Opening Segment
- We start with an image honoring Masa Saito.
- Kurt Angle thanks the wrestlers at Extreme Rules and says he's stripping Brock Lesnar of the WWE Universal Championship.
- Paul Heyman interrupts and says Brock Lesnar is not there tonight, and keeps cutting Angle off before
- Heyman says Lesnar wants to compete for the UFC Championship with the Universal title around his waist so he can become UFC Champion as a WWE Universal Champion just like Kurt Angle did with his gold medals in WWE.
- Kurt Angle isn't buying it. Brock Lesnar will defend the Universal title at Summerslam.
- Ye olden Lashley of Robert. Drew McIntyre (not a big pop), Seth Rollins (BIG POP), Elias (BIG POP), Balor (okay), Roman Reigns.
- Reigns doesn't have excuses, he just WANTS TO FIIIIGHT. Angle makes a couple of triple threats.
- Constable Corbin is pissy that he didn't get the opportunity.
Top Contender's Tournament
Roman Reigns defeated Finn Balor & Drew McIntyre
8/10
- Drew is throwing sumbitches around. By sumbitches I mean pretty much just Reigns.
- Balor has some new silver gear -- not something you see a lot of. He also has a nice Tope con hilo that hits both guys hard.
- Drew McIntyre FLIES OVER THE ROPES WITH A TOPE CON HILO! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Michael Cole puts this over huge.
- Balor kind of softly pushes Drew into the stairs and gets the Coup de Grace on Reigns.
- The crowd is behind Balor, and Drew cracks him with a chair. We come back to see Balor wearing out Drew with a chair.
- Reigns spears Drew through the barricade, but walks into a Slingblade outside.
- Reigns hits a big Superman punch that had the crowd hooked as the finish. Balor gets another Coup de Grace on Reigns, but Drew McIntyre stops the pin.
- Superman Punch party, and McIntyre connects with a Claymore to Balor. Spear to Balor from Reigns, and he wins.
- WWE will still find a way for Reigns.
- That would have been match of the night by a mile at Extreme Rules.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Bobby Roode
5.75/10
- Dolph Ziggler cuts a promo and says he put the roster on his back, which is why the IC title headlined a PPV for the first time in 17 years.
- I could be wrong, but aside from matches that also involved the world title and tag titles, the last time the IC Title main evented a PPV was Summerslam 1992. Not including Beware of Dog's re-film
- WWE found the one person in the crowd giving a shit about Roode's entrance like it was 2016. Roode says being on the sidelines sucks, and challenges Ziggler. Ziggler agrees, but NON TITLE.
- I watched this match three times on Smackdown and on a PPV last year and didn't care then.
- Some basic work until Ziggler hits a big dropkick.
- No matter how good a match these two have -- and this one is decent -- I can't make myself interested in Bobby Roode in this role.
- A Ziggler superkick misses by a mile but gets the pin. They kept a really high pace and had a better match than I expected.
Mojo Rawley defeated Tyler Breeze
5/10
- Mojo harasses Bobby Roode backstage.
- Breeze whiffs on a slingshot outside and Mojo kills him.
- There's a rest spot that this match doesn't need, and Breeze kicks Mojo.
- Athletic stuff from Mojo, then a pounce that Breeze sells great. Running punch, Alabamaslam, win.
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Alicia Fox & Dana Brooke
4.75/10
- Bayley is backstage with Kurt Angle, Sasha is in the locker room, which Bayley isn't happy about. Kurt says if they can't get along, one is getting traded to Smackdown Live. Why would Bayley give a shit if Sasha leaves Raw?
- Cole and Graves talk over Coach so he can't give his word of the hour.
- Alicia Fox falls on top of Bayley trying to boot her. Dana Brooke creams Bayley with a clothesline.
- Sasha and Dana do a spot where Sasha pulls Dana out of the ring by her hair and Dana takes a flip bump outside.
- Sasha body presses Alicia Fox and Dana off the apron. The match is thrown out.
- Bayley stops Sasha in the locker room and Sasha says nobody is beating up Bayley but her. She says she loves Bayley and always has. Thought the Sasha promo was pretty good.
B-Team defeated The Ascension
5/10
- The freaking Ascension.
- Viktor has some nice offense, including a running European uppercut to the corner and a flying knee from the second rope.
- Backdrop/Neckbreaker gets the win.
- B-Team really do wrestle like standard, pre- move set
- Wyatt/Hardy was a pre-tape from last night, btw. Wyatt isn't there.
Alexa Bliss and Rousey!
- Alexa Bliss gloats about her wins in a promo, and says Rousey should be suspended indefinitely.
- Rousey comes out through the crowd. Is there seriously no security? Wow.
- Rousey goes after Mickie James, but Alexa saves her. Rousey then drags Alexa to the ring and hip throws her, setting up an armbar.
- Angle rushes to the ring and tells Rousey to go home and wait out her suspension. Constable Corbin wants Rousey reprimanded. Angle adds a week, but Corbin isn't happy with it. Kurt Angle stole Corbin's phone, and Corbin goes looking for it.
- Rousey vs. Bliss at Summerslam!
Authors of Pain defeated Titus Worldwide
SQUASH
- We see a Titus Worldwide selfie promo. It's pretty good.
- Full nelson slam and a ring post spot. AOP is a great ass kicking team, but need to be a little more polished at times. They don't get a reaction.
- The Last Chapter. This is how AOP's matches should be.
Sarah Logan (w/ Liv Morgan) defeated Ember Moon
5/10
- Riott Squad cut through the conga line. The nerve.
- Liv Morgan cheap shots Ember. High crotch suplex from Sarah Logan gets two. She applies a Cobra Clutch.
- Ember lands some nice knees out of the quarter nelson, then a running flatliner. A series of Ember kicks and suicide dive hit.
- Ember gets knocked off the top rope and Logan wins. Cole makes it more about Logan's first win than Moon's first loss
- These two were lost early, recovered later and had an absence of heat.
- This feud will continue.
Top Contender's Tournament
Bobby Lashley defeated Elias and Seth Rollins
5.75/10
- "He's never fought anyone like ME" is the most overused promo in MMA, and they borrowed it for WWE.
- Rollins says he'll fight Reigns next week if he has to.
- Elias attacks Rollins before the match.
- Elias has his spinning powerbomb countered by Rollins twice here, but tries to steal a pin on Lashley after a frog splash.
- Rollins Buckle Bombs Lashley. That was insane. Also insane -- suicide dive, suicide dive, Slingblade.
- Lashley ends up spearing Elias for the win.
10- Perfect, 9- Excellent, 8- Great, 7- Good, 6- Above Average, 5- Average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. Your run of the mill TV match with nothing offensive will land at a 5/10.
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