On paper this show looked like it could be one of the best that WWE has put on this year, with a number of matches that could well steal the show. Is that how it played out? Let's find out.
Kickoff: Cruiserweight Title - Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander
I really wish this would have been on the main card but I'm not surprised it wasn't. Regardless of their treatment, they put on a banger of a Kickoff match that ranks up there as one of the best to take place on the pre-show. Admittedly that isn't the highest of bars but these two put on a great little sprint. ****
Becky Lynch cut a fantastic promo. She is so far ahead of anyone else in the company right now.
Kickoff: Ladder Match - Elias vs Bobby Lashley
This match made no sense. The fact that they were only fighting to retrieve a guitar kind of dulled the stipulation, which was even more pointless when Elias got beat with the guitar despite winning. It was perfectly serviceable, with a couple of nice bumps, but it will be forgotten before the show is over. Nothing will matter come tomorrow. **
Mixed Match Challenge Final - R-Truth & Carmella vs Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox
This entire season of MMC has been a shitshow, and this is the icing on the cake. This was awful. For me, it was the worst PPV match this year. I think that this made me ill. The post-match interview was no better. Maybe I'm not just in the mood for this, if you can be, but fuck this match. DUD
Smackdown Tag Titles - The Bar vs New Day vs The Usos
This was one of the matches that I thought had the potential to steal the show. It didn't get to that level but it was still a top-notch tag match that I had a blast watching throughout. These teams could wrestle every week, and they kind of do, and the matches would always be good fun. I do miss Big E when he's not in the match though. ***1/2
TLC Match - Braun Strowman vs Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin is proof that God doesn't exist. This wasn't really a match. Braun wasn't cleared so it was just a bunch of the faces beating down Corbin before Braun pinned him. It was fun enough for what it was, even if a 6-on-1 beatdown isn't a very face thing to do. NR
Tables Match - Natalya vs Ruby Riott
Natalya's acting in the build-up to this has been wasOscar-worthyy, a work of art comparable to Meryl Streep. The match itself had a scummy feel of death exploitation to it that didn't sit right with me, which compounded the fact that the match already felt long. This wasn't for me. Props to Liv Morgan for her table bump though. *1/2
Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor
This was a good match until it got to the inevitable run-in screwjob finish. I don't get the current trend of having the faces always using the numbers game to their advantage. The match up until that point was worth a watch, even if they can definitely do better. ***
Chairs Match - Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton
Mysterio looks like what you would get if La Parka fucked a zebra. The chairs match is a stipulation that has no real upside, much like the blindfold, ambulance or lumberjack match. You are kind of beholden to it. The match was a bit better than I expected but the finish came out of nowhere, and it wasn't even an RKO. I kept expecting a big chair spot that never came. ***
Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax
Without question, Rousey has been the surprise package of 2018. This had no right to be as good as it was. A lot of Ronda's offense is really crisp and the structure of the match made both women look good. At this stage of her career, no two Rousey matches are alike as she is constantly adding new moves to her arsenal. This was the best match of the main show to this point and is well worth going out of your way to see. ***3/4
Becky Lynch meets up with Nia Jax backstage, reminds her of her broken face, and lays her out. Great stuff.
WWE Title - Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles
This was never really going to be anything less than excellent, especially with Bryan's amazing heel work. He took a lot of what he was doing in his ROH heel run, such as telling the ref he has until 5 to break a hold. I appreciate that small stuff. This was two of the highest level workers on the roster putting together a good old-fashioned wrestling match and it was a joy to behold. It may well be the best pure wrestling match that has taken place on a WWE PPV this year. Watch this match. ****1/2
IC Title - Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose
This match had potential but it didn't pan out that way. They went with a long, methodical match and it didn't work, which caused the crowd to turn on it. There was nothing particularly bad about the individual parts but there was no sense of urgency when there really should have been. It felt much longer than it actually was. **
Smackdown Women's Title, TLC Match - Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Asuka
This was the right main event heading into the event and it sure as shit was the right main event after the fact, because this was a banger. Over the course of 20-odd minutes, they kicked the shit out of each other. They kept up the intensity throughout, and it provided us with a fantastic main event. It was replete with all of the bumps and spots that you would expect from the stipulation and all three women came out of the match looking better than they went in. Even the Rousey influenced finish worked, as it helped further the stories with her, Lynch and Charlotte. Go out of your way to check this out. ****1/2
Overall Grade - B
This was an up and down show, but the good was very good indeed. The Smackdown title matches are all worth checking out, with the main two being tremendous, and the cruiserweights did what they do best. The star of the show was arguably Ronda Rousey, though, who put on a great match with Nia Jax and looks every inch the star.
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