Grizzled Young Veterans vs Undisputed Era
Match-wise, I can’t complain. It was good, definitely a smart choice for an opener. O’Reilly and Fish stayed in neutral gear here though, delivering but not giving us the full throttle that we’ve become accustomed to. Also we had a distraction finish due to Imperium’s interference and I’m not really the biggest fan of those in NXT. It’s utilized too much on the main roster as is.
Winner: Grizzled Young Veterans
Grade: B
Toni Storm vs Io Shirai
I was really enjoying this match; the drama surrounding it just elevated it and made the women’s title and the upcoming title match for it seem more important. Also can we all agree that Bianca Belair has a wicked spear? She was like a train! This match had a murky finish as well. If it were up to me, I would’ve spread these first two matches apart with these finishes or I would’ve let the first match have a clean ending as the murky finish made more sense here.
Winner: Toni Storm via DQ
Grade: B
Finn Balor absolutely murdering Joaquin Wilde gets an automatic A because I love evil Finn Balor and I make the rules here.
Shayna Baszler vs Shotzi Blackheart
Although Blackheart had a little bit of time to shine, this was still quite rough. I’m sure she’s going to get better with more experience and exposure though. Baszler looked like the monster she is though, keeping poor Blackheart locked in the submission after the bell.
Winner: Shayna Baszler
Grade: C-
Dakota Kai also gets an A for saying that Tegan Nox is about due for another injury. That’s cold!
The Broserweights vs Imperium
Matt Riddle gets some bonus points for braiding his hair up like Pete Dunnes’s. I love that tag team aesthetic! Actually, this was my favorite match of the night. Dunne and Riddle showed fantastic chemistry and Imperium is just solid all the way around. Also the promo afterwards with the Grizzled Young Veterans (the other finalists) was A-1. I love the self-awareness about Riddle being high all the time.
Winner: The Broserweights
Grade: B+
Roderick Strong vs Keith Lee-North American Championship
This match both killed me and gave me life at the same time. On one hand, Keith Lee finally got his hands on some gold. On the other, the Undisputed Era is no longer dripping in gold. This had the buildup, the moves, and faction interference to be an all-around great match. Enter Imperium for the closing brawl and this was a great way to end the show on a high note for Worlds Collide!
Winner: Keith Lee
Grade: A-
Final Thoughts
Well, that was the go-home show for Worlds Collide. I must say, they’ve done a pretty good job of hyping up Worlds Collide. I wasn’t at all interested when it was first announced but these last couple of weeks have had me changing my tune. I’m excited to see how these matches turn out and I wonder if this will permanently replace pre-Royal Rumble Takeovers.
Overall Grade: B
