WWE made a pledge that it was going to stack the deck because this is the time where WWE fans will have the choice of renewing their WWE Network subscriptions. Did the show convince you to make another commitment? Let’s find out. By the way, the ratings system is out of five for each match. (Ex: ***3/4 = 3.75/5 and so on)
Stardust and Goldust def. The Usos (C) – WWE Tag Team Championships
Loved this match as the opener. Absolutely loved it. Kudos to all men involved. The crowd was very into it and I was as well. But the MVP of this match goes to Goldust. His rolling sentons and powerslam on the outside were both sick and considering at his advanced age he still producing at a high level demands much respect. I also loved the pace of the match as well. It ranged from menacing and plotting to fast and exciting. I also loved Stardust slapping Jimmy or Jey Uso (I don’t know, okay?), for some great heel behavior. I anticipated the psychology of Jey’s bad knee coming into play, and it did in the finish, protecting the Usos a bit, but also giving the Star/Goldust combo the much-deserved victory. The Usos had a great run with the titles, but if they weren’t dropping the gold to The Wyatts, then this was the team to beat them. It has been high time for new champions, and I was more than satisfied with this match. I would have loved to see a finisher finish, but the roll up was more than acceptable. Great opener and a pat on the back to all involved ***3/4
Sheamus (C) def. Cesaro – United States Championship
Let’s get this out of the way right now. This was the match of the night. Don’t tell me otherwise okay? These two absolutely brought the goods. the back and forth physicality was just epic, and I loved the sequence where Cesaro ducked the Brogue kick into this Torture-Rack like slam. It was just amazing. Sheamus was the right person to win, as Cesaro wouldn’t have a lot of people to feud with over the title. I’d say that this match was more or less better than their clash at Payback, which was also great as well. This just proves my point that if these two are given a 15-20 minute match, then they can bring the house down. And they damn well did. Both Sheamus and Cesaro played their roles well and the sheer physicality from two of the best workhorses in WWE was great to watch. Once again, match of the night. If only WWE could capitalize on the momentum from these two matches. I wanted maybe 2 more minutes of the match, but I cannot complain. ****
The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler (C) – Intercontinental Championship
You see, I had a bad feeling that WWE was going to put the title back on The Miz. He was embarassed and subsequently took a pinfall to Ziggler last week on RAW. I just saw this coming, but i was pulling for Ziggler. Before I get into the match, I must say, that Florida/Georgia whatever band made a completely unnecessary appearance. If they want to promote their CD, go on YouTube or take to Twitter. Not to mention this almost guaranteed interference in a match they had no business being a part of. And to an even bigger extent, the already insufferable commentary was made 10x worse as little to attention was being placed on the title match itself. I just wanted everyone to shut up, especially Lawler. Anyways, the match was fine, but the interference was too much. Plus, what does WWE exactly see in The Miz? I don’t know about you, but I believe he has outlived his usefulness. He already main evented WrestleMania, but just switching the titles between the two at every PPV isn’t going to make him any more exciting. Dolph should have had a better reign. Now the IC Title gets dumbed down a few notches with The Miz again. Good grief. **
Rusev def. Mark Henry
Lillian Garcia opening by signing the Pledge of Allegiance was a good touch as it made the match seem important, though Garcia did not sing as nearly as well as I expected. And I think that’s why Henry was crying. Match was slow and I wasn’t really into it, but the WSS on Rusev got the crowd a little excited. But Henry let America down and Show and JBL probabbly jumped him in the back for doing so. This match was just there. Watchable, but didn’t set anyone on fire. I hope Rusev enjoys this push he’s getting, because it will all be over when John Cena makes him tap at Tribute To The Troops in December. *3/4
Rollins Open Challenge/Ambrose Assault
Just like Battleground, Rollins asks the ref to count to ten even though his opponent is unable to compete, giving Rollins a victory over Reigns. Then Rollins makes an open challenge to anyone in the back, and like 99.6 percent of the wrestling fan base predicted, Ambrose returned. I must say I chuckled at Ambrose not paying the taxi guy. The assault was on and I loved it, though I wish WWE would stop with the incessant security. Just let them go at it in the parking lot. It has felt like forever since Ambrose is gone, but needless to say, we’re all glad he’s back. I needed a break from Reigns, but best wishes to his unfortunate injury. This segment was fine, and served its purpose, and now what has been the feud of the year between Rollins and Ambrose can continue, I think. ***
Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho
You know, Jericho once said that if you have two guys wrestling a match without a story or interesting background, it is just two men wrestling in their underwear. Wonder how he feels after this. The crowd was really dead for a majority of the match until they started the false finishes and constant reversals. The match was okay, but I was a bit dissapointed. I problem I have with Orton is that his matches seem to drag and takes me out of it too early. He moves kind of slow and he also does too many damn chin locks. Like find another submission hold. Not to mention that the ending could have been seen from a mile away. Its obvious that Jericho didn’t watch Orton’s match with Sheamus on RAW a few weeks ago as the exact same spot happened, just from a different angle. An okay match, but without a story or WWE giving us a reason to care about it, there was really nothing of major interest here. The effort was good, but this match just goes to show how much a build can affect an actual in-ring match. People just don’t care. Just a placeholder match that served its purpose, but not overwhelming. **3/4
AJ Lee def. Paige, Nikki Bella – Divas Title
Gotta say, was not expecting AJ regaining the title. I thought the favorite was Paige, as she just won it back, and I was fearful WWE would start a Bella vs. Bella program over the title. But AJ winning was a pleasant surprise. Not sure who she will feud with now because she has beaten every other Diva on the roster, but as long as no one with a last name Bella wins, I am fine. The actual match was actually solid. Lots of physical spots with AJ dragging Nikki on to the pavement by the hair, and the surprising tower of doom spot. Take a good look, because I don’t think you’ll be seeing that in a Divas match for a good while. I was moderately entertained, and for a rare time, the Divas match wasn’t a total DUD. And Nikki didn’t totally botch it up as well. Good match for what it was. **1/2
John Cena def. (DQ) Brock Lesnar – WWE World Heavyweight Title
Before I get into the atrocity of a finish to this match, let me review it first. It was just fine. Okay. Nothing that I haven’t seen from Summerslam. They just twisted it up a little. The beginning was just a reversal of Summerslam, with the middle of the match basically the same as Summerslam as well. Cena hit 2 finishers and Lesnar kicked out at 1. Just saying. 2 more Attitude Adjustments and the STF puts Brock in a precarious position, but then we get a shocking Rollins run-in. Ambrose was hauled by security so for those wondering, that’s why there was no run-in. He attacks Cena and he’s CASHING IN ON LESNAR!?! Rollins curb stomps Lesnar and Roberts announces he’s cashing in, then Cena attacks Rollins and since the bell didn’t ring, Rollins still holds custody of the briefcase. Lesnar F5’s Cena and John Cena picks up the DQ victory. First, what i hate is that now the running storyline will be “Cena would have won had Rollins not interfere.” Lesnar was built up to be an unstoppable beast, but now we are going to hear Cena acting all triumphant with a supposed clear victory in hand without interference. I can just hear the annoying banter we are going to hear from Cole and Lawler (and yes I am complaining and still watching because I like wrestling, OK)? But I have to say, that was about one of the most stupid endings to a PPV main event. This was borderline WCW stupid. This was almost Battleground 2013 stupid. You have something no one is expecting, Rollins cashing in on Lesnar, and then you botch it up by having Cena attack Rollins after he knocked him out with the briefcase, and most of all, you cheat Nashville fans with a DQ main event ending with no payoff in a successful cash in. I can only shudder at the possibility of Cena challenging Rollins for MITB and winning, subsequently challenging Brock at HIAC. I guess Vince couldn’t bring himself to have John lose two straight PPV’s clean. Because if that had happened, we would most likely get a black hole or something. That’d be something, huh? Not saying it will happen, but Vince can make it happen just like this. If you watched Summerslam, this will be more or less no different. But Lesnar did not dominate, Cena is the one looking strong, and we get a DQ finish. The only saving grace for the moment is that Lesnar is still champion. Just a bad way to end any PPV. Screw you, Vince. **3/4
Final Thoughts:
This was such an uneven show. The tag match was great, and Sheamus/Cesaro was the match of the night. But WWE lost all of its steam and fell of a cliff from that point. Orton/Jericho was average and didn’t provide us a reason as to why we should care, Henry/Rusev was just, well there, the Divas match was fine, the Intercontinental Title match/segment with that rock band was horrible, especially the result, and the main event finish was total bull crap. This show reminded me of Battleground in a lot of ways, and not in good ways either. On the surface, the card looks like it holds promise. The actual result was vastly underwhelming. And so to answer the question if WWE convinced fans to renew subscriptions, I’d say slightly yes, only to see where they are going with Rollins. But this is mainly a two match show, and those are the first two that shows up on the card. Don’t go out of your way to see the PPV. Wait until the matches are up on YouTube if you missed it. This PPV gets a thumbs in the middle, leaning down. 5 out of 10.
