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Tony Nese vs. Daivari is next!
Hey, The Cruiserweight title made the actual PPV!
They gave Ariya Daivari the old Alberto Del Rio entrance with a car. Nice to see the company investing a little extra oomph into the Cruisers.
Some good action early on. Daivari raked him across the ropes and locked on a Cloverleaf style submission. Nese fought back but was sent to the floor and knocked from the ropes. Nese nailed some of his signature moves on the floor, including a cartwheel to avoid Daivari but was blasted off the ropes into the ring for a two count. Nese came back with his reverse flip dive to the outside and hit the 450 splash off the top for a CLOSE two count. Good, solid stuff here.
Daivari nailed a superkick and a lariat but Nese kicked out at the last second. That was meant to be a big moment as the lariat has been Daivari's finisher on 205 Live. Nese came back with a running knee strike for the pin.
A good, solid bout. I am happy to see the Cruisers get the opportunity.
Triple H confronted Braun. Braun claimed he didn't do anything to Sami Zayn. He asked Braun, as a professional and as his boss, to leave. Braun said, "Whatever, man" and walked away. UGH. I thought this guy was supposed to be a rampaging monster?
It would be interesting if someone else attacked Sami and took his spot in the match though!
They ran a video package for that Undertaker vs. Goldberg match that is taking place in the country of Jeddah. I guess that's the name of the place now, based on what they said! UGH. They actually said what could be as good or better than Wrestlemania in the package. You can't make this up.
It was announced Sami Zayn has been taken to the hospital and neither he nor Braun will be in the Men's Money in the Bank match.
It's time for Becky Two Belts against Lacey Evans for the Raw Women's title. Big test for Lacey here. This will be the moment of truth for her.
Evans came out with an outfit that she apparently stole from the Broadway show Wicked and then shot money into the air. Kazuchika Okada just sat up and took notice.
BIG reaction for Becky. The biggest reaction for anyone on the show thus far.
Evans has the photo of herself hitting Lynch with the Lady’s Right on her boots. That’s great!
Lynch was in control early on but Evans showed some really good heel work once she gained control, hitting some good athletic moves with the right timing and doing all sorts of old school heel tactics like digging her chin into Lynch while holding her in an armbar. Evans did some good character stuff as well, including patting herself down with a wipe and then shoving it in Becky’s face to show what a jerk she is.
Becky came back with a forearm off the ropes. Lynch built some momentum and scored several two counts. Evans clipped her bad knee and Becky began limping. Evans pulled out the old Dudley Dog springboard bulldog off the ropes. They went back and forth. Evans had a nice accounting for herself but in the end Becky caught her in the Disarmher and got the submission. Match was decent and I think we're just seeing the start of Evans' potential.
As Becky exited, the ring, NOT SO FAST. Charlotte's music played out and she came, entering the ring and holding the ropes open for Becky. Becky was game and returned to the ring. Charlotte vs. Becky!
They had the usual good match you'd expect, battling back and forth with some good intensity, but Charlotte was smart enough to take out her leg, attacking the obvious weak link.
Lynch showed a lot of fire trying to fight back and even getting the upperhand, trying to go for the Disarmher. The real question I have is whether Bayley will go for the cash-in, because logically, there is ZERO reason for her not to do so after this match. Lynch held on as Charlotte went for Natural Selection and Flair went to the floor. Lacey returned and drilled Becky with the Women's Right. Charlotte returned and nailed a big boot and scored the pin.
New Smackdown Women's Champion!
I liked the booking here as it adds an additional reason for Lynch to continue her war with Evans, it makes Evans an even bigger player, it gives Flair a win (which I can argue she didn't need) and it puts the two title belts back on two separate shows.
Becky attacked Evans but was attacked by Flair. Lynch was double-teamed. Is this where Bayley makes the save? The crowd is chanting for it. Do they surprise us with a big Sasha Banks return?
It's Bayley, who hits the ring, briefcase in hand. Bayley makes the save and clears the ring of Evans, but is attacked by Flair. The crowd is chanting for Bayley. Flair was going to leave but saw the briefcase and decided to eliminate her competition. She charged Bayley but was sent into the ringpost shoulder-first and KO'd. Bayley looked around and made the decision to cash-in! YES!!!
Charlotte vs. Bayley!
Bayley pulled the unconscious Charlotte to the center of the ring, hit the flying elbow and scored the pin.
Bayley wins! Bayley wins! I love it. That's how you rebound someone.
Bayley celebrates with the people. I would have really liked to have seen Becky show her some respect as well to give her an additional rub and tease a potential showdown down the line, but they didn't go that way.
I really enjoyed the booking here. Becky worked her rear end off. Evans was elevated as a villain. Flair and Lynch had a good match. Bayley gets shot back to the top of the division. As much as we all complain about creative, this worked on every level for me. Even Bayley running around in the crowd was a nice throwback to her old NXT character. Great stuff all around!
Roman was walking in the back. Elias snuck up on him and blasted him with a guitar. I like it. Make Roman have to fight from underneath to get sympathy. The camera trailed Elias all the way to the ring as he commanded they set up his stool so he could play the guitar. It felt organic, not staged. Good stuff.
Smart of WWE to time all that to end just as Game of Thrones' finale begins.
My blog thoughts continue on Page 3!
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