I normally talk about this show in the Working Man’s WWE TV Review: but not this year. Not for the most patriotic show on television.
I say something like it every year, but the thing about Tribute to the Troops is that the matches are ultra-basic but the soldiers in the crowd going crazy for the wrestling action in front of them makes everything awesome. Liv Morgan taking bumps to JCP 80s heat is some cool stuff, man.
1. Triple Threat Tag Team Match: Ronda Rousey & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. The Riott Squad (Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan) w/ Ruby Riott
Ronda Rousey came off as the clear biggest star of the show – on a card with great crowd heat, she got the biggest pop of the night. I don’t know if this was any good, but the heat was insane. It was one of those 3-way tags that’s just a bunch of disconnected wrestling maneuvers, but also a 3-way tag that built to a Ronda Rousey hot tag which was everything this crowd ever wanted. **
Morgan Wallen.
2. Finn Balor & Elias vs. Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush
Very fun tag team contest designed in a lab for maximum crowd pleasure. This had no surprises but the big crowd heat didn’t just bring a good basic match up a notch, it seemed to motivate everybody into ripping it up on the finish. The crowd BOOOO’d as Elias got knocked off the apron before the in-peril Balor could tag him, and they WHOAAAA’d as Balor hit a big time tope con hilo. Plus Lio got smacked around for the finish. If this happened on RAW it’d get Match of the Week chatter at LEAST. ***1/4
MizTV w/ Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch
The Miz going on about Marine 6 with this audience was hysterical. Becky Lynch’s swagger is undeniable. And there was a collective freakout by the front row troops for Mandy Rose. Great segment.
3. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Short and simple but fun as heck. Charlotte vs. Sonya seems like it could be fun. Becky way over-pantomiming trying to tell the ref there was a double team going on was tremendous. **3/4
JON STEWART! DOING STAND UP! I can’t do Colbert as a network guy, so WWE is who I must rely on now for my Jon Stewart content.
Morgan Wallen.
4. Seth Rollins & AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan & Dean Ambrose
Fast-paced, high energy, good shit. Not the insane dream match it is on paper but its still three pros and whatever Dean Ambrose is these days doing a WWE formula tag. Plus, the troops figuring out the siren was Ambrose’s theme song and popping – HA. Bryan heeling the troops and refusing the YES chant – HA. ***
Fun show.
