By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Clash in Paris Hits
John Cena vs. Logan Paul: This match exceeded expectations. It was impressive enough when Cena had a good brawl with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam, but this was the best straightforward match that Cena has had during his retirement run. Cena seems to be amping up as the end nears, rather than looking like a guy who is running on fumes while trying to get to the finish line. It takes two, so Paul deserves plenty of credit for his end of the match.
Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight in a four-way for the World Heavyweight Championship: An enjoyable four-way main event with the expected friction spots between babyfaces and match outcome. There was no reason to think Rollins would drop the title, especially since the creative team didn’t have Rollins or Paul Heyman act like they were concerned about Rollins having to face his three top babyface challengers. The finish with a masked Becky Lynch interfering was another fun chapter in the Rollins vs. Punk feud. It will be interesting to see if Lynch is positioned as a member of The Vision or if she will go back to doing her own thing.
Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed: Reed is a terrific big man who should be protected, so the match was laid out nicely in terms of making him look strong before he took the clean loss. The post-match angle with Bron Breakker spearing Reigns twice set the table for their eventual showdown match, and Reed got his heat back by crushing Reigns with Tsunami splashes. Breakker and Reed are great together. The big question is whether they and faction leader Seth Rollins will develop chemistry. The only negative of this segment was that it went absurdly long. Colin McGuire noted in his live review that once this opening match and the post-match angle played out, it was a whopping 52 minutes into the show.
Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: A soft Hit. This was a fine match with a weak finish despite Lynch going over clean. Nikki tried hard and was carried to a solid outing. Lynch is doing her best to make the secondary championship matter. She doesn’t have many fresh opponents on the main roster, but it would be fun to see her work with some of the better NXT wrestlers.
Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy vs. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins for the WWE Tag Team Titles: A soft Hit. It’s nothing that anyone will remember a week from now, but these teams produced a quality tag team match. The camera shot from the stage that showed off the Fireflies throughout the building was excellent. The problem is that it feels like the Wyatt Sicks peak with their entrane. If Lumis and Gacy are going to wrestle the vast majority of the matches for the faction, they need to be featured as more than henchmen for Uncle Howdy. Lumis and Gacy need real characters, or their act will have a limited shelf life.
WWE Clash in Paris Misses
Rusev vs. Sheamus in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook match: A minor Miss despite the wrestlers doing their best to deliver a gritty brawl. It’s not easy when they have to use sponsored tables, and the bar set up at ringside makes Donnybrook matches feel like silly sports entertainment. I get that WWE wants to be family-friendly, but that doesn’t mean they need to make things so campy. That said, it will be interesting to see what comes next for both wrestlers.
I don’t understand why Erick Rowan doesn’t wrestle more. He improved a lot in the ring and his size and strength make him look much more of a force than the others.
interesting there’s no buzz behind the start of the tag match between Dawkins and Ford jocking for who starts the match. I don’t mind them chasing singles gold but i don’t want the typical tag team split over some BS. Bo Dallas sowing seeds on the prior SD before the PLE was clearly meant to trigger this. also that’s a wrap on Peacock PLEs! It was good while it lasted.