By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Alexander Rusev def. Travis Tyler

This was the same standard squash match we've been seeing from Rusev the last few weeks on WWE TV and the last few months for regular viewers of NXT. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind Rusev, but his matches obviously aren't the most exciting. He can only compete against enhancement talent for so long before it starts to get old, so I hope to see him transition into an actual feud soon.


Charlotte and Sasha Banks def. Divas Champion Paige and Emma

First off, I'm fine with the NXT Women's Championship being vacated since Paige might not be appearing on NXT much now that she's on the main roster. Having Charlotte defeat her for the belt in a one-on-one match might have been the original plan given the result of this contest, but tournaments are always fun, too. It's also cool considering Paige won the Women's title in a tournament to begin with. This match was good by Diva standards and Charlotte showed signs of improvement in the ring. Seeing her pin Paige was a pleasant surprise, so one can assume she'll be win the one to win the vacated strap. The dubbed-over commentary was painfully obvious (especially when Paige's entrance wasn't even shown), but they did the best they could with it given the circumstances.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Magnus Called Out Abyss

Keeping Magnus off last week's show gave viewers a refreshing break from his character and I liked his promo here. It wasn't anything excellent, but he covered all ground from Eric Young winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Abyss failing to "do his job" as Magnus' lackey. The whole storyline with Magnus and Abyss felt rushed considering they joined forces only a month ago. Does this turn Abyss back face? At least the live crowd were happy to see the split by reacting to the announcement of the match between the two. Also, MVP offering to give Abyss a "full-time spot" on the TNA roster made zero sense since he was already a part of the roster to begin with. Didn't he contend for the title a few weeks back?


Kurt Angle def. Rockstar Spud

Since this was Angle's first match back from injury, you'd think there would be more buzz around it, but that's nitpicking things. It was the squash match it needed to be with Spud scoring some offense toward the end. It was smart to preserve Angle going into the event given he's coming off injury. The match was nothing of note, but it furthered the feud between him and Ethan Carter III and Willow making the save afterward built toward the tag team match at Sacrifice.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Intercontinental Champion Big E def. Alberto Del Rio (Non-title)

As I've said in the past, I enjoy the encounters between Big E and Del Rio because they always work well together. They've had a handful of very good matches in recent weeks, and while this too was a good match, it felt far too short. It only went a few minutes long, but I'm glad Big E was finally able to get a clean win over Del Rio. It's nice that Big E is being built back up before his upcoming title defense at Extreme Rules, but why isn't he picking up these kind of victories on Raw where it truly matters? I can't say I liked Bad News Barrett trashing Big E for his lack of charisma if only because he isn't allowed to show that charisma in his matches. It didn't put Big E in a good light, but at least Barrett garnered good heat from it.


Hornswoggle def. El Torito

I didn't think it was possible, but this match was even more painful than their last match against each other last week on SmackDown. The lack of crowd reaction to the match spoke volumes, and it's mind boggling to me that WWE doesn't realize that virtually no one cares about this "feud". Comic relief is one thing, but when it isn't enjoyable, it's a complete waste of time. If nothing else, I'd rather see this take up time on Main Event than on Raw.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"So-and-so needs to turn heel" is a common complaint among the members of the Internet Wrestling Community (and I don't disclude myself from that). Whether it be Randy Orton (who did eventually turn back heel last summer) or especially John Cena (it's not happening, people, so get over it), there's always someone that must turn heel according to the IWC. There is one Superstar, however, that actually is in desperate need of a heel turn, that being Sheamus. I promise you that there is reason behind this and I'm not just pitching this because he "annoys" me.

Prior to getting injured in the summer of 2013, Sheamus was mostly directionless. He had, in my opinion, a pretty good run as World Heavyweight Champion throughout 2012 (being involved in the title scene for almost all of the year), but did nothing of note after dropping the strap to Big Show at that year's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. I remember that his loss to Show marked the first time he had been defeated cleanly since turning face in July 2011, and I don't recall him getting pinned clean many times after that. I know he was was cleanly defeated by Daniel Bryan last July and by Alberto Del Rio (surprisingly) the following month, but all things considered, Sheamus is a top star in WWE and has been protected for the most part as a fan favorite.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kane Attacked WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan

First off, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Bryan for the recent unexpected passing of his father. He was visibly crying when he first entered and having Brie Bella come out with him was a nice touch. People who were unaware of what happened were probably confused since Bryan never even got a chance to speak, but that's nitpicking things. I'm glad Kane is back to being masked and his attack on Bryan was ruthless. The crowd was sympathetic toward Bryan and it was a great way of re-establishing Kane as a monster. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind the two facing off for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules and this was an excellent way to kick off the feud.


Bad News Barrett def. Sheamus in a Semifinals Match in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament

Barrett and Sheamus have always had great chemistry together and this match was proof of it. The action was highly entertaining and the crowd was invested the entire time. They delivered down the stretch and the final few minutes were excellent. I was pleasantly surprised to see Barrett go over in clean fashion, so kudos to Sheamus for doing the job. He can absorb the loss, but he's still in desperate need of a heel turn in the near future.