This feels like my first review in ages, curses to you real life, but I'm back for this PPV extravaganza. I have literally no idea what to expect from this show. Maybe it will be a pretty good show, after all it does have some matches that could be really good. On the other hand, it could get dragged down by the matches that hold very little interest. Let's see how it goes.
Kickoff: IC Title - Finn Balor vs Shinsuke Nakamura
This was a pretty solid effort for 7 minutes. I'm glad that Nakamura looks like he gives a shit again. I hope he has a good title reign but I am skeptical. ***
Kickoff: Cruiserweight Title - Drew Gulak vs Tony Nese
Well, there was absolutely zero chance that this would be on the same level as Gulak's match with Matt Riddle from the Evolve show, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a fun Kickoff match. Much like the last match, they did OK with the time they were given. ***
No Holds Barred - Undertaker & Roman Reigns vs Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre
I thought this was going to headline, so this is a relief. This was certainly leagues better than Taker vs Goldberg. Having said that, I once fell down the stairs and broke my arm and that was less of a disaster than that match. This was full of shenanigans, and Shane doing Shane things, but it was actually quite good. Taker looked way better here than he has done in recent times. ***1/2
Rollins and Lynch cut a promo. It is quite cringey.
Raw Tag Titles - The Revival vs The Usos
This was a very good wrestling match but the crowd didn't get into it as much as I would have liked. Probably due to the stupid shit that has gone down between these two teams. It wasn't as good as some of the matches that they have had in the past but it was still a good time. ***1/2
Aleister Black vs Cesaro
To the surprise of nobody, this turned out to be a great match. They packed a lot of good old hard hitting wrestling into the 10 minutes they were given. The spot where Cesaro caught Black and threw him up for the European uppercut was outstanding, the fact that Black focused his kicks on the legs of Cesaro was a refreshing thing to see in a WWE ring, and it turned out to be the type of match that I would really like to see again. ****
There is a backstage thing with R-Truth, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Alexa Bliss, and Street Profits.
Smackdown Women's Title - Bayley vs Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss
This was by no means a terrible match but they did go with one of the most boring outcomes that they had on offer here, with Bayley simply overcoming the odds and winning. There were other, more interesting options on the table. **
Last Man Standing - Bobby Lashley vs Braun Strowman
This was much better than it had any right to be. Sure, it was just an arena wide scrap, but it was an entertaining one. Big lads doing big lad things. The crowd helped push this forward too. This is one of the most surprisingly good matches this year. ***1/2
Smackdown Tag Titles - Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs New Day vs Heavy Machinery
This was a blast. Big E is an absolute gem and, if I'm being honest, he should probably be the member of New Day that is holding the WWE Title. I knew that this was probably going to be a fun match but, as is becoming a trend with this show, it turned out to be even better than that. The work that all six men put in was great and the match ran so smoothly that the triple threat nature of it never became a burden. Lovely stuff. ****
Paul Heyman says that Lesnar will be cashing in tonight. Or maybe he won't.
US Title - Ricochet vs AJ Styles
I would describe this match as decent. It was a fine enough match but it was wrestled at a relatively leisurely pace by the standards of these two. It never threatened to hit the highest gear while simultaneously not having any real issues. This was a classic case of a match not living up to its lofty expectations and being a minor disappointment as a result. I have no doubt that they have a much better match in them. ***1/2
Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler
Stunner. Pin. Hey, Dolph, thank you, fuck you, bye. NR
WWE Title - Kofi Kingston vs Samoa Joe
Kofi is in severe danger of having a completely underwhelming title reign at this point. It isn't really his fault but there it is. At this stage, I assume Samoa Joe's gimmick is that of someone whose brain shuts off every 10 minutes, which causes him to lose every major match via rollup or a finisher out of the blue. This was a match, nothing more. **1/2
Raw Women's Title & Universal Title, Extreme Rules - Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins vs Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans
Judging by how uninteresting they have become, I don't think pushing the Lynch/Rollins relationship to the forefront has been the best plan. This always looked like it would be a somewhat thankless main event and that is pretty much how it went. If you are going to make an Extreme Rules match, don't outline a bunch of rules that counter that. Corbin is not a main eventer. The faces won after Rollins lost his shit at Corbin for hitting End of Days on Becky. It wasn't the worst but I have already forgotten most of it. **
Universal Title - Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar
Heyman wasn't bullshitting and 13 seconds later Lesnar is once again the Universal Champion. Lynch & Rollins vs Lesnar & Sable, Summerslam main event. NR
Overall Grade - B
Right up until the last two matches, this was a show that overperformed. It's a shame that the world title matches were so lackluster but at least it was more entertaining than usual.
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