The show started with Adam Pearce and Vince McMahon.
Adam walked into Vince’s office and he said he needed Fiend, Strowman, and Reigns to sign it, and he better not come back without them. So Pearce went out to find them. He started with Bray Wyatt.
Bray had a really fun Firefly Funhouse segment, back in the whole room with all his friends. The doorbell rang, and Postman Pearce entered in full mailman gear. He asked Bray to sign the contract since he and the Fiend are technically connected. Bray signed it and really made it creepy for Pearce, who ran right out afterward.
Pearce found Reigns’ room and there was no answer at the door. He found Drew Gulak and Gulak was too busy worrying about Strowman and hit him with a chair and ran off. Strowman turned around and demanded a match before signing the contract, which Pearce gave him, and he promptly won. The match didn’t really matter, except that Braun’s new ring gear is bad ass and perfect for his new character.
Finally, Pearce got into Reigns’ room and he took his time to sign the contract, which was quite unusual. They cut to the main event and mentioned Pearce and Reigns were still together. When that match was over, we got back into the room and Reigns signed the contract and said he will win the triple threat, wreck everyone and leave and win back his Universal championship he never lost.
“And that’s not just a prediction, it’s a spoiler.” He turned to his left and PAUL HEYMAN WAS NEXT TO HIM AND HE SAID BELIEVE THAT AND THEY SMILED AT EACH OTHER! OH MY GOD!
OH MY GOD!
Roman Reigns has made me scream HOLY F*** twice in less than a week! I cannot be happier about this pairing. Reigns is now a damn heel as a singles star for the first time since FCW! Hose me down, people. I’m so incredibly ready for this.
Roman got new teeth and then got himself a mouthpiece. What a legend.
Uno and Dos
Bayley and Sasha Banks are going through rough times.
The Role Models came up to Heavy Machinery and Big E. Bayley legit said to E “It’s not that you don’t have what it takes to be WWE champion, it’s just that some people can only handle a tag team championship!” Jesus Christ. The look Big E shot Sasha and look of defeat on Sasha’s face was pure gold.
They got in the ring and Bayley said they’ve been having a difficult week, but lucky for them they’re the greatest tag champs in the whole world. She said she never should have let her challenge Asuka for the title, but she saw how she looked at her and wanted to join in the fun. As her best friend she should have known she’s never successfully defended the Raw title. (Clever!) Sasha said that they can’t lose on Sunday and she might not be Two Belts Banks anymore, but she knows exactly who she is and what she stands for, and lucky for Bayley, she’s still her best friend.
Suddenly Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax popped up on the tron, and they said they hate each other but are willing to team with anyone for the tag titles. Sasha said they’re going to win. End segment. That was the low part of this whole thing, because give me more of the shade between Bayley and Sasha. It is just so sweet and I missed this.
I highly recommend their documentary on the Network talking about leading up to TakeOver Brooklyn. It’s fantastic and continues to prove why these two women are one of the best at this pro wrestling thing. They are natural storytellers.
And yes, they are definitely losing on Sunday.
The Rest
Jeff Hardy def. Shinsuke Nakamura / Sami Zayn is back! - Hardy came out and said that he’s tickled pink to be standing in the ring with the Intercontinental title and he issued an open challenge. AJ Styles interrupted and said that Jeff seems pretty proud of himself after what he did last week. He’s not a hero, he’s much more than that. He’s a liar and a cheat. He whined and cried to the doctor to get the knee brace to his advantage and got the doctor to not clear him to compete. You know, I didn’t necessarily disagree with AJ here. While yes, Jeff didn’t go “whine and cry” to get an illegal object in the match, Jeff did technically win because of it.
Shinsuke Nakamura answered the open challenge. Hardy continued to sell his knee injury during this bout, and Nakamura attacked it a couple of times. Nak hit a really great knee strike to Hardy and gout him tangled up in a corner. Hardy deliberately threw Nak into Styles on commentary. Hardy used the knee brace again and hit the Twist of Fate for the win! Once again, the babyface took advantage of having an object that could do more damage. Interesting.
Jeff went up the ramp and SAMI ZAYN’S MUSIC YAY! He came out with his own Intercontinental title and said that the champ is back and he never lost it. He attacked Jeff with a Helluva kick and goodness gracious I am elated to see him back. Looks like we may see another triple threat match in the very near future!
Sami ran into Shinsuke and Cesaro backstage and tried being all buddy buddy with them, but they weren’t really into it. They said he dropped off the face of the Earth and never contacted him. They asked him to leave as they were having a private conversation. Artists no more?
Alexa Bliss returns - Nikki Cross was approached by Tamina Snuka and she asked if she’s seen Alexa, who then popped into the shot. Alexa was sporting her twin pigtails from pre-BlissCross Applesauce, with a new addition - one strand of braided hair. Hmmm. Nikki said she doesn’t like that because it reminds her of the Fiend, and Alexa’s face twisted into anger. Alexa said she thought they were best friends, and then smashed the mug that Nikki got from her as a gift that she was holding and stormed off.
So it looks like the Fiend angle hasn’t been dropped! I think? My belief is that mentioning the Fiend may very well be the sign that that angle is continuing, because when Bryan, Miz, and Balor changed, the Fiend wasn’t mentioned again.
Cesaro def. Kalisto - This whole thing is more about Lucha House Party and their dissension. Before the match, Kalisto told Lince Dorado he was going to show them how it’s done, and told them not to come out during the match. Kalisto left and Nak and Cesaro attacked Lince and Metalik. So Cesaro had the match with Kalisto and naturally, the two men ran down and attacked Nak on the outside and that disruption led to Cesaro winning.
Kalisto and Lince got into it and looked like they were about to fight, but then they all hugged. Clearly this is leading to a break up, and I guess that’s fine? I liked all three men together, but I think after two or so years, this act has run its course. Heel Kalisto going for the Intercontinental title later this year would be fun. I don’t know what to do with Lince and Metalik except exactly what they’ve been doing for a while, though.
Matt Riddle def. Chad Gable - This was too quick but Gable was so great, using the dragon screw and a smooth bridged suplex, but Riddle hit the Bro Derek (I still can’t believe that’s an actual finisher name) for the win. Corbin tried to attack after the match but Riddle got the better of him, and I’m starting to feel bad for Gable again because they just need to do better with him.
Big E and Heavy Machinery def. Sheamus, Miz, and Morrison - Otis and Big E somewhere down the line could be a really fun team up. Sheamus got into it with Miz and Morrison after Morrison accidentally hit him off the apron and he walked off. Big E and Miz finally locked up and Morrison prevented Big E from getting the pin, but Otis Caterpillared him, Miz did the Skull Crushing finale to Otis, and Big E won with the Big Ending.
This Sunday is Payback and I think that this is the first time WWE has ever done two pay-per-views back to back like this. Most of the matches are intriguing at least, with the obvious most intriguing now being this triple threat for the Universal title. I am just so incredibly excited for this new path with Roman.
Grade: B+
Your turn.