By Graham "GSM" Matthews Caprice Coleman vs. Will Ferrara Ended in a Double Disqualification Prince Nana giving people mysterious cards never piqued my interest prior to this match, but it's starting to now that he has Donovan Dijak in his sights as well. As for this match, I liked how it was more than throwaway match featuring two guys who aren't showcased all that often. They have the Prince Nana connection, but instead of forming an alliance, they were the worst of rivals. They both showed more aggression than usual, which was refreshing, and the open-ended conclusion left me wondering what's next for Coleman and Ferrara and if this is beginning of a rivalry between them. All Night Express def. Donovan Dijak and Ken Phoenix This match was taped before All Night Express became the new No. 1 Contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Final Battle, so I was glad they scored a win here to further their momentum. That said, the focus wasn't entirely on them here but rather on Phoenix failing to impress Truth Martini and predictably paying for his sins with Dijak laying him out. I didn't care about Phoenix coming into the contest, but his mini-story made this match more meaningful as a result. As previously noted, Prince Nana scouting Dijak afterward was intriguing.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Jason Jordan and Chad Gable def. The Hype Bros, The Vaudevillians, and Blake & Murphy in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match It's incredible to realize just how far the tag team division has come this year. Granted, it's not yet perfect, but we had four solid tandems in this match in addition to Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady and Dash and Dawson who were at TakeOver. They're all exciting to watch in their own way, which is what made this match such a treat. As entertaining as the in-ring action was, this match was worth watching alone for the reactions Jordan and Gable received. It's ridiculous how over they are right now and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they're destined for greatness on NXT and beyond. That said, it was smart to have them go over here and hopefully a program with Dash and Dawson over the NXT Tag Team Championship isn't far off. Elias Sampson def. Bull Dempsey For his first appearance, I wasn't exactly blown away by Sampson. He has a great look, but the "drifter" gimmick with the guitar may have very limited potential. It's not even that it's been done to death but I'm not sure how it's going to get over. Dempsey was on offense for most of the match before Sampson pulled out the win, so I can't say how well he can wrestle, but at least we know he can hit a beautiful-looking elbow drop. By Graham "GSM" Matthews League of Nations Interrupted Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and The Usos This was a pretty paint-by-numbers segment with everyone making an entrance and setting up the 16-man tag team main event for later on in the show. Only Reigns and the League of Nations got mic time with the League of Nations talking about how much better they are than the United States to elicit heat. It was Wrestling 101 yet effective. On a side note, it was wise for WWE to not have anyone come out with their championships. They would have spoiled the title changes from TLC and Raw if they had the new champions wear their belts and it would have been awkward if the old champions were wearing them. Better to avoid that whole mess by having no one come out with gold. Jack Swagger def. Rusev in a Boot Camp Match I likely wouldn't have cared less about this match any other time of the year, but it was fitting to rekindle this rivalry at Tribute to Troops. It also helped that Swagger has meant a little more as of late. Granted, he's still a glorified enhancement talent, but at least his recent feud with Alberto Del Rio has legitimized him to the point where he didn't feel too out of place against Rusev. The annual Boot Camp matches are always a blast and this bout was no exception. Swagger forcing Rusev to tap out truly was a Christmas miracle, but because it's Tribute to the Troops, it's almost as if it never happened. By Graham "GSM" Matthews WWE Champion John Cena def. World Tag Team Champion Edge (Non-title) The classic feud between Cena and Edge dominated the better part of 2006, so it was perfect that they closed out the year by having them go up against each other one final time. They can always be counted on for a quality contest and this was another great matchup from the two longtime rivals. It was also fitting to open Tribute to the Troops with Cena since he has become such an integral part of the event over the past decade. CM Punk def. Shelton Benjamin Punk was only months into his WWE run, and as part of the ECW brand, I would have never guessed that he would be invited on the Tribute to the Troops tour. That said, I was pleasantly surprised to see him a part of the event and in a match with Benjmain. The two had fun chemistry each other, but it's a shame Benjamin didn't mean more at the time and was instead toiling in the undercard on the Raw brand. |
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