Gran Metalik def. The Brian KendrickWell, after a string of consecutive Raw and 205 Live appearances, it looks like Metalik is back to being a Main Event regular, which is a shame considering his talent. He works well with the entire Cruiserweight division, but Kendrick has a special knack for making everyone he's in the ring with look good, so Metalik was allowed to shine here and even pick up the surprising victory. They put together a very nice match that I wish more people would have seen on Raw or 205 Live. Apollo Crews def. Curt HawkinsCrews and Hawkins have had their fair share of matches against each other over the last year, so while this wasn't anything we haven't already seen from them before, it was fine for what it was and didn't overstay its welcome. Hawkins has more of a direction with his lengthy losing streak than Crews does at this point, which is pretty sad to be honest. WWE really needs to figure out what they're going to do with Crews to ensure he doesn't continue to flounder.
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Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman Confronted Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Triple HSeeing Stephanie and Triple H, a.k.a. The Authority, kick off Raw brings back horrid memories from a few years ago when they were all over the show and didn't do anyone on the roster any favors. On the bright side, Angle, Jordan and Strowman all stood up to them here and planted the seeds for a number of matches down the line. None of them particularly intrigued me, to be honest, but this was successful in setting up Jordan vs. Strowman later in the night. At least Angle didn't take shit from Stephanie the same way Mick Foley did for months on end. Samoa Joe def. Finn BalorThis was the perfect match to kick off the in-ring portion of the show because, as I've noted in the past, these two have always worked very well together. Plus, it was a logical follow-up to them teasing tension during the Survivor Series main event the night prior. It was an enjoyable outing and Joe winning in clean fashion was a pleasant surprise. Does this mean we can throw the rumors of Balor facing Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble out the window? If so, that's disappointing.
Elias def. Matt Hardy (Kickoff Match)Elias has yet to be advertised for a pay-per-view ahead of time (and no, the day of the show doesn't count). Instead, he's added to the card at the last minute as a filler match/segment, and this was no different. Hardy has been pretty directionless as well lately, which is a shame, but this was a fine match for what it was and Elias went over as he should have. The arena was basically empty because the doors to the building just opened, but WWE wisely kept the lights down during this match so it wasn't as apparent. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore def. Kalisto (Kickoff Match)Most fans couldn't have cared less about this match heading into the event, so don't think that the lack of people in the audience was the reason why they were quiet for this contest. Rather, this feud has been a waste of time and there was nothing out of the ordinary about this outing. It was a mediocre match and nothing more. I hate the idea of Hideo Itami being pigeonholed on 205 Live, but it's better than doing nothing on NXT, so we can just skip to that already?
Lars Sullivan def. Kassius OhnoSullivan has had a a steady rise in recent months and has worked best against wrestlers with much more experience than him such as Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Ohno was the perfect opponent for him in that he's a credible competitor and made Sullivan come across like a monster while also looking great in defeat himself. It wasn't given a ton of time at only five minutes long, but I'd argue that was what made the match fun, because it was short and sweet. Ohno plays his role as a stepping stone really well and deserves credit for a nice performance here, too. Aleister Black def. The Velveteen DreamThe build-up to this bout was nothing short of brilliant, so there was a worry that the match wouldn't come close to being as strong. Ultimately, the matchup not only met my expectations but exceeded them. It was excellent from an in-ring standpoint and Dream proved himself worthy of being on Black's level (or at least not far behind), but the storytelling was what I really enjoyed about this outing with Dream so desperately wanting Black to say his name. He finally did after he won, which Dream more than deserved. This was a star-making performance from Dream and I'm excited to see what's next for him in NXT.
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