Rating guide
10- Perfect, 9- Excellent, 8- Great, 7- Good, 6- Above Average, 5- Average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Pre-show
- Shouts to Baron Corbin for stopping Charly's question before he could re-ask it.
- They drop "The Demon" way, way too much.
- Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are in the social media lounge. They don't have a name for their team yet.
- Lawler was NOT happy about Rosenberg's Heenan jacket.
- Elias does a concert and the crowd legit asks for an encore. The crowd is calling for one more song after that, too. I expect Elias to get a Fandango-esque reaction tomorrow.
- There are a bunch of wrestlers not being used on the show in a KFC ad that breaks down into a brawl. Shawn Michaels comes out as Colonel Sanders to a huge pop. Col. Sanders vs. AJ Styles please.
- Backstage, Braun Strowman interrupts Paul Heyman to say he talks too much.
Miztourage defeated Jason Jordan and Hardy Boyz
4.25/10
- Crickets for Jordan. Nobody is in the building. Nothing smarter than putting a guy you want over in front of a wild crowd of seven people.
- Hardy Boyz competed in front of ROH crowds bigger than this in the past five months
- Lol at Jordan and Matt coordinating gear and Jeff being like "whatever man"
- The arena is so empty they're not even using the hard cam. Not being able to use the hard cam and just getting close up camera cuts. This is my nightmare.
- Jason Jordan is so strong, effortlessly strong. I love the quarter nelson suplex he did.
- Miz gains a pin after a paint by numbers match. Jordan eats his first Angle-era pin. Not a great match.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Neville defeated Akira Tozawa (c) (w/ Titus O'Neil) to become WWE Cruiserweight Champion
5.5/10
- Tozawa is over with the sparse crowd.
- Vic Joseph is modern day Todd Grisham.
- Akira Tozawa's reaction time is outstanding. Other positives -- Neville has cool gear, and Titus is just perfect in this role.
- I don't know if Neville busting out a chinlock for a half empty crowd is going to get 205 Live over.
- A decent match that ends in Neville breaking out the Red Arrow on Tozawa.
- Titus looks so disappointed.
- I'll wait and see where this goes before I question the title change. If it doesn't go anywhere, beating Neville was stupid.
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Usos defeated New Day (c) (w/ Kofi Kingston) to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
7.75/10
- I won't try to pretend I know what inspired New Day's gear.
- Paint-by-numbers in the first half. Fortunately, these two teams have a track record of delivering together, so that won't be the case long
- Big E's hot tag is fun per usual.
- Xavier electric chairs Big E onto an Uso to a great reaction.
- Uranage/lungblower combo. I enjoyed. We haven't seen new offense out of New Day to this degree in a while.
- Xavier with a Koji Clutch, and it looks like the Midnight Hour finishes it, but the count is broken!
- An Alley Uso goes HORRIBLY awry, then Kofi gets killed by the stairs.
- Big E gets put through the wringer, and pinned. New champions, and I am all for extending this feud.
Main show analysis on page two
John Cena defeated Baron Corbin
4.25/10
- John Cena put on JBL's hat, to show everyone he's taking the former MITB holder serious.
- Corbin's new gear looks a lot better than his Strowman-esque pantaloons.
- There's not a ton of pressure on this match. Not like that would matter to Cena.
- Corbin went to the "run around the ringpost" three times, but at least he scouted the five knuckle shuffe.
- Corbin with a chokeslam/backbreaker. Good addition. As is the tornado DDT from Cena.
- Cena pins Corbin, who is clearly in the dog house.
Smackdown Women's Championship
Natalya defeated Naomi (c) to win the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
6.25/10
- I can't stop hearing "glow" on WWE programming soon enough.
- Never understood why Natalya's opponents sit around and wait to be stepped on.
- A blockbuster off the apron doesn't seem to do much harm to Naomi, as she's up and smiling. She's rewarded with a catapult into the ringpost that she sells much better.
- Natalya's snap suplex had some velocity.
- Carmella's new gear is neat. She's shown watching.
- It's pretty obvious that a lot of these guys and girls were given more room to do new things. Naomi hit a headscissors DDT and a nice hook kick reversal. I still hate moves that require an opponent to hold on to the top rope, though.
- Sharpshooter applied right in the middle. It's such a babyface move that it's hard to boo. Naomi gets a great reversal into the buckle, though. Natayla applies it again right in the middle and wins.
- Hope Natalya makes the back plate pink.
- I'd have Natalya disown the whole Hart family in a "Family celebration" segment and say she isn't one anymore.
Enzo Amore in a Shark Cage
Big Cass defeated Big Show
2.25/10
- Lil Kim fans don't exist anymore, Enzo.
- Big Cass' theme belongs on the PS1 Nascar '98 soundtrack
- Big Cass kicks out of a KO punch. That almost never happens.
- This match sucks, but Enzo lubes himself up to escape the cage. That's kind of funny.
- Cass wins. What a dumpster juice match.
- Ellsworth could have never slipped the hog out of that shark cage.
Randy Orton squashed Rusev
- Rusev was hiding under the ring.
- He gets RKO'd and beaten.
- With Corbin and Rusev happening the way they did tonight, I'd imagine we're real close to seeing Orton vs. Roode. Strap in and caffeine up.
- This was the best Randy Orton match that could have had.
- Some justifiable hebbey hooicide there.
Raw Women's Championship
Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss (c) to become Raw Women's Champion
4.75/10
- Sasha Banks forgot to factor in wind resistance for her entrance.
- These two don't seem concerned with taking care of one another.
- Alexa takes an Alabama Slam to the corner. Great spot.
- Alexa is getting more nimble by the day with bumping and feeding.
- Corey Graves brings up Bliss having shorter limbs and how it affects submissions. Good commentary.
- Cupping the opponent's ribs and posting your hand on their shoulder is a good way to telegraph a kickout.
- Sasha Banks gains the submission. She's now a four-time women's champion. She joins Charlotte, Lita, Trish, Moolah, Mickie, Melina, Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool with at least 4 main roster women's title reigns.
Finn Balor defeated Bray Wyatt
6/10
- The Balor/Wyatt video package was outstanding. It helped set the stage for a match with a doody build.
- No shocker, Balor's entrance rules.
- Balor, my dude. I'm all for the running forearm instead of the front dropkick, playboy
- More like Tope Con HEELo. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Because he caught Bray with his heel.
- The subtleties of the Demon, pulling himself over the railing, standing striaght up, other stuff are good.
- Apparently being the Demon makes Balor throw better dropkicks, which is good.
- Balor wins. This was solid stuff. Most I've enjoyed of either in months.
- Who does Bray Wyatt randomly attack next?
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro & Sheamus (c) to become WWE Raw Tag Team Champions
6/10
- The crowd chants "Burn it down."
- Sheamus takes out Ambrose with a Brogue kick. Awesome way to set the table to have Rollins/Ambrose fight from underneath.
- Cesaro. MONSTER beach ball busting baybface. Anderson and Gallows should be the 3 Minute Warning of beach balls. They catch them, buuuuuust them and call whoever brought them a nerd
- Starting to wonder if that frog splash should be Rollins' finish
- A lot of good, fundamentally sound tag team wrestling mixed with spots. A really great tease with the Shield Powerbomb.
- Seth Rollins huracanaranas Cesaro into Sheamus. Superkick, superkick, ripcord knee, Dirty Deeds. What a finish.
Special Guest Referee Shane McMahon
United States Championship
AJ Styles (c) defeated Kevin Owens to retain the WWE United States Championship
6.5/10
- I'm always impressed when Styles hits the inverted powerbomb on bigger opponents.
- Owens' counter to the backflip reverse DDT was really good. A stiff kick to the grill.
- Shane McMahon starts getting caught up -- specifically hindering AJ Styles.
- Kevin Owens screaming "you fall off buildings" was gold.
- Super Fisherman's buster, a sunset flip powerbomb, fireman's carry neckbreaker, corner suplex -- they're bringing their best.
- Kevin Owens takes that Styles Clash like "not my neck. nuh uh sir," Better safe than sorry
- We can tell McMahon vs. Owens is the plan and I'm cool with it.
WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) (w/ Singh Bros.) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
4.75/10
- Nakamura's reaction in Brooklyn is deafening.
- I legit think WWE would keep the title on Mahal for something as insignificant as walking a UFC prelim guy to the cage next month.
- Should have stayed on the Hindi commentary.
- Mahal is trying his hardest to slow this down, yeehaw.
- I bought a running knee as a finish. I also bought a Nakamura forearm to one of the Singhs as a death blow.
- Mahal capitalizes on the distraction and wins with a half assed Khallas.
- WWE's idea of heel these days are often "guys that bore the shit out of most"
WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) defeated Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe
9.25/10
- I'm pumped for this one. Great reactions (all things considered) for all four guys.
- WWE brought Taker into town and shut up all the Jon Jones talk.
- Lesnar just made Braun look like a million bucks. Later, he even sells Strowman rolling him out of mount big time.
- Wow, that was a really impressive adjustment by Braun after a screw up to dive into the post and go outside.
- Brock through a barricade, Reigns into a stiff table, Joe sent over one. This is nuts.
- Dying at Lesnar trying to use the barricade to hit someone. He gets powerslammed through a table.
- Braun Strowman is ready to be THE GUY.
- These sirloin beef SUNSABITCHES are cooked rare. Just blood dripping off
- Brock got legitimacy by being a UFC Champion. Angle an Olympic Champion. Braun a world tearing shit up champion. It works. Office chair to the face. Powerslam to Lesnar through a table. Braun Strowman just Wicked Witch'd Lesnar.
- Lesnar getting stretchered out as Heyman wails.
- Joe is very much all rear-naked choke, but I always buy it, too.
- A superman punch breaks up a standing kimura. Damn, y'all.
- Strowman stands Reigns up with a kickout!
- Some of the most fun I've ever had watching wrestling.
- Lesnar pins Reigns after an F5. Incredible.
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