Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly VS The Brawling Brutes
Paul Heyman narrated a video showcasing Roman Reigns’ run to 1,000 days as Universal Champion before Austin Theory cut a promo in the ring about how he’s going to be United States Champion for at least 4,000 days which really would be something. Theory then introduced Pretty Deadly who have another new theme song before the Brawling Brutes arrived looking for a fight. That’s exactly what they got as the first match of the night saw Theory and Pretty Deadly team up to take on Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch of the Brawling Brutes. This was a decent contest as everyone played their roles well. The Celtic Warrior was able to keep the crowd going whilst Pretty Deadly showcased why they are just so good. Kit Wilson and Elton Prince even pulled out a move they did back in NXT (against the D’Angelo Family) as Prince hid under the ring apron/mat which allowed Wilson (who was legal) to attack Ridge Holland from behind. PD then hit the Spilt Milk onto Holland before they tagged in Austin Theory so the United States Champion could get the pinfall victory. Even though I would’ve given either Kit or Elton the winning pin, it’s not the end of the world as they are now 2-0 against their fellow British compatriots.
Grade: C+
The O.C. VS Hit Row, The Grayson Waller Effect
Paul Heyman told Solo Sikoa backstage that he was going to talk to Adam Pearce to make sure that the Usos weren’t able to get into the building. The O.C. were then backstage talking about AJ Styles’ birthday before Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson looked to shut up Hit Row in tag team action. Surprisingly, both Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Top Dolla were in control of Karl Anderson early on, but as soon as Luke Gallows was tagged in, it was over for the rappers. Big LG beat up his opponents before he quickly tagged in Anderson to hit the Magic Killer for the victory. After the match, TD attacked his opponents from behind before he was met with a Phenomenal Forearm by AJ Styles. There was nothing good about this, but there wasn’t really anything to complain about which is a good thing.
Grade: C
Paul Heyman walked into Adam Pearce’s office to be told that Pearce had cancelled the Usos’ travel plans and had also hired double the amount of security so they 100% wouldn’t get into the building. It was then time for the Grayson Waller Effect as the Arrogant Aussie had managed to get the brand new Raw Women’s Champion Asuka onto his hit talk show. Asuka spoke mostly in Japanese which Grayson seemed to like before the Empress of Tomorrow was interrupted by Iyo Sky who also cut a promo in Japanese. Bayley then decided to show up and remind everyone that she’s a former Money in the Bank winner before Shotzi arrived to say she was going to become Miss Money in the Bank. Lacey Evans then arrived to say everyone should salute her before Zelina Vega’s music hit as she told everyone to keep underestimating her. Asuka then said nobody’s ready for her whilst standing on the ramp before Bianca Belair arrived and the two brawled until officials broke it up. I have no problem with WWE showcasing who’s on their roster, particularly when it’s Money in the Bank season. However, why does it have to happen on the Grayson Waller Effect? The whole reason the show was so good on NXT was because it was only used for special occasions and Waller didn’t like any of his guests, even if they were heels. I miss those times.
Grade: C
Money in the Bank Qualifying Matches: Lacey Evans VS Zelina Vega, LA Knight VS Montez Ford
We saw a clip of Baron Corbin attacking NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes from NXT earlier on in the week before Cameron Grimes said him and Corbin have unfinished business. I did like the fact that Grimes knew Melo would beat him as he knows just how good the A-Champion is. WWE then showed a replay of Lacey Evans delivering a Women’s Right to Zelina Vega whilst the GWE set was being cleared. This then lead into the first Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying match of the year as Zelina looked to overcome the odds against Lacey Evans. This match was ok, neither woman is particularly amazing in the ring, but they were still able to tell a good story as Vega was the clear underdog. Zelina also proved that underdogs can succeed as she delivered a Code Red to Evans to get the victory and advance to Money in the Bank. The one thing I didn’t like about this was Lacey Evans lost all her credibility a few years ago now so you’re not surprised when she loses which is a shame because she was one of the best in the women’s division early 2020.
Grade: C
The LWO had a backstage segment where Rey Mysterio just showed up and said that the locker room are going to have to call Santos Escobar and Zelina Vega “Mr. and Mrs. Money in the Bank”. I’d be alright with that and they then announced that free agent Mustafa Ali is facing Santos in a Qualifying match next week. Please give them time as that is a dream match for me. The Megastar LA Knight’s music then hit as he was about to face Montez Ford in a men’s Money in the Bank Qualifying match. This was probably the best match of the night, mainly down to the crowd who cheered for LA Knight and booed Montez Ford which I think is pretty cool. Both men got to show off their athleticism and Knight was able to remind people that he is a heel as he stole a victory by putting his hand on the ropes. Anyway, Knight has a pretty good record in ladder matches so he may well have a chance to win it all in London.
Grade: C+
Roman Reigns’ 1,000-day reign Celebration
The Unholy Union had a weird video package that felt like a mixture of Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings. Trust me, that’s not a bad thing. Triple H’s music then hit as the Game walked down to the ring before he cut a promo on Roman Reigns’ historic Championship reign. This brought out the Tribal Chief who was wearing a special “1,000-day” tracksuit before Triple H gave Roman Reigns his brand-new Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. It looks alright, but it looks more yellow than gold and I also liked the blue Universal title. The Usos then arrived as WWE once again proved that their security sucks before Roman Reigns ordered Jey Uso to Superkick his brother Jimmy right in the face. The Right Hand Man refused to do this before Jimmy Uso annoyed Roman Reigns more and more. Solo Sikoa then said whilst he acknowledges Reigns as his Tribal Chief, the Usos are still his brothers and as he said this, he walked over to stand in line with Jimmy and Jey. Jimmy then pushed Roman in the face like Reigns has done many a time before Jey Uso split them apart and told them that he needs them all to stick together. Jimmy agreed and after a hug between himself and Reigns, Roman uttered the word “no” which resulted in Solo Sikoa dropping Jimmy Uso with the Samoan Spike. Roman and Solo then walked off as the Head of the Table responded to Paul Heyman’s question about Jey by saying “he’ll do what he always does and that’s fall in line”. For a show that was really mid at best, this segment was superb. Roman Reigns might not just be the best character in all of WWE, but the best actor in the whole world. Like genuinely, his facial expressions are second to none. Jimmy Uso also looked great in this segment and Solo Sikoa turning on him was both a massive shock and an “of course he was going to do that”. And finally, Jey Uso is so, so, so good at what he does. This whole segment/segments over the course of Roman’s 1,000-day+ Reign shows why this might well be the greatest WWE storyline ever told.
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