Finn Bálor vs. Bray Wyatt
Reactions: Bray’s pre-match assault played a huge part in how this match unfolded. Bálor was in a constant state of extreme discomfort as Bray targeted his injured ribs. Bray’s control of his mere mortal foe resulted in some entertaining moments, such as him landing a second Uranage that was followed up by a Senton Splash. Bálor continuously battled back against Bray in a triumphant display of pure valor. Bálor’s Finlay inspired offense was also cool to witness. This bout never seemed to slow down, which did it a ton of favors. While it may have looked like an injured Bálor would be taking the big loss tonight, he managed to fend off Bray and defeat him for a second time. This was a good match that started out hot and stayed that way the whole way through.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: All the respect in the world goes out to Cesaro for his efforts here. He ended up losing some teeth after getting flung right into the ring corner post. All the action that took place before this unfortunate accident was pretty exciting. Then the match took a turn for the better due to Cesaro’s even more fiery than usual nature. Sheamus and Cesaro gelled incredibly well as usual, while Ambrose and Rollins pulled the crowd into the match due to their hot tags and constant counters to the big man’s dup offense. The craziest moment of this match definitely has to be Cesaro’s top rope Powerbomb with Rollins right into Ambrose on the mat. Both teams have developed a great chemistry with each other that’s led to them delivering two high octane bouts. The hot finish here closed out a strong title defense from Ambrose and Rollins. Hopefully Sheamus and Cesaro don’t meet their end as a pairing due to Sheamus’s errant Brogue Kick…
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Reactions: This one certainly delivered on its promise of providing a big match feel. While the match’s opening moments were a bit too slow for my tastes, it eventually gained traction over time. Reigns looked more dominating than usual as he cut off Cena’s usual offense during several intervals. Cena had a hard time mustering any type of offense at first, but he soon began tearing down his dream match foe. Once Cena got some fire in him, the match became all the more better. Reigns and Cena landed all types of big moves on each other and soon got into a war that erupted into multiple finishers. The crowd was heavily invested in this dream match and it added to the overall quality of his bout. The top rope AA and the double sequenced AA moments were both amazing, plus Reigns’ announce table spear blew everyone’s mind (Reigns’ took a nasty spill when he landed right on his head, too). It looked as if Cena would be the victor here, but Reigns held onto his spot as WWE’s “Chosen One” after laying into Cena with his Superman Punch/Spear combination. The hot crowd, crazy near falls, constant taunt/jaw jacking from both men and insane moments shared between Reigns and Cena did enough to make this match worthwhile.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Braun Strowman (WWE Universal Championship)
Reactions: While this match was good, it ended on such a simple note. I expected far more carnage than what was given to everyone here. All the action primarily took place within the ring, which was fine. But after witnessing the chaotic brawl that both men were embroiled in during the main event of Summerslam, I expected so much more here. Lesnar’s “Suplex City” shtick has been losing its luster lately and causing his matches to become a bit less special over time. Strowman’s moments of control provided the best moments of this bout, but there simply wasn’t enough of them. This match didn’t go long and it wasn’t as crazy as it should have been. This was just fine. A “fine” rating for a match of this caliber is kind of a letdown…
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars