 By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Matt Sydal def. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Kushida It's always surprises me that ROH doesn't do more with Sydal given his natural in-ring ability and connection with the crowd, but his lack of mic skills might be what's holding him back. Then again, he doesn't talk much, so I can't accurately asses his mic skills. I was barely exposed to Kushida before this bout, so it was cool to see more of his work here and his style meshed perfectly with Sydal's. They produced a very fun opener and it was refreshing to see Sydal score a rare televised win, and it a was a big one considering it came against a champion from Japan. I doubt this will lead to Sydal getting a title shot, but I'd love to see a rematch between them at some point. Takaaki Watanabe def. Adam Page, Will Ferrara and Moose in a Four Corner Survival Match I know most of the matches featuring the Japanese talent are random, but this one involved a strange cast of characters. Will Ferrara and Adam Page were there for no good reason, and I figured Moose would be saved for something more special. Regardless, Watanabe was above and beyond the most over wrestler in the match and it was wise to have him win. While I enjoyed the opener more, the four-way was fine for what it was as everyone was able to get in their signature spots.
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 Drew Galloway confronts Ethan Carter III. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Drew Galloway Interrupted TNA World Heavyweight Champion Ethan Carter III As I've stated countless times in the past, I'm typically not a fan of promos kicking off wrestling shows, but this was a strong talking segment with a clear focus on the Bound for Glory main event. I'm still amazed TNA waited as long as they did before they started promoting it, but the final sell was solid. I'd say EC3 is the better mic worker of the two, but only because Galloway tends to be over-the-top at times and repeats the same material. Other than that, I like the fire he shows in his voice, and they set up the main event tag team match (and Sunday's main event) nicely. Mahabali Shera def. James Storm in a No Disqualification Match I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't have cared less about this feud over the past few months. I appreciate the effort to make it mean something, but Shera is just too green and Storm legitimately left the company months ago. This actually would have been better placed at BFG, but since Storm is already gone, that was out of the question. They worked a decent match and it was a fine blow-off to the Revolution angle, but I'm glad it's over. Storm put a new star over on his way out, so kudos to him. As for everyone else, we'll see where they go from here although I don't particularity care about any of them.  Finn Balor finishes off Enzo Amore. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe def. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Round 2 Match Balor and Joe are a bit of a mismatched duo in comparison to the rest of the competitors in the tournament, don't you think? This was a fun little match while it lasted, but Amore and Cassady looked like shmucks in the ring with Balor and Joe. They beat them with ease, but it was logical to have them advance given their star power. I'm just surprised they won so decisively. Regardless of whether they win the whole thing, this pairing will obviously serve as a stepping stone to a feud between them in time for the December TakeOver special. Apollo Crews def. Johnny Gargano Crews' incredible athleticism never ceases to impress me. This was another standard squash from him, but Gargano scored more offense than any of Crews' prior opponents. I like how Crews is slowly stepping up in competition and Gargano was the perfect guy for him to go up against. He looked good in defeat and I hope this means they signed him to a contract, but I guess we won't know for sure until the next set of tapings.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Rusev def. Zack Ryder I figured this wouldn't be much more than a glorified squash match, but Ryder scored more offense than he probably should have. I know Rusev is no longer the unstoppable monster he once was, but there's no reason to have him take a beating at the hands of an enhancement talent like Ryder. If nothing else, I'm glad the obligatory "Dolph Ziggler stole my woman" promo from Rusev was relegated to Main Event this week as opposed to the main shows, but I did laugh at the "But Summer's just a woman" line. His whole misogynistic gimmick is a riot. Braun Strowman def. Curtis Axel Man, where the hell has Axel been lately? This might have been only the second time I've seen him in action in months. He barely received a reaction from the crowd when he made his entrance and it's a shame considering how over his Axelmania shtick was earlier this year. As for Strowman, it was cool to see part of The Wyatt Family make an appearance and assert their dominance. Strowman doesn't have much experience as a singles competitor under his belt yet, so quick squashes such as this one will only help him improve.  Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns go to war. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
United States Champion John Cena def. WWE Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods by Disqualification I appreciated the opener last week with The Wyatt Family kicking off the show and they continued the trend this week with the U.S. Open. I liked the interaction between Cena and The New Day because it was something fresh and New Day are entertaining as all hell, but did anyone honestly think Xavier Woods had a chance of beating Cena for the belt? If you told me years ago that TNA's Consequences Creed would be facing Cena for a title on Raw, I would have called you crazy. It was a decent match while it lasted, but it barely lived up to its full potential before it ended in a disqualification, setting up the subsequent six-man tag team match. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def. United States Champion John Cena and The Dudley Boyz I don't know about anyone else, but it was pretty surreal to see The Dudley Boyz and Cena sharing the same ring for the first time in over a decade. It was a pretty standard six-man tag team match for the most part, but it was well-wrestled, so no complaints. I had my money (no, not literally) on Dudley Boyz winning to build momentum for their title match at the MSG special on Saturday, but New Day picking up the victory was a pleasant surprise. Dose this mean the Dudleys win the belts before Hell in a Cell? |
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