Kalisto def. Ariya DaivariI maintain that Kalisto is a very good wrestler, but because he's been booked terribly for the better part of the last two years, few fans care about him. Thus, positioning him as a regular on Main Event at this point is hardly a surprise. As I've said before about Daivari, I find it difficult to get invested in most of what he's a part of, but this was actually a good match that the crowd wasn't completely quiet for, shockingly enough. Apollo Crews def. Curt HawkinsIf you've seen one encounter between Crews and Hawkins, you've essentially seen them all. This was your basic bout where, needless to say, the outcome was never once in doubt despite Hawkins' nearfalls in the second half. The only thing interesting about this outing was Dana Brooke's presence at ringside, as she has seemingly officially ben named a member of Titus Worldwide. That's a fine role for her, but whatever the hell happened to Akira Tozawa being with them?
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Raw General Manager Kurt Angle Announced Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane at Royal RumbleAngle making this match official for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was expected after the non-finish to last week's Strowman vs. Kane main event. While you knew exactly how this was going down, I still thought it was well done. Lesnar being the last man standing was fine given he's the champion, but it didn't give Kane credibility as a challenger whatsoever. It doesn't help no one has him winning the title that night as of now, anyway. Seth Rollins def. Jason Jordan to Earn the Right to Face Samoa JoeYes, Rollins was already scheduled to face Joe on this edition of Raw, but Jordan confronted Rollins and demanded a piece of Joe as well. Thus, this match was born. Jordan's subtle heel turn has been a treat to watch in recent weeks and the latest progression of it with this match was excellent. The match itself was very entertaining and well-wrestled with Jordan once again losing nothing in defeat. Unfortunately, the stipulation of this outing would ultimately mean nothing considering they would team up with Dean Ambrose later in the night to take on Joe, Sheamus and Cesaro.
Mojo Rawley def. Zack Ryder (Kickoff Match)For a match I couldn't have cared less about coming into the event, this ended up being pretty decent. The pre-mach video package was very well done (where was that before tonight?) and I appreciated Rawley showing more aggression as a heel. I don't know how high of a ceiling he'll have on his own, but this was a solid start to his singles run. Kudos to the crowd for not being as dead for this as I thought they would be. Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in a Triple Threat Match to Win the United States ChampionshipConsidering how bad the build was for this bout, this was a surprisingly pleasant opener with a hot crowd to boot. All three wrestlers held their own and I liked that there never seemed to be a dull moment. Ziggler pinning Corbin to capture the U.S. title shocked the hell out of me, but we'll see where they go with it. Personally, I wouldn't have done that because Ziggler hasn't been interesting in ages, but perhaps it was the company's way of attempting to lure Ziggler into extending his current contract.
Matt Taven def. Will OspreayTaven has really come into his own as a singles star this year, and I'm really glad he hasn't had to break off from the rest of The Kingdom to find success in one-on-one competition because they add to his act. Of course, Ospreay is an incredible athlete as well and I wish we would see more of him in ROH. Since Taven is an ROH regular and on the rise, it was logical for him to win here, but this was a very fun opening conetst. War Machine def. The AddictionThis wasn't nearly as hot of a match as the previous bout, but it was still well-wrestled and I liked the aggression from both teams to make it feel as personal as possible. As I've said before, it's amazing what War Machine can do for men their size and The Addiction can always be counted on for an enjoyable outing. I did find it weird that War Machine scored the victory considering what would happen with The Addiction later on and how War Machine aren't currently under contract to the company.
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