We were welcomed by commentary as they let us know what other matches we would be seeing tonight and of course, talking about the Superstar Shakeup. We watched a video package chronicling the rise, fall, and reunification of the Shield. It was emotional and as per usual, WWE’s video highlight packaging is amazing.
Grade: A+
Ladies and gentlemen, Elias…
Elias strummed his guitar and roasted the Shield, saying that Seth Rollins was going to run Monday Night Raw into the ground, Dean Ambrose had the good sense to see there was no future for the Shield, and that Roman Reigns is going to pay for what he did on this past Smackdown. He then started ripping into the crowd. Finn Balor came out and interrupted him. Balor started his own mocking song about Elias and was subsequently attacked. I quite enjoyed Balor’s little song, though I’m still wondering what we’re doing with the two midcard titles. Surely we can’t have both the Intercontinental Championship and United States Championship on the same brand?
Grade: B+
Finn Balor vs Elias-Intercontinental Championship
After Elias dragged an official into the ring, the match officially began. Elias was quite aggressive in this match, using his power advantage to ground Balor. The commentary team was definitely putting both Finn Balor and Elias as new superstars on Smackdown Live. Elias did foil an attempted Coup de Grace, which almost saw Balor fall onto the announce desk. There was what seemed to be a botched count/kickout after a sunset flip but another inside cradle won the match for Balor and kept his title reign intact. This was an okay match, but nothing near what Balor or Elias is capable of once they really get going. Also that botch in one of the near-falls took away from the match.
Afterwards, Elias set his stuff back up to continue his concert, but was interrupted by the Riott Squad.
Winner: Finn Balor
Grade: C+
Sarah Logan and Ruby Riott vs Bayley and Ember Moon
This was also the Riott Squad’s final appearance together as a team, as Liv Morgan has been moved to Smackdown by herself. Bayley and Sarah Logan started. Logan got to show off her strength and Bayley did a good job selling for her. Morgan also played her role perfectly, getting involved with cheap shots whenever the ref’s back was turned until she was ejected from ringside. Bayley did take a rather nasty bump against the turnbuckle, crumpling into a heap and looking semi out of it for a few seconds. An Eclipse to Riott won the match for Bayley and Moon. I’m looking forward to seeing what Liv Morgan does on her own over on Smackdown. Also I think Ember Moon may have broken her nose in this match.
Winner: Bayley and Ember Moon
Grade: B+
Promo from an undisclosed location…
The Shield did their infamous shaky handheld camera promo. They said they created a whole new culture for the business and they did it their way. This cut to footage from earlier in the night of Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre interrupting another match and threatening the Shield. I’m always a sucker for these vintage Shield promos! Dean Ambrose even brought back that snarl he had in the beginning.
Grade: B+
The Shield vs Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley
Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley gave us an in-ring promo about how they were going to pummel the Shield and not allow them to even limp out of the arena with dignity. “Bring the damn Shield out here!” from McIntyre had me chuckling.
The Shield entered through the crowd and they definitely milked the entrance. Rollins and Corbin started. The Shield did frequent tags in and out of the ring though there was a halt in the momentum when Ambrose was isolated from his brothers; Corbin even cheap shotted Rollins and Reigns to keep Ambrose from tagging out. The heel team worked the double teams well, being sure to keep their antics hidden from the referee. We got a finisher sequence with a spear, a curb stomp, and a Dirty Deeds. The Shield Bomb won the faction’s last match. The reality was definitely setting in as the match was coming to its close. Roman did have a nasty looking bump where he kind of landed on his neck and then spent a few moments shaking out his fingers and hands; hopefully it’s nothing. The only thing that kind of took away from this match is that it was the same opponents from Fast Lane.
Winner: The Shield
Grade: A-
Thank you, Ambrose
The trio hung out in the ring after the match. Rollins got a little emotional talking about his family and friends in Iowa and that he owes everything to the brotherhood. Shield hug! Ambrose took the microphone and gave us a passionate promo about never giving up, overcoming obstacles, and not taking no for an answer. Another Shield hug! The show ended with the fist bump and the Shield’s music. I started tearing up here. The Shield have so much love for each other and it comes out in times like this.
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
As you guys already know, The Shield means a lot to me both as a faction and as individuals. They were so important to my recovery during my mental health crisis and I will always have that love and gratitude for them. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be here to write for you. I wish Dean Ambrose the best in whatever he decides to pursue next.
Overall Grade: B+
