It goes without saying but, Stadium Wrestling Atmosphere = Very Good.
1. SmackDown Tag Team Title: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) w/ Big E [c] vs. The Bar
The New Day can start a show, baby. This kind of match is simple, but sometimes that’s the best professional wrestling there is. You take a simple outline and perfect the beats. New Day have perfected those beats.
First, the good guys re-enforced why you should cheer for them, doing some cool double teams.
Then there was a sweet spot where The Bar caught dives from both guys to setup a beatdown on Kofi. The Bar isn’t the Minnesota Wrecking Crew but they can do a beatdown. Cesaro is so pointed and quick in getting to his holds after moves, while Sheamus denying the crowd of 10 Beats of the Bodhrán got a tremendous “You’re a Wanker” chant. Cesaro also took a MASSIVE bump to setup Kofi’s hot tag.
Then Xavier Woods had himself a hell of a hot tag run before he got overwhelmed while Kofi sold on the floor. Just when things appeared bleak for The New Day, Kofi made an awesomely timed save on a Cesaro schoolboy with his feet on the ropes, and they ran a finish that came together really well and ended with a backstabber/double stomp combo that I’m not sure has ever finished a match but felt right finishing this one.
I am kissing my fingers like a chef. ***3/4
2. Smackdown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Charlotte Flair
The Becky Lynch swagger is REAL and it is spectacular – raising her title on the way to the ring, that satisfied smile as the crowd chanted for her. So good.
This was pretty awesome. I love it when these two trade holds, but they went right at throwing shots which felt right for this feud. And they just kept going at it, baby, refusing to give each other any time to breathe. They kept a great frantic pace – I loved Becky’s aggressiveness of just forcing Charlotte into the corner when the bell rang, and Charlotte’s desperation where she didn’t take any time to setup the Figure-Eight – she just put Becky’s ass in it.
Becky pulling at Charlotte’s fingers while applying the Fujiwara armbar and the spot where she just yanked Charlotte off the apron are worth mentioning too. Becky also took a whole bunch of bumps on her head, which made Charlotte’s spear looked amazing for once.
The finish was a classic This PPV Doesn’t Matter deal, but even with a DQ finish the match was as good as needed to be up to it. ***1/2
3. John Cena & Bobby Lashley w vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
I mean, a lengthy Elias and Kevin Owens beating on Bobby Lashley isn’t my idea of a “good time” but building to the Cena tag and doing it at this place on the card isn’t a bad idea. Cena got his shit in and did the Bruce Lee punch thing – nice. **
4. Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
The IIconics getting the hometown pop felt nice. Asuka dancing with Naomi did not feel nice.
I adored the “II-CONIC!” pose, but otherwise this was pretty simple stuff where the beats weren’t quite perfected. It worked enough, but this match has been wrestled a billion times by a hundred people in WWE in the last two years. Asuka will still do 2-3 things a match that just flip me out though. **
5. No Countout & No DQ Match – WWE Title: AJ Styles [c] vs. Samoa Joe
This, like Becky vs. Charlotte, was a match that stayed true to the feud that surrounded it and remained frantic from the bell. Loved them finally starting things off with a straight brawl vs. armbars. AJ generally bumps really big and Joe hits really hard, but here AJ bumped REALLY big and Joe hit REALLY hard. I mean WOW. That LARIAT. That URANAGE INTO THE CHAIR.
Joe was bringing out the classics – the Island Driver, the sleeper suplex, even a muscle buster tease. He pulled off some gorgeous counters into the Kokina clutch too.
AJ got to dish out his punishment by going after Joe’s leg after Joe took a table bump, and it’s very easy to buy late-stage Joe as a guy who’s thigh would just explode during a wrestling match. That leg work led to the smart finish, with AJ just wrecking his leg with a Calf Crusher until he had to give up.
Still want a Joe title run, but this was great. ***3/4
6. Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
You know what – respect to the Riott Squad for fighting through their early awkwardness and becoming a legitimate unit.
Sarah Logan’s running knee aside though, this wasn’t much. It was a lot like the Cena tag from earlier – just building to the Rousey tag. And that’s fine, but it still feels strange to see Rousey outstretch her arm for said tag. Riott Squad bumping for said tag was phenomenal though. Not great, but if you think of it as any old Andre the Giant tag with Rousey as Andre, it feels like it was a lot better. **
7. WWE Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander [c] vs. Buddy Murphy
Came to America, got signed by WWE, earned the Best Kept Secret nickname as he spent years in developmental, finally got to main roster and proceeded to revitalize 205 Live and put on great match after great match, eventually winning the Cruiserweight Title in front of his hometown crowd. Also allegedly dates Alexa Bliss. Is there any man in WWE to be respected more than Buddy Murphy?
One more – he seems to be the only guy the folks in the back let do whatever the fuck he wants.
These guys got 10 minutes and they put it all out there, baby. Murphy’s first tope con hilo one of the most insane damn things I’ve ever seen, almost overshooting Cedric because he glided so far. They did stuff they had to like sell and take their time and shit, but this was the spectacular spotfest the hometown crowd wanted from their boy Buddy. The pop for the lumbar check kickout was INCREDIBLE. Love a situation in wrestling where you can so clearly see a guy that busted ass, delivered, and was rewarded. ****
8. The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
This was not a very good match.
The first long beatdown on Rollins was a whole lot of Dolph Ziggler applying chinlocks when Braun Strowman was right there on the apron. Then Ambrose got a run, then Reigns, and – eh. Didn’t get bumping.
The forced Shield dissension was kind of terrible – Reigns’ stupid “oh shit” look after hitting Ambrose by mistake, Ambrose conveniently surrounding Reigns and Rollins with the bad guys.
It had the occasional neat thing – Reigns deadlifting McIntyre for the sit-out powerbomb one of those – but man. This never really got going and didn’t even have your standard sweet Shield finish. **1/2
9. Winner Gets a WWE Title Match: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
SERIOUSLY?
10. Last Time Ever: The Undertaker w/ Kane vs. Triple H w/ Shawn Michaels
This started well enough.
Guys from the Attitude Era are always moving. It’s one of the lost arts. These guys are over and at least one of them is still pretty good. Triple H being a dick was fun too. He tried Old School!
But then they started the tricks. All the tricks. A chair, a table, a brawl in the crowd. A Tombstone kickout, a wide-eyed Undertaker, a sledgehammer shot. If it didn’t happen in the Shield match there absolutely would have been a barricade bump. 27 damn minutes. This was more self-indulgent than a Kenny Omega match.
The crowd popped – but deep down, did they really feel that pop?
There’s a lot of hyperbole that has been said regarding Triple H but it was the most Triple H of Triple H things to go this long with The Undertaker. **
Lots of FUN FOR THE CROWD~! house show matches but also some great stuff peppered in there. Plus a stadium. And the hometown guy and gals got to win! A decent, meaningless pay-per-view. 6/10
