Ronda Rousey Attacked Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Raw General Manager Kurt AngleRaw has been sorely lacking from a hot opening segment for many weeks now, but this was a hell of a way to kick off the show with Bliss bragging about her triumphs at Money in the Bank before Rousey came out to demolish her as well as Angle. She was completely unhinged, and that's the side of Rousey we need to see more of on Raw. Her attack on Angle was what led to her "suspension" in storyline, explaining why she won't be in action at Extreme Rules next month. I look forward to Rousey vs. Bliss for the title upon her return to TV. Dolph Ziggler def. Seth Rollins to Win the Intercontinental ChampionshipI was down for Ziggler answering Rollins' open challenge because they have always had strong in-ring chemistry together and that was once again the case here. It was extremely well-wrestled and the action was entertaining, but Ziggler capturing the championship took me by surprise. If anything, I would have put the belt on Elias at Money in the Bank or even Drew McIntyre. With Ziggler, I feel like it's one of those "been there, done that" type of deals, and unlike The Miz, he's not a compelling champion. I'm interested to see where it leads, but there really wasn't a reason to take the title off of Rollins so soon.
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SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers def. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (Kickoff Match)For full disclosure, I went to the concession stand during this match and saw none of it in person, but I did catch most of it on my phone while waiting in line. What I did watch was totally fine and no different than your typical Kickoff match. The pace picked up a bit down the stretch and it was refreshing that the challengers for The Bludgeon Brothers actually received a measure of offense for a change. That said, the titles were never in jeopardy of changing hands. Daniel Bryan def. Big CassI honestly wasn't expecting this match to open the event going in, but in retrospect, I'm happy it did. I really don't care too much about this feud, but Bryan is so over with the audience that he was the reason this was as enjoyable as it was. Granted, it was far from great, but as a basic showcase for Bryan, it served its purpose well. With Bryan once again winning decisively, here's hoping this marks the end of the line for this rivalry.
NXT Tag Team Champions Undisputed Era def. Oney Lorcan and Danny BurchI had hoped this would kick off the show and was happy to have been right because it opened the evening on a high note. I was actually surprised by how heavily booed Lorcan and Burch were for a majority of the match, but I chalk that more up to Undisputed Era just being so over with the audience. Anyway, this was as hard-hitting as I figured it would be and extremely entertaining at that. Both teams took each other to the limit and it was a blast to watch. Lorcan and Burch gained something from their performance in this bout while Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong remain on a roll. There are many teams who can challenge them for the twin titles at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, but I have my money on it being War Raiders. Ricochet def. Velveteen DreamThis was my most anticipated of the weekend, and boy, did it deliver. The basic theme of this was what one guy could do, the other could do better. I loved that a lot because it made for a ton of cool moments with both competitors constantly trying to outdo each other. Velveteen Dream is a sensational storyteller (the ode to Hulk Hogan was hilarious) and Ricochet is more than a man who can do some sweet flips. Their chemistry was spot-on and the crowd was hot from start to finish. I'd be up for an eventual rematch, but I'm not sure how we'd get to that point considering how Ricochet won in clean fashion.
Eddie Edwards Attacked Tommy DreamerGrado was scheduled to make an appearance to open the show, but Edwards attacked him and called out Dreamer instead after what happened at the end of last week's episode. I'n not sure if he's a full-fledged heel yet (I wouldn't say so), but he's well on his way because of his obsession with killing Sami Callihan. Few wrestlers in the business can cut a more passionate promo than Dreamer, and Edwards has never been the best talker yet he has become one through this storyline, so I thought this was a strong segment. A Edwards vs. Dreamer match seems inevitable. Taya Valkyrie def. RebelI could have done without Rebel returning to IMPACT, if only because she was never really that good to begin with and apparently hasn't improved much in her time away. That said, I'm fine with this being a one-off for her, being brought in simply to put over Valkyrie, who has been spinning her wheels for a few months now. This was a competent contest and I hope this win gets her back on the right track. Her post-match promo indicated Madison Rayne will be her next rival.
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