss and Cross during their pre-match interview behind the curtain. They fought out onto the stage then were separated so the match could be officially started. Even after that, it was all four in the ring for a little while before the ref got them under control.

Sadly, it was a really short match. Nikki Cross ended up on the wrong side of Fire & Desire offence after Rose raked her eyes. They were double-teaming her until Bliss dragged Mandy Rose out of the ring. As soon as Rose was gone, Cross delivered a swinging neckbreaker to Sonya Deville and pinned her.

 

Bayley had a backstage interview about Lacey Evans. She said Evans being an ex-marine and a mom might impress some people but not her and what those people think means less than nothing to her. She does this for her now. She’s a champion and Sasha is off recording a rap album, they’re the best.

Elias strumming his guitar interrupted. He had Dana Brooke with him. After Bayley shouted at him, he said he’d picked her for Secret Santa and he’d written her a song. The song was gross and misogynistic. Dana Brooke laughed and got herself a match against the champ.

Bayley vs Dana Brooke

Another super-short match at under three minutes. Dana Brooke got a few chances in on the champion, In fact, she might have had the best of the chances, including a near fall from a powerbomb. It came to nothing though. Bayley kicked Brooke into the ropes then planted her face-first into the mat and pinned her.

 

 

No predictions for TLC, but the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match is likely to be incredible. I’d quite like to see Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair pick up the win. They need a title reign for their stats, and now is as good a time as any. The Kabuki Warriors should have plenty more title runs.

That’s it for another week of WWE women’s division action. Join me next week for another instalment, and in the meantime follow @ArnFuriousCom to make sure you never miss a review. You can also follow me @manda_why.