Written by: Kevin Berge (All images courtesy of: WWE.com)
Kalisto has finally done it! He has proven he is not a fluke... by getting a DQ and a roll up victory to retain his title!
Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio to Retain the United States Championship in a 2/3 Falls Match by a Score of 2-1
Overview: Alberto Del Rio showed no respect for Kalisto early, smashing him against everything and even teasing ripping off the mask. Kalisto though got right back into it with a series of kicks. Del Rio had trouble keeping up with Kalisto who sent him outside and hit a flying crossbody off the top to the outside on Del Rio.
Alberto finally got in some strong shots to start dominating and taunted Kalisto, assaulting him on the outside. Kalisto slipped out of Del Rio's grasp and sent him into the steel post then went for a nearfall. Back on the outside, Del Rio got hurricanranaed into the timekeeper's area and became frustrated, blasting Kalisto with a steel chair.
That caused the first fall by disqualification for Kalisto. Del Rio kept up attacking Kalisto who barely rose to start the second fall. Once it started, Kalisto was trapped in the corner and immediately double foot stomped into the mat hanging off the second rope. That was enough to take the second fall by pinfall.
The referee had to force Del Rio back in the ring then help Kalisto into the ring. Del Rio then went for the mask again before trapping Kalisto in the tree of woe for a series of vicious strikes. Del Rio went for the double foot stomp, but Kalisto threw him off the top. Kalisto kept rolling hitting a big corkscrew and spike hurricanrana for two.
Del Rio hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but then took a DDT. Kalisto then went to teh top rope but was tripped up by Del Rio right back into the tree of woe which allowed Del Rio to hit an inverted superplex. Del Rio then hit Kalisto with a double foot stomp on Kalisto hanging off the steel barricade for a near count out.
Once more, Del Rio trapped Kalisto in the tree of woe and went to the top rope, but Kalisto ducked the foot stomp. Kalisto then nearly hit the Salida Del Sol. When Del Rio fought out, he got thrown right into the turnbuckle, and Kalisto rolled him up for three to take the final fall by pinfall.
Analysis: It was about time we saw Del Rio and Kalisto go all out without getting sloppy, and they were fantastic together. While the match booking was a bit odd with the classic heel-getting-DQed-first-fall trope slipping into the mix unnecessarily, the match itself was their best work all around.
It is a shame this got thrown on the preshow as it really felt like a top PPV match. The two were lightning together, keeping the pace through it all. Del Rio got creative a few times along the way even though the tree of woe set ups get to be a bit much, and Kalisto was on point with his biggest moves.
I hope this is the end of this feud, but this didn't really sell Kalisto as well as it should have. He never even got a definitive fall in this match which makes it possible this isn't the last time these two clash. If anything, I hope they switch it up and have Rusev be the challenger at WrestleMania.
As an extra note, I just wanted to take the chance to praise Mauro Ranallo who made the color commentators he was working with look worse than usual with just how smooth by play-by-play was. While WWE doesn't do two PBP guys on a table, I wouldn't mind seeing what Ranallo could do alongside Michael Cole.
Alberto finally got in some strong shots to start dominating and taunted Kalisto, assaulting him on the outside. Kalisto slipped out of Del Rio's grasp and sent him into the steel post then went for a nearfall. Back on the outside, Del Rio got hurricanranaed into the timekeeper's area and became frustrated, blasting Kalisto with a steel chair.
That caused the first fall by disqualification for Kalisto. Del Rio kept up attacking Kalisto who barely rose to start the second fall. Once it started, Kalisto was trapped in the corner and immediately double foot stomped into the mat hanging off the second rope. That was enough to take the second fall by pinfall.
The referee had to force Del Rio back in the ring then help Kalisto into the ring. Del Rio then went for the mask again before trapping Kalisto in the tree of woe for a series of vicious strikes. Del Rio went for the double foot stomp, but Kalisto threw him off the top. Kalisto kept rolling hitting a big corkscrew and spike hurricanrana for two.
Del Rio hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but then took a DDT. Kalisto then went to teh top rope but was tripped up by Del Rio right back into the tree of woe which allowed Del Rio to hit an inverted superplex. Del Rio then hit Kalisto with a double foot stomp on Kalisto hanging off the steel barricade for a near count out.
Once more, Del Rio trapped Kalisto in the tree of woe and went to the top rope, but Kalisto ducked the foot stomp. Kalisto then nearly hit the Salida Del Sol. When Del Rio fought out, he got thrown right into the turnbuckle, and Kalisto rolled him up for three to take the final fall by pinfall.
Analysis: It was about time we saw Del Rio and Kalisto go all out without getting sloppy, and they were fantastic together. While the match booking was a bit odd with the classic heel-getting-DQed-first-fall trope slipping into the mix unnecessarily, the match itself was their best work all around.
It is a shame this got thrown on the preshow as it really felt like a top PPV match. The two were lightning together, keeping the pace through it all. Del Rio got creative a few times along the way even though the tree of woe set ups get to be a bit much, and Kalisto was on point with his biggest moves.
I hope this is the end of this feud, but this didn't really sell Kalisto as well as it should have. He never even got a definitive fall in this match which makes it possible this isn't the last time these two clash. If anything, I hope they switch it up and have Rusev be the challenger at WrestleMania.
As an extra note, I just wanted to take the chance to praise Mauro Ranallo who made the color commentators he was working with look worse than usual with just how smooth by play-by-play was. While WWE doesn't do two PBP guys on a table, I wouldn't mind seeing what Ranallo could do alongside Michael Cole.
Rating: 8.75/10
This match was originally scripted in parts. Becky Lynch really should have known what would happen when she let Sasha Banks decide who got each part of the match.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch def. Naomi and Tamina
Overview: Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks argued over who should start the match with Banks eventually starting. Becky though quickly tagged herself in with the two taking down Tamina together. Lynch got stuck in the corner of the heels in trouble until she got help from Sasha on the outside to take out both their opponents.
Becky got bounced off the steel post on the outside and nearly counted out. When she got back in, she was dominated until she kicked Naomi to the outside and kicked Tamina off her. As Becky jumped for the hot tag, Naomi tripped Sasha to keep up the one sided fight. Becky finally knocked down both Naomi and Tamina and got the hot tag.
Sasha wasted no time taking out the heels, running all over them. She hit a backstabber on Naomi off the second turnbuckle and locked in the Bank Statement only to get pulled off by Tamina. Sasha got back just in time to run straight into the Rear View for two.
Naomi argued over the count only to get thrown into the steel post shoulder first. Becky had to run in to save her partner but got taken out with Sasha ducking out of a double suplex so that Becky could hit both women with a missile dropkick. Banks caught Tamina in the Bank Statement while Lynch stopped Naomi from breaking it up and locked her in the Dis-arm-her.
Analysis: I'd call this a shocker in how good it was. It was an old school tag team match with Becky taking the brunt of the punishment but keeping it interesting with real fight as she got dominated. When Sasha got the hot tag, the match kicked into overdrive with some fantastic back and forth sequences.
The whole story of the match was well done, and the match really never once felt like a women's match. It was the kind of tag team wrestling that would be nice to see more often out of the men. It was hard hitting, well paced, and had real energy throughout.
This likely sets up both women to challenge Charlotte at Mania, and I hope they can keep doing work like this with Charlotte because, if they do, they might just steal the show.
Becky got bounced off the steel post on the outside and nearly counted out. When she got back in, she was dominated until she kicked Naomi to the outside and kicked Tamina off her. As Becky jumped for the hot tag, Naomi tripped Sasha to keep up the one sided fight. Becky finally knocked down both Naomi and Tamina and got the hot tag.
Sasha wasted no time taking out the heels, running all over them. She hit a backstabber on Naomi off the second turnbuckle and locked in the Bank Statement only to get pulled off by Tamina. Sasha got back just in time to run straight into the Rear View for two.
Naomi argued over the count only to get thrown into the steel post shoulder first. Becky had to run in to save her partner but got taken out with Sasha ducking out of a double suplex so that Becky could hit both women with a missile dropkick. Banks caught Tamina in the Bank Statement while Lynch stopped Naomi from breaking it up and locked her in the Dis-arm-her.
Analysis: I'd call this a shocker in how good it was. It was an old school tag team match with Becky taking the brunt of the punishment but keeping it interesting with real fight as she got dominated. When Sasha got the hot tag, the match kicked into overdrive with some fantastic back and forth sequences.
The whole story of the match was well done, and the match really never once felt like a women's match. It was the kind of tag team wrestling that would be nice to see more often out of the men. It was hard hitting, well paced, and had real energy throughout.
This likely sets up both women to challenge Charlotte at Mania, and I hope they can keep doing work like this with Charlotte because, if they do, they might just steal the show.
Rating: 8.5/10
Backstage, Owens and Ziggler discussed what they could do in their match to make it new. They both agreed chinlocks were the way to go, lots of chinlocks.
Kevin Owens def. Dolph Ziggler to Retain the Intercontinental Championship
Overview: Ziggler tried to lock up with Owens early who backed away at first then locked it in with leverage. He hit a headbutt and a strong kick to get the advantage but quickly fell into a headlock that he had fight out of. Ziggler couldn't sustain an advantage with Owens assaulting his opponent's arm.
With a vicious edge, Owens grounded Ziggler a while until the faster competitor finally got in some big shots including a series of jumping elbows. Ziggler flew right at Owens though and got crotched on the top rope then took a cannonball for the near fall. Ziggler almost fell right into a win though with a sudden DDT and nearfall.
Both men rose from that spot dazed. They went to the top rope with Owens slamming Ziggler into the mat. To the outside they went with Ziggler bashing Owens into the steel barricade. Ziggler missed a superkick and ran into Owens' superkick but got back into it hitting his own superkick with Owens rolling out of the ring.
Ziggler followed Owens outside, turned a powerbomb into a hurricanrana into the steel steps, then a Famouser in the ring for a nearfall. Ziggler went for a final superkick which Owens ducked and hit a ridiculously fast pump up powerbomb for the win.
Analysis: This match felt like it was PPV caliber, but it was very much hurt by the repeated occurrence of the match on Raw. The two stepped up their game this time, but they also lost quite a bit of the story along the way. The spots throughout were great including the finish, but they seemed to lose out on selling this time.
The start was a good example of how clear it was these two were not quite sure where to go with this match. They started out hectic and rushed without a real strong showing from either. They later found their groove but never committed to a narrative at any point. It was just spot after spot in many cases.
Still, it was a fun match that sold Owens more as champion. I would hope there's a big story planned for him at WrestleMania. Maybe with the title on the line, AJ Styles could be the next challenger.
With a vicious edge, Owens grounded Ziggler a while until the faster competitor finally got in some big shots including a series of jumping elbows. Ziggler flew right at Owens though and got crotched on the top rope then took a cannonball for the near fall. Ziggler almost fell right into a win though with a sudden DDT and nearfall.
Both men rose from that spot dazed. They went to the top rope with Owens slamming Ziggler into the mat. To the outside they went with Ziggler bashing Owens into the steel barricade. Ziggler missed a superkick and ran into Owens' superkick but got back into it hitting his own superkick with Owens rolling out of the ring.
Ziggler followed Owens outside, turned a powerbomb into a hurricanrana into the steel steps, then a Famouser in the ring for a nearfall. Ziggler went for a final superkick which Owens ducked and hit a ridiculously fast pump up powerbomb for the win.
Analysis: This match felt like it was PPV caliber, but it was very much hurt by the repeated occurrence of the match on Raw. The two stepped up their game this time, but they also lost quite a bit of the story along the way. The spots throughout were great including the finish, but they seemed to lose out on selling this time.
The start was a good example of how clear it was these two were not quite sure where to go with this match. They started out hectic and rushed without a real strong showing from either. They later found their groove but never committed to a narrative at any point. It was just spot after spot in many cases.
Still, it was a fun match that sold Owens more as champion. I would hope there's a big story planned for him at WrestleMania. Maybe with the title on the line, AJ Styles could be the next challenger.
Rating: 8.25/10
As you can tell, Ryback is REALLY happy about being one of the Old Guard.
Big Show, Ryback, and Kane def. The Wyatt Family
Overview: Ryback started off with Erick Rowan as the two clashed around the ring before Big Show got into the match with a few shots. When Ryback got back in the match, he got dominated by The Wyatt Family in their corner. Big Show managed to help get back the momentum with Kane finally getting into it and actually knocking Strowman out of the ring.
Ryback got the hot tag and began cleaning up the ring before everything broke down. Show cleared out the ring with Ryback alone with Harper. Harper tried to roll up Ryback, but Ryback kicked out and dodged a kick. Ryback then hit the Shell Shocked for the win.
Analysis: I don't even know what to say of all this. The filler match set to legitimize the Wyatt Family ended in them losing. The match itself was dead weight, a solid TV match at best. It was not good enough to be on this show, and the best of the competitors even seemed to be out of it.
Ryback was the only guy doing a few interesting things, but they were very hit and miss with a lot of sloppy execution. The rest of the crew barely seemed to be there. Strowman took maybe one bump all match. We didn't even see Bray Wyatt do anything underhanded to help his monsters.
What this needed was a spot of real old school brawling between all six men, but the big spot was a half-hearted attempt at the classic suicide dive spot where everyone gets cleared out with the dive replaced by Show throwing somebody over the ropes. It was a mess and counter-productive. I have no idea what these six do from here.
Ryback got the hot tag and began cleaning up the ring before everything broke down. Show cleared out the ring with Ryback alone with Harper. Harper tried to roll up Ryback, but Ryback kicked out and dodged a kick. Ryback then hit the Shell Shocked for the win.
Analysis: I don't even know what to say of all this. The filler match set to legitimize the Wyatt Family ended in them losing. The match itself was dead weight, a solid TV match at best. It was not good enough to be on this show, and the best of the competitors even seemed to be out of it.
Ryback was the only guy doing a few interesting things, but they were very hit and miss with a lot of sloppy execution. The rest of the crew barely seemed to be there. Strowman took maybe one bump all match. We didn't even see Bray Wyatt do anything underhanded to help his monsters.
What this needed was a spot of real old school brawling between all six men, but the big spot was a half-hearted attempt at the classic suicide dive spot where everyone gets cleared out with the dive replaced by Show throwing somebody over the ropes. It was a mess and counter-productive. I have no idea what these six do from here.
Rating: 6/10
It's okay, Brie. Your moveset does not have to include getting injured from your own move just because that's what Bryan and Nikki did.
Charlotte def. Brie Bella to Retain the Divas Championship
Overview: Brie and Charlotte locked up with Charlotte consistently mocking Brie until she got knocked to the mat. Brie drilled Charlotte into the mat with the two blocking each other's strikes. Brie got the better of the exchange and began taunting Ric Flair.
Charlotte put down Brie on the outside and went for an Alabama Slam which Brie nearly turned it into a roll up for three. Charlotte didn't let that slide, knocking down and stretching out Brie. Charlotte kept up the taunting only to take a big knee and a Nikki Bella-esque forearm for a nearfall.
Charlotte hit a series of chops but got sent to the apron and took a dropkick to the floor. Back in the ring, Brie hit a missile dropkick but injured her leg. She still hit the Bryan kicks and hit her finisher for another nearfall. Brie locked in the Yes Lock then turned it into single leg Boston Crab. Charlotte worked her way out, locked in the Figure Eight and got the submission.
Analysis: Honestly, this was one of the worst Divas Title matches in recent memory, and that is saying something. While the two were decent at conveying the story of the contest, they were absolutely dreadful at everything else. The execution was off. The timing was dreadful. They couldn't hit their signature moves clean.
Brie Bella clearly was trying, and I'm sure Charlotte wasn't slacking either. It was just a case of both women absolutely not clicking. They got way too much time to keep falling all over themselves. This was especially clear in contrast to just how good the opening Divas match was.
The finish was a rushed mess of Charlotte trying to make sure she got it over with, and I was honestly glad that she no sold Brie just to get the match over a little faster. This was not your Divas Revolution.
Charlotte put down Brie on the outside and went for an Alabama Slam which Brie nearly turned it into a roll up for three. Charlotte didn't let that slide, knocking down and stretching out Brie. Charlotte kept up the taunting only to take a big knee and a Nikki Bella-esque forearm for a nearfall.
Charlotte hit a series of chops but got sent to the apron and took a dropkick to the floor. Back in the ring, Brie hit a missile dropkick but injured her leg. She still hit the Bryan kicks and hit her finisher for another nearfall. Brie locked in the Yes Lock then turned it into single leg Boston Crab. Charlotte worked her way out, locked in the Figure Eight and got the submission.
Analysis: Honestly, this was one of the worst Divas Title matches in recent memory, and that is saying something. While the two were decent at conveying the story of the contest, they were absolutely dreadful at everything else. The execution was off. The timing was dreadful. They couldn't hit their signature moves clean.
Brie Bella clearly was trying, and I'm sure Charlotte wasn't slacking either. It was just a case of both women absolutely not clicking. They got way too much time to keep falling all over themselves. This was especially clear in contrast to just how good the opening Divas match was.
The finish was a rushed mess of Charlotte trying to make sure she got it over with, and I was honestly glad that she no sold Brie just to get the match over a little faster. This was not your Divas Revolution.
Grade: 4.5/10
When Chris Jericho told AJ Styles he was going to dropkick his ankle precisely as Styles landed on a rope, Styles almost burst out laughing. Never doubt Chris Jericho's will to be 15 years younger.
AJ Styles def. Chris Jericho
Overview: These two felt each other out early with the two not really getting in a big shot. AJ got in a big dropkick but couldn't sustain the momentum, getting knocked down and beat up by Jericho, around the ring. When Styles sent Jericho to the outside, he flew right into a dropkick.
Back in the ring, Styles fought back, hitting a springboard kick but had the Styles Clash reversed into an attempt at the Walls of Jericho which led to a quick roll up for two. Styles took a Lionsault for two, and Jericho tried to hit a superplex which Styles slipped out of. Styles then went for the springboard forearm but got tripped with a dropkick onto the top rope.
Jericho tried again for the superplex but took a Styles enzuigiri. Jericho locked in a Walls of Jericho, but Styles got to the ropes. A frustrated Jericho then really began assaulting Styles even locking him in the Liontamer outside. When Styles barely got back in the ring at 9, he took a codebreaker through the ropes and fell inside.
Styles slipped him arm under the bottom rope to stay in the match which truly angered Jericho, beginning to beat up on Styles. Styles threw a few punches before a flurry of counters led right into a Styles Clash which Jericho kicked out of at almost three. Jericho then got locked in the Calf Crusher and, despite fighting for a while, succumbed and tapped out. Afterward, Jericho was angry but shook hands with Styles.
Analysis: Chris Jericho is 45 years old. He's been in this business as a cruiserweight for over 25 years. I'm not going to question the guy's ability to put on a show, but I never imagined he could still do this now. Apparently the motivation of getting to wrestle AJ Styles was enough to pull out an old school performance from Jericho.
It wasn't always pretty. Jericho flies like a duck with a lame wing nowadays, but he gets it done and can still really tell a story. Styles of course was phenomenal, and he was still holding back a bit. I would expect we may never see Styles go at one hundred percent, but it was good to see him not just fly around Jericho like he could have.
The two really worked a match about a young star making an old veteran finally concede to being bettered. Jericho's frustration slowly built up as he tried to get Styles to slip up, and he very much was working the heel role by halfway through the match. He didn't cheat, but he got vicious and mouthy with Styles as he had trouble keeping him down.
The finish was especially well done. We have so rarely seen the Styles Clash so far that it was a shock to see Jericho kick out of it, but then Jericho got locked into the Calf Crusher and had to put his pride aside and tap out. While Chris didn't turn heel, it felt like a really well told story of Jericho admitting he was truly bettered that night.
Back in the ring, Styles fought back, hitting a springboard kick but had the Styles Clash reversed into an attempt at the Walls of Jericho which led to a quick roll up for two. Styles took a Lionsault for two, and Jericho tried to hit a superplex which Styles slipped out of. Styles then went for the springboard forearm but got tripped with a dropkick onto the top rope.
Jericho tried again for the superplex but took a Styles enzuigiri. Jericho locked in a Walls of Jericho, but Styles got to the ropes. A frustrated Jericho then really began assaulting Styles even locking him in the Liontamer outside. When Styles barely got back in the ring at 9, he took a codebreaker through the ropes and fell inside.
Styles slipped him arm under the bottom rope to stay in the match which truly angered Jericho, beginning to beat up on Styles. Styles threw a few punches before a flurry of counters led right into a Styles Clash which Jericho kicked out of at almost three. Jericho then got locked in the Calf Crusher and, despite fighting for a while, succumbed and tapped out. Afterward, Jericho was angry but shook hands with Styles.
Analysis: Chris Jericho is 45 years old. He's been in this business as a cruiserweight for over 25 years. I'm not going to question the guy's ability to put on a show, but I never imagined he could still do this now. Apparently the motivation of getting to wrestle AJ Styles was enough to pull out an old school performance from Jericho.
It wasn't always pretty. Jericho flies like a duck with a lame wing nowadays, but he gets it done and can still really tell a story. Styles of course was phenomenal, and he was still holding back a bit. I would expect we may never see Styles go at one hundred percent, but it was good to see him not just fly around Jericho like he could have.
The two really worked a match about a young star making an old veteran finally concede to being bettered. Jericho's frustration slowly built up as he tried to get Styles to slip up, and he very much was working the heel role by halfway through the match. He didn't cheat, but he got vicious and mouthy with Styles as he had trouble keeping him down.
The finish was especially well done. We have so rarely seen the Styles Clash so far that it was a shock to see Jericho kick out of it, but then Jericho got locked into the Calf Crusher and had to put his pride aside and tap out. While Chris didn't turn heel, it felt like a really well told story of Jericho admitting he was truly bettered that night.
Rating: 9.25/10
What you can't see in this shot is Vince McMahon glaring at Christian mouthing 'Just be a good boy and let Edge talk'.
The New Day and Edge and Christian Bond Over Their Hate of The League of Nations
Overview: Edge and Christian first talked about their WWE Network show premiering after the show. The New Day interrupted and began insulting their hosts. Countering their insults, the hosts said The New Day were just ripping E&C off. New Day refused to believe that anybody was better than them.
Edge and Christian even convinced the group to start insulting the League of Nations which led to the stable coming out and demanding a fight. When New Day walked out rather than fight, LoN began threatening E&C with the hosts leaving the ring. On the outside, the New Day and E&C then teased LoN together.
Analysis: I don't know what happened to this segment. It started out well. The New Day fired their shots. Edge and Christian fired back. It was a fun, light hearted segment. Then the League of Nations was just brought in for no reason, leading to a cobble of wrestlers all with no clear direction in the same ring.
If this was supposed to begin a feud over the tag titles between the New Day and League of Nations, it failed to build that excitement. It was hard to even tell who was playing the face here. LoN began as the faces putting down the annoying heels and ended up being the heel being made fun of by the fun-loving faces in the New Day.
No one was helped by this segment. It was just a waste of time that shouldn't have even been on the show. WWE really didn't need to market a WWE Network show this heavily. It ruined the show's momentum off a great match.
Edge and Christian even convinced the group to start insulting the League of Nations which led to the stable coming out and demanding a fight. When New Day walked out rather than fight, LoN began threatening E&C with the hosts leaving the ring. On the outside, the New Day and E&C then teased LoN together.
Analysis: I don't know what happened to this segment. It started out well. The New Day fired their shots. Edge and Christian fired back. It was a fun, light hearted segment. Then the League of Nations was just brought in for no reason, leading to a cobble of wrestlers all with no clear direction in the same ring.
If this was supposed to begin a feud over the tag titles between the New Day and League of Nations, it failed to build that excitement. It was hard to even tell who was playing the face here. LoN began as the faces putting down the annoying heels and ended up being the heel being made fun of by the fun-loving faces in the New Day.
No one was helped by this segment. It was just a waste of time that shouldn't have even been on the show. WWE really didn't need to market a WWE Network show this heavily. It ruined the show's momentum off a great match.
Multiple championships were retained and a main event spot sealed for WrestleMania, but nobody partied harder after a win than Bo Dallas did on Curtis Axel's behalf.
Curtis Axel def. R-Truth
Overview: The Social Outcasts came out and talked about cars until R-Truth came out to fight Curtis Axel who noticed he was outnumbered but still began the fight on his own. Truth took out the SO at first, but they kept distracting him until Goldust came out and tried to help but instead distracted Truth to get him rolled up for the loss.
Afterward, Goldust tried to plead his case, but Truth walked off on him.
Analysis: I don't want to dignify this with a rating. This was not a PPV match. It was a filler segment that should have happened on Raw. The only reason for this happening this way was so that the show ended closer to the 10:00 mark as the main event wasn't going to be given extra time for some reason.
This was the kind of segment that makes you wonder why this show even happened. It was as if WWE was saying that they couldn't find a way to put their roster together in a way that could survive 3 hours, so they threw together this segment at the last minute.
Hey, I like the Social Outcasts, and I like R-Truth and Goldust. The story of the two veterans has been hit and miss, but it is decent. If they wanted this to be a thing, they should have built it as one.
Afterward, Goldust tried to plead his case, but Truth walked off on him.
Analysis: I don't want to dignify this with a rating. This was not a PPV match. It was a filler segment that should have happened on Raw. The only reason for this happening this way was so that the show ended closer to the 10:00 mark as the main event wasn't going to be given extra time for some reason.
This was the kind of segment that makes you wonder why this show even happened. It was as if WWE was saying that they couldn't find a way to put their roster together in a way that could survive 3 hours, so they threw together this segment at the last minute.
Hey, I like the Social Outcasts, and I like R-Truth and Goldust. The story of the two veterans has been hit and miss, but it is decent. If they wanted this to be a thing, they should have built it as one.
You really don't want to see what Ambrose and Reigns would have done if they had to team a third time to take out Brock. It involves a lion, three pounds of barbwire, a ten foot pool of water, and a whole lot of duct tape. Seriously, don't ask.
Roman Reigns def. Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar to Become the Number One Contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Overview: Brock Lesnar immediately took the fight to his opponents, destroying them both with his power. Ambrose took out Reigns on the outside then caught Ambrose's suicide dive and suplexed him. He brought Roman back in the ring and hit an F5 which Dean broke up the pin for.
Ambrose then took the brunt of Lesnar's attack, but, as Lesnar went for an F5, Reigns Speared Lesnar for two. The two men fought to the outside with Ambrose hitting a low blow on Lesnar, allowing the two Shield members to send him through an announce table with a double powerbomb.
When they realized Brock was down, both friends immediately began brawling back into the ring. Dean hit a huge rebound clothesline, and, as they began rising, they saw Lesnar getting up and agreed to work again to take out Brock and put him through a second table. They then buried him underneath anything they could find.
Alone, the two fought back and forth with Ambrose taking a Superman punch but then hitting Dirty Deeds for a nearfall. Ambrose went for another Dirty Deeds with Reigns turning it into a Samoan drop only to have Lesnar run in and hit the suplex on both of them.
Reigns hit a Spear but fell into the Kimura Lock. Reigns fought to his feet with Lesnar still holding on. Ambrose hit Brock repeatedly with a steel chair which sent Brock rolling out of the ring, and Dean ran right into a Spear for the loss. Reigns stood up just enough to meet Triple H who walked into the ring and stared him down to end the show.
Analysis: I've always said my ratings can change on rewatchings and often do, but my first impression with this match was that it was near perfect. There was no downtime. All three men came off well. Brock Lesnar was a beast unlike anything in WWE, taking punishment and dolling it out with unreal speed.
Dean Ambrose got a chance to shine in his get-beat-up-but-get-back-up way with Lesnar and then got to really lay in the stiff shots with Reigns. If anything, I wish we had gotten more time to see Reigns and Ambrose just wail on each other as they were putting in work like I haven't seen from them before.
The story was also absolutely on point. Lesnar was the beast of the match, the obstacle for both men to conquer together. They struggled to do so, but they did it in the end, agreeing to work together whenever Lesnar was standing. When he was down, then it was time to go full throttle, friendship put aside.
The finish was not wholly surprising though it was unexpected that Brock didn't get taken out by The Wyatt Family who could have used that spotlight after their loss (if Bray Wyatt vs. Brock Lesnar is still the plan). Reigns was always going to win despite WWE doing a solid job teasing otherwise.
The company now needs to sell WrestleMania. Triple H vs. Reigns can be money, but they need to wholly sell the vicious, hungry Reigns that got over at TLC to make the match work. They also need to make sure the rest of the card isn't filler. Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose for example proved they really need a major match on the big show.
Ambrose then took the brunt of Lesnar's attack, but, as Lesnar went for an F5, Reigns Speared Lesnar for two. The two men fought to the outside with Ambrose hitting a low blow on Lesnar, allowing the two Shield members to send him through an announce table with a double powerbomb.
When they realized Brock was down, both friends immediately began brawling back into the ring. Dean hit a huge rebound clothesline, and, as they began rising, they saw Lesnar getting up and agreed to work again to take out Brock and put him through a second table. They then buried him underneath anything they could find.
Alone, the two fought back and forth with Ambrose taking a Superman punch but then hitting Dirty Deeds for a nearfall. Ambrose went for another Dirty Deeds with Reigns turning it into a Samoan drop only to have Lesnar run in and hit the suplex on both of them.
Reigns hit a Spear but fell into the Kimura Lock. Reigns fought to his feet with Lesnar still holding on. Ambrose hit Brock repeatedly with a steel chair which sent Brock rolling out of the ring, and Dean ran right into a Spear for the loss. Reigns stood up just enough to meet Triple H who walked into the ring and stared him down to end the show.
Analysis: I've always said my ratings can change on rewatchings and often do, but my first impression with this match was that it was near perfect. There was no downtime. All three men came off well. Brock Lesnar was a beast unlike anything in WWE, taking punishment and dolling it out with unreal speed.
Dean Ambrose got a chance to shine in his get-beat-up-but-get-back-up way with Lesnar and then got to really lay in the stiff shots with Reigns. If anything, I wish we had gotten more time to see Reigns and Ambrose just wail on each other as they were putting in work like I haven't seen from them before.
The story was also absolutely on point. Lesnar was the beast of the match, the obstacle for both men to conquer together. They struggled to do so, but they did it in the end, agreeing to work together whenever Lesnar was standing. When he was down, then it was time to go full throttle, friendship put aside.
The finish was not wholly surprising though it was unexpected that Brock didn't get taken out by The Wyatt Family who could have used that spotlight after their loss (if Bray Wyatt vs. Brock Lesnar is still the plan). Reigns was always going to win despite WWE doing a solid job teasing otherwise.
The company now needs to sell WrestleMania. Triple H vs. Reigns can be money, but they need to wholly sell the vicious, hungry Reigns that got over at TLC to make the match work. They also need to make sure the rest of the card isn't filler. Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose for example proved they really need a major match on the big show.
Rating: 9.75/10
Chris Jericho spent the whole match whispering to AJ Styles that "he can still do that" then Styles did this. It's said Jericho is still backstage trying to pull this move off.
Final Notes: Big Show, Ryback, and Kane were backstage and said they would be the biggest monsters in the jungle, taking out The Wyatt Family. Roman Reigns was interviewed about his match, and he was interrupted by Dean Ambrose with both very clear that this win meant more to them than anything.
Chris Jericho was interviewed about how he was not affected by his loss to Styles. In fact, he only focused on his win against Styles, wanting AJ to prove himself phenomenal.
The crowd for Fast Lane was hit and miss. They got really loud for the two biggest matches especially helping the energy of Styles vs. Jericho. However, they often went dead when it felt strange to do so. The terrible middle segments/matches probably didn't help that though.
Conclusion: It's hard for me to rate this show as it was definitely bad, but it had so many good matches as well. When the matches worked, they really worked, but everything else did not work. The pacing of the night was atrocious. Half the matches were terrible. Still, there were two four-star matches and a couple three-star as well.
In the end, I think it's best to chalk this one up to a miss. While some may have a bigger problem with the show than I did, I know it was a show that failed more than it succeeded. Still, I can't rate it top poorly given its top end of match quality. I will certainly remember a few of the matches on this card months down the line.
The final nail in this show's coffin is that it flat out failed as a Road to WrestleMania. We leave only knowing one match for Mania. We don't really even have another contest teased yet. That is ridiculously poor work by a company that has always stepped up their game around this time.
Maybe the next few Raws will make up for this show's failings since the company doesn't have a lot of time to sell its Grandest show anymore.
Chris Jericho was interviewed about how he was not affected by his loss to Styles. In fact, he only focused on his win against Styles, wanting AJ to prove himself phenomenal.
The crowd for Fast Lane was hit and miss. They got really loud for the two biggest matches especially helping the energy of Styles vs. Jericho. However, they often went dead when it felt strange to do so. The terrible middle segments/matches probably didn't help that though.
Conclusion: It's hard for me to rate this show as it was definitely bad, but it had so many good matches as well. When the matches worked, they really worked, but everything else did not work. The pacing of the night was atrocious. Half the matches were terrible. Still, there were two four-star matches and a couple three-star as well.
In the end, I think it's best to chalk this one up to a miss. While some may have a bigger problem with the show than I did, I know it was a show that failed more than it succeeded. Still, I can't rate it top poorly given its top end of match quality. I will certainly remember a few of the matches on this card months down the line.
The final nail in this show's coffin is that it flat out failed as a Road to WrestleMania. We leave only knowing one match for Mania. We don't really even have another contest teased yet. That is ridiculously poor work by a company that has always stepped up their game around this time.
Maybe the next few Raws will make up for this show's failings since the company doesn't have a lot of time to sell its Grandest show anymore.
