 Randy Orton lays out former WWE Champ Daniel Bryan. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Triple H Stripped Daniel Bryan of the WWE Championship We all saw this segment coming immediately following the conclusion of last night's WWE title match, but I think it's a solid story. Someone is seemingly framing Bryan to make it look like he conspired with the referee. Triple H's mic work here was nothing special, but I liked how Bryan didn't give up the title belt without a fight. This was a logical follow-up to last night's controversy, but it should have been addressed on the pay-per-view itself. Dolph Ziggler def. United States Champion Dean Ambrose (Non-title) Although I still strongly believe that these two are capable of providing a much more entertaining matchup, this was a pretty good contest while it lasted. The commercial break hindered the action a bit, but the final few minutes were well done. The fact that Ziggler and Ambrose competed against one another in their home state of Ohio was cool, and it was nice to see Ziggler pick up a decisive victory for once. It was odd for Justin Roberts to announce after the bout that Ambrose was still the U.S. Champion (isn't that a foregone conclusion?), but that might indicate that their feud is far from over.
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 Could Daniel Bryan win the WWE title via submission? By Graham "GSM" Matthews
The Prime Time Players Won a Tag Team Turmoil Match to Become the No. 1 Contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championships Fans weren't given much of an incentive to care about any team involved, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much the live crowd was into the action. The eliminations were done at a rapid-fire pace, presumably because they short on time. Nonetheless, every tandem performed well and The Prime Time Players were logical winners. This was a fun matchup, but not nearly as exciting as some of the other matches we've seen on the pre-show in recent months. Paul Heyman and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel Interrupted Triple H This was an extremely strange segment. First off, having a promo kick off a pay-per-view is never a good idea and didn't exactly set the tone for the rest of the night. Secondly, Triple H came off as more of a babyface in this segment than he did a heel. I understand he might be attempting to act phony, but he played to the crowd when it was unnecessary. I liked the fact that Curtis Axel made mention of his history with HHH, but The Game placing Axel in an impromptu match gave this show feel like an episode of Raw rather than a pay-per-view.  Daniel Bryan secures the Yes Lock on Randy Orton. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Triple H Suspended Big Show Show's promo was decent for what it was, but the note card he held in his hand while speaking essentially meant it was written by HHH himself. I'm glad HHH gave Show the night off, as it allowed Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton to shine in the spotlight for once. HHH once again came off as a egotistical bully and continues to provide excellent performances. Show's brawl with The Shield was pleasantly surprising and I wasn't at all bothered by the immense amount of selling The Shield did for Show. They ended up taking him out in the end, which is all that really mattered anyway. Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi def. Alicia Fox, Aksana and Layla by Disqualification This was the same exact match we saw on this week's Raw, so what point was this supposed to serve? The action was even worse than it was on Monday and had an abrupt ending with AJ Lee interfering. The odds are certainly stacked against AJ going into her defense of the Divas Championship on Sunady, which hopefully means she will be coming out of the event with her title intact.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Mr. Anderson Confronted TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray Ray's mic work was strong as always and built towards his title defense against Anderson later in the show. He continues to call out Hulk Hogan, and I fail to see the point. The two (hopefully) won't be facing off against each other at Bound For Glory, so why bother to have them feud? Mr. Anderson played his role well here and kept his promo short and sweet. This segment was necessary to put more heat on the world title match between the two Aces and Eights member, but the announcement of it being a Last Man Standing match came as bit of a surprise. AJ Styles def. Austin Aries in a Bound For Glory Series Semi-Final Match Despite the crowd seeming uninterested at certain points, this was an excellent match that certainly lived up to my high expectations. They had an awesome matchup last month, but they managed to raise the bar this time around. The bout was filled with exciting action and incredible intensity from both competitors. The final few minutes as well as the finishing sequence were extremely well done and made Styles' victory feel meaningful.  Kofi Kingston takes the fight to Antonio Cesaro. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Kofi Kingston def. Antonio Cesaro This was by far one of the best matches I've seen on Main Event in a long while. Interestingly enough, I think these two were the ones who put on the last great match on this show over the United States Championship a few months back. Nonetheless, this bout featured plenty of entertaining action and their indescribable chemistry made for an exciting encounter. I hate to see Cesaro lose (again), but he was made to look strong in defeat. Kingston needed the win more, though, since he might contending for the Intercontinental Championship sooner rather than later. Sure, this match didn't have much meaning in the long scheme of things, but it was still fun for what it was worth. The Prime Time Players def. 3MB The Prime Time Players are gradually getting more and more each week, which is an assuring sign. Their match with 3MB was mostly forgettable, but both Titus O'Neil and Darren Young have nice outings, respectively. While the commentary from Tons of Funk wasn't spectacular, it helped hype the Tag Team Turmoil match on the Night of Champions pre-show. |
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