Marty Scurll def. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Bandido and Slex in a Three-Way MatchThis was a random mix of talent, but from an in-ring standpoint, it was a ton of fun and was perfectly positioned as the opener. Scurll and Bandido have had their fair share of matches against each other over the past few months (largely in tag team action), so it was no surprise that they worked well together again here. As for Slex, he impressed me in his debut bout with Flip Gordon earlier this month and I thought he had another solid showing in this three-way. Scurll going over was the right call, but I do question Shane Taylor and Soldiers of Savagery continuing to beat down Slex. He just arrived and hasn't been given a chance to establish himself yet (not to mention how he has yet to win a match), so I'm not sure what the post-match attacks are supposed to accomplish. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry def. Brian Johnson & PJ Black, Lifeblood, and The Righteous in a Four-Way Tag Team MatchCastle and Hendry have been entertaining together, but I'm curious what the endgame is with them. They were teasing tension at one point and appeared to be headed for a split, but they're a cohesive unit again and are actually getting over with the audience. It's been the best thing to happen to Castle in forever. The match wasn't anything special, but the four teams worked well together and the right duo went over. Props to ROH for improving their tag team division. It doesn't have a ton of depth just yet (in terms of tandems that truly matter), but there are a ton of teams now compared to a year ago.
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Kickoff Show: The O.C. def. The Viking RaidersI feel like we've seen a million matches between these two teams over the last year, but truth be told, this was a lot better than I thought it would be. They could have phoned it in on the Kickoff show, but it wasn't nearly as dull as some of their other encounters. In fact, the crowd was giving them "This is awesome!" chants by the end. I don't know about "awesome," but it was very good. This marked the second time The O.C. has beat Viking Raiders in Saudi Arabia with Crown Jewel being the first. I assume the idea is to keep The O.C. looking strong going into WrestleMania, despite Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows both losing to Ricochet in singles action recently on Raw. The Undertaker def. AJ Styles, R-Truth, Erick Rowan, United States Champion Andrade and Bobby Lashley in a Gauntlet Match to win the Tuwaiq TrophyI didn't have high hopes for this to begin with, but wow, what a mess it turned out to be. The entire layout was terrible with Truth pinning Lashley and Andrade in fluky fashion and then beating Rowan by disqualification. I dig Truth's comedy as much as anyone, but there was no reason for him to last as long as he did in this thing. Styles made quick work of him, only to be pinned by a returning Undertaker following a single chokeslam. Yes, Undertaker just won the Tuwaiq Trophy the same way Shane McMahon won the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel 2018. It was a silly angle that didn't make Styles look great at all, but it did lay the groundwork for them to face each other at WrestleMania 36. I've seen some fans say that it should be 'Taker and Aleister Black teaming up against The O.C. in a 3-on-2 Handicap match and I honestly like that idea a little more.
Grizzled Young Veterans def. The HuntGrizzled Young Veterans took a shot at The Hunt during their promo on the show. The outcome may have seemed obvious on paper, but considering Grizzled Young Veterans having been making a handful of appearances on NXT TV lately, The Hunt pulling out an upset was definitely a possibility. Grizzled Young Veterans went over in the end, but only after The Hunt took them to their limit. This was a very fun opener and I'd argue The Hunt gained some credibility even in defeat. I love the variety of talent in NXT UK's tag team division. Kassius Ohno def. Jack StarzThis match was made official after Ohno was shown bullying Starz at the UK Performance Center earlier this week. Starz has been NXT UK's resident jobber since the launch of the brand two years ago, so while the end result was never in doubt, I thought this was a pretty good little match with Starz scoring some offense and getting the crowd behind him before eating defeat. Ohno continues to shine in his heel role.
Kenny Omega def. Pac in a 30-Minute Iron Man MatchI loved the decision to have this match kick off the show while the crowd was at their hottest, and make no mistake about it, they provided an incredibly electric atmosphere. This had an excellent layout from start to finish with both guys having phenomenal performances. I don't think it's a stretch to say that this was the best match Omega and Pac have had thus far in AEW (and I don't mean together). The Young Bucks being ringside for Omega while Page was nowhere to be found effectively teased tension within the ranks of The Elite and I appreciated that their involvement was limited to the bare minimum. Going to sudden death made it that much better and Omega's victory felt like a big deal. I can't praise this matchup enough. Omega desperately needed this to remind people he is among the greatest wrestlers in the world today. Two thumbs up. Jurassic Express def. Inner CircleInner Circle consisted of Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz. They've had issues off and on with Jurassic Express for months, so this match made sense. It was a ton of fun and Jurassic Express are at their strongest when they're together. Interference is never ideal in my opinion, but the crowd popped huge for Darby Allin costing Guevara the victory (successfully furthering that feud in the process). Guevara seems to lose more often than not, so I'm not really sure how much it would mean if Allin beats him at Revolution, but I'm looking forward to it, nonetheless.
Cameron Grimes def. Dominik DijakovicWhile I maintain that Grimes' character needs more development, he has grown on me thanks to his recent string of quality matches. He was very impressive against Johnny Gargano a few weeks ago and this was an enjoyable opener. I think everyone assumed Dijakovic was going over considering he challenged Keith Lee to a rematch last week, but Dijakovic was protected in defeat via Damian Priest's interference. Plus, I like how this spices up the NXT North American Championship picture a bit. Could a rematch of last month's Fatal 4-Way with Lee, Dijakovic, Priest and Grimes be on the horizon? Imperium Attacked Finn BalorConsidering Balor beat Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Portland, the thought was that he'd challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Championship in Tampa. Thankfully, that currently doesn't appear to be the case. Instead, it looks like he'll be facing WALTER, which has the potential to be a banger. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel laying out Balor was the right call and puts Balor in a position to bounce back. I don't think this will turn him face, but fans are cheering for him anyway, so it hardly matters.
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