 Fernando gets locked in the Cesaro Swing. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Emma def. Summer Rae As they did with Paige and Emma last week, it was nice to hear the commentators acknowledge the longtime history between Emma and Summer. Their antics were entertaining and all, but the match was most enjoyable when it came down to the in-ring action. They aren't allowed to showcase their talent on the main roster more often than not, but they're both great wrestlers and it was refreshing to see them work a match that reflected that. Emma doesn't score many wins these days, so her picking up the victory was a treat. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro def. Los Matadores There aren't many Los Matadores matches that I actually enjoy because I find the act so stupid, but this was a rare exception. Except for one spot that involved El Torito early on, this match was all about the wrestling. The styles of both tandems meshed perfectly and it made for an incredibly entertaining matchup. The final few minutes were fun and the finish was fantastic. Even the live crowd was getting into it, which you don't normally see for Superstars matches (for obvious reasons).
0 Comments
 Adrian Neville dropkicks Kevin Owens. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Kevin Owens Interrupted Adrian Neville For someone who isn't a strong mic worker, Neville cut a pretty good promo here coming off his loss to Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover. It was also encouraging to see him stay face, especially with Owens going heel. Speaking of whom, he was great here and explained his actions well without giving too much away. It was a short and sweet talking segment that nicely set the stage for the night's main event. If only the opening segments on Raw were kept this concise. Becky Lynch def. Bayley Both Bayley and Lynch are exceptional in-ring workers and they worked well together here. It didn't feel like the "grudge" match they were touting it as, but it was nice to see both ladies show more aggression than usual. They also have history dating back to when Lynch turned on Bayley, so the match had meaning behind it. As much as I'd like to see Bayley picking up more wins, Lynch needed the win just as much given how many losses she took before her heel turn, so I didn't have a problem with it.  Hulk Hogan celebrates with his fellow Americans. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Hulk Hogan Addressed the Troops Hogan's appearance was a pleasant surprise and it must have been a treat for those in attendance. It also might have been the first time where Hogan was on a WWE program and didn't plug anything. It wasn't long before The Miz interrupted who had a cheesy albeit enjoyable exchange with John Cena. The subsequent brawl between the faces and heels set up the multi-man main event nicely. It had a Raw feel to it, but at least it was relatively harmless. The Usos def. Gold and Stardust I grew tiresome of seeing these two teams work together after a while during the fall, but it's been long enough since they last clashed that I didn't have a problem with it. They worked a fun tag team match which isn't too surprising given their great chemistry. The match didn't have much meaning behind it, but it was a nice way of kicking off the in-ring portion of the show.  Bray Wyatt responds to Dean Ambrose. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Roman Reigns def. Fandango I'm a sucker for a show that kicks off with in-ring action. It's a small thing, but surprisingly, we don't see it much nowadays on Raw or SmackDown. Fandango was a logical first opponent for Reigns given what happened on Raw this week and Fandango could absorb the loss because... well, what else is he doing right now? Reigns didn't seem to have lost a step in his time away from the ring. Personally, I don't find him to be as bad in the ring as some people perceive him to be, but he'll only improve going into WrestleMania season. Bray Wyatt Responded to Dean Ambrose Ambrose's promo was a logical follow-up to the events of TLC but nothing special. The same can be said for Wyatt's subsequent response. It was a decent verbal exchange but not much more than a placeholder promo leading into their match at Tribute to the Troops. I don't mind this feud continuing past TLC, but it shouldn't carry on until the Royal Rumble. I'd rather they blow it off before then, and it's possible they do so at Tribute to the Troops.  Kane takes control of Erick Rowan. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
The Miz Hosted 'Miz TV' with Naomi Miz, Naomi and The Usos have been telling a simple story thus far and it's easy to follow. Whether you like it or not, it's the first time a feud over the tag titles actually means something, so that's encouraging. Everyone involved has played their parts well and Naomi has been better on the mic than I initially thought she would. This was effective in building toward the Divas title match on SmackDown between Naomi and Nikki Bella. The New Day def. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Was it just me or was this ten times better than the match The New Day and Gold and Stardust frmo Raw? It might have been because it wasn't as long, but the action was more enjoyable and the two teams worked well together. The live crowd here also seemed to be into The New Day act a lot more than most recent crowds. I would still like to think they'll be turning heel before long, though. |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2025
|
RSS Feed