It’s not just that the Saudi government is presenting an image of progressivism and investing loads of money into all types of institutions while at the same time approving the cold-blooded murder of a journalist.
I mean, it’s a lot that, but it’s not just that.
It’s that we’ve gotten to this point, where something like this can happen so brazenly, so out in the open, so unable to be obfuscated by “well war is complicated” arguments. And the power source behind it not only gets to move on but is publicly embraced.
It represents a lot of what seems to be happening these days – people are making money and nobody gives a shit about the implications.
Progress is slow, progress is complicated, but this whole thing feels a little raw. And even if the choice to keep this shady deal going doesn’t bother you, they go ahead and promote fucking DX vs. Kane & Undertaker in 2018!?
Horrible.
The Kickoff Show had the set and effort of a weekend WWE recap nobody watches.
0. WWE U.S. Title: Shinsuke Nakamura [c] vs. Rusev
Look at these two, going on this big trip for a match nobody cares about. They ended up doing OK though – the crowd was game, Rusev’s comeback was good, a couple near falls were hot, and there wasn’t any long boring stretch of Nakamura offense. Rusev is very good at reacting to not getting a 3-count. ***1/4
Ah, Hulk. I am less excited this time for your post-prime return than I was last time you made a post-prime return. May your final years be spent as a creepy mascot everybody knows is a racist.
“His Excellency, Turki Al-Sheikh” – what a MARK.
1. WWE World Cup – Round 1: Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
Rey and Randy, together again. These two have great chemistry – Randy missing a lariat and Rey doing a springboard crossbody works every time. This was a very basic version of that chemistry, but it’s still great chemistry. ***
2. WWE World Cup – Round 1: Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
the Miz and Jeff are a couple of characters and they are also two of the lighter workers on the roster so they had a safe, basic match that mostly worked. Nice Twist of Fate to SkullCrushing Finale counter at the end. **1/2
3. WWE World Cup – Round 1: Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush
This was like 5 minutes long and mostly Seth selling with the occasional tope. Seth seemed inspired working with a power guy like Bob. Pretty cool out-of-nowhere curb stomp finish. **1/2
4. WWE World Cup – Round 1: Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Drew McIntyre
There wasn’t as much grappling as I was hopping. Ziggler smiling then running into a belly-to-belly was good. Angle took a bump on his head off a DDT, less out of dedication to the sport and more out of physical necessity. They had a short, basic match and then Dolph just WON. **1/2
The New Day’s very very very slow magic carpet ride entrance was a thing I enjoyed fast-forwarding 30 seconds on and seeing that they had barely moved.
5. SmackDown Tag Team Title: The Bar [c] w/ Big Show vs. The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) w/ Xavier Woods
Love these teams, even when wrestling to show the world how cool and hip the Saudi Kingdom is. The Bar kept working over and cutting off Kofi and then Big E got the hot tag and it was all very good. Kofi’s kip-up to the top rope and crossbody early on flipped me out, and I dug Sheamus just booting Kofi in the stomach to cut him off. Big Show could’ve put a little more oomph on the interference but this was good. ***1/4
6. WWE World Cup – Semi Final: Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz
This was a match that featured The Miz working over Rey Mysterio’s midsection. It also featured a few fans in the Riyadh crowd chanting CM Punk. Rey eventually came back and I’m not sure that they got the hot finish they were aiming for. A solid match. **3/4
7. WWE World Cup – Semi Final: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Drew McIntyre
Alright, that’s enough of this match. ***
8. WWE Title: AJ Styles [c] vs. Samoa Joe
These guys went hard, I’m just not sure how much life there is left in this. Everything looked good, it just wasn’t wrapped in the prettiest most compelling package. Joe’s tope which sent AJ hard into the announce table though – wow. I like late-stage Joe, but I also find myself wanting more from him. ***1/4
9. WWE Universal Title: Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
Oh great, this was an angle. Corbin hits Braun with Universal Title, Braun kicks out of four F5’s then goes down to the fifth. Brock Lesnar is the Universal Champion again. If this show existing didn’t confirm it, we are in the Darkest Timeline.
10. WWE World Cup – Final: Shane McMahon vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Drew McIntyre
Speaking of The Darkest Timeline, Shane McMahon showed up and replaced Miz and won the tournament for some reason. If I hadn’t read the result beforehand and laughed about it, I might’ve gotten a little hot at this.
11. D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels & Triple H) vs. The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker & Kane)
Even if they still had it – and they don’t – going nearly half an hour removed any “it” they might have still had. I think it’s safe to say Undertaker and Kane are done in-ring, while I never want to see another “legend vs. legend” Triple H and Shawn Michaels match again – work the young guys or just stay in the Performance Center. Sure Taker and Triple H blew an Irish whip and Kane’s mask fell off, but that wasn’t the worst part – it was just lazy. And four guys 50+ years old going half an hour might not seem lazy, but it was. At least Eigen and Momota had jokes. *3//4
What a horrible stretch of insanity those last few matches were. Everything here felt mailed in – it was like a house show with less joy. I’d say it was harmless but it wasn’t. 2/10
