Johnny Gargano vs Dominik Dijakovic
They took Rebel Heart away? Wack. But I digress, this was a good opening match and it was rather competitive. We’re trying to establish this heel Gargano and if this had been a cakewalk in either direction, it would’ve negatively impacted that. However, there was also that exposed turnbuckle move and to me, that’s a super cliché heel move.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Grade: B
Akira Tozawa vs Jack Gallagher
What is going on with Gallagher’s chest tattoo? Anyways, the match was short and decent. It’s nice to see Tozawa with a little bit of steam.
Winner: Akira Tozawa
Grade: C
Chelsea Green vs Xia Li
For some reason, Aliyah came out and distracted Li because apparently that feud is still happening. And my stars, is Green’s Unprettier ugly to watch. She needs to figure it out or get a new finisher. Also Aliyah may be joining the Robert Stone brand…yay?
Winner: Chelsea Green
Grade: D-
Dream Over
It’s still weird even weeks later that Velveteen Dream’s feud with Roderick Strong just randomly ended and shifted to Adam Cole. He was trying to destroy Strong’s family and then all of a sudden was like nah, actually I’m trying to get at Cole.
Not Graded
Karrion Kross vs Leon Ruff
The match was probably only a minute long but that entrance was fantastic. That’s how you make a debut!
Not Graded
Charlotte Flair vs Io Shirai-Women’s Championship
I enjoyed this match, even if I am a bit biased because I absolutely love Charlotte Flair. This was one of those match ups I hadn’t really anticipated but now would like to see more of. I feel like the false finish was almost needed because it wouldn’t make sense for Flair to just run through Shirai like nothing. And with Rhea Ripley basically inserting herself back into the fray, this is a good opportunity for interesting future matches.
Winner: Io Shirai via DQ
Grade: B
Kushida vs Jake Atlas
Why was this match only three minutes long? That was an injustice because this match was so much fun and probably could’ve turned into a banger if given a better amount of time.
Winner: Kushida
Grade: C+
Who attacked Finn Balor? Who?
Cameron Grimes vs Denzel Dejournette
Basically this squash of a match existed to create a match between Grimes and Finn Balor for next week. Grimes doing all that talking out the side of his neck right now but Balor is probably going to shut him up next week.
Winner: Cameron Grimes
Not Graded
Adam Cole vs Velveteen Dream-NXT Championship
Let’s be honest, this was a very flat and average championship match. Even the extra people getting involved didn’t pump it up at all. It’s hard to pinpoint where this match fell off but the missing audience and drama-less retention didn’t help it. I’m not really sure if this feud should continue or not after this match.
Winner: Adam Cole
Grade: B-
Final Thoughts
I really feel like the women’s title match and the men’s title match should’ve swapped places on the card. The men’s match fell flat and while the women’s match ended in a false finish, there was an x-factor introduced. Kushida and Jake Atlas definitely should’ve gotten more time to shine. And I hope they capitalize on Karrion Kross’s amazing debut and his general popularity with fans.
Overall Grade: C+
