Naomi, Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella def. SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, Mickie James and Natalya (Kickoff Match)I was initially disappointed this match was moved to the Kickoff show, but then again, it probably would have died a death because this wasn't anything special. At least it wasn't a case like at SummerSlam where the crowd was barely in the building by the time the match took place. That isn't to say it was a bad bout, though, because all six women tried hard and it was a decent little match on the whole. The babyface team winning with Naomi pinning Bliss didn't bother me if only because it sets up Naomi as Bliss' next challenger. I just hope this is leading to a women's Elimination Chamber match next month for the title. The Club def. Cesaro and Sheamus to Win the Raw Tag Team Championship (Kickoff Match)For as little momentum as The Club have had in recent months, they continue to contest entertaining matches with whoever they're in the ring with, and the chemistry Cesaro and Sheamus have as a tandem is a plus as well. They picked up the pace in the second half and thankfully the only time the two referees came into play was when the first one was inadvertently hit with a Brogue Kick. I honestly didn't expect The Club to capture the tag titles here, so I was pleasantly surprised that they did. Thankfully they pulled the triggered before it was too late and they were completely dead in the water.
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Here on Through Their Own: A WWE Superstar's POV, I will be combining my loves of professional wrestling and creative writing to get inside the heads of various WWE Superstars and offer you an in-depth profile on them from their perspective, looking at their passions, motivations, goals, frustrations and more through their own eyes. Enjoy.
They called me their savior among the stars, taking risks with no reward. Flying high above the atmosphere, but what goes up, must come down. And when I did come crashing down, that was when they paid attention. It wasn't when I spoke or even approached the ring. The sole moment they appreciated my abilities was when I was doing something that entertained them. I felt pain, both on the outside and inside, after every one of those falls, but it was worth it as long as I was applauded for my efforts, no matter how many times I came up short whenever it mattered most. They were desperate from change, but were quick to judge what was different. I didn't look like everyone else, but instead of making me stand out, my unique appearance made me a target for mockery. It was then that I started to question why I did this for them. Eric Young def. Tye DillingerI have never been the biggest fan of Young, either as a character or as a wrestler, but this was the perfect place for him on the card. I might not have been interested in this match had it not been for Dillinger's involvement and how incredibly over he is with the fans at the moment. WWE would be beyond dumb to not at least consider him coming out as the No. 10 entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match. As a match, this wasn't anything too special and was honestly underwhelming up until the final few minutes. You had to know the rest of SAnitY would get involved somehow, so Dillinger didn't look like a loser in defeat because he had the odds stacked against him. Roderick Strong def. Andrade "Cien" AlmasFor a bout that didn't have much of a buildup, this match must have been an unexpected gem for some, but then again, I expected an extremely entertaining match coming into this contest and they definitely delivered. It was hard-hitting from start to finish with both guys having their strongest in-ring performances to date in NXT. The crowd gradually got behind Strong throughout the bout, and with a few more notable victories, he can be a real breakout babyface for the brand. Meanwhile, Almas has a bright future as a heel and as I've said time and time, he is unquestionably more comfortable in this role and that was proven here.
World Tag Team Champions The Broken Hardyz def. The DCC and Decay in a Three-Way Tag Team MatchSo, The DCC didn't cash in their Race to the Case briefcase here, right? From what I understand, they will be doing that next week on Open Fight Night. I'm not sure, the concept is confusing. But at any rate, this was a fun three-way tag team match to kick off the show. The DCC just doesn't have a long shelf life in my opinion and I'm not a fan of TNA doing yet another heel faction, but this helped further their feud with Decay while keeping the twin titles on the uber-popular Hardyz. Josh Mathews Interviewed Ethan Carter IIIWe saw a similar sit-down interview two weeks ago with Brooke and I would love for TNA to make this a weekly fixture on the program, a lot like SmackDown Live does with Talking Smack. Mathews is an awful announcer in my opinion, but he did pretty well here in the interviewer role, and this was a strong promo from EC3. When in serious mode, the guy is money, and it will be interesting to see where he goes following his latest loss to Lashley. Is a heel turn imminent?
Ember Moon def. Liv MorganI'm sorry, but Morgan is simply no good. I thought she would improve over time, and she has ever so slightly, but she is far from being on the same level as Moon or Asuka at this point. The dumb one-dimensional gimmick she has doesn't help matters, either. On the bright side, Moon carried her to a competent contest that was a bit better than I originally expected. I assume Moon will continue building momentum until she faces Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver: Orlando. No Way Jose def. Kona ReevesIt's been a while since we last saw Jose on NXT TV, hasn't it? He was aligned with Rich Swann for a time, but that fizzled out due to Swann having more important matters on the main roster as WWE Cruiserweight Champion. This was a fine match, but it just struck me as odd they would reintroduce Jose into storylines on the go-home show for TakeOver. That said, a feud with Elias Sampson was teased afterward, but I can't say that interests me in the slightest. Anything involving Sampson is bound to die a death.
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