Hot Open
We started off the episode with a parking lot brawl between Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler, followed by Owens getting on several different microphones and going off on Shane McMahon. Both of these were done beautifully and were a great change of pace after the last several weeks of just opening with promos.
Grade: A
Finn Balor vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Even though the internet mostly lost it for Balor’s new tattoo, the match was also pretty good. It was mostly a standard match with back and forth action, not a whole lot of bells and whistles. However, it was something to get into after both superstars’ absences. Nakamura getting the W here likely means an Intercontinental Championship match is coming at Extreme Rules.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Grade: B
Backstage Stuff
I’m still confused as to how Elias slowly got replaced by Drew McIntyre, but he’s also somehow still in the stable. There was no build to it and now he just seems like the odd man out. Anyway Ziggler got a main event match against Roman Reigns since Kevin Owens was escorted from the building.
We also got a hype package for the upcoming Samoa Joe vs Kofi Kingston title match at Extreme Rules.
Not Graded
Smackdown Women’s Championship Contract Signing
Contract signings can go either way but this one wasn’t too bad. Cross is fiery on the mic when given a chance and she came across well here. Bayley also cemented herself as a resilient babyface so I think this signing did what it was supposed to. Also since we’re bringing back co-champions, Bloss is going to be their name.
Grade: B
Nikki Cross vs Carmella
This was yet another short women’s match, where neither talent really got to shine. Cross winning was the right call as the title match is on Sunday but the match could have been longer.
Winner: Nikki Cross
Grade: C
IIConic Clowns and Roman Reigns
Paige ran down the IIconics and warned them that their title match against the Kabuki Warriors was coming. Billie Kay’s acting is great and now I sorta wish that a match between her and Paige was a possibility.
Roman, chill as always, said that Dolph Ziggler wasn’t ready for him and that he and Undertaker are going to handle their business on Sunday. Reigns’ facial expressions and eyes really make his promos.
Grade: B+
Tag Team Summit
The New Day, Rowan and Daniel Bryan. and Heavy Machinery were absolutely going in on each other in this segment. They all put each other over as great athletes but the insults were just as scathing. Also I love that the New Day stays pushing the PG boundaries; I wonder what kind of things they’ll say and do if we actually move away from the PG rating.
Grade: A
Daniel Bryan vs Otis vs Xavier Woods
This was quite an interesting matchup that I probably would’ve never thought to put together, but it worked. The other members of the teams also got their little moments on the outside as well but it didn’t pull focus from the actual triple threat. It was fun and hyped up the upcoming tag team title triple threat match.
Winner: Otis
Grade: B+
More backstage stuff
Many Rose and Sonya Deville harassed Ember Moon again before challenging her to find a partner for a tag team match. This is still a weird feud and I can’t tell who the main antagonist is supposed to be here.
Ali gave us another promo about fighting evil. I love that these promos are so poignant.
Not Graded
Who knocked on the door?
The person who knocked on Aleister Black’s door last week was revealed to be Cesaro! So these two are going to have a match at Extreme Rules. On one hand, this will probably be a good match. On the other, I hope it leads to a long-term feud because I don’t want either man squandered in a one-off match.
Grade: B-
Last bit of backstage stuff
Shelton gave another weird interview. Where are they going with this? What is he looking at?
Kofi Kingston gave an interview, saying he knows Samoa Joe is dangerous but he got in his head. This is arguably the first time I have actually been invested in Kington’s title match opponent.
Not Graded
Roman Reigns vs Dolph Ziggler
Of course this match included Shane McMahon and crew and they got involved in the match, trying to distract Reigns. Outside of that, the match between Ziggler and Reigns was actually pretty good. Ziggler’s selling always amuses me and I love to see Reigns showing off his hops with that dive. Owens running to hit a stunner on McMahon was also a nice touch.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Grade: B
Final Thoughts
Overall, it wasn’t a bad go-home show. Again I was disappointed with the women’s segments. I thought we had moved past petty bullying and sub-eight minute matches but here we are. Also I kind of feel like this is Samoa Joe’s last chance in a sense. If he loses on Sunday, it’s going to solidify him as a guy who’s all talk.
Overall Grade: B
