Free or fired. John Cena is in the biggest predicament of his career as he serves as the special guest referee in the main event between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett for the WWE Championship. If Barrett wins, Cena will be free from The Nexus. But if Orton wins, Cena will be fired.
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Ted DiBiase
Feels kind of weird to see Daniel Bryan without a long beard and him chanting "YES!" on his way to the ring. Also just as weird to see Maryse accompany Ted DiBiase to the ring. Solid opening match here that really above all, was a good time for Bryan to display his huge array of moves and continue to solidify himself as a legitimate star in the company. DiBiase put up a good fight but in the end, Bryan put him in his LeBell Lock to score the win. Afterwards, The Miz attacks Bryan from behind with his Money in the Bank briefcase and goes off on The Nexus and the Miami Heat in the process.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Sheamus vs. John Morrison
A year prior to this, Sheamus was on a wining squad in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match, he would go on to win multiple WWE Championships and become a focal point in the company on a weekly basis. Is there anyone who had a better first year than Sheamus? In the later part of 2010, he had a little feud that churned out some great matches against John Morrison. While this match was no exception, it did feel a bit underwhelming and almost as if it went on a little longer than it needed to. Sometimes, less is more.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: ***
Match 3: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Kaval
Much like the opening match, this match saw Kaval display his talents to the PPV audience and show why he made it to the big leagues. As the winner of NXT, Kaval was given the opportunity to choose a championship match of his choosing at a PPV of his choosing. Was he not allowed to choose a shot at the WWE Championship? Regardless, if anyone forgot, Kaval is not only good in the ring, but stiff. Looks like Dolph Ziggler took some serious hits in a solid back and forth contest that continued the nice start for the PPV. Ziggler would go on to roll up Kaval and grab a handful of tights to secure the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***1/4
Match 4: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Mysterio (Rey Mysterio, The Big Show, Chris Masters, Kofi Kingston & MVP) vs. Team Del Rio (Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & Tyler Reks)
Can we talk about how great Alberto Del Rio was when he debuted in the WWE and began feuding with Rey Mysterio? He had the look, the charisma and the talent in the ring. He leads a team of heels against Mysterio and the good guys. Unfortunately for Del Rio, he got escorted out of the match by doctors after The Big Show drilled him with a Knockout Punch. The last leg of the match came down to Mysterio and The Big Show having to fight off the majority of Team Del Rio before finally taking down Drew McIntyre last to pick up the win. Solid Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match that let Mysterio pick up a win without Del Rio having to suffer a pin.
Winners: Team Mysterio
Sole Survivors: Rey Mysterio & The Big Show
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: WWE Divas Championship - LayCool (c) vs. Natalya
For those who recall, Michelle McCool and Layla were the co-champions and thus, this was a handicap match against Natalya. Typical short match for the Divas here with Natalya scoring the win as she was able to take Layla away from the equation before submitting McCool with a Sharpshooter. Afterwards, LayCool look to attack Natalya before Beth Phoenix comes out to make the save. Take it for what it was but it was definitely cool to see Natalya win her first championship
Winner: Natalya
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Kane (c) vs. Edge
Another weird moment in 2010 featured Edge kidnapping Kane's father in Paul Bearer and leading them to a World Heavyweight Championship bout here at Survivor Series. Fun fact, these two were scheduled to have a match for the belt at The Great American Bash in 2007 before Edge suffered an injury. Welp, they ended up rescheduling the match here over three years later. Funny how things work. Edge played mind games with Kane throughout the match by bringing out a wheelchair and parading around the ring with it to remind Kane about his missing father. As you would imagine, this was a fairly slow contest with Kane playing up the angle as Edge was successfully getting into Kane's head. Edge was able to hit a Spear on Kane but as Edge covered Kane, Kane inadvertently had an arm dropped across Edge as well. The referee counted and called for a draw instead of Edge winning the match. Afterwards, Edge placed Kane on the wheelchair and drove him through the barricade. A pretty disappointing match between the two veterans here but not as bad as some of the critics made it out to be. Always good to see these two go at it in the ring.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **
Match 7: WWE Tag Team Championships - The Nexus (c) vs. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel are representing The Nexus here as they take on the odd team of Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov. Basically a squash match here with Slater pinning Marella to get the easy win and retain the gold for his squad. Afterwards, the rest of The Nexus continue the beatdown before Michael Cole quotes the anonymous Raw general manager that all members of The Nexus are banned for the main event. Like I said, just a squash match to gap the two championship matches and put in place the stipulation of banning all Nexus members.
Winners: The Nexus
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Special Guest Referee (John Cena) - Randy Orton (c) vs. Wade Barrett
Much like Sheamus, Wade Barrett had an incredible first year in the WWE and perhaps main eventing Survivor Series against Randy Orton may be his biggest bragging right as a singles star. With John Cena being a member of The Nexus, he finds himself in a pickle as the special guest referee of the match. If Barrett wins the match, Cena will be freed from The Nexus. However, if Orton wins, Cena will be fired. Much of the match was basically Barrett beating down Orton and arguing with Cena about not getting the count in his favor. Finally, Cena shoves Barrett after the two got into a huge argument which led to Orton hitting an RKO on Barrett to secure the win. Afterwards, members of The Nexus come out but only to get beaten down by both Cena and Orton. Orton walks out with a shocked look as he realizes the consequence of his victory. Cena then shows love to the audience as the show concludes. Of course, Cena would literally return to action sooner rather than later after this which basically renders this match completely pointless. If any steam was left from The Nexus taking a loss at Summerslam, it was certainly lost after this.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
What started out as a promising show turned into one of the more disappointing PPVs of the year with the biggest gripes being the two world championship matches. As disappointing as the World Heavyweight Championship match was, the WWE Championship match didn't do any better. Quite simply one of the most forgettable fall classics the WWE has ever had to offer.
Rating: 6/10
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
WWE Survivor Series 2016 Review
Fantasy warfare just got real. The rematch over 12 years in the
making, Brock Lesnar looks to avenge his WrestleMania XX loss against
Goldberg in the biggest main event in Survivor Series history.
Match 1: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Raw (Bayley, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks & Charlotte) vs. Team SmackDown Live (Becky Lynch, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella & Natalya)
With the Team SmackDown Live captain in Nikki Bella getting attacked from behind, Natalya stepped up to the plate and took over for her. This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown Live contest of the night with Charlotte leading the charge for the red team. Fine opening match here to get the crowd warmed up for a night full of brand warfare matches. Becky Lynch would eventually be the last one standing for Team SmackDown Live as she had to go against both Charlotte and Bayley. Despite putting up a good fight, Bayley hit Lynch with a Bayley-to-Belly to secure the win for her team. Afterwards, Charlotte sends Bayley a message by beating the living daylights out of here. That team comradery only lasted as long as it could.
Winners: Team Raw
Sole Survivors: Bayley & Charlotte
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Intercontinental Championship - The Miz (c) vs. Sami Zayn
The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler on an edition of SmackDown Live in their 56th match against each other to capture the Intercontinental Championship and must defend it against Raw's Sami Zayn. Solid match here with Miz working on the leg of Zayn and warming him up for a Figure Four. Miz looked to have the win secured when he had the lock in place but Zayn was able to power out and eventually lock Miz in his own version of it. Maryse created a distraction by ringing the bell at ringside and Miz was able to roll Zayn up as he had thought he had won via submission.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: ***
Match 3: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Raw (Enzo, Big Cass, The Shining Stars, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Sheamus, Cesaro, & The New Day) vs. Team SmackDown Live (Heath Slater, Rhyno, Breezango, The Usos, The Hype Bros & American Alpha)
Watching this match made me forget how many dumb gimmicks there were at the time for the tag team division. What the hell were The Shining Stars all about? Or The Hype Bros? Regardless, here we are in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match with the tag teams. If one member of a tag team gets eliminated, then their respective tag team would be eliminated from the match. Loved the start of the match where both Breezango and The New Day were both eliminated very quickly to cause quite a stir for the match and made things interesting. But let's cut to the chase, the main part of this match came when the last two teams were in play, Sheamus & Cesaro against The Usos. So many nearfalls that had me guessing and so many cool spots from both sides with Cesaro being the main standout of them all. They had the crowd reeling.
Winners: Team Raw
Sole Survivors: Sheamus & Cesaro
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Brian Kendrick (c) vs. Kalisto
Brand warfare spills into the Cruiserweight division as the champion in Brian Kendrick must win in order to retain both his title and the entire division on Monday Night Raw. If Kalisto wins, he brings both the title and the division over to SmackDown Live. As usual with guys on 205 Live, this was a fast-paced match with the crowd virtually not paying any attention. Great action between the two here with it spilling to the outside for a bit and finally back inside with a highlight being Kendrick dropping Kalisto from the top rope and putting him in his Captain's Hook finisher. However, Baron Corbin comes out of nowhere and attacks Kendrick from behind before catching a flying Kalisto and hitting him with an End of Days for the disqualification finish. If they were trying to improve the lacking division, then this really does no favors for them. They were having a great match and it completely got overshadowed by having Corbin coming in and causing a wreck.
Winner: Brian Kendrick
Rating: ***
Match 5: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team SmackDown Live (Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, AJ Styles & Dean Ambrose) vs. Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens)
For the first time since 2005, Raw and SmackDown go head to head to determine the top brand of the WWE. I loved the feud back then and while 2016 couldn't really match that intensity, I still appreciated the efforts and loved that this was back. Oh, let's just forget about Bragging Rights. Much of the story in this one was focused on if AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose could coexist for their team as they had a match approaching at TLC in a couple weeks. They couldn't... and it made sense. Styles had the chance to break up a pin attempt against Ambrose and didn't which drove team captain in Shane McMahon nuts. Eventually, Ambrose would make his way back to the match and briefly reform with his former Shield brothers to powerbomb Styles though the announcers table. Awesome. All the eliminations made sense with McMahon's being the nastiest as he took a Spear in midair from Roman Reigns that legitimately knocked him out. Sweet spot that made me bite my tongue as I saw McMahon hit the floor hard. It came down to Reigns fighting his way against both Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Reigns looked to Spear the living daylights out of Wyatt before Orton came in and took the Spear for him which allowed Wyatt to hit a Sister Abigail on Reigns to score the win for him and Team SmackDown Live. Fun match that saw JBL totally kill the finish by screaming, "Raw wins!" It's edited on The WWE Network if you're wondering. Loved the eliminations and absolutely loved that finish. The main problem I had was how long it went, I felt like they could have shaved off a few minutes as it kind of felt like it was just not going to end near the finish.
Winners: Team SmackDown Live
Sole Survivors: Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton
Rating: ****
Match 6: Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
If there was one word to describe this main event, it would be epic. Going back to 2016, I actually don't even remember the last time I was this excited for a main event in quite some time. The build, the history and the atmosphere had me on my toes for this one. Fantasy warfare just got real, the rematch over 12 years in the making is finally happening. The crowd was hot as soon as Brock Lesnar's music hit and the confident look he had in his face as he awaited Goldberg gave me chills. Once Goldberg's music hit, it was almost hard to believe it was actually happening. The bell sounded and as Lesnar attacked first, Goldberg easily pushed him down and surprised him with a Spear! Crowd was in disbelief as Heyman was crying on Lesnar's behalf. Goldberg followed it up with another Spear and a Jackhammer to shock the entire world and defeat Lesnar in less than a couple minutes. Not sure if Goldberg was capable of wrestling a longer match or not, but I loved this. I always wondered what a big WWE main event would be like if this happened and it couldn't have happened for a better match than this. Goldberg celebrates in the ring with his son in what will go down as the biggest main events in Survivor Series history. Wow.
Winner: Goldberg
Rating: n/a
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is probably one of the WWE's stronger efforts into the fall classic in quite some time. I absolutely love the fact that the brand warfare feud is back and they really put in a full effort in making it a good one despite some a couple questionable booking spots. But perhaps the biggest standout to me would be the main event, a shockingly short match with Goldberg making one of the most memorable returns to the ring in the history of the company.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Raw (Bayley, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks & Charlotte) vs. Team SmackDown Live (Becky Lynch, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella & Natalya)
With the Team SmackDown Live captain in Nikki Bella getting attacked from behind, Natalya stepped up to the plate and took over for her. This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown Live contest of the night with Charlotte leading the charge for the red team. Fine opening match here to get the crowd warmed up for a night full of brand warfare matches. Becky Lynch would eventually be the last one standing for Team SmackDown Live as she had to go against both Charlotte and Bayley. Despite putting up a good fight, Bayley hit Lynch with a Bayley-to-Belly to secure the win for her team. Afterwards, Charlotte sends Bayley a message by beating the living daylights out of here. That team comradery only lasted as long as it could.
Winners: Team Raw
Sole Survivors: Bayley & Charlotte
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Intercontinental Championship - The Miz (c) vs. Sami Zayn
The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler on an edition of SmackDown Live in their 56th match against each other to capture the Intercontinental Championship and must defend it against Raw's Sami Zayn. Solid match here with Miz working on the leg of Zayn and warming him up for a Figure Four. Miz looked to have the win secured when he had the lock in place but Zayn was able to power out and eventually lock Miz in his own version of it. Maryse created a distraction by ringing the bell at ringside and Miz was able to roll Zayn up as he had thought he had won via submission.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: ***
Match 3: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Raw (Enzo, Big Cass, The Shining Stars, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Sheamus, Cesaro, & The New Day) vs. Team SmackDown Live (Heath Slater, Rhyno, Breezango, The Usos, The Hype Bros & American Alpha)
Watching this match made me forget how many dumb gimmicks there were at the time for the tag team division. What the hell were The Shining Stars all about? Or The Hype Bros? Regardless, here we are in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match with the tag teams. If one member of a tag team gets eliminated, then their respective tag team would be eliminated from the match. Loved the start of the match where both Breezango and The New Day were both eliminated very quickly to cause quite a stir for the match and made things interesting. But let's cut to the chase, the main part of this match came when the last two teams were in play, Sheamus & Cesaro against The Usos. So many nearfalls that had me guessing and so many cool spots from both sides with Cesaro being the main standout of them all. They had the crowd reeling.
Winners: Team Raw
Sole Survivors: Sheamus & Cesaro
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Brian Kendrick (c) vs. Kalisto
Brand warfare spills into the Cruiserweight division as the champion in Brian Kendrick must win in order to retain both his title and the entire division on Monday Night Raw. If Kalisto wins, he brings both the title and the division over to SmackDown Live. As usual with guys on 205 Live, this was a fast-paced match with the crowd virtually not paying any attention. Great action between the two here with it spilling to the outside for a bit and finally back inside with a highlight being Kendrick dropping Kalisto from the top rope and putting him in his Captain's Hook finisher. However, Baron Corbin comes out of nowhere and attacks Kendrick from behind before catching a flying Kalisto and hitting him with an End of Days for the disqualification finish. If they were trying to improve the lacking division, then this really does no favors for them. They were having a great match and it completely got overshadowed by having Corbin coming in and causing a wreck.
Winner: Brian Kendrick
Rating: ***
Match 5: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team SmackDown Live (Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, AJ Styles & Dean Ambrose) vs. Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens)
For the first time since 2005, Raw and SmackDown go head to head to determine the top brand of the WWE. I loved the feud back then and while 2016 couldn't really match that intensity, I still appreciated the efforts and loved that this was back. Oh, let's just forget about Bragging Rights. Much of the story in this one was focused on if AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose could coexist for their team as they had a match approaching at TLC in a couple weeks. They couldn't... and it made sense. Styles had the chance to break up a pin attempt against Ambrose and didn't which drove team captain in Shane McMahon nuts. Eventually, Ambrose would make his way back to the match and briefly reform with his former Shield brothers to powerbomb Styles though the announcers table. Awesome. All the eliminations made sense with McMahon's being the nastiest as he took a Spear in midair from Roman Reigns that legitimately knocked him out. Sweet spot that made me bite my tongue as I saw McMahon hit the floor hard. It came down to Reigns fighting his way against both Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Reigns looked to Spear the living daylights out of Wyatt before Orton came in and took the Spear for him which allowed Wyatt to hit a Sister Abigail on Reigns to score the win for him and Team SmackDown Live. Fun match that saw JBL totally kill the finish by screaming, "Raw wins!" It's edited on The WWE Network if you're wondering. Loved the eliminations and absolutely loved that finish. The main problem I had was how long it went, I felt like they could have shaved off a few minutes as it kind of felt like it was just not going to end near the finish.
Winners: Team SmackDown Live
Sole Survivors: Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton
Rating: ****
Match 6: Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
If there was one word to describe this main event, it would be epic. Going back to 2016, I actually don't even remember the last time I was this excited for a main event in quite some time. The build, the history and the atmosphere had me on my toes for this one. Fantasy warfare just got real, the rematch over 12 years in the making is finally happening. The crowd was hot as soon as Brock Lesnar's music hit and the confident look he had in his face as he awaited Goldberg gave me chills. Once Goldberg's music hit, it was almost hard to believe it was actually happening. The bell sounded and as Lesnar attacked first, Goldberg easily pushed him down and surprised him with a Spear! Crowd was in disbelief as Heyman was crying on Lesnar's behalf. Goldberg followed it up with another Spear and a Jackhammer to shock the entire world and defeat Lesnar in less than a couple minutes. Not sure if Goldberg was capable of wrestling a longer match or not, but I loved this. I always wondered what a big WWE main event would be like if this happened and it couldn't have happened for a better match than this. Goldberg celebrates in the ring with his son in what will go down as the biggest main events in Survivor Series history. Wow.
Winner: Goldberg
Rating: n/a
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is probably one of the WWE's stronger efforts into the fall classic in quite some time. I absolutely love the fact that the brand warfare feud is back and they really put in a full effort in making it a good one despite some a couple questionable booking spots. But perhaps the biggest standout to me would be the main event, a shockingly short match with Goldberg making one of the most memorable returns to the ring in the history of the company.
Rating: 8/10
Thursday, November 8, 2018
WWE Survivor Series 2009 Review
Two triple threat matches decide who will walk out with the richest championships in the business. The Undertaker defends his World Heavyweight Championship against both Chris Jericho and The Big Show while John Cena has his hands full as his WWE Championship is on the line against Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Match 1: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Miz (The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, Matt Hardy & Shelton Benjamin)
Best way to start off a Survivor Series is with a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! This match was seven years ago and really showed off the newer stars that would soon become main eventers like Sheamus and The Miz. Nice opening match here that shifted the focus to those newer guys as guys like Finlay or Matt Hardy had very minuscule parts to the match. Really told us where WWE's agenda was. It came down to The Miz having himself along with Drew McIntyre & Sheamus against the lone John Morrison. Morrison put up a fight until Sheamus hit him with running crucifix powerbomb to score the win for his team. Good match and a nice way to open the show while displaying the younger talent. Damn, that feels so weird saying that in 2018.
Winners: Team Miz
Sole Survivors: The Miz, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 2: Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
Batista had one of my favorite heel turns of all time at Bragging Rights 2009 and a feud with Rey Mysterio just made all the right reasons. Unfortunately, they never really got a proper ending and this would go on to be their only match on PPV. Disappointing considering how long these two have been friends for and how much more they could have stretched this out for. Regardless, they really made the most of what they were given and the feud was red hot from the start. As for the match, it was exactly what it needed to be. Mysterio was able to get in a little bit of offense but Batista was way too much and delivered three nasty Batista Bombs before the referee finally called for the bell as the Washington D.C. crowd was cheering on their hometown hero. Afterwards, Batista hits a spinebuster to Mysterio onto a steel chair as Mysterio was screaming. Really wish the feud went on for longer after this because this was so brilliant. Batista is incredible as a heel and no pun intended, is an absolute animal in his role. Mysterio was the perfect opponent for him here as I felt so compassionate as his former best friend was beating the living daylights out of him with no remorse.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *3/4
Match 3: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Orton (Randy Orton, CM Punk, William Regal, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase) vs. Team Kingston (Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian & R-Truth)
For those who forgot, Kofi Kingston wrapped up his Jamaican gimmick around this time and was propelled to the main event of Monday Night Raw with a big time feud against Randy Orton, the top heel of the show. Loved the structure of the match as the animosity between Team Orton was looking like it had been brushed aside in the beginning until Team Kingston would make the comeback. The quick eliminations of both Mark Henry and R-Truth put Team Kingston in the hole and worked since it forced them to make the babyface comeback. Eventually, it would go down to Kingston facing off against Orton and CM Punk as Kingston would eliminate Punk before immediately hitting a Trouble in Paradise on Orton to secure the win for his squad and be the sole survivor. Good match here that was just as good, if not a little bit better than the first match of the night. Shame that the push for Kofi went nowhere after this because this dude was hot.
Winners: Team Kingston
Sole Survivor: Kofi Kingston
Rating: ***1/4
Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show
Interesting build to this match with Chris Jericho and The Big Show being tag partners and having to fend for themselves in a triple threat match including The Undertaker. Loved the drama that led up to this one with Jericho hitting a Codebreaker on Big Show to close out the final minutes of SmackDown before the PPV. Solid match here with Jericho and Show working cohesively in the beginning to take out The Undertaker before the wheels of the wagon just came off. Eventually, the match became a true triple threat with The Undertaker taking the most of the offense from the two. With Big Show knocking out Jericho, he set his eyes on The Undertaker. As Show reached in for a Chokeslam, Undertaker was able to reverse it into a Hell's Gate submission to seal the win. A bit of an underwhelming match here as I was expecting a little more from three legends. Regardless, I enjoyed the match and the right person won here.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Michelle (Michelle McCool, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall & Layla) vs. Team Mickie (Mickie James, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly & Melina)
The final Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match of the night has the Divas going at it against each other as the personal feud between Michelle McCool and Mickie James comes to a head. As expected, the eliminations came rather fast with the one Diva being the standout was Beth Phoenix who was quick to make an impact as soon as she entered the fray. However, she was eliminated by James soon after. With James still in the equation, Melina is able to pin McCool to pick up the win for her and her team. Solid match for what it was and a nice bridge between the two title matches.
Winners: Team Mickie
Sole Survivor: Melina
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Much like the World Heavyweight Championship match, the WWE Championship will also be defended in a triple threat match with John Cena having to go against the team of D-Generation X. Absolutely loved how they began the match with Shawn Michaels landing a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H out of nowhere. The crowd was shaking, the announcers were screaming as John Cena looked at a stoic Michaels in disbelief. Awesome. But just look very closely at it and you'll notice that Michaels didn't even touch Triple H, pretty great selling on Triple H's part here. This allowed Cena to battle Michaels who would eventually get his turn delivered to him via a spinebuster from Triple H through the announcers table. Another awesome spot. Cena was able to fight off both men and escape with the WWE Championship in hand after delivering an Attiutude Adjustment to Michaels ontop of a prone Triple H who just ate his third Sweet Chin Music of the match. As much as I would have loved to see Michaels get one more go with the belt before his retirement, it just wasn't in the cards. However, I think there still were some missed opportunities after this match to create some friction and drama between D-Generation X as Michaels started to become more and more obsessed with his rematch with The Undertaker. Anyway, I just loved how they constructed the match with Michaels telling us that there will be no cohesion whatsoever from the start before having to face Triple H in the middle of the match. It amazes me how forgotten this match has become and how great it would have been to see this at a WrestleMania a year or two earlier to this. Easily one of my favorite Survivor Series matches.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite the show getting some back feedback from most critics, I enjoyed the show for the most part. None of the matches were hard to watch and I loved the Rey Mysterio vs. Batista match along with the main event. If there was any reason to go back and watch this show, it would definitely to see how far the younger stars of this show have come along with an incredibly underrated main event.
Rating: 7.25/10
Match 1: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Miz (The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, Matt Hardy & Shelton Benjamin)
Best way to start off a Survivor Series is with a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! This match was seven years ago and really showed off the newer stars that would soon become main eventers like Sheamus and The Miz. Nice opening match here that shifted the focus to those newer guys as guys like Finlay or Matt Hardy had very minuscule parts to the match. Really told us where WWE's agenda was. It came down to The Miz having himself along with Drew McIntyre & Sheamus against the lone John Morrison. Morrison put up a fight until Sheamus hit him with running crucifix powerbomb to score the win for his team. Good match and a nice way to open the show while displaying the younger talent. Damn, that feels so weird saying that in 2018.
Winners: Team Miz
Sole Survivors: The Miz, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 2: Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
Batista had one of my favorite heel turns of all time at Bragging Rights 2009 and a feud with Rey Mysterio just made all the right reasons. Unfortunately, they never really got a proper ending and this would go on to be their only match on PPV. Disappointing considering how long these two have been friends for and how much more they could have stretched this out for. Regardless, they really made the most of what they were given and the feud was red hot from the start. As for the match, it was exactly what it needed to be. Mysterio was able to get in a little bit of offense but Batista was way too much and delivered three nasty Batista Bombs before the referee finally called for the bell as the Washington D.C. crowd was cheering on their hometown hero. Afterwards, Batista hits a spinebuster to Mysterio onto a steel chair as Mysterio was screaming. Really wish the feud went on for longer after this because this was so brilliant. Batista is incredible as a heel and no pun intended, is an absolute animal in his role. Mysterio was the perfect opponent for him here as I felt so compassionate as his former best friend was beating the living daylights out of him with no remorse.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *3/4
Match 3: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Orton (Randy Orton, CM Punk, William Regal, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase) vs. Team Kingston (Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian & R-Truth)
For those who forgot, Kofi Kingston wrapped up his Jamaican gimmick around this time and was propelled to the main event of Monday Night Raw with a big time feud against Randy Orton, the top heel of the show. Loved the structure of the match as the animosity between Team Orton was looking like it had been brushed aside in the beginning until Team Kingston would make the comeback. The quick eliminations of both Mark Henry and R-Truth put Team Kingston in the hole and worked since it forced them to make the babyface comeback. Eventually, it would go down to Kingston facing off against Orton and CM Punk as Kingston would eliminate Punk before immediately hitting a Trouble in Paradise on Orton to secure the win for his squad and be the sole survivor. Good match here that was just as good, if not a little bit better than the first match of the night. Shame that the push for Kofi went nowhere after this because this dude was hot.
Winners: Team Kingston
Sole Survivor: Kofi Kingston
Rating: ***1/4
Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show
Interesting build to this match with Chris Jericho and The Big Show being tag partners and having to fend for themselves in a triple threat match including The Undertaker. Loved the drama that led up to this one with Jericho hitting a Codebreaker on Big Show to close out the final minutes of SmackDown before the PPV. Solid match here with Jericho and Show working cohesively in the beginning to take out The Undertaker before the wheels of the wagon just came off. Eventually, the match became a true triple threat with The Undertaker taking the most of the offense from the two. With Big Show knocking out Jericho, he set his eyes on The Undertaker. As Show reached in for a Chokeslam, Undertaker was able to reverse it into a Hell's Gate submission to seal the win. A bit of an underwhelming match here as I was expecting a little more from three legends. Regardless, I enjoyed the match and the right person won here.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Michelle (Michelle McCool, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall & Layla) vs. Team Mickie (Mickie James, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly & Melina)
The final Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match of the night has the Divas going at it against each other as the personal feud between Michelle McCool and Mickie James comes to a head. As expected, the eliminations came rather fast with the one Diva being the standout was Beth Phoenix who was quick to make an impact as soon as she entered the fray. However, she was eliminated by James soon after. With James still in the equation, Melina is able to pin McCool to pick up the win for her and her team. Solid match for what it was and a nice bridge between the two title matches.
Winners: Team Mickie
Sole Survivor: Melina
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Much like the World Heavyweight Championship match, the WWE Championship will also be defended in a triple threat match with John Cena having to go against the team of D-Generation X. Absolutely loved how they began the match with Shawn Michaels landing a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H out of nowhere. The crowd was shaking, the announcers were screaming as John Cena looked at a stoic Michaels in disbelief. Awesome. But just look very closely at it and you'll notice that Michaels didn't even touch Triple H, pretty great selling on Triple H's part here. This allowed Cena to battle Michaels who would eventually get his turn delivered to him via a spinebuster from Triple H through the announcers table. Another awesome spot. Cena was able to fight off both men and escape with the WWE Championship in hand after delivering an Attiutude Adjustment to Michaels ontop of a prone Triple H who just ate his third Sweet Chin Music of the match. As much as I would have loved to see Michaels get one more go with the belt before his retirement, it just wasn't in the cards. However, I think there still were some missed opportunities after this match to create some friction and drama between D-Generation X as Michaels started to become more and more obsessed with his rematch with The Undertaker. Anyway, I just loved how they constructed the match with Michaels telling us that there will be no cohesion whatsoever from the start before having to face Triple H in the middle of the match. It amazes me how forgotten this match has become and how great it would have been to see this at a WrestleMania a year or two earlier to this. Easily one of my favorite Survivor Series matches.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite the show getting some back feedback from most critics, I enjoyed the show for the most part. None of the matches were hard to watch and I loved the Rey Mysterio vs. Batista match along with the main event. If there was any reason to go back and watch this show, it would definitely to see how far the younger stars of this show have come along with an incredibly underrated main event.
Rating: 7.25/10
Monday, October 22, 2018
Match of the Week (October 22, 2018) - Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Survivor Series 2015)
Certainly one of the more heartbreaking moments in Monday Night Raw history occurred tonight when Roman Reigns was forced to relinquish his Universal Championship due to his fight with leukemia. There were a lot of matches from his career that I wanted to feature for the Match of the Week but ultimately, I think his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship victory should be the one. Never mind the fact Reigns would lose to Sheamus immediately after the match, this match still represents the long climb it took for Reigns to get to the top of the mountain. He lost his big match at WrestleMania earlier in the year but would go on to avenge that loss with a big one at Survivor Series just months later. If there is anyone who is ready for a fight, it's Roman Reigns. Can't wait to see you back in the ring where you belong.
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WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final - Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns
Fittingly, this is tonight's main event. They debuted at Survivor Series three years ago and have established themselves as the top dogs of the company. I liked the dynamic of this match, two brothers beating the hell out of each other to secure what they want most. They looked bruised and battered from their last bouts and they did a fantastic job of selling the pain. Unfortunately, the Atlanta crowd wasn't all into the action or the two guys in the ring for that matter. Regardless, they still pulled out a fun match here with Roman Reigns finally hitting a sick Spear onto Dean Ambrose to score the win. The match made sense, they were tired from their last matches and thus, the match lasted less than ten minutes. The scene with both guys sitting and trading punches was really cool. Can't wait for The Shield to have that triple threat match. Confetti and fireworks go off as Reigns embraces the moment with Ambrose by his side. And then, out comes Triple H. The Game offers his hand to shake. However...
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: **3/4
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WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final - Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns
Fittingly, this is tonight's main event. They debuted at Survivor Series three years ago and have established themselves as the top dogs of the company. I liked the dynamic of this match, two brothers beating the hell out of each other to secure what they want most. They looked bruised and battered from their last bouts and they did a fantastic job of selling the pain. Unfortunately, the Atlanta crowd wasn't all into the action or the two guys in the ring for that matter. Regardless, they still pulled out a fun match here with Roman Reigns finally hitting a sick Spear onto Dean Ambrose to score the win. The match made sense, they were tired from their last matches and thus, the match lasted less than ten minutes. The scene with both guys sitting and trading punches was really cool. Can't wait for The Shield to have that triple threat match. Confetti and fireworks go off as Reigns embraces the moment with Ambrose by his side. And then, out comes Triple H. The Game offers his hand to shake. However...
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: **3/4
Monday, October 15, 2018
Match of the Week (October 15, 2018) - Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE WrestleMania XXX)
Since today is my birthday, I wanted to share with you a match that had a special meaning to me in my life. In 2014, Daniel Bryan defeated both Randy Orton and Batista in the main event of the biggest show of the year to capture the most prestigious championship in the WWE. However, the meaning behind both this match and event as a whole is so special to me. I was transitioning through a new phase of my life as I had broken up with my girlfriend and was finding my way into finally transferring into a university. Things were happening fast and I was experiencing a different level of stress that I have never felt before. There was one thing I could always count on to help me with life... professional wrestling. Seeing Daniel Bryan beat Evolution in one night before closing out the show with the championship belts in both hands was something I will never forget.
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Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXX Review)
This is it. The first triple threat main event at a WrestleMania since WrestleMania XX. And this event oddly resembles that one is so many ways. Bryan gained this opportunity after beating Triple H earlier in the show. Hard to believe that the original main event was going to be Batista vs. Orton. Bryan being injected into the match gives this match and event both a different kind of life. You know Bryan is going to win, but you just still got that feeling. The hate for Batista is real and he is fully embracing his role as a heel. He does such an amazing job at provoking these fans to boo him, he is a heel at heart. This match was exciting from the start and definitely worthy of closing out a wild night of wrestling. Just a roller coaster of a match filled with Bryan trying to fend off both Orton and Batista. Things got really foggy when Batista hit Bryan with a Batista Bomb as Orton connected with an RKO through an announce table. One of the coolest spots I have ever seen in a WrestleMania main event. Bryan refuses to quit and ends the match by getting Batista to submit after an amazing back and fourth finish. Bryan celebrates in the ring with both titles in hand as the pyro sets off to cap off an incredible night. Wow. Everything made sense here. It wasn't the perfect match or even the best main event in WrestleMania history. But again, everything made sense. You had Triple H, the scumbag boss, do his best to alter the finish with Scott Armstrong and the sledgehammer. But he failed. You had Batista, the man who was scheduled to likely win the match, submit to Daniel Bryan! What a match, what an ending, and what a show.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****1/4
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Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXX Review)
This is it. The first triple threat main event at a WrestleMania since WrestleMania XX. And this event oddly resembles that one is so many ways. Bryan gained this opportunity after beating Triple H earlier in the show. Hard to believe that the original main event was going to be Batista vs. Orton. Bryan being injected into the match gives this match and event both a different kind of life. You know Bryan is going to win, but you just still got that feeling. The hate for Batista is real and he is fully embracing his role as a heel. He does such an amazing job at provoking these fans to boo him, he is a heel at heart. This match was exciting from the start and definitely worthy of closing out a wild night of wrestling. Just a roller coaster of a match filled with Bryan trying to fend off both Orton and Batista. Things got really foggy when Batista hit Bryan with a Batista Bomb as Orton connected with an RKO through an announce table. One of the coolest spots I have ever seen in a WrestleMania main event. Bryan refuses to quit and ends the match by getting Batista to submit after an amazing back and fourth finish. Bryan celebrates in the ring with both titles in hand as the pyro sets off to cap off an incredible night. Wow. Everything made sense here. It wasn't the perfect match or even the best main event in WrestleMania history. But again, everything made sense. You had Triple H, the scumbag boss, do his best to alter the finish with Scott Armstrong and the sledgehammer. But he failed. You had Batista, the man who was scheduled to likely win the match, submit to Daniel Bryan! What a match, what an ending, and what a show.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****1/4
Monday, October 8, 2018
Match of the Week (October 8, 2018) - The Brothers of Destruction vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper (WWE Survivor Series 2015)
As The Brothers of Destruction get ready to reunite at Crown Jewel to take on D-Generation X, let's go back to the 2015 edition of Survivor Series. To coincide with the 25th anniversary of The Undertaker's debut, he teamed with his brother Kane to take on The Wyatt Family in a legendary Survivor Series match that I will remember for the rest of my life.
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The Brothers of Destruction vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper
Numbers can easily define the legend that is The Undertaker. 25 is the flavor of death for tonight. Survivor Series 2015 celebrates 25 years to the day that The Undertaker debuted on the WWE stage. Bray Wyatt gets to choose two members of his family to take on The Brothers of Destruction. He sends in Erick Rowan to the wolves where he receives a Double Chokeslam for his troubles. Wyatt decides to team with Luke Harper and have Braun Strowman stay in his corner. The Brothers are in control of the match until Strowman tosses Kane over the announce table. The tides seem to turn until Undertaker gets his retribution as he leads a Double Chokeslam to Strowman through the table with the help of Kane. Awesome. Back in the ring and once again, Wyatt looks to be in control. However, The Brothers both sit up simultaneously in the faces of Wyatt & Harper before delivering the final nail to the coffin. What a scene. Undertaker plants Harper with a Tombstone for the win. That was more show and more nostalgia than anything. And I loved it. I got chills watching that incredible entrance by The Undertaker and it literally felt like I was stepping back into my childhood watching this match. The Wyatt Family took the loss but let's be honest, facing The Brothers of Destruction on a PPV match is as good as anything.
Winners: The Brothers of Destruction
Rating: ***1/4
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The Brothers of Destruction vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper
Numbers can easily define the legend that is The Undertaker. 25 is the flavor of death for tonight. Survivor Series 2015 celebrates 25 years to the day that The Undertaker debuted on the WWE stage. Bray Wyatt gets to choose two members of his family to take on The Brothers of Destruction. He sends in Erick Rowan to the wolves where he receives a Double Chokeslam for his troubles. Wyatt decides to team with Luke Harper and have Braun Strowman stay in his corner. The Brothers are in control of the match until Strowman tosses Kane over the announce table. The tides seem to turn until Undertaker gets his retribution as he leads a Double Chokeslam to Strowman through the table with the help of Kane. Awesome. Back in the ring and once again, Wyatt looks to be in control. However, The Brothers both sit up simultaneously in the faces of Wyatt & Harper before delivering the final nail to the coffin. What a scene. Undertaker plants Harper with a Tombstone for the win. That was more show and more nostalgia than anything. And I loved it. I got chills watching that incredible entrance by The Undertaker and it literally felt like I was stepping back into my childhood watching this match. The Wyatt Family took the loss but let's be honest, facing The Brothers of Destruction on a PPV match is as good as anything.
Winners: The Brothers of Destruction
Rating: ***1/4
Sunday, October 7, 2018
WWE Battleground 2016 Review
The Shield goes to war! All three members of The Shield collide in the main event as the WWE Championship is on the line in the final PPV before Raw and SmackDown go their separate ways.
Match 1: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley
With these ladies being drafted to Monday Night Raw, the Raw women's division was looking stacked. Charlotte Flair teams up again with Dana Brooke to take on Sasha Banks and her former NXT enemy in Bayley. Crowd was absolutely hot for Bayley here and were eating up every move she executed with Flair having the weakest link in the match in Brooke being a downfall for her. Banks is able to submit Flair with her Bank Statement submission as the long feud between Charlotte and Sasha had only just begun.
Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family
Aside from Xavier Woods oddly becoming scared to death of The Wyatt Family, this feud was a really good one. Really looked forward to seeing the two top teams in the company at the time go at it. While the match didn't get enough time I think they needed to really steal the show, they still put on a great display of twists and turns. They also centered the match around Woods being afraid of Bray Wyatt before he was finally able to conquer his fears and gain an advantage over him at one point before he went on to eventually fall to Bray and his Sister Abigail finisher. Great match but also kind of seemed like a lost opportunity to have these two feud for a longer period and have a better payoff than this.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: ***
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Rusev (c) vs. Zack Ryder
Just a tad bit random to see Zack Ryder get a crack at Rusev and his United States Championship. Not complaining since I'm definitely a huge Ryder fan and love seeing him get some love on the PPV. Ryder was trying to ride the momentum he gained from WrestleMania 32 and take down Rusev with it. Ryder actually got in a decent amount of offense in this one and made the match more competitive than most Rusev matches at this time were. Unfortunately for Ryder, a kick to the back of the head from Rusev before following it up with an Accolade proved to be too much. Afterwards, Mojo Rawley came out to Ryder's aid as he stared down Rusev out of the ring. Enjoyable for what it was but definitely felt like a pre-show type of match.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: **
Match 4: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
If anyone has ever seen these two go at it in Ring of Honor back in the day, then you know what to expect. More specifically, this match reminded me of their match at Death Before Dishonor in 2010. If you have never seen it, then I highly recommend you do so before watching them here. It was their first match against each other in their personal feud that year and very similar to the animosity that was building here. As usual, incredible chemistry between the two with some incredible displays of athleticism that had the crowd reeling. After hitting two consecutive Helluva Kicks, Zayn pins Owens to score one of the biggest wins of his career. Remarkable performance as usual from these two with a very sweet ending as Zayn stared down Owens after the first Helluva Kick and following it up with another second nasty kick to the face. These two truly are destined to fight each other forever.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
After Natalya turned her back on Becky Lynch a PPV ago, the two square off here. Seeing Natalya interact as a heel just seems a bit off to me. As much as I love these two, this was just a bland match that saw Natalya dominate throughout the match before Lynch finally got in a bit of offense at the end. Am I watching a John Cena match from 2006? Natalya locks up Lynch in a Sharpshooter and makes her submit to score the win.
Winner: Natalya
Rating: *1/2
Match 6: WWE Intercontinental Championship - The Miz (c) vs. Darren Young
If you forgot how slim the roster was looking in 2016 due to injuries, look no further than this. Another bland match here with the shenanigans nearing the end of the match overlooking all the action in the ring itself where the crowd was growing restless. With Bob Backlund at ringside for Darren Young, he gets himself involved with the match after Maryse slaps him. Backlund goes crazy and shoves Backlund to the floor before Young came down and choked The Miz out outside the ring as the referee calls for the bell. What the hell was that? If anything, that just made everyone involved in the match look like an idiot and those who don't know who Bob Backlund is just get a bad outlook on him.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *1/4
Match 7: John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Club
The next chapter in the feud between John Cena and AJ Styles has them finding allies to go at it in a war here before they face off in another singles match. Dig the idea of this as it sets up for a big rematch at Summerslam between the two. Fun match here with Enzo Amore really getting a rub from both Cena and the crowd has he cut a pretty sweet promo on The Club prior to the start of the match. Say what you want about him but he can damn well talk. Solid chemistry between the two teams as they nicely sprinkled some action between Cena and Styles but not enough to fulfill your appetite. But the two tag teams more than held their own and had some cool spots for themselves when Cena or Styles weren't involved. However, Cena and his squad get the last laugh when an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope to Styles proved to be the difference maker.
Winners: John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Rating: ***3/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
Always wondered when the WWE would book a triple threat between The Shield members, just never thought it would come on a lesser PPV like Battleground. However, with the roster being slimmed down from injuries and with the new brand extension, I guess this makes sense. But I'm pretty sure they will eventually all go at it at a WrestleMania or Summerslam down the road. Especially one that won't have the general managers and commissioners at ringside hogging the spotlight. Even still, this was still a great match as you would expect from three guys who have been going at it for years. Back and forth they went with teases of them colluding before realizing it's a triple threat match and every man is for themselves. Roman Reigns hits Seth Rollins with a Spear but Dean Ambrose immediately grabs Reigns and plants him with a Dirty Deeds DDT to secure the win. With that being said, Reigns has been pinned cleanly in consecutive PPVs. Interesting. Afterwards, the SmackDown Live roster comes out to hoist up Ambrose and celebrate their champion.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Heading into a new stage in the WWE, they really needed a strong PPV that would deliver in terms of quality in the ring along with blending that to help with feuds down the line for each respective brand. Thankfully, they certainly delivered but it wasn't without a couple hiccups with the biggest one being Chris Jericho hosting Randy Orton on an episode of The Highlight Reel which came off as just forced and cheesy for a PPV. Regardless, still a fun show and a nice introduction into the 2016 brand extension.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley
With these ladies being drafted to Monday Night Raw, the Raw women's division was looking stacked. Charlotte Flair teams up again with Dana Brooke to take on Sasha Banks and her former NXT enemy in Bayley. Crowd was absolutely hot for Bayley here and were eating up every move she executed with Flair having the weakest link in the match in Brooke being a downfall for her. Banks is able to submit Flair with her Bank Statement submission as the long feud between Charlotte and Sasha had only just begun.
Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family
Aside from Xavier Woods oddly becoming scared to death of The Wyatt Family, this feud was a really good one. Really looked forward to seeing the two top teams in the company at the time go at it. While the match didn't get enough time I think they needed to really steal the show, they still put on a great display of twists and turns. They also centered the match around Woods being afraid of Bray Wyatt before he was finally able to conquer his fears and gain an advantage over him at one point before he went on to eventually fall to Bray and his Sister Abigail finisher. Great match but also kind of seemed like a lost opportunity to have these two feud for a longer period and have a better payoff than this.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: ***
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Rusev (c) vs. Zack Ryder
Just a tad bit random to see Zack Ryder get a crack at Rusev and his United States Championship. Not complaining since I'm definitely a huge Ryder fan and love seeing him get some love on the PPV. Ryder was trying to ride the momentum he gained from WrestleMania 32 and take down Rusev with it. Ryder actually got in a decent amount of offense in this one and made the match more competitive than most Rusev matches at this time were. Unfortunately for Ryder, a kick to the back of the head from Rusev before following it up with an Accolade proved to be too much. Afterwards, Mojo Rawley came out to Ryder's aid as he stared down Rusev out of the ring. Enjoyable for what it was but definitely felt like a pre-show type of match.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: **
Match 4: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
If anyone has ever seen these two go at it in Ring of Honor back in the day, then you know what to expect. More specifically, this match reminded me of their match at Death Before Dishonor in 2010. If you have never seen it, then I highly recommend you do so before watching them here. It was their first match against each other in their personal feud that year and very similar to the animosity that was building here. As usual, incredible chemistry between the two with some incredible displays of athleticism that had the crowd reeling. After hitting two consecutive Helluva Kicks, Zayn pins Owens to score one of the biggest wins of his career. Remarkable performance as usual from these two with a very sweet ending as Zayn stared down Owens after the first Helluva Kick and following it up with another second nasty kick to the face. These two truly are destined to fight each other forever.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
After Natalya turned her back on Becky Lynch a PPV ago, the two square off here. Seeing Natalya interact as a heel just seems a bit off to me. As much as I love these two, this was just a bland match that saw Natalya dominate throughout the match before Lynch finally got in a bit of offense at the end. Am I watching a John Cena match from 2006? Natalya locks up Lynch in a Sharpshooter and makes her submit to score the win.
Winner: Natalya
Rating: *1/2
Match 6: WWE Intercontinental Championship - The Miz (c) vs. Darren Young
If you forgot how slim the roster was looking in 2016 due to injuries, look no further than this. Another bland match here with the shenanigans nearing the end of the match overlooking all the action in the ring itself where the crowd was growing restless. With Bob Backlund at ringside for Darren Young, he gets himself involved with the match after Maryse slaps him. Backlund goes crazy and shoves Backlund to the floor before Young came down and choked The Miz out outside the ring as the referee calls for the bell. What the hell was that? If anything, that just made everyone involved in the match look like an idiot and those who don't know who Bob Backlund is just get a bad outlook on him.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *1/4
Match 7: John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Club
The next chapter in the feud between John Cena and AJ Styles has them finding allies to go at it in a war here before they face off in another singles match. Dig the idea of this as it sets up for a big rematch at Summerslam between the two. Fun match here with Enzo Amore really getting a rub from both Cena and the crowd has he cut a pretty sweet promo on The Club prior to the start of the match. Say what you want about him but he can damn well talk. Solid chemistry between the two teams as they nicely sprinkled some action between Cena and Styles but not enough to fulfill your appetite. But the two tag teams more than held their own and had some cool spots for themselves when Cena or Styles weren't involved. However, Cena and his squad get the last laugh when an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope to Styles proved to be the difference maker.
Winners: John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Rating: ***3/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
Always wondered when the WWE would book a triple threat between The Shield members, just never thought it would come on a lesser PPV like Battleground. However, with the roster being slimmed down from injuries and with the new brand extension, I guess this makes sense. But I'm pretty sure they will eventually all go at it at a WrestleMania or Summerslam down the road. Especially one that won't have the general managers and commissioners at ringside hogging the spotlight. Even still, this was still a great match as you would expect from three guys who have been going at it for years. Back and forth they went with teases of them colluding before realizing it's a triple threat match and every man is for themselves. Roman Reigns hits Seth Rollins with a Spear but Dean Ambrose immediately grabs Reigns and plants him with a Dirty Deeds DDT to secure the win. With that being said, Reigns has been pinned cleanly in consecutive PPVs. Interesting. Afterwards, the SmackDown Live roster comes out to hoist up Ambrose and celebrate their champion.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Heading into a new stage in the WWE, they really needed a strong PPV that would deliver in terms of quality in the ring along with blending that to help with feuds down the line for each respective brand. Thankfully, they certainly delivered but it wasn't without a couple hiccups with the biggest one being Chris Jericho hosting Randy Orton on an episode of The Highlight Reel which came off as just forced and cheesy for a PPV. Regardless, still a fun show and a nice introduction into the 2016 brand extension.
Rating: 8/10
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