“The Demon” Finn Bálor vs. Bray Wyatt
Reactions: THE DEMON KING HAS RETURNED! REJOICE! His entrance was as awe inspiring as I figured it would be. As for the match itself, it was a pretty solid contest that was made a bit more interesting thanks to the mind games being played. Bray and Finn pulled out all their creepiest poses in an attempt to thwart the other’s psychological warfare. Finn was more motivated than he usually is here as he never slowed down during this fun affair. Bray looked strong at certain points and even looked like he’d be on the winning end of this grudge match. But Finn just seemed to be 10 steps ahead of Bray on this evening. I enjoyed this and got way more enjoyment than I thought I would out of Finn’s demonic antics.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Big Cass vs. Big Show (Enzo Amore Will be Suspended Above the Ring in a Shark Cage)
Reactions: Man…this was pretty painful to watch. And it was pretty excruciating to listen to Enzo yell at the top of his lungs all the while. When the best part of this match is Enzo using baby oil to slip through his floating prison, you know there’s problems. Cass wins, so there you have it.
Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
Reactions: Welp…I guess those “RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!” memes are gonna become a thing again. I had high hopes for Rusev here. I figured he’d get some of his steam back with a triumphant win over Orton. It even looked to be in the cards for the “Bulgarian Brute” as he tore into Orton during his entrance. But sadly, I was completely off with my prediction. Orton took Rusev out in mere seconds after the bell rang with an RKO. I’m kinda cool with this because we got an unexpected SummerSam moment to bear witness to. But it still pains me to see Rusev treated this way…
Rating: WHOA! Then ugh…
AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE United States Championship Match with Shane McMahon as the Special Guest Referee)
Reactions: Up until this match, all the title holders were forced to relinquish their championships after losing. Styles broke that trend by being the first person to not fail at his title defense. But it looked like he was on the verge of losing his US Championship to Owens at several points. The added drama of Shane McMahon playing the role of special guest referee made this bout such a nail biter. Shane did a great job of adding doubt to his calls on pinfalls and submissions. Styles and Owens always put on an impressive showing, but this encounter was filled with more drama thanks to Shane’s presence. Styles and Owens went back and forth in a match that kept the streak of good matches at this show alive. Owens’ verbal attacks on Shane were hilarious, by the way (YOU FELL OFF A BUILDING!). Styles needed a Phenomenal Elbow AND a Styles Clash to finally finish Owens, so at least Owens looked strong in defeat. I’m guessing Owens vs. Shane will now happen at some point (Hell in a Cell?). Nevertheless, this was a good title defense from Styles.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Jinder Mahal (c) (with Sunil Singh and Samir Singh) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
Reactions: Mahal’s championship defenses never seem to go above decent. They tend to stay within the meh to decent range. I figured Nakamura would be the first man to get an even more worthwhile match out of Mahal, but that didn’t come to be. When Nakamura was in control, the match came alive. But as always, Mahal’s moments of domination left a lot to be desired. To the surprise of no one, Mahal’s boys repeatedly interfered and caused Nakamura to lose focus. Those old school heel tactics are starting to grow a bit stale after seeing Mahal on top for so long. This wasn’t horrible or anything. Just…underwhelming.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars