By Graham "GSM" Matthews Daniel Bryan def. The Miz Their United States Championship match from 2010's Night of Champions event is among my favorite matches, so I was rather disappointed this encounter didn't live up to that level. I didn't expect them to get more than ten minutes, but it would have been nice to get a competitive match between them. At the very least, the commentators acknowledged their history from the first season of NXT from almost exactly five years ago, so that helped give the match more meaning. Ryback def. Kane Kane has been so devalued over the years that crowds are automatically designed to not care about anything he's involved in. Thankfully, Ryback has gotten so over as a babyface that he saved this match from being a total disaster. It wasn't a technical masterpiece or anything, but they pulled together a decent bout with Ryback getting the quick win. It's a real shame they probably don't have substantial plans in place for Ryback at WrestleMania 31 as he deserves more for getting himself over again these last few months.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Mil Muertes def. Chavo Guerrero by Disqualification The commentators brought up the history between these two before the bout, but it still couldn't make me care about it. As much as I like Muertes, I couldn't care less about Chavo, and what incentive was the viewer supposed to have to cheer for either guy? It had a slow and plodding pace and the disqualification finish made it meaningless. Non-finishes are rarely done in Lucha Underground, but this just felt sloppy. Thankfully, the storytelling afterward with Fenix saving Catrina from Muertes was well done. However, I'm confused as to when she and Muertes split up; wasn't she only kissing other guys so she could get in their head and soften them up for Muertes? Ivelisse def. Angelico I've liked in the past how the women were protrayed as equals to the men in the ring, but this seemed like a step backward. Angelico didn't take her seriously as a threat whatsoever and it was all fun and games until Son of Havoc got involved and helped her win. Ivelisse has held her own against the men in the past, so I'm not sure wy this couldn't have been a more competitive match. At the very least, they furthered the story with Ivelisse and Son of Havoc with her not acknowledging his assistance. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Kevin Owens Addressed his NXT Championship Victory If you're going to kick off a wrestling show with a promo, this is how you do it. Owens addressed his actions in the main event of TakeOver excellently and immediately shifted his focus to his next challenger: Finn Balor. The lack of Sami Zayn mention was interesting, though I'm sure he'll be back at some point. Still, Owen's promo was short, sweet and everything it needed to be and then some. Rhyno def. Elias Sampson Well, this was a pleasant surprise! Never in a million years would I have expected a Rhyno return, and the Full Sail University crowd popped big for it. This was a glorified squash that showcased Rhyno's dominance nicely, and as we saw in the backstage segment with Finn Balor, it looks like this wasn't just a one-off. It's great that they're seemingly bringing in veterans to help put over the younger stars, and this made for a very cool moment. By Graham "GSM" Matthews The Lucha Dragons def. Curtis Axel and Heath Slater There weren't any rumors of The Lucha Dragons being called up prior to this point, so I'm not sure whether this was simply a test run or if they are officially here to stay. Either way, they were impressive here and got the crowd behind them as the match progressed. As I've said time and time again, Sin Cara is damaged goods as a singles competitor, but in this tandem with Kalisto, he has some life. Whenever it may be, The Lucha Dragons coming to the main roster would be a nice addition to the depleted tag team division, along with the recently reunited Prime Time Players. Stardust def. Zack Ryder As much as I despise the Stardust character and still believe Cody Rhodes is deserving of so much more, there's no denying that Cody is really dedicated to the role. He can be a nice pest heel as Stardust, but as noted, I can see Cody as a world champion if they just pushed the guy properly. It was fun to see Ryder compete for the first time since the Royal Rumble match and although it was in a losing effort, he had a nice showing here as well. |
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