Chris Jericho vs Seth Rollins
My Prediction: Seth Rollins
Winner: Seth Rollins
Grade: C+
In what was basically a set up for a number of other matches later down the line- this match did what it had to do. It created further tension between Kevin and Chris due to Owens coming down and eventually costing Chris the match and it helps Rollins move on to his next target of the Universal Title.
However, I felt the whole contest was quite slow and, while it definitely picked up towards the end- it just never really got going. The problem is that we never really, really, focused on why Jericho and Rollins are fighting- sure Chris cost him numerous times but the company kept acting like Seth and Kevin were feuding so Jericho almost felt like an afterthought in his own match (something very familiar to Y2J.) Thanks to this, the story wasn’t all there and while both men are fantastic workers- the match didn’t have that impact it should have done.
Rich Swann vs TJ Perkins vs The Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Title
My Prediction: Swann
Result: Swann retains his title
Grade: D
What on earth has happened to the cruiserweights?? The whole point of the division is, to use a smarky IWC title, to do flippy sh**. That’s their main purpose.
So when their title match is mainly consisted of submission moves and rest holds, the crowd are fully within their rights to not care in the slightest. They should be doing spots that pop the crowd and make them invested whereas they just mat wrestle with each other for 9 minutes then one of them wins. Don’t get me wrong, I love all three guys in the match but I can’t be emotionally invested when we have been given no reason to care.
Neville Debuts in the Cruiserweight Division
Grade: A
I’m giving this its own little segment because it damn well deserves it. This was probably my favourite moment of the night and definitely made me take notice of Neville. As a lover of NXT, I am fully aware of the absolute brilliance that the Man Gravity Forgot holds. He is one of the best in the entire company but hasn’t ever been able to showcase this fact. Last night, he definitely did. After Swann came out victorious, Neville appeared and completely destroyed both the champ and TJ Perkins.
Neville looked dominant, destructive and a true force to be reckoned with. If I was in charge, I’d literally give Neville the belt tonight on Raw and just have him run with it for at least half a year. He is fantastic and is exactly what the cruiserweight division needed.