The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 07/27/15

Live from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma this is the Raw Deal for episode #1157. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Welcome Troy Tulowitzki to my Toronto Blue Jays. Please don't get hurt.

Raw opens with a recap of last week's altercation between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. It went on for several minutes. I imagine we'll see this again during the show too.

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins walked out for the show opening promo. The announce team of Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield and Byron Saxton welcomed us to the show.

The Authority Talks

Triple H welcomed us to Raw saying it's going to be a huge night. Hunter said this year's SummerSlam will be the biggest ever, so for the first time ever SummerSlam will be a four hour monumental event. This was mentioned by WWE earlier in the day. Stephanie promoted the SummerSlam main event of The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar.

Triple H announced some matches that are taking place on Raw the first time ever: Big Show vs. Dean Ambrose, Paige vs. Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton. Hunter hyped Owens as the man that beat John Cena in his first match in the WWE (on the main roster) and the crowd cheered big time when he said Orton's name. Stephanie also announced Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch and Charlotte.

Rollins said that he knows about firsts because he's the first man to cash in the Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania to win the WWE Title. He said that speaking of Lesnar, he did what he said he would do because he walked out as WWE Champion at Battleground. Rollins wanted the fans to stand up to admit that he will go down as one of the greatest WWE Champions of all. There's the music of John Cena.

Cena called Rollins an arrogant jackass for proclaiming to be the greatest ever and he disagrees. Cena: "I think you're a joke." Cena said they need to find out who is telling the truth. Cena said he's there to talk to Hunter and Stephanie. He said tonight is a night of first time ever. Cena suggested they have a match tonight: Rollins vs. Cena for the WWE Championship. It wouldn't be their first match, but for Rollins' WWE Title it would be.

Rollins suggested that Cena just shut the hell up. Rollins reminded Cena that he has to earn his opportunity at his championship. Stephanie said they need to put it to the people. She asked the fans if they want to see Cena vs. Rollins for the WWE Title. The crowd cheered loudly. She says no for the first time ever because Cena has to earn it.

Hunter said nobody wants to see the WWE Title defended here on Raw, but the idea is valid so tonight it will be Cena vs. Rollins for the US Title. Hunter said that's what is best for business.

Analysis: The promo work by all of them was pretty good. Rollins has improved a lot in the last year. Cena was getting cheered mostly. Stephanie did a nice swerve by playing up to the crowd and then not giving them the WWE Title match. The idea is that the heel champion has nothing to lose while the face champion could lose his US Title. I'm not sure about doing Rollins vs. Cena here if it's going to happen at SummerSlam too, but I guess they'll do a non-finish or a Cena win to set up the next match they have.

The announcers went over the matches that are coming up later, which were already covered in the opening promo. Ambrose vs. Show is up next.

Next week the Steve Austin podcast returns on WWE Network with Paige as the guest. I like her just fine, but was hoping for a bigger guest like Sting or Undertaker. Perhaps it was meant to be Hulk Hogan. That's just a guess at this point.

(Commercial)

The Miz was out on commentary because his feud with Big Show and Ryback is still going on for some reason.

Dean Ambrose vs. Big Show

I'll assume they are right in saying it's the first time ever for this match, but they have probably been in tag matches. Ambrose ducked and Show went out to the floor, so Ambrose nailed a dropkick followed by a suicide dive. Ambrose went up top for an elbow attack, but Show countered with a chop to the chest and it's floor to commercial time a few minutes into it.

(Commercial)

Show applied a leg lock on Ambrose, who countered by untying Big Show's boot. Show had to tie his boot back up, so Ambrose got in some offense and then applied a sleeper. Show slammed Ambrose down to counter him with Miz trying to explain his crappy match with Show last week. Show caught Ambrose when he went for a top rope attack and slammed him into the match in a reverse powerbomb type spot. Show went for a Chokeslam, but Ambrose countered into a DDT. When Ambrose went for his bounce off the ropes clothesline, Show caught him and nailed a Chokeslam. Ambrose kicked out at two because that's not Show's main finisher anymore. Show did a second Chokeslam, so Ambrose rolled out of the ring. Ambrose got back into the ring at the count of eight. Show did a standing side kick that knocked Ambrose out of the ring again. Show went outside the ring and nailed a Spear to knock Ambrose down again. Ambrose got back in the ring at the count of nine after doing a good job of selling it. Ambrose stumbled out of the ring again. With Show outside the ring, Ambrose kicked him in the face and then went for a suicide dive, so Show nailed him with a KO Punch. The ref counted out Ambrose and he couldn't get back in before the count out. The match went 13 minutes.

Winner by countout: Big Show

Post match, Ambrose tried to stand up outside the ring, but fell down by the barricade. Show was about to leave until he saw an opportunity to take out Ambrose with a tackle. Ambrose moved, which led to Show taking out the barricade. Ambrose's music played to end the segment.

Analysis: **3/4 I usually don't like countout finishes, but I didn't mind how this one was done because they told a really good story with Ambrose continuing to try to fight back. Sometimes a countout finish might suck and takes place because of bad booking. In this case it was booked well. It was really well put together with Ambrose selling for much of the match and he did a great job of it. The crowd was totally behind him too. Show won the match by countout, but Ambrose outsmarted him after the match. I wouldn't mind seeing this turn into a legit feud because it would be beneficial for Ambrose to win a feud over a guy like Show.

The announcers plugged WWE Network by mentioning that the first month is free for new subscribers.

Later on Raw it's Luke Harper committing to the Wyatt Family again and Neville is in action up next.

(Commercial)

Neville vs. Fandango

It was mentioned that this was the first time ever as if Fandango is important. Spoiler: he's not. Clothesline by Fandango. There was a back submission for Fandango for about ten seconds that Cole called "extremely impressive" even though it was so short. Neville kicked Fandango out of the ring and then nailed a plancha over the top. He rolled Fandango back in and hit the Red Arrow for the win after two minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Neville

Analysis: * It was just a squash match to put over Neville. Fandango got a couple of moves in and then it was over.

Post match, Stardust did a promo on the video screen while Neville watched. He talked about how everybody wants superheroes, then he talked about people wining and dining with kings and queens, which is a famous line from his father Dusty Rhodes. Stardust talked about how he's going to rescue us from the do-gooders and there's nothing Neville can do to stop him.

Analysis: I like the feud because it's different. I just think WWE has to do a better job of giving Stardust some credibility by having him win some matches so that when he does these promos people will care more. Right now he's in the spot of a midcarder that loses quite a bit, so people won't pay attention to him.

The announcers plugged more matches to come.

(Commercial)

Paige was backstage talking with her pals Charlotte and Becky Lynch. She said the WWE Universe is loving the change in the divas division while saying "divas revolution" because they love catchphrases. Sasha Banks walked in with Naomi and Tamina. She said "revolution" a few times too and so did Naomi. Charlotte did a "Woo" in their face. They kept on arguing with Paige bragging about being the first NXT Women's Champion and a Divas Champion. They kept on arguing until the heels left. Charlotte said if Naomi and Tamina get involved it's going to be ugly. Paige said it already is ugly.

Analysis: The promo was fine, but it gets annoying when multiple women keep on saying "divas revolution" while reciting their scripted lines. It doesn't feel natural when it happens like that. They just all sound the same. I know WWE wants to get over their buzzwords, but the idea is to make these things feel authentic and relying on them too much just comes off as cheesy. It's nice to see them get promo time, though.

Paige entered with Charlotte and Becky Lynch for her match against Sasha Banks. Paige is wearing her new "This Is My House" shirt because she likes yelling it.

(Commercial)

Sasha Banks made her entrance with Naomi and Tamina Snuka. There's a minute long video about Sasha Banks. It aired on Smackdown. I have no problem with putting stuff like this on Raw because it lets people know more about her.

Paige (w/Charlotte & Becky Lynch) vs. Sasha Banks (w/Naomi & Tamina Snuka)

They did a long headlock spot where they didn't let go, which led to Paige taking down Banks outside the ring. Banks has been a face on NXT of late, but she's in a heel role here. Banks was able to get a rollup for two and nailed a forearm. They did a double dropkick spot where they grazed eachother. Paige slammed Charlotte face first and then did a sexy crawl for a two count. Fallaway slam by Paige for a two count. The Bellas and Fox were watching on a monitor backstage. Thank you WWE for not putting them on commentary for this match. Paige sent Banks out of the ring. She went up top and hit a cross body block to take out Banks, Naomi and Tamina. There's the floor to commercial spot.

Analysis: It's rare to see Paige hit a move like that, so nice to see her do something different like that to make it seem like a bigger match where she's going all out to win.

(Commercial)

They showed some action during the break with the women on the floor arguing. Ref Chad Patton tossed out the four women at ringside so it's just Banks vs. Paige. JBL said "two former NXT Champions going one on one" even though Banks is the current champion. I know what he meant. Banks hit her awesome double knee attack against the turnbuckle. Knee drive to the face by Banks and then she said "this is my house now!" A clothesline by Banks earned a two count. Banks pulled back on Paige's arms to ground her, which led to Paige starting her comeback. Paige hit a back elbow, a kick, knee strikes in the corner, three clotheslines in a row and then a dropkick. A standing side kick by Paige took Banks down again. Running knee by Paige for a two count. Banks used her feet to drive Paige into the middle turnbuckle and then hit a running double knee attack in the corner for a two count. Paige took down Banks by yanking on her leg and went for a submission, but Banks got to the ropes. Banks nailed the double knees to the back followed by the Banks Statement submission with Paige tapping out after 14 minutes.

Winner by submission: Sasha Banks

Analysis: ***1/4 I really enjoyed that match. To get that much time and have a clean finish is great to see. It's so refreshing to see a divas match get time like that. I didn't think Banks was going to win clean, but it shows that management has to be really impressed by her. I figured it might be cheap in some way. Nope. Paige did a really good job on her comeback although she didn't go for her Rampaige DDT and wasn't able to get her PTO, so it's something they go to the next time they have a match. Banks is great and my favorite of the divas that are currently on TV.

Seth Rollins was interviewed by Renee Young. It was pretty basic with him talking about how he's sick of people criticizing him. He told Cena that the future has passed him by.

Rusev and Summer Rae were shown walking to the ring.

(Commercial)

The announcers plugged something called Kliq Rules on WWE Network and coming on DVD too.

Rusev was in the ring with Summer Rae. He said he's smitten and his heart wants to burst out for the women that healed his soul. He called Summer a woman that is privileged to obey and tonight he's going to show us how to treat a special woman. He had a box that had a little dog in it. Summer wondered what his name was. Rusev called him Dog Ziggler because he had skinny legs and was neutered. Another box had a fish in it while Summer wondered what to do with it. He told Summer to hold it high. He said what better name to name this cold fish than after a cold fish that they all know: Lana.

That brought out Lana, who walked out to the ring complaining about how Rusev tries to humiliate and embarrass her. She said that everybody can see right through him. She complained about how Rusev dressed Summer like her and kissed her while looking at Lana. Lana ripped on Summer some more and Summer mentioned that after years of Rusev cuddling up with a fish, now he gets to cuddle up with this. She leaned her backside towards Lana. That led to Lana attacking Summer, putting her into an armbar and then rubbing her face first into the fish. Lana slapped Rusev in the face and walked up the ramp looking proud of herself. Summer was freaking out about having her face shoved into the fish.

Analysis: It was good to see Lana so aggressive. With Ziggler out filming the WWE movie, they had to do something to progress the story without him. Since Lana has been humiliated for several weeks, it made sense to see her get revenge. That armbar she applied looked solid too. I like that they incorporated the dead fish into the attack as well.

Owens vs. Orton coming up later. Another look at Undertaker/Lesnar from last week after the break.

(Commercial)

There was another video about The Undertaker's brawl with Brock Lesnar from last week. Like I said earlier, that's the kind of thing they like to repeat. Lesnar is back next week.

The Lucha Dragons entered for a tag team match.

(Commercial)

Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores (w/El Torito)

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young joined the commentary team for this match since they're the tag team champions scouting. Backbreaker by Sin Cara and ten a tag team move leading to Kalisto hitting a splash on Diego. O'Neil was encouraging Young to talk more. Los Matadores did a tag team move and then Kalisto hit an armdrag. O'Neil was asking the others about catchphrases and then just told Saxton to be quiet. There was a spot with Sin Cara upside down in the corner and then Diego nailed a kick to knock him down. Los Matadores isolated Sin Cara in their corner. I don't think Cole called them Diego or Fernando during the match at all. More double team moves by Los Matadores. The crowd isn't in to this match very much. Butterfly suplex for a two count. An elbow drop got a two count. Sin Cara did a rollup into a powerbomb, which led to Kalisto getting the hot tag. Springboard cross body by Kalisto, then a kick to the and a springboard DDT for two. Kalisto did a cartwheel into a kick to the head. Kalisto went for a springboard attack. The New Day's music started up. Big E and Xavier Woods had a sign over Kofi's head that said "Mega Dad of the Year." That was pretty comical. While all of that was going on, Kalisto got a cradle for the win after eight minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Lucha Dragons

Post match, The New Day kept on taunting. There was nothing physical with them.

Analysis: ** There's the finish I hate the most with the music of somebody else playing during a match. At least it didn't really affect the finish since the guys in the ring didn't react to it. Lucha Dragons are a good team. I just don't think that match did much for them since the crowd was barely into it and Los Matadores lack credibility. It looks like there might be a four team tag match at SummerSlam, which could be when The New Day win their titles back.

Up next is Luke Harper re-committing to the Wyatt Family.

(Commercial)

Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper entered for a promo.

Wyatt said that your mommies and daddies have been force feeding you lies your entire life. He said they do not love you because if they did then they would tell you the truth. He added that the truth can be shocking and terrifying, but all you have to do to find it is look out your front door. He said the ones that sent to protect you are the ones you should fear the most. He added that freedom comes at a very hefty price. He spoke about how he had a pet that wasn't charming to look at, but he loved him just the same. He said that one day he walked his pet outside, removed his chains, set him free and then he came back running to him. He added that the pet had a scar from his eye to his nose, he never ran away again and he never left his side after that. Wyatt said that the lesson was you had to get them before they get you.

Wyatt talked about how Harper was a damaged man and he picked him up and fixed him just like you would fix a broken toy. He knew that one day he had to set him free so he had to learn his own truth. He told his "brother" to speak.

Harper said there was a time where he wondered why he was here, but his family found him - he (Wyatt) showed him the truth. He added that that each and every one of you made him what he is. "You created me, but he - Bray Wyatt - saved me." Harper talked about how Wyatt made him stronger than ever. Harper said he'd give his life for Wyatt.

Wyatt spoke about how Harper would go to hell and back for him. He brought up Roman Reigns, which led to the crowd cheering. Wyatt said if Reigns cared about Dean Ambrose then he should tell Ambrose that he is in danger. Wyatt said he's going to seal the fate of Roman Reigns. Wyatt ended it saying "Roman Reigns - we're here." He did his pose in the ring followed by "follow the buzzards" to end it.

Analysis: It was a well delivered promo by Wyatt like usual. It was just a way to reinforce the idea that Harper is back with Wyatt. I was hoping there would be bit more story progression, but they simply focused on doing a basic promo. I thought Reigns' music would hit after the promo and it would lead to some kind of brawl with them, but it just ended with that Wyatt promo. If you missed it, no big deal.

Orton vs. Owens coming up. Also Cena vs. Rollins for the US Title.

Charlotte and Becky Lynch walked out with Paige for their tag match.

(Commercial)

Charlotte & Becky Lynch (w/Paige) vs. Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox (w/Brie Bella)

The Bellas are in the heel role even though they switch from week to week. Charlotte was getting worked over by Team Bella until she got a bit of offense with a Flair-like knee drop. The Banks/Naomi/Tamina trio was looking on backstage. Northern Lights Suplex by Fox for a two count. Nikki swept the leg of Charlotte to take her down. Nikki did some pushups that she does when she's in a heel role. Slingshot suplex by Nikki for a two count on Charlotte. Fox tagged back in for a two count of her own as the heels kept on isolating Charlotte. There's the hot tag to Lynch, who nailed Fox with a forearm shot and then a dropkick. Suplex by Lynch on Fox and then a t-bone suplex for a two count as Nikki makes the save. Charlotte nailed a Spear to take out Nikki. Fox got a rollup, Lynch turned it into the Disarmer armbar and Fox tapped out after about seven minutes.

Winners by submission: Charlotte & Becky Lynch

Analysis: **1/4 A good tag match, but not as long as the divas tag last week. I liked seeing Lynch in the hot tag role. She's not as hyped as Paige and Charlotte, but she's very capable in the ring as well. The reason for her winning was to put over her first win on Raw while Charlotte and Banks have already got wins. Book people to be winners and they get a better reaction. It's not that tough to book people strong like that. It's no surprise that Nikki was protected by the finish with Fox being the one that tapped out.

There was a clip from last week's Tough Enough with Patrick eliminated. It was definitely a shock because he was a favorite to win. The announcers talked about how a lot of people thought Patrick was going to win. They showed the images of the eight people that left. There was also a clip of Big Show on the show last week when Show chopped them hard in the chest. This week on Tough Enough it's Banks, Naomi and Tamina.

Analysis: The ratings have been down for Tough Enough, so it's no surprise that they would spend a few minutes promoting it more than they have.

Owens and Orton were shown walking to the ring for their match.

(Commercial)

Sheamus is on commentary. Orton beat Sheamus clean eight days earlier and this feud is still going on for some reason.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

It's another first time ever matchup although they were in a tag match last week. Orton hit an uppercut, which led to Owens bailing to the floor. Orton whipped Owens into the barricade and hit a clothesline. JBL complimented Sheamus on his hair. Back in the ring, Orton got a clothesline to take down Orton. There's a dropkick by Orton, which led to Owens going outside the ring. Orton hit some uppercuts, but Owens came back by ramming him into the ring post. Owens gave Orton a fallaway slam into the barricade at ringside. The show went to break about four minutes into the match.

(Commercial)

Owens was still in control. The announcers keep talking about Orton's issues with Sheamus. Orton beat him clean eight days earlier. It's the feud that never ends. Orton got his modified backbreaker to create some space. Owens took him down again. He held Orton on the middle rope and then yelled at Cole wondering how that looked. Anybody that yells at Cole is liked by me. Corner clothesline by Owens, but his cannonball attack missed because Orton moved. Here comes the Orton offense with clotheslines and then the powerslam. Orton hit an overhead suplex. Owens draped his neck across the top rope, then they went outside the ring and Orton tossed Owens into the barricade. Sheamus dropped the headset and nailed Orton with a Brogue Kick. The ref rang the bell for the DQ finish after 12 minutes.

Winner by disqualification: Randy Orton

Analysis: **1/2 I enjoyed it while it lasted. It felt like the first half of an excellent match, but never got to the point where there were believable nearfalls where you thought that somebody might win. When I saw Sheamus out there it was pretty obvious he would get involved. It's obvious because they didn't want to book either guy to lose the match especially when Owens vs. Orton is a feud they could go to later in the year or next year. I'm okay with no clean finish. You can't have clean finishes in every match and I get that.

Post match, Sheamus rolled Orton in the ring. Cesaro ran down to the ring and took down Sheamus. Cesaro hit a dive to take out Owens. Sheamus went after Cesaro again, which slowed down Cesaro enough that he walked right into a Popup Powerbomb by Owens. That led to Sheamus walking away with his briefcase while Owens talked trash to Cesaro. When Owens got up to the ramp, he did the Orton pose because he's great like that.

Analysis: The heels were made to look strong to end that segment. I like that we're likely going to get an Owens vs. Cesaro match at SummerSlam. I'm not that thrilled about another Orton vs. Sheamus match, but they need something to do.

John Cena was interviewed by Renee Young. Cena did his promo about how his title is the symbol of true excellence. He mentioned that he's had over a dozen televised title defenses in the past four months. Cena said tonight either Rollins leaves here with both championships or Cena shocks the world and defeats the WWE Champion by proving that the champ is here.

Analysis: John Cena winning is never a "shock the world" thing. Don't say that, please.

(Analysis)

This week on Smackdown it's Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella not for the Divas Title. I doubt Lynch wins.

The US Champion John Cena made his entrance to a mostly positive reaction. The WWE Champion Seth Rollins walked out alone. The main event starts at 10:49pmET, so they have around 15 minutes to have a quality match.

United States Championship: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

As mentioned earlier, this is only for the US Title. Rollins tried to escape early on, Cena got in some offense and Rollins kicked him in the ribs to take him down. Rollins applied a chinlock and they went to break three minutes into the match.

(Commercial)

Rollins was still in control after the break. Cena nailed his shoulder tackles and tried to get the advantage, but Rollins nailed a jumping kick to the shoulder/head area. Rollins hit a corner splash and Cena came back with a spinning suplex. Rollins missed a corner splash, so Cena nailed him with a pretty looking Tornado DDT for a two count. Rollins shoved Cena out of the ring and then hit a suicide dive to take out Cena on the floor. Back in the ring, Rollins went up and connected with a flying knee attack. It didn't look great live, but the replay showed it was fine. Cena had Rollins on his shoulders, then slammed him forward in a reverse powerbomb spot that ended with Rollins landing face first. Rollins hit some punches on Cena followed by a knee to the nose. Cena's nose was bleeding a bit, but he kept on fighting. There was a replay of the knee to the nose. Ouch! Rollins had Cena in his arms and gave him the Powerbomb into the turnbuckle for a two count. They showed another replay of Rollins nailing Cena in the nose. A ringside doctor checked on Cena to try to stop the bleeding. Cena came back with his Springboard Stunner. Rollins slipped out of the Attitude Adjustment by landing on his feet and then he connected with a standing sidekick for a two count. Fans were chanting "this is awesome" at the 15 minute mark.

Cena popped right up, hit the Attitude Adjustment and that was good for a two count. It came out of nowhere because they were showing a replay while that was going on. The doctor once gain tried to stop the blood. The closeup of Cena's face shows that it looks like it is legit broken. Rollins nailed a superplex and then hit a seated suplex for two. Rollins went up top for the Phoenix Splash, which looks amazing. Cena moved. Cena applied with the STF, Rollins tries to fight it and Cena holds on. Rollins tapped out as Cena won with the STF. The match went 17 minutes.

Winner by submission: John Cena

Analysis: ***3/4 It was another great Cena match for the US Title. That nose spot looked nasty. Obviously Seth didn't want to hurt him with it, but it definitely connected because Cena's nose looked huge after the match. At least Rollins kicked out of the AA like so many others have because if he didn't that would have really made him look bad. I'm not that thrilled about Rollins losing clean because I think that does more harm than good. I get that they felt the need to do it because it sets up another match. I just hate seeing the current WWE Champ losing clean like that. It's one of those instances where I wouldn't have been upset with a disqualification type finish. The match was still excellent and a worthy main event. Raw ends far too often with cheap endings or non-matches, so any time we get a clean finish is fine by me.

The show ended with Cena celebrating the win. His nose looks pretty bad. Give him a lot of credit for fighting through it. Rollins was frustrated while on the ramp as Cena celebrated to end Raw at 11:09pmET.

Analysis: The obvious next step is to do the match at SummerSlam with the WWE Title on the line. I think it's going to be title vs. title. I hope Rollins retains, but I have my doubts.

Here's the nose break video. You can see the spot at the 1:04 mark.



 

Three Stars of the Show

1. John Cena

2. Seth Rollins

3. (tie) Sasha Banks

3. (tie) Paige

 

The Scoreboard

7 out of 10

Last week: 8.5

Last 5 Weeks: 8.5, 6.5, 6, 7, 4

2015 Average: 5.84

2015 High: 9 (May 4)

2015 Low: 4 (Feb 9/June 22)

 

Final Thoughts

I’m giving it a 7 out of 10.

- The show wasn't really bad aside from a few small things. It's just that there wasn't anything that was really "must see" this week. Last week we got that Lesnar/Undertaker brawl. This week there really wasn't one segment or match that really stood out.

- They did a good job of presenting a theme for the night with plenty of "first time ever" matches. The main event wasn't the first time ever, but it was the first time for the US Title at least.

- I thought they should have made another match or two official for SummerSlam. I know there are three more episodes of Raw before SummerSlam and the direction for some feuds is pretty clear, but making matches official would certainly help.

- That Banks/Paige match was really good. It was a fresh matchup between two women who have so much talent in the ring and it makes me want to see them have more matches too.

- I was surprised by no Roman Reigns on the show. There wasn't any kind of explanation as to why he wasn't there either. It was just a night off for him.

- There weren't a lot of backstage segments, which is good to see. Sometimes there are too many of them, so nice to see most of the show was built around matches and in-ring promos.

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That’s all for this week.

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John Canton – mrjohncanton@gmail.com

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