Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax (Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship)
Reactions: While we got a kick out of this match, we felt that it just could have been even better. But it’s hard to fault what we witnessed here – a fast-paced title match between four of WWE’s best women. The storytelling elements we got to see here were well told – Nia Jax’s domination over her foes, her elimination at the hands of the three other competitors, Banks and Charlotte’s continued beef and Bayley’s tribute to Randy Savage. The action never slowed down as every woman engaged in some shocking multi-women exchanges. We were more than shocked to see Jax eat a big back suplex and a triple team Powerbomb! After her elimination, Banks, Bayley and Charlotte kept the match going at fast pace that didn’t take us out of the proceedings. While we would have preferred to see the final two women turn out to be Bayley and Banks (and a shocking heel turn by Banks), we’re still pleased with what was presented here. Bayley retained her title after an exceptional match, but it could have been even better with an intense Banks vs. Bayley closer.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
Reactions: When this match was announced, we were perplexed by the fact that it was nothing more than a wrestling match. We figured it would disappoint because of this strange decision, but boy were we wrong. AJ came into the match has the clear fan favorite but by the end of it, it was clear that Shane’s in-ring wizardry got him some more love. What’s shocking is the fact that Shane and AJ wrestled each other in a clean exchange that was the total opposite of sloppy. Shane’s usually weak looking punches looked stiff for once and AJ was amazing as always. Once the ref bump happened though, this match got kicked up a notch. We got a Coast to Coast from Shane, Shane crashing through an announce table, AJ landing a nasty Styles Clash to break Shane’s submission hold etc. We were then floored by Shane’s Shooting Star Press attempt! After AJ’s Phenomenal Elbow finally landed, we had to stand up and applaud them. Shane showed up in great form against one of the best wrestlers in the world and this great opener was the result of that meeting. We were wrong to doubt the combined greatness of Shane O’Mac and the “Phenomenal One.” This was a great way to open the main show.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H (Non-Sanctioned Match)
Reactions: How badass was the police escort for HHH and Steph’s motorcycle entrance? And we gotta give Rollins props for his new golden ring gear and “fiery” message to “The Game.” Thankfully, those epic entrances gave led right into one of the best matches on the whole evening. Rollins and HHH fought tooth and nail during this battle between an injured Superstar and his once beloved mentor. The story of the match was all about Rollins fighting through the extreme pain caused by his injured knee. HHH cut Rollins down at every turn with steel chair strikes, painful leg submissions and other assorted moves that target the leg. But Rollins fought valiantly as he laid into HHH with big top rope maneuvers, plenty of signature moves out of his arsenal and weapon strikes. This match crescendoed into several big moments that looked like we were about to witness its end. The Pedigree countering exchange that led into Steph getting put through a table added another exclamation point to his awesome encounter. One Pedigree later and Rollins came out on the winning end of a commendable performance from both men. Go out of your way to watch this one. It was that (damn) good.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker (No Holds Barred)
Reactions: After seeing this match reach its end, we came to the realization that it shouldn’t have ended the show. While it had its good moments, it was mostly a depressing affair to watch unfold due to ‘Taker’s current state. It was hard to watch at times (we winced after Reigns failed to pick him up for a Tombstone Piledrive of his own). ‘Taker looked like he was struggling to stay afloat as the match wore on. The crowd’s pure apathy for Reigns was apparent during this heartbreaking main event. It was pretty hard to enjoy the repeated chair shots to ‘Taker, but we still got some sense of enjoyment after watching Reigns eat a Tombstone Piledriver. Reigns’ big Spear to ‘Taker atop an announcer’s table was a highlight as well. But overall, we struggled to get through this. The match itself wasn’t all that special to begin with, but it was even harder to watch unfold because of how ‘Taker looked. The post-match events really hurt the most. THANK YOU, ‘TAKER!
Rating: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars