Karrion Kross vs Enhancement Talent Liam
Kross pretty much murdered this random jobber but then Tommaso Ciampa came out and made a formal introduction. Apparently they’re going to be having a match at In Your House. I thought this opening statement was quite well done and this is the type of high-profile feud that Kross should have considering the fanbase he already has. It makes sense to put him against another established star.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Grade: B
Akira Tozawa vs El Hijo del Fantasma-Interim Cruiserweight Champion Tournament
This was a pretty solid match that I feel was actually given a decent amount of time. We got to see offense for both guys. The winner, Fantasma, took the block but that’s fine considering that it just made him and Tozawa even out their records.
Winner: El Hijo del Fantasma
Grade: B
Promos
Timothy Thatcher called it the Riddle Circus and now I kind of want that as a YouTube or Network show.
Shotzi Blackheart got a whole tank for her vignette and I was totally digging it. She seems fun; I hope she gets a chance to rise up soon.
Grade: B+
Mia Yim vs Santana Garrett
There wasn’t much of a match as Yim dominated and defeated Garrett pretty easily. However, this was done to set up a feud between the Garganos and Yim and Keith Lee. I’m not always a fan of bringing real life relationships into the ring or the fact that Candice LeRae’s entire character is still pretty much “The Wife”, but at the same time the way this was done definitely put more focus on the women in the feud. Hopefully that stays and they don’t get lost in a Lee-Gargano feud shuffle.
Winner: Mia Yim
Grade: B+
Promos
Cameron Grimes was doing an awful lot of bragging considering he only beat Finn Balor because Damian Priest went all Tonya Harding on him with a nightstick.
Drake Maverick’s supposed win-or-leave situation makes his matches that much more interesting to me.
Not Graded
Dexter Lumis vs Roderick Strong
Lumis is actually working his way onto my favorites list because he’s just…a beast. I was loving the no-sells in the match and then he straight up choked Strong out even though he technically had lost the match. Dude didn’t even flinch when Adam Cole and Bobby Fish tried to get him to break the hold. And then Velveteen Dream showed up and he superkicked Cole but I don’t believe it was live because of the weird camera angle. This whole thing was an entertaining mess.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Grade: B-
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs Ever-Rise
I don’t even remember who the two teammates of Ever-Rise are. Anyways, Burch and Lorcan tapped them out in about a minute and a half.
Winner: Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan
Not Graded
Promos
Keith Lee officially started the feud between himself and Johnny Gargano so we’ll probably get a mixed tag team match at In Your House.
Timothy Thatcher and Matt Riddle are gonna have a steel cage match, playa!
Not Graded
Drake Maverick vs Kushida-Interim Cruiserweight Champion Tournament
This almost came off as a David and Goliath situation even though Maverick and Kushida are almost the same size. Maverick has done such a good job of rallying people behind him since the release that his run through the tournament has felt very important. And it’s still not the end as Maverick, Kushida, and Jake Atlas will be having a triple threat to determine who takes the block!
Winner: Drake Maverick
Grade: B+
Archer of Infamy
Damian Priest’s fire-letters effect is so cool. Also this match between Priest and Finn Balor is something I definitely want to see. Are we going to play up the knee injury angle?
Not Graded
Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley
So this was pretty good, even with the near-opposite in-ring styles. I think both women had a fantastic showing and even the false finish with Charlotte Flair’s run-in was executed well. I think we have the makings of a triple threat match for the championship here.
Winner: Io Shirai via DQ
Grade: B+
Final Thoughts
First, I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Shad Gaspard. I used to love Cryme Tyme. I hope his wife and son are able to find some sense of peace and closure.
As for this episode, this was a marked improvement on the last couple of weeks. Maybe it’s because of the In Your House announcement but it seems like the stories and matches are actually going somewhere. I’m lowkey excited for the Garganos vs Yimitless.
Overall Grade: B
