SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
ROMAN ONE STEP CLOSER TO NUMBER ONE CONTENDER…
Recap: Kurt Angle kicked things off in the ring. He announced that after last night’s ultimatum he had not heard from Brock Lesnar, and therefore would be stripping him of the Universal Title. Just then, he was interrupted by Paul Heyman.
Heyman did his usual routine, and teased Lesnar being in the arena before revealing that he wasn’t. Heyman attempted to state that Brock was misunderstood, and that Brock wanted to represent the WWE Universe by winning the UFC Heavyweight Title while being Universal Champion. He likened Brock’s desire to Kurt Angle’s WWE Championships while being an Olympic gold medalist.
Angle did not buy Heyman’s routine, so Heyman reluctantly agreed that Lesnar would defend the title at SummerSlam. Heyman then asked who would be Brock’s opponent.
Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntire, Seth Rollins, Elias, and Roman Reigns then each came to the ring in succession, each making their case for being Number One Contender. Angle settled the dispute by setting two Triple Threat matches for tonight, with the two winners to face each other next week to become Number One Contender.
Finn Balor vs Roman Reigns vs Elias then began immediately. Drew McIntire notably hit a flip dive over the top rope and later in the match hit Balor with a steel chair. Balor later repaid McIntire with a chair shot of his own, and also viciously beat Reigns with the chair.
The latter part of the match was full of near falls and wrestlers aiming for one opponent while hitting the other. Roman Reigns eventually pinned Finn Balor with a spear.
Evaluation: WWE’s portrayal of Lesnar has succeeded in his being hated, as the fans booed him vociferously and chanted “strip the title” numerous times during Paul Heyman’s promo.
Roman Reigns seemed universally booed during his promo rather than the usual mix of boos and cheers. He may legitimately just be a heel now.
McIntire seemed to be mostly cheered during the promo despite being positioned as a heel. This isn’t necessarily bad, assuming the ultimate plan is for McIntire to go face when he eventually breaks away from Dolph Ziggler.
The fans seemed disinterested early on in the match, but the crowd perked up after the McIntire flip dive. The match progressively built excitement.
Balor hitting McIntire with a chair was understandable, since it was payback. His repeated shots to Reigns, however, don’t really make sense for a face. I suppose the idea was to avoid having the crowd cheer for Balor over Reigns in the match, but by now WWE should know those tactics don’t work with Reigns.
Forecast: See below.
LASHLEY TO FACE REIGNS NEXT WEEK…
Recap: After the events above, in the main event, Bobby Lashley faced Elias and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match. At one point, Rollins followed a Buckle Bomb to Lashley with running up the ropes for a Superplex rolled into a Falcon Arrow on Elias. The match ended with Bobby Lashley pinning Elias with a spear.
Evaluation: This was a good match. It started slow, but Seth really got the crowd into it as it went along.
Forecast: Roman Reigns will likely get his win back from Lashley, advancing to SummerSlam. Last night’s victory by Lashley was likely intended to keep him from looking weak when losing the Number One Contender slot.
SASHA AND BAYLEY RECONCILE…
Recap: In a backstage segment, Bayley informed Kurt Angle that despite an honest effort from both her and Sasha, friendship counseling was a failure. Kurt said he had been approaching the problem all wrong, stating that on Raw problems should be settled in the ring. He then informed Bayley that she would be tagging with Sasha against Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox tonight. Bayley wass not enthused, but Kurt informed her that if she and Sasha couldn’t work things out, one would be traded to SmackDown.
During the match, Alicia beat up Bayley on the outside until Sasha Banks jumped out and attacked Alicia. Sasha continued to beat on Alicia and Dana until the bell rang. We weren’t told that the match ended in DQ, but it seemed to be implied. Sasha then stormed off.
Later backstage, Bayley confronted Sasha about the DQ. Sasha said it was one thing for her to beat up Bayley, but that she couldn’t let anyone else beat on her. She then admitted that she loved Bayley.
The camera then cut to the announcers, who stated that their friendship had been restored.
Evaluation: Overall this rivalry wasn’t done well, but considering where the story stood at the current time, this was a fine end to it.
Forecast: If WWE is planning a Women’s Tag Team Title, the odds on favorites for the first champions would have to be Bayley and Sasha. It’s possible they could begin that storyline next week and award the inaugural title at SummerSlam.
RANDOM THOUGHTS…
It was kind of surreal listening to Coach try to get out his word of the hour while Cole and Graves blatantly spoke over him, trying to get him to drop it….
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW 7/9: Reigns vs Lashley Boils Over, McIntire Faces Rollins, Braun & Owens
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.