“I’m in your corner tonight.”
Elias claiming he was emotionally drained from the crowd made me giggle. Add Shane McMahon to the mix and you’re bound to get some nonsense.
Not Graded
Big E’s Welcome Back Celebration
I’m so happy Big E has recovered from his torn meniscus, although the Not Big E at the beginning had me in stitches. Like most opening segments these days, there was a verbal spat that lead to a match later in the night but I really didn’t mind. Sami “2 Mics” Zayn and the New Day certainly kept it entertaining. The New Day are back whole and that’s so great!
Grade:B+
“This wig cost me $12!”
I’m still not keen on the 24/7 Title design but I absolutely love the concept. It’s comedic gold and introduces new interactions for different wrestlers. As a whole, I loved the Carmella and R-Mella bits, especially how they were sprinkled in throughout the show.
Grade: B+
Ali vs Andrade
I feel like this match was a sort of consolation prize for what went down at Money in the Bank. They know they pissed off a lot of the fan base so they gave us two of the fan favorites from the ladder match. Despite probably being in some of the worst pain, the two put on a stellar match. They had a lot of high-octane moves but didn’t make the match a spot fest. Ali also gets major points for performing the way he does during Ramadan, in which he is fasting from sunrise to sunset. Something needs to click for these two; they obviously have the moves and crowd support.
Winner: A-
Mandy Rose vs Carmella
This was supposed to be a fallout match from Money in the Bank, but there wasn’t much of a match because a bunch of other wrestlers showed up to chase Truth from ringside and Carmella ran off with him. I want the women to get involved with the 24/7 title, but not if it means sacrificing their own matches.
Winner: No contest
Grade: C
Bayley Blue Belt
Bayley gave a pretty standard promo about opportunities and succeeding. Bayley hasn’t always been the strongest talker but she sounded full of conviction and I’m here for it.
Grade: B
Kofi Kingston vs Sami Zayn
Two major things happened here. The first was that Kingston beat Zayn cleanly and simply. More wins like this add to his credibility as champion, crucial because the major theme of his latest push is that he isn’t championship material. The second was the teased cash-in followed by Dolph Ziggler’s attack. After the attack, and being escorted from ringside by medical professionals, Kingston walking out on his own too feet made him look like an incredibly resilient babyface.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Grade: A-
Private Concert for the Big Dog
Honestly, I love that Roman treats Elias like a nuisance. It’s such a great juxtaposition of their characters.
Not Graded
Becky Lynch and Bayley vs Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans
I’m so happy I don’t have to hear “Becky 2 Belts” for the time being. I think having Evans not wrestle on television for so long after her call-up lead to an underestimate of her actual in-ring abilities. She’s improved greatly since NXT and was able to hang with the three horsewomen. Flair was solid as usual; she’s always dependable for a good match. There was a little bit of a tease between Lynch and Bayley at the end so i expect that to be set up soon.
Winner: Becky Lynch and Bayley
Grade: B-
“It should be me!”
Dolph Ziggler’s response as to why he attacked Kofi Kingston was brilliant. He sounded so desperate and like he was holding back actual tears. I really liked this because it sets up an angle where it isn’t about Kingston not being championship material, but more about another superstar’s jealousy toward him. Oh and they’re having a match at the pay-per-view which shall not be named.
Grade: A
Another Evolution match
We got a pretty cool hype up video for the upcoming bout between Triple H and Randy Orton. The package itself was well-done like they always are, but modern-day Triple H vs modern-day Randy Orton is not a match I particularly want to see in 2019, especially not at That Pay-per-view. Also WWE should totally bring back home invasions!
Grade: B
Roman Reigns vs Elias
Well, this really was Roman vs Elias and Shane McMahon. The match was pretty solid, complete with McMahon’s interference throughout the match. Though Reigns won, he did get the expected attack from McMahon and then Drew McIntyre showed up. It was a nice buildup to the eventual match between Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns that’s going to happen. But when does McIntyre get to do his own thing instead of being someone else’s insurance policy?
Grade: B+
Final Thoughts
This was actually a pretty good post-Money in the Bank show. Typically Money in the Bank is seen as the start of a new “season” in WWE and you could see a little bit of the reset here. I absolutely loved the 24/7 title antics and hope we get more of that on future shows.
Overall Grade: B+
