WWE Great Balls of Fire Review - July 9, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville def. Akira Tozawa (Kickoff Match)

Putting the Cruiserweights on the Kickoff show again might have been for the best because they likely would have been cut for time on the main card. This was a nice little match from Neville and Tozawa, though they were just hitting that next gear before the finish. That said, I liked that Tozawa was protected in defeat and I assume this isn't the last we'll see of them against each other. I don't know whether Titus O'Neil is helping or hindering this feud, but I will say he is better off as a babyface in this role.

Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins

I had no doubt that these two would contest a good match, it was just that I couldn't care less about their current program because nothing is at stake and we're not even sure what it's about. Thus, the ending outcome was virtually irrelevant, but they worked well together and put together an enjoyable opener. I want to be optimistic about Wyatt picking up the victory, but we all know Rollins will get his win back next month at SummerSlam, anyway. Getting the most meaningless match of the night out of the way early was wise by WWE.

Big Cass def. Enzo Amore

I will be the first one to admit that this rivalry has exceeded my expectations up to this point, but I can't say I was surprised or even disappointed by how one-sided this match was. Amore's promo before the bout was great, but his in-ring skills leave a lot to be desired, so it was smart to have Cass completely dominate his former tag team partner here. It made Cass out to look like a vicious heel and establish Enzo as a sympathetic figure, so this worked wonderfully.

Raw Tag Team Champions Sheamus and Cesaro def. The Hardy Boyz in a 30-Minute Iron Man Tag Team Match

With 30 minutes on the clock, these two teams had the tough task of keeping the crowd engaged throughout the bout and I thought they did so very well. The first two-thirds of the matchup were solid, but they didn't really pick up the pace until the final stretch, which the audience was hot for. Thankfully, The Hardy Boyz are huge fan favorites, so the fans were into everything they did. Each nearfall was suspenseful and I truly thought The Hardyz had the titles won before Cesaro stole that last win. Do The Hardyz become "broken" now? And who's next in line to challenge for the tag titles?

Sasha Banks def. Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss by Count-out

Banks and Bliss haven't wrestled each other a ton, but already they have strong chemistry together. This wasn't an instant classic by any means, but after a slow start, they delivered an entertaining second half. Unfortunately, the count-out finish was lame. I understand they wanted to have Bliss retain the title without beating Banks, but surely they could have come up with something more creative? If nothing else, the ladies taking their fight to the stage afterward made up for it ever so slightly.

Intercontinental Champion The Miz def. Dean Ambrose

I've said countless times in the past that despite how badly I wanted to see this rivalry wrap up, they always have quality matches, and while that was once again true here, I felt like I had seen this exact same match before and it failed to hold my interest as a result. The interference was pretty predictable and the matchup was largely mediocre, but at least the right guy went over. Fingers crossed this is the last installment in the Miz vs. Ambrose feud for a long, long time.

Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns in an Ambulance Match

Every encounter between Reigns and Strowman has been excellent and this was no exception as their hard-hitting, highly physical style is such a blast to watch. These types of gimmick matches tend to limit the competitors and what they can do, but they made effective use of the extreme environment and had an awesome match. Strowman dodging a Spear from Reigns and closing the door on him for the victory was amazing as well. I don't think there's much doubt that this was the greatest Ambulance match in WWE history. As for the aftermath...

Heath Slater def. Curt Hawkins

Obviously, I'm not going to comment on the match itself because it was merely meant to serve as background fodder as the officials tended to Strowman in the destroyed ambulance. I loved how Slater and Hawkins acted like they had no idea what was going on and that they were thrown out there seconds earlier. I couldn't help but laugh when Slater was announced as the winner without the finish even being shown. It added to the realness of the situation and more importantly, it was something different from what we're used to seeing in WWE. I can't be the only one who walked away thinking Strowman came across like the biggest babyface of all-time while Reigns came across like an absolute asshole of a heel, right?

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar def. Samoa Joe

Everyone had high hopes for this dream match and this was a rare instance where it ultimately lived up to the hype. Sure, it lasted all of six minutes, but those six minutes were killer and Joe had a spectacular showing against The Beast. The Coquina Clutch was put over like a lethal maneuver and I appreciated how Lesnar never broke the hold, he only escaped it. Additionally, it was so refreshing to see Lesnar wrestle a competitive contest for a change and I pray to God that a rematch is in the not-so-distant future.

Overall Show

The top two matchups alone made this an above-average event and the undercard was a treat as well. There were a few booking decisions I wasn't fond of, but by and large, I don't have many complaints regarding the in-ring action. It isn't a stretch to say that this was undoubtedly the best Raw pay-per-view to date since the dawn of the Brand Split that benefited from an exceptionally-executed build and a hot crowd. WWE needed a newsworthy show such as this one (despite no titles changing hands) to set the stage for SummerSlam and get fans excited for what's next.