Chris Sabin def. Caprice ColemanLio Rush's rivalry with The Rebellion has been fun to watch progress, but it's almost hard to care at this point knowing Rush has already left the organization. Nevertheless, this was a well-wrestled match that served as an entertaining opener to the show. Also, is Rhett Titus officially out of The Rebellion? He wasn't shown with Coleman and Kenny King here and I recently read on Twitter he would be returning as The Romantic Touch soon, which might be an indicator he's been booted from the stable. Roppongi Vice def. Cheeseburger and Will FerraraBoth of these teams have a bigger presence on the Japanese wrestling scene than they do in Ring of Honor, but I'll never complain about getting a fun match. Despite a real lack of purpose, the in-ring action was entertaining and the babyfaces looked good in defeat. Roppongi Vice shine in all of their matches and I'd love to see them receive a more prominent push in ROH. As for Ferrara, he teased tension with Cheeseburger afterward, so it's possible he turns heel before long.
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Akira Tozawa def. Tony NeseAs I've said before, Tozawa is definitely among the more charismatic Cruiserweights in the division at the moments and his matches benefit from that as a result. He and Nese had a nice little match, but Nese's wins and losses have been so inconsistent that it's hard to take him seriously. I liked how Tozawa once again got one over on The Brian Kendrick when Kendrick's interference backfired and led to Tozawa scoring the win. Does Nese attacking Kendrick afterward indicate he's headed for a face turn soon? Rich Swann Exposed Alicia FoxThe Tozawa vs. Kendrick feud has lasted just as long as the Swann vs. Noam Dar feud, but Tozawa vs. Kendrick has been infinitely more entertaining for me. I don't know, love triangles rarely work out in wrestling and this one hasn't been compelling from the start. They've told a consistent story with Swann essentially ruining the relationship Dar had with Alicia Fox, but I'm not sure he emerges from this coming off like a good guy. I think it's time we wrap this program up and call it a day.
Charlotte Flair Challenged SmackDown Women's Champion NaomiIt was cool to see the women of SmackDown showcased at the start of the show for a change, and they immediately positioned Charlotte as the biggest acquisition in the Superstar Shake-up. She and Naomi had a decent back-and-forth on the mic and Shane McMahon announced their match for later in the night. I'm glad they didn't give Charlotte a title her first night on SmackDown because Shane made a good point about her earning her shot at the strap. Jinder Mahal def. Sami Zayn, Mojo Rawley, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler in a WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Six-Pack Challenge MatchWhile most of the guys involved in this match have lost more than they've won recently, and I'm not sure what they did to deserve their spot in this No. 1 Contender's bout, the outcome was certainly unpredictable. For example, Rawley has been featured more prominently as of late and Rowan just faced off with Randy Orton last week, so I would not have been too shocked if either of them won. For a match featuring a bunch of jobbers, this exceeded all expectations in being very fun from start to finish with there not being a dull moment. Mahal winning does absolutely nothing for me, but the idea of a possible alliance with The Bollywood Boyz is slightly intriguing. They can't actually be doing Orton vs. Mahal at Backlash, right?
Titus O'Neil def. Curtis AxelEssentially, this was the same match we saw from them a few weeks ago on Main Event, except a little less enjoyable because the crowd couldn't have cared less about either guy. At least last time, Axel had the hometown advantage, but without that element, this was just another match that meant nothing. Once again, O'Neil scored the victory, and for what? It looks like he might be put in a program with Apollo Crews soon, but I have zero interest in that. If nothing else, O'Neil hitting his finisher on Axel while Axel was propped on the top rope was cool. Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese def. Lince Dorado and Gran MetalikI know for a fact we saw some incarnation of this match recently, maybe with Drew Gulak replacing Daivari. Nevertheless, I liked this match a lot more than I thought I would. Not because I didn't think they had it in them, but because the Cruiserweights aren't typically allowed to go all out, especially on Main Event. However, the crowd rallied for the babyfaces down the stretch and their aerial maneuvers, though Daivari botching his finisher on Dorado ended the match on a bad note.
Raw General Manager Kurt Angle Confronted Braun StrowmanIt's only been two weeks and Angle has already proven to be a better general manager than Mick Foley with how he doesn't back down the talent. Strowman's promo was kept relatively short and sweet as it probably should have been leading to Angle's announcement of a match between Strowman and Roman Reigns at Payback as well as a tease for what would happen later in the night. There was no indication that they will have a gimmick match of any kind, but it would be befitting of the feud. Samoa Joe def. Chris JerichoThese two were shorted for time when they initially faced off last month, so I was glad they received much more time for this match. They made the most of it by putting together an enjoyable affair and Jericho scored enough offense to not look weak in defeat. The decisive win for Joe was a nice touch, as I assume he'll be leaving again after the Payback pay-per-view. Joe's post-match promo was phenomenal and I liked how Rollins' retort was straight to the point. I'm looking forward to their first-ever encounter on the main roster at Payback.
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