By Graham "GSM" Matthews Brie Bella def. Becky Lynch I've always said Brie was the weaker worker of The Bella Twins, but she can have a competent match with the right opponent and Lynch was the perfect person for her to go up against. She had an impressive showing in this bout and the funny thing is, I can't remember any of their past encounters being anything special. Something just clicked on this night. It was strange hearing more chants for Brie than for Lynch, but it wasn't until afterward that I realized it was the Bellas' hometown. Due to that, giving Brie the win here is almost excusable, but Lynch is the one they need to start building up right now at the risk of making her an afterthought (if she isn't one already, that is). Stardust def. Zack Ryder These two had a very similar match only a few short weeks ago, so this was a repeat performance. It was a well-wrestled little match, but ultimately nothing of note. Both Stardust and Ryder are excellent athletes, but the crowd won't care until they're given a reason to. It's nice to see The Ascension at ringside for Stardust's matches, but why isn't Stardust ever present for The Ascension's matches? Because he knows they'll lose, perhaps?
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews The Authority Announced a No. 1 Contender's Tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship I really liked the idea of holding a tournament of sorts to determine a new No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The night after WrestleMania might have been the last time we had a No. 1 contender's match, which is crazy to think about. Another aspect of it that I liked was how the tournament consisted of all winners from Hell in a Cell, which is exactly the way it should be. It sounds silly, but how often had we had glorified losers get title shots for no reason? The only complaint I had was that Brock Lesnar's absence from the tournament wasn't explained, despite the fact graphics of his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker were replayed at least three times throughout the night. I didn't at all expect him to compete, but they simply could have said he was too hurt to take part instead of ignoring it. Roman Reigns def. WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston in a No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Qualifying Match There wasn't any doubt regarding the outcome, but Reigns and Kingston worked a very good opening match. Above all else, it felt fresh and Kingston sold well for Reigns' offense. To my memory, this was the first singles match they've worked together, but they've had plenty of practice in tag team matches before, so that's where the solid in-ring chemistry stemmed from. Typically I'm not a fan of champs taking losses, but Kingston's a tag title holder and this was a singles match, so I didn't mind it as much. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Neville, Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler def. King Barrett, Sheamus and Rusev (Kickoff Match) The biggest problem this matchup faced was that it didn't mean anything because none of these six Superstars mean anything at the moment. Don't get me wrong, though: I thoroughly enjoyed this match from an in-ring standpoint and thought it was a lot of fun, but the ending outcome doesn't hold much value. They finally threw the babyfaces a bone by allowing them to pick up the victory, but it wouldn't shock me if they held the rematch Monday night on Raw. Again, it was one of the better Kickoff matches I've seen in some time, but no one benefited from it whatsoever. Alberto Del Rio def. John Cena to Win the United States Championship Well, color me surprised. Del Rio has returned! I honestly didn't believe any of the rumors that were circulating a few weeks ago about him making a potential return to the company after all the bad blood between the two sides at this time last year. I wrote in an article for Hidden Remote just recently saying I didn't care to see Del Rio back in WWE, but I must admit I "marked out" a bit when I heard his music hit. It was a genuine surprise that didn't fall flat, so props to WWE for keeping it a secret. What was even more surprising was when he beat Cena clean, with a kick of all things! I realize Cena is on his way out for a few months, but they didn't do anything to set up his departure, but it's possible they address it on Raw. Nevertheless, I'm skeptical about a Del Rio return because he was damaged goods before he left last year, but if they can book him properly this time around, he'll have a chance of getting over again. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Fandango def. Heath Slater It's funny, my roommate (who is a casual wrestling fan at best) asked me recently who would lose in a "battle of the losers" and I responded by saying "the fans." That was essentially the case with this match as Dallas couldn't have cared less about either of these guys. Fandango's shtick hasn't been over in years and Slater, while he tries to elicit heat, is the epitome of an enhancement talent. The match was fine for what it was, but it was mostly flat because neither of these guys are anything close to being over with the audience. Stardust def. Zack Ryder Of course, the ending outcome was never in doubt, but it was a well-wrestled match while it lasted. Similar to Fandango vs. Slater, both of these guys are talented in the ring, but the crowd cared more about this match because at least Stardust and Ryder are somewhat over. The Ascension added a different dynamic at ringside and I wish WWE was more consistent with the trio (i.e. sometimes they appear on-screen together, at other times they don't). I liked how they aided Stardust in victory as although Ryder didn't need to be protected, it allowed Stardust to generate more heat. |
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