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When the cards were originally announced, I was super psyched for Night One and, well, not so much for Night Two. Maybe because of my lower expectations, I enjoyed last night's show a lot more than I expected that I would. They had some cool surprises and made some memorable moments. Unlike night one though, there were two matches that I didn't like one bit on the show. You can probably guess what they were. Let's get to it.
Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor (and later Gunther and Kevin Owens) for the Number One Contender spot.
I loved the pop that Nick Aldis got coming out. Him adding Gunther? Well, I get that after his performance on Saturday night and him alluding to give Gunther a shot. But then he stayed a face and added Kevin Owens. He gave Gunther what he wanted but not everything. Loved it.
The look on Sami's face when KO came out was tremendous. As soon as KO's music played I was thinking if he won that would send Sami even further down the rabbit hole of heeldom. KO actually pinning him? Oh yeah, Friday should be very interesting. In their history, KO is usually the guy who does the heel stuff. This time it will probably be Sami.
I love Sami and Finn but they needed someone else to take on CM Punk. Gunther or KO were better options. Gunther will probably be pissed at Nick again. Maybe that continues their feud.
KO gets Punk, but he still has issues with Randy Orton......as long as HHH remembers. Should be interesting to see what stories are told.
The match itself was what you expect out of a four way, all action and craziness.
I am very happy for KO that he could come back (provided he's OK to actually do it). It sucks when something is taken away from a person.
The moment of Sami and KO hugging at the star, then throwing hands, was cool.
That was quite the shiner that Nick had! I am not surprised due to how physical the bout on Saturday was.
Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin for The US Title.
It was hard for me to invest in this one because there is no way that Corbin should have won the match so that took away some of my interest. When he actually won it? I was like WTF! That's no disrespect meant to Corbin. I appreciate his journey and all but this just feels like another example of Paul Levesque taking shine off of a younger talent, which he has done far too often. Two years ago I would have trusted the process and think that he had a plan. Today? It seemed like Levesque was trying to be too cute. Is there a story to tell in Trick chasing his Title? For sure, but it shouldn’t have been against a newly returned Baron Corbin.
I was thinking at the time that I hoped that he didn't kill a hot crowd. That finish was a fart in church.
Yachty going through the table? That dude is committed to the product. I respect that.
I like that Yachty didn't use the stick on Corbin. The heel cheated. I just still don't get why they had Trick lose. It was way too soon, especially to Corbin.
Five-way for the Interim Women's Title.
Well, after the fart in church of Trick losing, they got me back in a big way with putting the belt on Chelsea. She had to overcome the baddies to win it, which she should have. After all that she has been through, he path to the Title should have been hard and they made it just that. Chelsea also eliminated her friend, which she should have. Tiffy would have done it to her too. She dangled on the ladder while the other four fought and then took advantage and won the belt. The pop was insane! It was the right call, for sure. I was really happy for her. What a journey she has had, and look at her now.
i was glad Tiffy got to come out first and get the hometown pop. That had to feel really good for her.
The story about Charlotte repping for Scarlett made me think she had to win, right? Of course she didn't but man, what a pro she is. Whenever she gets the next one the fans will go insane. Paul Levesque needs to take that approach with Cody and let the fans demand for him to win the next one.
As for the match itself, it was all action, as it should have been.
Dom vs. Danhausen - Human Monies on a pole.
Uh, it was exactly what I thought it would be. That kind of match is meant for a portion of the audience that is, well, not me. And that's fine. If they are going to do a match that silly then Danhausen had to win it.
My main issue with it is that Dom shouldn't be stuck in comedy stuff. He was going up the card a year ago and it seems like they have stalled him out. When you add in that he is the AAA Mega Champion, it's just sad that he is being played for comic fodder.
Torito is really, really good. That guy can go!
Penta vs. Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Title.
Sometimes the story everyone expects to be told is the exact story that should be told and that is what happened here. Chad should have finished his version of the story, and he did.
There were a lot of cool, innovative spots in the match, which you would expect given the two men involved. They are both amazing at what they do and they delivered a great match.
Gable crying after the match was a great moment. If he was faking it he's a great actor. And we know he wasn’t faking. Him enjoying the moment with his family was fantastic, a truly great wrestling moment.
Penta putting him over after the match was awesome too.
What I did NOT need to see was the root beer placement at the end of the match, but that's what TKO is all about.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins.
While this match was kind of thrown together to give Minnesota two huge names in the main event, to sell tickets, once the bell rang it was two men who are great at what they do delivering an awesome match. I didn’t expect anything less than amazing from them.
Roman pondering as to whether to use the chair was an interesting moment. He said that he needed to win this match and cheating? That wouldn’t have been a real win. The same held true when he could have stayed on the floor and been counted out and instead rushed to get back in before the 10 count. He needed to beat Seth and that was the only thing that he would accept.
Hopefully, it means that Roman will finally turn face and stay there. That is what the fans want at this point, so just do it already.
The first bump at the end was great as well. These two are intertwined and always will be. They are both a big part of the fabric of the other one’s career.
Roman’s interview after the show was very interesting. He came across as almost humble. Interesting.
Other Thoughts:
I couldn't help but notice that not only did Michael Cole make a comment about how Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins stayed in WWE and never left, Roman himself emphasized the same thing in a post match interview. Was it a shot at CM Punk and Cody Rhodes? A start of an angle? I will be watching this as we go forward because it was definitely intentional.
The crowds were great both nights. Minnesota really delivered.
Speaking of the crowds, unless I missed it, they did not announce the official attendance for the weekend. I can't say that shocks me.
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