source: WWE
WWE returns to co-branded Pay Per Views in a seemingly lackluster way, with a few good matches but mostly no storyline advancement or title changes. At least we saw a fun concert!
source: WWE
Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
Intercontinental Championship
Winner: Seth Rollins
Highlights:
Miz kicks Rollins in the face as he jumps on the apron, causing him to fall to the outside
Miz plants Seth with a DDT
Seth jumps 3/4 of the way across the ring to hit Miz with a splash
Miz dodges a knee on the apron and Rollins sends his knee into the steel post
Rollins delivers a superplex and rolls through, but his knee gives out and prevents him from hitting the falcon arrow, and Miz capitalizes with a Skull-Crushing Finale
Seth Rollins finally hits Miz with a stomp and wins the match
Opinion:
While the outcome of this match was pretty predictable going in (Miz obviously wasn’t going to take the title to Smackdown), there were several occasions where I wasn’t quite sure who was going to win. I loved the way they told the story of Rollins’ knee injury, as commentators hearkened back to his previous knee issues and as Rollins’ knee was targeted and gave out several times.
source: WWE
Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
Raw Women’s Championship Match
Winner: Nia Jax
Highlights:
Alexa grabs Nia by her hair, slamming her face on the mat and slapping her
Jax throws Bliss over her head off the top rope and across the ring
Bliss knocks Nia Jax off the middle rope and outside the ring
Alexa pleads with the ref as she says she can’t get Nia back into the ring
Nia catches Alexa and plants her with a samoan drop for the victory
Opinion:
Everything Alexa does is great, even when she is losing. I really enjoyed her “moments of Bliss” PSA promos leading up to this match, and it feels good to see Nia get her revenge. She tossed the small Bliss around like a toy throughout the match. However, her promo at the end of the match was way too scripted and made the whole feud seem like a way to plug WWE’s anti-bullying Be A Star campaign.
source: WWE
Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
United States Championship Match
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Highlights:
Orton shoves Hardy off the top turnbuckle and into the top of the steel post
Randy knocks Jeff off the apron with a standing dropkick
Hardy hits Orton with a Whisper in the Wind
Orton lands a DDT off the ropes but Hardy counters the RKO with a Twist of Fate
Jeff Hardy delivers a Swanton Bomb for the three count
Opinion:
This was a pretty good match. I doubt the story here will continue because there wasn’t much of a story to begin with. I would love for Shelton Benjamin to get more of an opportunity at the US championship. I would also like Rusev to get a shot—he’s the most popular guy on Smackdown right now, but has missed out on PPVs lately. This could also lead to his eventual break up with Aiden English.
source: WWE
Elias' concert goes awry
Elias comes out to the ring, saying that he’s close to Bruce Springsteen and dedicating this song to him. Fans boo him, and he starts to leave, so they cheer. He takes turns standing and sitting, fans cheering and booing,
He decides to stay, but is interrupted by the New Day, holding their own instruments. Xavier Woods claims that they don’t want to play with Elias, but they want to walk with Elias. They all play their instruments.
Elias dismisses them, and when he starts to play again himself, he’s interrupted by Aiden English clearing his throat. He introduces Rusev via song on Rusev Day. Elias angrily dismisses them, telling Jojo to introduce him again. He’s interrupted yet again by No Way Jose and his conga line, with Titus Worldwide and Breezango among them.
Elias yells that no one better interrupt him again, the lights dimming. Before he can even start, Bobby Roode’s music hits and Roode hits Elias with a Glorious DDT. He allows for No Way Jose’s music to play, and everyone dances and walks by Rusev Day as they exit.
Opinion:
This was such a fun segment. It’s obvious that with co-branded PPVs, we won’t see as many superstars getting PPV slots. Putting this segment in gives a little match break and shows us a bunch of favorites still making it on the show, and it allows Bobby Roode to get revenge on Elias following Elias’ brutal attack on Monday. I hope they find ways to involve superstars who miss out on matches in other upcoming PPVs.
source: WWE
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Highlights:
Bryan dives off the apron and knees Cass in the face
Daniel Bryan hits Big Cass with yes kicks and running knees, but Cass capitalizes by picking him up and dropping him
Big Cass taps out to the yes lock after Bryan stuggles to lock it in
Cass spoils Bryan’s celebration and attacks him
Opinion:
I think that with Cass’ brutal post-match attack on Daniel Bryan, he still looks like an underdog. It’s important for Cass to come out on top so he still looks like a bad guy, and so Bryan’s underdog status rebuilds. Daniel Bryan is best when’ he’s beaten down because he’s so loved by the fans and he’s built his WWE career on getting back up after these situations.
source: WWE
Carmella vs. Charlotte
Smackdown Women’s Championship Match
Winner: Carmella
Highlights:
Carmella screams and grabs the apron as Charlotte drags her to the center of the ring
Mella catches Charlotte in several submissions, yelling and asking the ref to ask Charlotte if she wants to tap
Charlotte spears a taunting Carmella
Carmella locks in the Code of Silence submission, but Charlotte escapes by picking her up
Charlotte tweaks her knee on a missed moonsault, allowing Carmella to kick her and roll her up for the victory
Opinion:
I’m really glad Carmella retained her title. It would have made no sense for Mella to lose her title so soon, or else she might as well have lost at her cash-in opportunity.
source: WWE
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Championship Match
Winner: N/A (double in-ring countout)
Highlights:
Styles nails Nakamura with a dropkick to the face
Shinsuke drops a knee on the back of AJ’s neck off the apron
Nakamura hits AJ with a knee off the top rope
Shinsuke delivers a reverse exploder to AJ, sending him into a chair
Styles counters a Kinshasa by throwing a chair at Nakamura’s knee
Nakamura delivers a low blow to Styles, and Styles fires back with a low blow to Nakamura
Both men kick one another in the groin simultaneously, and neither can get up in time, resulting in a double countout
Opinion:
This match was fantastic. I loved AJ’s retaliation for Nakamura’s low blow. The ending was a little disappointing, though, since after 20 minutes of back and forth, we didn’t see a real conclusion. This was the second time there’s been a non-finish via countout, so the finish was underwhelming. At least the feud continues—it’s hard to tell what they’ll do next, but it’s likely this will continue until Summerslam. Hopefully it doesn’t get boring.
source: WWE
Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Winners: Braun Strohman and Bobby Lashley
Highlights:
Strowman chases Zayn around the ring, taking out Kevin Owens as he runs
Sami Zayn tries to escape, but KO disagrees with him and Zayn sends him into the ring with Braun
Kevin escapes and sends Sami into the ring, and Sami gets mad and smacks him in the face
Bobby Lashley plants Owens in a vertical suplex for the win
Braun delivers a running powerslam to KO after the match and Sami watches on the outside, afraid
Strowman drags Sami into the ring and he kicks and screams before being hit with a running powerslam himself
Opinion:
I didn’t see this finish coming at all. I thought Kevin and Sami would stay best friends for a while, but I think it’s exciting to think about their eventual split right now. I’m surprised that this was the only tag match—there weren’t any tag titles on the line. I guess we aren’t gonna see every title on the line on every PPV.
source: WWE
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
Winner: Roman Reigns
Highlights:
Joe attacks Roman before the match even starts, and they brawl outside the ring
Samoa Joe sends Reigns through the Spanish announce table and over the English and French announce tables
Joe runs across the ring and flies into a suicide dive to Reigns
Samoa Joe catches Roman’s drive-by with a Coquina Clutch
Reigns hits Joe with a spear for the victory
Opinion:
I’m gonna agree with the fans in Newark on this one—this was boring. I’ve never been a huge fan of Samoa Joe, and watching Roman get beat up so brutally throughout the whole match was eerily similar to any Brock Lesnar match in the past three years. I feel like this match put a damper on a solid pay per view into a boring one. Overall, there wasn’t much storyline advancement and no title changes in any of these matches, including this main event.