Here is a quick rundown of my thoughts of Great Balls of Fire, including a star ratings and a final score.
- The opening match between Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins was a paint-by-numbers TV match. Apparently, Seth Rollins has nothing much to do at Summerslam, as the finish seems to be setting up a rematch at that PPV. I am over Bray Wyatt, a cult leader who has zero minions and never converted anymore. The gimmick needs to go away. ** 1/2
- Enzo cut a heartfelt, passionate promo before his match with Big Cass begun. I thought Cass had main event potential, but taking his shirt off was the worst idea ever. Nothing about his body looking star-worthy. He needs to hit the gym asap. It was a squash and not a very good one at that. *1/4
- Cesaro and Sheamus and the Hardys had a great 15 minute match stretched out to 30 minutes. Towards the end, the drama was authentic and the crowd was invested, plus Sheamus and Cesaro did a very good job of heeling it up. I will give this a generous *** 1/2. It would be more if the match was not so drawn out and tedious the first couple of minutes.
- Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks was a good example of people doing moves for the sake of moves since they aren’t feeling the match because they know the ending is going to be lackluster. **
- Speaking of lackluster finishes, Dean Ambrose vs. Miz ended in a lame and convoluted way in an otherwise very dull and insipid match. **
- The Ambulance match was mostly the Attitude Era kick/punch, brawling all around formula. The finish defeated the purpose of the whole sell point of the match and that is why I never liked the gimmick match in the first place. The highlights came after the match with Roman Reigns looking like the biggest douche ever while Braun Strowman looked like the biggest badass that you want to cheer for. Though people are speculating it was a double turn, please, don’t be naive. Many cases we have thought Reigns turned heel, only to find out he is one of the worst booked babyfaces ever. Call it ***, I guess.
- Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe made me angry more than anything else. Sure, it made Samoa Joe look semi-credible, going to-toe-toe with Lesnar, but the fact that Lesnar isn’t even working long matches anymore has made his whole song and dance tiring. If you’re going to main event shows, at least put a modest effort into it. Lesnar has slowly but surely became lazy since Suplex City and now it’s gotten to a point where it’s ridiculous. ** 3/4
Overall: This PPV looked very good on paper, but it ended up being just an alright show. I guess you can never underestimate Raw’s Creative Team to mar a good looking card.
Thumbs in the Middle.
