By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw Hits
Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed vs. Sami Zayn and Penta: Breakker and Reed are a blast as a monster tag team. Meanwhile, Zayn and Penta got their share of the offense, and Zayn was protected in defeat due to the rib injury caused by Karrion Kross earlier in the show. Jey Uso making the post-match save got a great reaction from the live crowd, which helped close the show on a high note.
Rusev vs. Sheamus: A big hoss fight that was a straight-forward battle until Rusev gouged the eyes of Sheamus, leading to him stealing the win. We clearly haven’t seen the last of this feud, and that’s a good thing. I just hope there are real plans for both wrestlers coming out of this feud. Sheamus still has the story of attempting to win his first Intercontinental Championship, and hopefully Rusev will eventually be elevated into the mix of world championship contenders.
“New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh for the World Tag Team Titles: A strong match with a newsworthy title change. But this was a mixed bag in that it was an odd call to have a heel team take the titles from Kingston and Woods. The New Day heel turn felt like a big deal, but it clearly wasn’t planned well beyond the turn, as they successfully defended the titles only after winning them at WrestleMania. So now we’re going from a heel team that rarely defended the titles back to the last heel champions who rarely defended the titles. I enjoyed the match, and the title change was well-received by the live crowd, but the booking of the tag team division still leaves so much to be desired. All of that said, the staying power of The Judgment Day is impressive. This is a faction that stumbled out of the gate, had several moments when it appeared bound for a breakup, including when its two top stars left the group. Somehow, the creative forces continue to find ways to keep the faction relevant.
Gunther and Goldberg build: The production team did a fine job with the Goldberg highlight video. Gunther came through with a strong promo in which he spoke about taking his time while destroying Goldberg in front of friends and family. The angle that followed with Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and LA Knight was filled with star power and served as a quick setup for the Rollins vs. Knight match on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
WWE Raw Misses
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria for a shot at the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: The fans sat on their hands during this match, and who could blame them? What did the creative forces think was going to happen during a match featuring two babyfaces who have been struggling to get fans behind them? Worse yet, Bayley and Valkyria both came off unlikable when they acted like petulant children while bickering backstage.
Sheamus will beat Dom for the title.
that would fantastic