#12 AJ Styles def. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
Match: After a hard-hitting encounter which looked like it could go either way, AJ Styles reversed a Kinshasa into an incredible Styles Clash to retain his WWE Championship. Following the match, Nakamura got down on one knee to hand Styles the title, only to hit him with a low-blow before kicking him out the ring.
Verdict: Sadly, the “dream” match failed to live up to the hype. Maybe it was due to the underwhelming build-up? Maybe the expectations were set too high? Maybe it was because of the often-doomed babyface vs. babyface dynamic? The finish to the match was superb, though, and Nakamura’s post-match heel turn makes the inevitable rematch a lot more interesting.
Corey Graves deleted his Tweet! More details HERE.
Grade: B
#13 Braun Strowman & Nicholas def. The Bar (Raw Tag Team Championships)
Match: Braun Strowman revealed before the match that his tag partner would be a member of the WWE Universe. He searched far and wide across the arena before choosing a child, Nicholas, who accompanied him to the ring and stood on the apron as Strowman pinned Cesaro after a running powerslam.
Verdict: Entertaining? Uncomfortable? Weird? Braun and a child, who turned out to be the son of referee John Cone, are the Raw Tag Team champions and that is a sentence I never thought I’d write and one you never thought you’d read. Short-term, this will get WWE some buzz and online clicks. Long-term, the recently revived tag division is really going to suffer.
Grade: C