In what seems like a new annual tradition, WWE brought to us a stadium show from outside the United States. Super Show-down from Melbourne, Australia certainly provided us with some great action and will go down in history as a widely successful show. It did have a couple of duds, from painfully short matches to laughably ridiculous finishers. However, the overall consensus was positive from the Melbourne Cricket Ground. With a show filled with fun matches and great moments, the Aussies were not disappointed.
Billed as nothing more than a glorified house show, Super Show-down certainly was more than that. There were enough good moments to make it more. This certainly made for a much more impressionable night than WWE's first grand visit to Saudi Arabia, Greatest Royal Rumble. The stars were out for this mega event, but what shone brightest in Australia?
Here are the three best matches, in terms of in-ring quality, from WWE Super Show-down.
#3 Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre vs The Shield
When Braun Strowman turned heel and aligned with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, it was extremely baffling and seemed like it wouldn't work at all. Fast forward over a month. While there are still some storyline cracks over fans cheering and booing, WWE has done a good enough job to make it seem as authentic as possible. Aligning him with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose is the best way to get Roman Reigns somewhat cheered
The six men in this match showed here why they literally are the entire main event scene on Monday night. It first seemed pretty formulaic, just like all house show tag team matches of such nature. The crowd was surprisingly quiet for the first half of this bout, probably because of fatigue from some other barnburners on the show. However, the men in the ring picked it up a hell of a lot more as we were approaching the conclusion.
The intrigue of Dean Ambrose and his heavily teased heel turn loomed over the outcome of the match, with the moment of truth coming when the heels surrounded Rollins and Reigns in the ring. Ambrose entered the ring to join his brothers and help them. He was repaid a short while later, as the Big Dog saved him from a Strowman running tackle by spearing the Monster through the barricade. It was an unbelievable spot, one that should be replayed in highlight reels over and over. The Shield stood tall in the end, staying strong for at least a little while longer.
#2 Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe was a war. It was just two men who hate each other going all-out in an attempt to destroy each other's bodies. From the pre-match stand-off, a fantastic visual, where Styles and Joe stood at opposite ends of the long ramp to the utter devastation they would put each other through, the WWE Championship felt huge again.
While the title is still being defended in the middle of the show, the matches have almost always been one of the highlights of each show they are on. This was as hard-hitting as the first two matches of this personal feud, with an even higher intensity. AJ Styles worked over the left leg of Samoa Joe for part of the match, after the challenger looked to have hurt it following a hellacious table bump.
After over 20 brutal minutes, Styles finally vanquished the dastardly Samoan Submission Machine by making him submit to the Calf Crusher. It was one hell of a performance by both men and was an excellent way to end one of the best feuds of the year. AJ Styles has been the WWE Champion for close to a year and this was probably the best match of his reign. Truly phenomenal.
#1 Cedric Alexander vs Buddy Murphy (Cruiserweight Championship)
The hometown hero, Buddy Murphy was aptly booked to challenge for the Cruiserweight Championship against Cedric Alexander for Super Show-down. After half a year of relentless progress and unbelievable wrestling on 205 Live, Murphy looked to have his moment come at the biggest and best possible stage. Going into this match, Alexander was the champion for six months and hadn't lost a match in over a year.
There seemed to be fears over Murphy triumphing, as the other hometown heroines Peyton Royce and Billie Kay picked up a victory over Asuka and Naomi. However, the support for him was unreal, as the pair ramped up the intensity with a whole host of amazing acrobatics and gripping intensity. Man, that Standing Spanish Fly was something else, wasn't it?
This match was a perfect 10-minute advertisement for the frenetic, fast-paced action on 205 Live, as Murphy and Alexander went all-out to impress the world. They did just that, as the Australian picked up the victory after kicking out of the Lumbar Check and hitting the Murphy's Law. It was a fantastic payoff for a fantastic match. A perfect feel-good moment on the Melbourne mega-show, with the crowning of a new Cruiserweight Champion.