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Roman Reigns gets to open the show with a chance to redeem himself for a poorly-received promo on Monday, but Bo Dallas butts in. Moments like this bring to mind the idea that, at some point, WWE could and perhaps should go ahead and align Bo with his real-life brother, Bray Wyatt.
Roman Reigns def. Bo Dallas
Really, I’m not sure what direction Bo Dallas is headed in WWE. The kid hasn’t been around long, and he’s already just a comic-relief jobber. Further, this victory really does nothing for Roman Reigns because he’s already established as one of the top stars and hardest hitters in the company. As soon as Bo Dallas came out, there’s very little doubt what’s about to happen.
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Regardless, Reigns follows the match by getting on the mic again, but this time it’s Big Brother Bray that cuts in to warn him ahead of their matchup at Hell in a Cell.
Sheamus/King Barrett def. Cesaro/Neville
It wouldn’t be Smackdown without some Team Heel vs. Team Face tag matches, and this was one of two on the card. Interestingly, Cosmic Wasteland showed up in the crowd and appeared to be targeting Cesaro. Not sure what that means for the future, but if it’s an actual direction for Cesaro, that’s better than the alternative. Sheamus gets the cover on Cesaro though, which means yet another loss to cool the formerly hot Swiss Superman.
Summer Rae is up next for a promo to let us know that she’ll be special referee for a match between Dolph Ziggler and Rusev later on in the evening. Hopefully, this angle will end soon.
Dean Ambrose gets the next promo, and as the show is being filmed in Cincinnati, the crowd loves it. Really cool that he’s getting a prominent spot in the show in his hometown.
Kevin Owens def. Zack Ryder
Yet another squash match for one of the top guys on the roster. Sure Ryback was at ringside and got involved to prevent a post-match beatdown and drive that feud forward, but this match, like Reigns-Dallas, served very little purpose. If WWE really wants better ratings for Raw and/or Smackdown, matches like this create very little excitement for the programming, and they don’t do anything for either competitor.
Cut to backstage, where Paige and Natalya are arguing. It’s been nice for Natalya to get a more prominent role on-screen, as long as it isn’t just to muddy the waters for the teams in the Divas division.
Dolph Ziggler def. Rusev (w/ Summer Rae as special guest referee)
We got a close call in this one that made it seem like the awful love triangle, or rectangle, story was going to continue. After a fast count to give Ziggler the win, Summer Rae looked ready to celebrate with The Showoff, but Dolph shut her down. We can only hope that Monday was a sign of things to come and Ziggler is going to get a run at, and eventually win, the United States title in a match against John Cena at Hell in a Cell. Even if that isn’t the case, hopefully the turn of events on this show is a sign that Ziggler is through with the love story that a real-life engagement mercifully ended.
Dean Ambrose and the Dudley Boyz cut a promo backstage, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pairing for a one-night random team. Sure, it’s Team Face to the highest degree and has no real storyline connection, but Ambrose really fits in with the persona of the Dudley Boyz.
Luke Harper/Braun Strowman def. Prime Time Players
It’s a shame that PTP has lost so much momentum since losing the tag titles to the New Day, but this matchup was doomed from the start. The official finish was Strowman hugging Darren Young, squeezing him and calling him George – you get the reference; don’t deny it. Regardless, the tag team division is as cold as New Day is hot. At one point, PTP, New Day, Lucha Dragons and even Los Matadores all had momentum, and the Wyatts seemed poised to get involved in the fray as well. Now, PTP is doing the job for a Wyatt faction that doesn’t seem headed for a tag title run anytime soon.
Charlotte (w/ Becky Lynch) def. Alicia Fox (w/ Bella twins)
Charlotte locked in the Figure Eight for the victory in yet another mismatch on a relatively crowded card. Afterward, Team Bella starts the beatdown on Charlotte and Becky, but Paige comes out to make the save. Maybe this makes sense in a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” kind of way, but why have Paige insult Charlotte and Becky if she was going to keep working with them? A cut to the back, where Natalya is laid out, adds further confusion to the situation.
Really, these arbitrary teams for the Divas division were a decent story kickstart, but now that several of the ladies have established themselves, that dynamic needs to go away for the most part.
Dudley Boyz/Dean Ambrose def. New Day by DQ
More hometown love for Ambrose, and this one ends with a surprisingly rare trombone shot by Xavier Woods to Bubba Ray. Maybe it’s actually a nice instrument, but you’d really think he would hit more people with it since he carries the thing around with him all the time. After the match, New Day gets to stand tall yet again over three established superstars, further cementing an already impressive push.
It’s unclear where this recent effort to establish New Day as the company’s top heel faction is going, but it’s fun to watch. These three guys are investing in a concept that could’ve been a real dud, and it’s paying off.
