 Brock Lesnar def. John CenaThis was originally announced as the main event by Joe Tessitore on Monday's Raw but was later changed to the opener. The correct call was made as this would not have been a very strong main event. Sure, it had a big fight feel right before the bell rang, but it turned out to be a flurry of finishes and very little else. Cena had a few hope spots, but otherwise, this was total domination from Lesnar a la SummerSlam 2014. There really is no reason for them to revisit this (especially for Cena's last match), so hopefully they move on. And, if it wasn't already obvious, it looks like Lesnar's here to stay. The Vision (Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker) def. The Usos (LA Knight Served as Special Guest Referee)Knight was named the special guest referee at the last minute, probably to add some drama and progress his storyline with Jey Uso. It also allowed them to work without disqualifications since Knight never called for the bell despite them using tables and chairs. This was a good match, but it honestly could've happened on your typical edition of Raw. Reed pinning Jey was a pleasant surprise, though. Stephanie Vaquer def. IYO SKY to Win the Vacant Women's World ChampionshipThis was absolutely on par with their previous encounters. I figured they'd steal the show with ease and they did not disappoint. The pace died down at a few points, but on the whole, this was an excellent outing. Vaquer taking the title genuinely shocked me because she's still so new to the main roster (and WWE in general) and I was convinced SKY would win it back so she could lose it to Rhea Ripley eventually. Hey, I'm not complaining. Hopefully she'll be supported by the booking and can have a memorable reign. AJ Lee and CM Punk def. Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch and World Heavyweight Champion CM PunkWhat a blast! Granted, it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would (or that it arguably should have), but this was a really entertaining time from start to finish. Lee definitely looked rusty at points (her strikes in particular were rather weak), but all in all, she had a hell of a showing. Props to Lynch for carrying her through as well. We got a ton of interaction between all four and a satisfying finish. Lee vs. Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship should be next. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Drew McIntyreOn one hand, I'm happy WWE went with a straightforward championship main event with no shenanigans. I've enjoyed their feud up to this point, but it's still clearly in its early stages. They told a logical story here and had a solid match, but it never reached that next level for me, and Rhodes winning and that being it felt a tad underwhelming. They're capable of better. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this, but it didn't exactly end the first WWE PLE on ESPN on the highest of notes. Overall ShowThere was a quick segment before the main event where The Undertaker emerged and confronted Stephanie McMahon in the crowd at ringside to inform her that she'll be entering the WWE Hall of Fame next April. What's hilarious is that they've waited rather late in recent years to announce the WWE Hall of Fame class, but they made an early exception for Stephanie. Okay, whatever, but please don't have her be the headliner. Nevertheless, this was a slights-thumbs-up show, but not overwhelmingly. For WWE's ESPN debut, they didn't really go all out (no pun intended) the way they probably should have. Lee's return to the ring was fun and SKY vs. Vaquer delivered, but they opened and closed the night with matches that weren't all that exciting, and the tag team match was standard fare. Now we have to sit through three weeks of build for two pointless champion vs. champion matches at Crown Jewel. Oh joy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2026
|
RSS Feed