Kickoff Show- Big Cass vs Rusev
My Prediction: Rusev
Winner: Rusev via countout
Grade: D
Well…this was pretty awful wasn’t it? There isn’t a whole lot to say about this as it was incredibly short and most of the match consisted of Cass chasing Rusev until the eventual countout happened.
As many people have pointed out during this feud, in what way is Rusev the heel? Yeah he formulated a plan with his wife and battered Enzo with ease but this was after Amore on multiple occasions hit on his wife insinuating sex??? Literally any man would defend his wife’s/girlfriends/significant honour regardless of the consequences. A poor opening to the PPV as a whole for those watching the kickoff.
Sheamus and Cesaro vs New Day for the Raw Tag Team Titles
My Prediciton: Sheamus and Cesaro
Winner: Sheamus and Cesaro- New Tag Champs
Grade: B+
What a fantastic opener to the show. Cesaro continues to look almost superhuman in every single match he has and the chemistry between him and the Irishman makes for a fantastic team.
The storytelling was fantastic- Woods repeatedly getting involved which he has done throughout the New Day’s record-breaking reign but to no avail, Cesaro throwing himself into the line of fire at the end, avoiding the tag as he knew it would benefit the team as a whole and, perhaps the biggest story element of all, Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods losing their titles in what, looking back, has been a very enjoyable run. Sure, towards the end it got stale but they took something that should have been awful and made it comedy gold. Huge congrats to New Day for their reign and Sheamus and Cesaro and let’s hope Dublin 07 has a great reign…yes, Dublin 07 should be their name because it’s fantastic!
Sami Zayn vs Braun Strowman; 10 Minute Match
My Prediction: Draw (I didn’t know the rules!)
Winner: Sami Zayn due to surviving 10 minutes
Grade: B-
While the match itself was another showcase of Braun’s destruction and Sami got in very little offense, the whole contest was built around the story.
Sami looked like a warrior, repeatedly getting up time and time again whilst consistently getting knocked back down. Mick Foley coming out to throw in the towel (what has the WWE done to Mick Foley’s character) but Zayn refusing and stopping him as a result until he eventually survived. It kept Braun looking strong as he destroyed Zayn for 99% of the bout and made Sami look like a lovable babyface that we all know he is. I’ve seen a lot of people angry with the rules at the end- perhaps it would have been better for Zayn to get a cheap rollup or something along those lines? But I think it worked perfectly and, never thought I’d say this, I’m excited to see what happens next with Braun.