Reviewing every WWE PPV in order from worst to best

[BigVanDonnie]

love the reviews, Jarf

 

[Jarf]

love the reviews, Jarf

Thanks! I'll try to get another one out when I can

 

[Jarf]

In the meantime, with it being the 2 year anniversary, I think it would be cool to look back at every match I've rated 5 stars in the thread so far.

1. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins - Royal Rumble 2015

2. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind - Mind Games 1996

3. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXV

4. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect - SummerSlam 1991

5. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - WrestleMania 13

6. Triangle Ladder Match - WrestleMania 2000

7. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Badd Blood 1997

8. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler - No Mercy 2016

9. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre - Bad Blood 2024

10. Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar - No Way Out 2004

11. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat - WrestleMania III

 

[Chris]

Great list

 

[Jarf]

WrestleMania 41 Night 1

Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship Match - Jey Uso def. Gunther (c) (16:21)

Ya know what, I'm just gonna say it. The match is good. This match had a 4.22 on Cagematch. A 4.22? For this? Its not my favorite match in the world but its good. Such drama queens. Gunther is just fine. Early in the match, they give each other some big shots. Gunther chops the hell out of Jey's chest in this match. Jey tries to get a head of steam going only for Gunther to chop him off the top rope to the floor. I'll just say this and move on from it. I don't have a problem at all with Gunther's style. I love it. But he did a million chops in this match while the IWC loves to harp on Jey for having “3 moves.” Every time Jey tries to start a comeback, Gunther shuts him down with a chop. Jey tries to go up top, but Gunther follows him up and hits a suplex from there, follows that with a dinosaur dropkick and then powerbombs Jey into the mat, stacks him up and gets a two count. Gunther picks Jey back up and tries to do it again, but Jey counters it with a hurricanrana. Jey runs the ropes and hits a Spear before going up to hit a Splash that Gunther kicks out of at 2. Gunther rolls out of the ring and grabs the World Title and looks like he's about to leave with it.. The referee tries to reprimand her, and as Jey runs the ropes towards them, Gunther tells the ref “look out behind you.” Jey goes to dive through the ropes and Gunther knocks him back in with the title. Jey falls to the corner and Gunther goes up, hits a big splash and gets a 2 count. Gunther elbows Jey in the face repeatedly and puts him in a sleeper hold. Jey has to push his body towards the ropes to escape. Gunther's starting to get pissed at this point. Jey gets up and Gunther knocks him back down. Gunther grabs Jey by his wrist and lights up his chest with chops. Jey starts to fire back with punches and a headbutt too. Their exchange ends with Jey slapping Gunther in the face, Gunther boots Jey in the face and comes back and knocks Gunther down with a clothesline. Gunther is the first to get up and tries to lock Jey into a sleeper, but Jey switches and hits a german suplex. Both men retreat to a corner and take a run, and Gunther hits a big dropkick to Jey, stopping him in his tracks. Gunther picks Jey back up and goes for a Powerbomb, but Uso lands on his feet, and picks Gunther up for a Powerbomb of his own. Jey hits a couple superkicks. The only superkicks he hits all match by the way. He hits another Spear on Gunther and then goes up top, hitting a Splash, goes up again and hits another Splash. He goes up again and hits one more to Gunther's back. Jey readies up and locks in a sleeper hold to Gunther who taps out. Admittedly, I do think Gunther tapping out wasn't the route to go, but also, you're not gonna see me overreacting to it. People were so quick to use the word buried. Gunther is gonna be just fine and will be back in the main event picture soon. Meanwhile, Jey Uso is the World Champ and gets to take his well earned crown home.

My Rating: ***3/4

Match 2: World Tag Team Championship Match - The New Day def. The War Raiders (c) (9:12)

I saw a lot of people shitting on this match too. It wasn't good but its far from terrible. Still can't say I cared too much for this match. I'll go on further to say that The War Raiders coming out looking like Clash of Clans characters hurt me a little. Does anyone even still play that game? New Day tries to get the jump on the Raiders, but the Raiders quickly take the advantage. Erik tosses Kofi into Woods. Ivar hits like a running crossbody to them as they're sat against the apron. Erik picks Woods up on his shoulders and Ivar comes off the top, Woods landing with Ivar on top of him. The War Raiders just ate New Day alive early. New Day get the advantage though and start to keep Erik away from his corner. Ya know, normal tag team wrestling. Kofi tries to leap off Woods’ back for a splash in the corner but Erik catches him and drops him onto Xavier. Erik tags in Ivar, who comes in and wrecks shop. New Day eventually takes him down. Erik comes in to save his partner, takes out Woods. Kofi knocks him out with a Trouble in Paradise. Ivar knocks Kofi down and hits a Moonsault, covering him but the pin is broken up by Xavier with an elbow drop. Xavier and Erik get tagged in, Erik gets the better of their exchange. Erik tags Ivar back in and War Raiders plan to finish the match. Erik holds Woods up as Ivar goes to springboard and come back with a clothesline. But Kofi grabs Ivar's legs, making him fall to the mat. Woods takes Erik out and New Day finish Ivar off with Woods double stomping him. To be honest, not terrible but ya know what would've been sweet? Putting that TLC Match here instead. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

My Rating: **3/4

Match 3: Jade Cargill def. Naomi (9:20)

A match I wasn't expecting too much from but was surprised by. A decent match between these ladies. Jade comes hot out of the gate and lays into Naomi. Naomi hits an X-Factor on the outside and the match starts to slow down at that point because Naomi just grounds her into the mat. Naomi goes for a blockbuster off the second rope and Jade catches her, holding her in a suplex before hitting a jackhammer. As the match goes on, they wind up on the top rope. Naomi hits a bulldog from up there and then a split legged moonsault. Naomi pins her but Jade kicks out. Jade ducks a kick and hooks Naomi's arms for Jaded, but Naomi reverses it into a pin and transitions into the Rings of Saturn as Jade kicks out. Jade rolls onto her back and stands up with Naomi on her shoulders. Naomi lands on her feet and goes for a kick to Jade's head. Jade ducks and picks Naomi up on her shoulders, electric chair style. But she tosses Naomi up and turns to hit a powerbomb! And then she picks Naomi back up, hits Jaded to take the win. A match a lot better than I was expecting.

My Rating: ***

Match 4: United States Championship Match - Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight (c) (10:38)

My boy Jacob wins his first singles title in WWE, ya love to see it. LA Knight tries to go for the BFT within the first minute, but Fatu stops that by getting his hands out and stopping his head from hitting the mat. Fatu takes the advantage with a pop-up Samoan Drop. Fatu starts going after Knight's ribs. Knight is able to get a comeback started by reversing a samoan drop into a crucifix. Knight gets a 2 count after an elbow from the top rope. He goes for the BFT again, but Fatu punches him in the ribs and a superkick. Fatu goes for the moonsault, but Knight shoves his legs and crotches Fatu up there. LA hits a throwaway german from the top rope and Fatu lands pretty much on his face. Fatu gets Knight on his back again though and hits a Senton from the top rope for a 2 count. And then an amazing counter happens. As Jacob tries the moonsault again, Knight stands up and counters it into a BFT! Knight hooks his leg. But Fatu gets his hand on the bottom rope. Knight gets back on the rope and it proves to be his fatal mistake. Fatu superkicks his foot and Knight lands across the buckle. Fatu drops an elbow for more damage. Then stands on the middle rope to hit a samoan drop from there. Fatu goes to the other side, hits a Moonsault finally and then hits another for good measure. Knight is done, and Jacob Fatu is the new US Champ!

My Rating: ***1/2

Match 5: El Grande Americano def. Rey Fenix (7:55)

Wow, we have a 2 in 1 special with two of the greatest luchadores ever getting their Mania debuts. Its a shame Rey Mysterio was injured honestly. After this injury, he's probably gonna retire here soon and with how he stacks up injuries so much, I kind of hope so. It just sucks he missed out on his last WrestleMania. With all that being said, Rey Fenix definitely sounds like the better matchup. Fenix was mind blowing as he usually. But Americano blew my mind too midway through the match. Americano harrasses Vikingo who is in the crowd. So Vikingo gives him a kick to the face. Americano stumbles into the ring holding his face and when the bell rings, Fenix tries to get a surprise pin on him with a hurricanrana. Americano seemingly has no answer to Fenix's offense. Fenix hits a springboard dropkick, a crossbody to the outside. Fenix throws Americano back in the ring, goes for a springboard, but Americano moves out of his way and hits a throwaway german. Fenix goes to the apron and launches himself in and Americano beautifully reverses with a northern lights suplex. Fenix gets back in the game with an arm drag off the top rope and then a double stomp. The way Fenix moves is unreal. Fenix starts to get back into the match, but he takes a run at Americano who overhead throws Fenix into the corner. Then Gable, I mean Americano goes up to the top rope and hits a backwards 630 to the center of the ring! And I'm pissed that didn't get more of a pop! That was cool as fuck! Fenix somehow kicks out after that! Fenix walks the ropes like a tightrope and Americano pushes him off before retreating to the corner so he can place a metal plate in his mask. This is my only gripe here. Wouldn't the plate hurt him just as much if not more than Fenix? Just saying. Anyway. As Americano goes to headbutt Fenix, Rey counters and hits a head scissors sending Americano to the apron. Fenix now hits the tightrope kick to the face, but the plate hurts his foot in the process. Fenix says he can keep going. And Americano takes the chance to get Fenix in an Ankle Lock. Fenix rolls through it and nearly pins him. Fenix hits the ropes and leaps back into a headbutt from Americano. Who stands completely unbothered somehow while Fenix looks out cold. Americano goes up to the top again and hits a diving headbutt before pinning him for the 3 count.

My Rating: ***1/2

Match 6: WWE Women's Championship Match - Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Charlotte Flair (19:09)

Disappointing. Thats what I have to say about this. This was a dream match for me a few months ago and it turned into a slow, drawn out nightmare. The match isn't quite that bad but not worth sitting around for for 20 minutes. Especially since its pretty obvious these two just DO NOT like each other. It shows in the build up and in some parts of this match. After the bell, they take a moment to stare daggers at the other before they start throwing hands. Charlotte gets the advantage by dropping Tiffy on the barricade and then proceeds to try and put me to sleep because god damn, this match is dull and these two have no chemistry. No surprise considering how much they dislike each other. I can't tell when it happens but Charlotte definitely knocks one of Tiffy's teeth out. Tiffany misses her first attempt at the PME, and Charlotte basically does nothing with that. At some point it definitely turned into a shoot. This feels like how the AJ/Nakamura match at WrestleMania 34. They're just going through the motions. No unique counters, no story being told, just hitting all your moves until they reach a time stamp. Something of substance finally happens towards the end of the match, where Charlotte hurts her knee after being pushed off the top rope. Tiffy goes after it before Charlotte puts her back down. But Charlotte doesn't sell it whatsoever. She gives Tiffany literally less than nothing in this match. Tiffany sells what Charlotte does to her leg just fine. And then we get to the finish. Where Charlotte continues to be petty and sandbags the shit out of Tiffy. Tiff tries an Alabama Slam in the corner. It looks like doesn't hurt cause sandbagging. Tiffy barely is able to hit the rolling Senton. And thankfully puts an end to this cringy ass match and this cringy ass feud with the PME. I gave WWE the benefit of the doubt of letting Charlotte win the Rumble. I was wrong. I guess I expected too much from a 10+ year vet.

My Rating: **3/4

Main Event: Triple Threat Match - Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns & CM Punk (32:39)

Thankfully, now that thats over, we get the main course. First off, I got some new beef with Roman Reigns. I got my girlfriend into wrestling about a few months ago and we sat and watched both nights of WrestleMania together. And what does she do as Roman's walking out. She nods her head. (First time seeing him btw). Fuckin’ Roman, lookin’ all handsome and shit. Anyway, this match was amazing as I thought it would be but even so it still surpassed expectations. The bell rings and Punk immediately exits the ring to consult with Paul Heyman to get under Roman's skin. Seth tries to team up with Roman at first, but Reigns ain't having it. After Roman is taken out through by Seth on the outside, he spots Punk from across the side of the ring and the two throw fists into the crowd. They fight out there for a bit, making their to the other end of the barricade where Roman takes them both out by launching his body over the barricade. With all three men back to the ring, they start hitting sequences a plenty with Roman knocking both of them for a loop until Punk gets him and Seth, hitting a neckbreaker on Roman at the same time hitting a DDT on Seth. Punk drops an elbow on Seth and tries to do the same to Roman, but Seth gets back up and meets Punk up there. Roman gets back up now and gets Seth on his shoulders, pulling him back so Punk can come off clothesline Seth right off his shoulders. Doomsday Device! Roman drops Punk with a Superman Punch after that. But Punk manages to bring Roman down into the Anaconda Vice which is broken up by Seth with a Frog Splash. Punk kicks out of that, but Seth picks him back up and buckle bombs him, then does the same to Roman. Seth goes to Pedigree Punk, who counters and goes for the GTS, but Roman Spears Punk and Seth tries to Pedigree Roman, who escapes the attempt and tries a Spear. But gets caught mid-spear with a Pedigree and then Curb Stomps him. He kicks Punk out of the ring before covering Roman, who kicks out. Seth goes up to the top rope and tries to hit Phoenix Splash, but Roman dodges it and Seth lands on his feet, rolling into Punk's hands. Punk picks Seth up for the GTS. Seth escapes as Roman tries to Spear Punk. Punk dodges and Seth eats the Spear instead. Punk picks Roman up and drops him with a GTS but making the pin. But Reigns kicks out again. Punk tries the GTS again, but Seth makes it back in and hits a Pedigree on Punk, who kicks out and promptly rolls out of the ring. Seth then gets down to Roman's level and tries to tell him that Punk doesn't belong here and they can take him out together. Seth rolls out and they start teasing us with a Shield team up. Roman gets out of the ring and he seems conflicted until he suddenly screams “PICK HIM UP!” And everyone is like “ARE THEY GONNA DO IT!” And the answer isn't just no. Its “HELL NAH!” Roman slaps the fuck out of Seth, who picks Punk up and dunks him through the english commentary table. Then he picks Seth up and does the same to him through the spanish table! Roman's wrecking shop. Roman tosses Seth back inside the ring, builds up a head of steam and drops him with a Spear that Seth manages to kick out of. Roman looks outside and starts yelling at Paul. He goes outside and tosses Punk back in the ring and breaks up the guillotine on him. Punk manages to flip forward, pinning Roman's shoulders which forces him to let go. Punk tries to apply the Anaconda Vice, but Seth pulls Punk off and steps through his legs, crosses them, gives him the finger and turns Punk over into the Sharpshooter. Punk is in the hold for a minute before the match is saved by Roman, who gets Seth in the Guillotine now. Seth hits a Northern Lights to attempt to escape, but Roman rolls back, still having the choke on tight. The move gets broken by Punk with a Stomp to Roman. Punk picks Seth up and hits him with a GTS, which Seth kicks out of. This next sequence is silly to me but whatever, this match rules! Punk hits a GTS on Seth who stumbles back to the ropes, Roman Spears Punk and Seth comes back with a Stomp to Roman before collapsing. All 3 men are down now. This match has been amazing so far. I loved watching this! Easily at least 4.75 stars. It was just missing that something sweet to really seal the deal on this classic. And its this ending. Heyman grabs a steel chair. Punk and Roman both see him with it. And they each implore Paul to hand them the chair. Paul looks to Roman and shakes his head before sliding the chair to Punk. This next part is made pretty obvious by the fact Heyman gets in the ring but Punk raises the chair and prepares to hit Roman, but Heyman low blows Punk, making it seem like he's on Roman's side. He basically bestows the chair to Roman, who takes it and wails Punk with it. Paul sees Seth getting up and points him out to Reigns, and mirrors the moment Seth Rollins turned on the Shield over 10 years ago. As Roman goes to swing, Heyman low blows Roman and Seth can just tell from the way the audience reacts that its happened. Without even turning around. Rollins holds his hand out, is handed the chair by Heyman. Roman gets back up and Seth stands behind him. He gives the chair a kiss and then slams it into Roman's back. Once again, Seth Rollins has outsmarted and embarrassed Roman Reigns. Seth finishes the match with a Stomp to Roman and pins him 1, 2, 3. Seth Rollins wins with the help of Paul Heyman. After Paul stabbed not one, but two people in the back for him. Cinema. What a match!

My Rating: *****

Cagematch Rating: 5.63

My Rating: 7.5/10

Yep, you all saw this coming huh? My rating differs from the Cagematch hivemind. I have a feeling most of the venom towards this night has to do with how the opener (which is a good match) went. And so everyone just kinda sat looking grumpy with their arms crossed like a little kid until the main event. To be honest, which is an unfair way of watching something. Really, I'd say the only blemish on this night would be the Tag Team Title Match (which in it's isn't that bad) and the underwhelming Women’s Title match which also isn't horrible apart from the length and Charlotte being… well Charlotte. That main event is the biggest takeaway from this night and it was stellar. Overall, I thought this was good. But hey, what can ya do? But thats night 1, and I'll have night 2 posted soon enough. Because that didn't so well on Cagematch either.

 

[Skyefire]

I think a lot of times people overrate or underrate matches after they watch them live. Sometimes you've got to watch it again later when you've let your emotions calm down before putting in an accurate rating and review.

 

[Jarf]

WrestleMania 41 Night 2

Match 1: Women's World Championship Triple Threat Match - Iyo Sky (c) def. Rhea Ripley & Bianca Belair (14:26)

Holy crap. If you wanna start off WrestleMania the right way, this is how you do it. This was a thrill from start to finish. All 3 ladies showed up as we expected they would. First off, this whole idea that Iyo was an after thought made no sense to me. Especially when she was a champ going into the previous WrestleMania too. Rhea and Bianca square up to each other. Iyo gets between them and catches their hands as they try to shoo her away. Iyo slaps them both and in the first minute, they pull a spot where Bianca catches Iyo in a powerbomb position, throws her behind herself and Iyo ranas Rhea. From that spot, I knew we were in for a hell of a show. Rhea and Bianca wind up on the outside and Iyo springboards off the middle rope with a moonsault to Ripley. Bianca goes for a back handspring moonsault on Iyo in the ring and Rhea pulls her out. Iyo goes for a hurricanrana from the apron on Bianca, who catches her and swings her into the barricade. Rhea coming over to help her do it. Rhea and Bianca move back in the ring. Iyo leaps back in the and lands on her feet but misses both of them. Rhea picks Iyo up and just Razor's Edge tosses her into Bianca. Iyo kicks out after that. Iyo goes to double stomp Rhea, who catches her legs and trips her. And then she stands up and puts Iyo into the Prism Trap. But Bianca comes in and picks Rhea up for the KOD. Rhea lands on her feet and they take each other down. Iyo hits running meteoras in the corners. But Rhea puts Iyo up on the top rope and tries a back suplex, but Bianca comes over and back suplexes Rhea, who has Iyo and throws her back. Iyo lands on the mat face first on this fall. With Iyo out of the picture for now, Rhea and Bianca start fighting. Bianca leaps over Rhea running the ropes, she tries it again and Rhea boots her out of the air. Iyo comes back with a springboard in the ring and dropkicks Rhea. Iyo celebrates too much and gets speared by Bianca. Bianca goes up and hits a 450 on Iyo, and the pin is broken up by Rhea, who drops Bianca with a Riptide. Rhea stacks her up and Bianca kicks out! She picks Iyo up and tries to hit one on her, but Iyo reverses it into a DDT. Rhea kicks Iyo in the face and takes her up to the ropes and tries to hit a Riptide from there, but Iyo reverses it into an arm drag. Iyo goes for the Moonsault, but Rhea gets her legs up. Iyo hits them, rolls back on to her feet and stumbles into Bianca, who picks her up and hits KOD! 1, 2, Rhea breaks up the pin. Rhea and Bianca fight against each other and they wind up on the ropes. Bianca falls to the floor as Rhea stands on the middle rope and Iyo comes back. She positions herself to hit a reverse rana from the ropes! But Rhea hangs on and stands unmoving and reverse Alabama Slams Iyo into the post. Bianca comes back in and grabs Rhea, going for the KOD again. Rhea lands on her feet and throws fists with Belair. Rhea lands a headbutt and goes for the Riptide, but Bianca lands behind her and whips Rhea with her braid. Then picks her up again and now drops her with the KOD. 1, 2, Iyo drops the Moonsault to break it up and pins Bianca to retain. What a match! What an opener! Different nights but back to back banger Triple Threats!

My Rating: ****1/2

Match 2: Sin City Street Fight - Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest (13:54)

WWE placed their best matches of night 2 back to back first. I thought this match was awesome too. And it was a match I wasn't all that interested in. But sometimes all you need is two big dudes beating each other up. Drew gets the jump on Priest in the ring but it doesn't take long for them to move outside. It also doesn't take long for the heavy stuff to come out. Steel steps, tables. Priest throws the top half of the steps at Drew's face. Drew beats up Priest on the outside and tosses him back in the ring, then brings out two tables, setting them up on the outside. He gives the camera a big smile before getting back in the ring. Drew makes it back in the ring, he clotheslines Damian out the other side and then he runs the ropes and dives out onto Damian. Drew throws Priest back in the ring and sets him up for the Claymore. Priest picks up a chair and throws it at Drew's face. But that doesn't stop Drew from connecting with the Claymore, just stumbles him a bit. Damian kicks out after that. Drew slams the chair over his back twice and then wraps the chair around his head. Drew goes for another Claymore, but Damian catches him and hits a one handed Chokeslam. Now Priest has the chair and slams it into Drew's back before wedging it between the top and middle turnbuckles. The table in the ring is set up in the ring and McIntyre sits Damian on the top rope. He goes for a Celtic Cross off, but Damian escapes and throws Drew through the table with a Razor's Edge. Drew kicks out after that. Damian removes the straps from his shoulders and readies to drop Drew on the steps in the ring. But McIntyre digs his thumbs into Priest’s eyes and hits a Future Shock onto the steps. But Priest kicks out after that. And then we come to the “just punch each other until one of them goes down” bit where they just beat the hell out of the other. Priest gets the better of Drew there. He picks Drew back up and decides to go old school but Drew shoves Priest off the rope through the two tables on the outside! Drew goes out to retrieve Damian's carcass and sets his head up against the steep chair wedged between the buckles. And Drew polishes off this match with a Claymore against the chair to get the (much needed) win. Another great match. Sadly it'll probably get lost in the shuffle because of the two great Triple Threats and will go down as an underrated gem in the future.

My Rating: ****1/4

Match 3: Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way Match - Dominik Mysterio def. Bron Breakker (c), Finn Balor & Penta (10:30)

Another really fun match where Bron Breakker looks like an absolute menace and I loved it. Once all four men are in the ring, Bron turns his back and his head is face down in the turnbuckle. When the bell rings, he whips his head around and guns for Dom, who dodges him. Finn and Dom work together at first. They throw Bron out but Penta sends them both out of the ring before diving on them and landing right on his feet. He struts his stuff, feeling good about himself and turns to see Bron throwing his entire body at him! Bron tosses Penta into the ring. Penta superkicks him and springboards off the rope back at Bron, who lunges forward and slams Penta in the mat with his full body weight. Finn Balor comes back in and Bron presses him up and over his head before dropping him with a powerslam. Dom tries to sneak attack Bron, but he ducks a clothesline and Spears Dom out of his boots. Bron covers him, but Finn breaks up the pin at 2. Finn takes Bron down with a slingblade and Penta takes him down with a slingblade from behind. Penta goes for a Penta Driver on Finn, but as he has Finn up, Bron runs in and germans Penta. Slamming 2 people at once. Breakker looked like a killer in this match. Soon, Dom and Finn get back on top in the match and team up against the other 2 men. But they try to double suplex Bron, who picks them both up and hits a suplex. He sits Finn on the top and tosses Mysterio overhead with a belly to belly and hits a leap up head scissors from the top rope on Finn, who barely kicks out at 2. Bron goes to Spear Finn, who boots him the face. Penta comes back in with a superkick to Bron. Dom takes Penta down with a dropkick. Finn clotheslines Bron out of the ring and has his back to Dom. Dom grins and kicks Finn onto the middle rope and tries a 619. But Finn catches his feet and pulls Dom back inside. Finn kicks his leg out from under him and starts stomping a mud hole in his ass. But Penta comes from behind him and gives him the Penta Driver. 1, 2, Bron breaks the pin up. And finally we get the face off between Penta and Bron, who trade blows with each other. Running the ropes together, but Carlito shows up and drops the top rope on Bron. Dom tries to get a rollup on Penta, who kicks out. Penta superkicks Dom and hits a Mexican Destroyer! Penta covers him but gets pulled out of the ring by Carlito. Carlito plans to do something with Penta on the announce table. But Bron gets on the opposite table and leaps from that one to spear Carlito through the other! Bron and Penta move back inside the ring where Bron takes Penta out with a Spear. Dom gets back in and dropkicks Bron to the ropes and hits a 619. He heads up top but gets crotched by Balor. Finn gets in the ring, slingblade and dropkick to the corner to Bron. Coup de Grace a moment later. Finn has the match won, but Dominik Frog Splashes Finn and hooks the leg. Dirty Dom is the Intercontinental Champion! This was such a fun match to watch. Dirty Dom getting that much deserved shine. Fun fact, Rey and Dominik both won their first Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania.

My Rating: ****

Match 4: Randy Orton def. Joe Hendry (3:10)

I had no idea that when Randy Orton laid out an open challenge for WrestleMania, who it would be. I thought it might have been Fenix (until they announced he was replacing Mysterio). I thought it might have been Nick Aldis. I thought it might have been Solo (but hoping it wasn't). Maybe the NXT Champ Oba Femi. And then as a joke, I said “I hope its Joe Hendry” as they were playing the video package. But say his name and he appears! Its Joe Hendry! The man himself! A year ago, if you would've asked me who I thought Randy would be wrestling at WrestleMania, it would not have been Joe Hendry. They stand in the middle of the ring and Orton tries to hit a quick RKO, but Joe was ready for it and counters into a rollup. When Orton kicks out, Hendry turns his back and does the big turn around and smile. Joe goosles Randy by the throat and how does Orton get out of this predicament?! He pokes Hendry in the eye. Orton hits his whole 2K comeback, hits his DDT and sets him up for the RKO, but Joe shoves him off, scoops him and hits a fallaway slam, kips up. His back is to the camera and everyone's like “Is he gonna do the thing?” And this might be one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history. Hendry whips his head around, gives the camera a big ol’ smile… And gets RKO'd by Randy who flies in from offscreen. Easily a top 3 RKO ever. Its so fucking funny. Orton pins Hendry for the win and everyone who didn't watch cries buried on the internet. You know how it goes. After the match, Randy helps Hendry to his feet and after raising his hand… He hits another RKO. And then Randy looks through the crowd, who eggs him on. Orton turns his back to the camera. Whips his head around and hits his signature pose to close this out. 3 stars purely for entertainment factor.

My Rating: ***

Match 5: Logan Paul def. AJ Styles (17:43)

And this is the point the show starts to go downhill. Aside from a later match that I'm going to tear to shreds, this is the most depressing match of this WrestleMania. AJ Styles doesn't have many more WrestleManias in him and you have him wrestle fucking Logan Paul! And have him lose?! I'm getting so sick of this garbage man on my screen. And it wouldn't surprise me if Logan told them he wanted commentary sucking his dick the whole match. Because thats pretty much what they do. Wade Barrett drops a line where he refers to Logan as essentially AJ's “equal.” And I've never been more offended by a commentary line in my entire life. And I've heard many a ridiculous line in my time as a wrestling fan. And it hurts even more that the match is not very good. I understand that AJ Styles is slowing down, but when you can't even have a good match with him… Not much to talk about in this match. Because Logan Paul gets in most of the offense and Styles doesn't get to do shit til the end. He does the Hulk Hogan taunt for cheap heat. Thats most of this match, Logan getting cheap heat and Styles. I mean really, all this match did was reveal how much of an amateur Paul still is while making AJ look like the amateur by getting beat up the whole match. Its so annoying. AJ eventually starts to come back and it was a little satisfying when he kicked Logan hard in the back. But even still, Paul is mostly on offense. They're not telling any story. Just doing spots until the end. Pretty much the only part of this match thats really good is when Paul steals the Styles Clash, and then AJ no sells it and hits it himself. Then some guy, have no clue what his name was, sneaks on the outside holding some brass knuckles. But Karrion Kross has arrived and grabs the guy’s wrist. Kross takes the knucks out of the guy's hand. AJ comes out and throws this guy to the side. Then Karrion Kross pleads with AJ to use the knuckles against Paul. Despite the fact that the referee is still standing and looking right at them. So AJ punches Karrion in the face, he springboards in. But Logan dodges him and gives him a punch and then hits the… Ugh. Paulverizer to win. I feel dirty saying that.

My Rating: **1/2

Match 6: Women's Tag Team Championship Match - Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria def. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) (8:38)

Originally, Lyra teaming with Bayley. But Bayley is attacked the night before. Before Night 1 even started. So obviously everyone starts asking, “who is Lyra's partner gonna be.” I actually don't believe you if you say you weren't expecting Becky. It was pretty obvious. But its whatever. Its just to get a big pop at Mania. Becky and Liv start the match but Liv immediately psychs her out and tags in Raquel. Becky pretty easily handles her before tagging in Lyra. Lyra gets some of her shit in but Raquel kicks Lyra out of the air as Liv pushes her off the top rope. Liv and Raquel ground Lyra into the mat. Lyra eventually tags Becky in though. Becky gets in and she takes it to the champs. Like she really runs through them. Becky gets Liv into the Dis-Arm-Her, but Raquel saves the match. She runs at Becky, who drops the ropes on her. But Becky turns around into an ObLIVion. Liv covers her, but the pin is broken up by Lyra. Lyra ducks a clothesline by Liv and dives through the ropes and gives Raquel a tornado DDT on the outside. Liv drops her with a kick from the inside. Then Liv turns into a Manhandle Slam. Becky and Lyra are the new champs… For a day.

My Rating: **1/2

Main Event: Undisputed WWE Championship Match - John Cena def. Cody Rhodes (c) (25:03)

This was it. After all the talk and all the hype over John Cena's heel turn and the one year anniversary (in a way) of Cody winning the title, could this match live up to its hype. The answer is “what the fuck was that?” My feelings towards this has only gotten worse the more I think about it. I could not think of a more irritating way for this WrestleMania to end. But thats at the end, lets talk about the rest of the match. Which is not a lot. This is just a finisher spam match and nothing else. Because I can't recall a single thing they did until the first AA that Cody kicks out of. And then the Avalanche AA that Cody kicks out of. And then Cena gives him a third AA and then follows that with an STF. Cody is in this hold for a solid 2 minutes. Like, holy shit what else are they gonna do? Cody escapes it as Cena pulls him back from the ropes. Cody shoves Cena into the ref, who crumbles like a stack of cards. Cody hits Cena with a Cross Rhodes and pins him with no referee. Cody tries to revive the referee as Cena takes the turnbuckle pad off the corner. Cena ends up ramming Cody face first into the exposed buckle and then drops him with a FOURTH AA. 1, 2. Kickout again! Cena looks off into the distance, as if wondering what he should do. And then… some fucking music that I never wanna hear again as long as I live starts playing. Because is it The Rock's? Someone actually relevant to this fucking story? No, absolutely not. Its Travis fucking Scott of all people. And then the fucker takes his sweet ass time getting to the ring. Because right, we all wanted to watch WrestleMania to see you walking. Move your scrawny ass! I say that, but I never wanted him to make it the ring. I kept waiting for anyone to run out and beat his ass. Nah, he makes it down. And then Cena raises his hand. And it dawned on me the real reason why this is happening. Its just fucking advertisement for this piece of crap. As if his name isn't on the theme song for this Mania. As if he needs anymore, they use the fucking main event of WrestleMania to promote Travis Scott! Fuck right off! Cena's last WrestleMania Match nonetheless! I don't care what happens after that because the match is now ruined. Cena wins. Thats the end of the review. Cena's the champ. Good for him I guess. Fuck you Travis Scott and fuck you TKO.

My Rating: **

Cagematch Rating: 5.76

My Rating: 7.5/10

I'm doing my best to give this a fair rating, but that may have been the worst ending to a WrestleMania ever. And thats saying something because WrestleMania 9 exists. The first half of this night was awesome. Everyone in the first 3 matches killed it. Orton vs Hendry was a lot of fun. But then it quickly falls off a cliff. I don't have much of a problem with the Women's Tag Match other than its boring. Its the 2 matches its sandwiched between I have the problem with. What Kenny Omega had to say may be true and I'm actually frightened by where this company is heading. Vince really gave us all one last middle finger when he sold WWE to TKO.

 

[Jarf]

Money in the Bank 2018

Match 1: Daniel Bryan def. Big Cass (16:20)

Starting the night off, surprisingly enough, not with a Ladder Match, but with Daniel Bryan. Which is probably better to be honest. I really liked this match. Daniel Bryan could have a good match with a broom if he had to. Bryan tries to chop the big man down at the legs. Cass just came off a knee injury if you remember. But a few short minutes in, Cass knocks Bryan into the barricade outside and starts beating down the smaller guy. Thankfully though, this match was actually competitive and it doesn't turn into Cass just wearing Bryan out. Bryan drop toe holds Cass into the middle turnbuckle and Bryan starts building up a comeback. He tilt-a-whirls Cass down into the Yes Lock, but Cass manages to grab the bottom rope. Bryan gets Cass outside and dropkicks him the barricade. He hits a suicide dive before sliding back in the ring and diving on Cass from the top rope. Bryan was on fire. But Cass crotches him on the top rope and hits a fall away slam from up there. Cass starts to beat on Bryan again, but he misses a big boot and gets his leg stuck in… middle rope cause he didn't get his leg up high enough. Whatever, its fine. So D-Bry chops Cass’ knee out again and zeroes in on it. Bryan starts kicking Cass in the chest and goes for the big one to the head, but Cass grabs him by the throat. Bryan escapes with a kick to the knee. Bryan runs the ropes, gets caught by Cass, but quickly evades and lands behind him. Bryan runs the ropes again and kicks Cass’ knee out before now kicking him in the head. Bryan sets Cass up for a big running knee, but Cass counters, throws Bryan into the air. Bryan lands on his stomach and gets back up to get booted in the face. Cass covers him and Bryan kicks out of it. Cass ponders how before he picks Bryan back up, puts him in a torture rack, and goes for, what I can only describe as an inverted AA. But Bryan lands on his feet, ducks a clothesline and comes back with a running knee. He then grabs Cass' leg and puts him in a Heel Hook. Cass reaches for the ropes, but winds up tapping out and is then released. I don't think Cass even makes it to SmackDown. They just let him go right after.

My Rating: ***1/2

Match 2: Bobby Lashley def. Sami Zayn (6:35)

Ah, this was the infamous “Lashley's sisters” feud. For the first 2 years of Lashley's return run, they just had him part of some stupid angles. Zayn tries to get under Bobby's skin by retreating outside until Lashley chases him around the ring. Sami kicks Bobby to the floor and throws him in the ring post a couple times, trying to get a countout win. Lashley gets back. Sami goes for a crossbody off the top rope and gets caught by Bobby who gives him a fall away slam. Lashley then starts to dominate Sami and just make him look like a complete loser. Bobby hits Sami with about 3 stalling suplexes, and then, doesn't hook the leg or cover him at all. Just puts one hand on his chest and pins him… After a few stalling suplexes. That shit may fly in the 80s, not today. What the hell was that?

My Rating: *1/4

Match 3: Intercontinental Championship Match - Seth Rollins (c) def. Elias (17:00)

So we started with a good match, a bad match and then another good match. I was impressed by Elias’ performance in this match, but much like Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins could also have a good match with a broom. Seth is able to outwrestle Elias early. But Elias knocks Seth down on the apron with a clothesline, Seth lands on the back of his head. Elias starts to ground Seth and tries to wear him out. Seth starts to fight up and gets his comeback. He hits a suicide dive to the outside. Seth goes for a springboard but Elias moves and Seth lands on his feet, then shows he's hurt as he hobbles on one foot on the landing. Elias knocks him down with a knee to face. Seth gets up and the two trade blows, Seth knocks Elias down a superkick to the face. Seth goes up and tries a Frog Splash, but Elias gets his knees up and then rolls Seth into a small package for a 2. Elias heads up to the top rope and Seth meets him up there to hit a suplex, falcon arrow combo for a 2. As Seth stands up, he's hobbling and clutches his neck. He gets set to deliver a Curb Stomp, but Elias rolls outside. Seth goes for a suicide dive, but Elias sidesteps and pushes Seth into the barricade and starts a frantic assault. He quickly tosses Seth into the ring post and then the steps before throwing him back in and drops an elbow on him. Seth kicks out after that. Seth goes for a Buckle Bomb but his knee gives out, so Elias picks him up and goes for the swinging fisherman but Seth reverses it into a small package. Elias kicks out. Elias gives him another knee and rolls him up from behind, Seth counters into his own pin and takes the win. Very good stuff. Good match.

My Rating: ***1/2

Match 4: Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Naomi, Natalya & Lana (18:30)

The first of 2 Money in the Bank Matches this evening. This is probably one of the better women's matches. And probably one of the more underrated MITB matches overall. First off, Becky Lynch was over as hell here. She was definitely the crowd favorite to win it. Everyone brawls to the outside apart from Becky who hangs out in the ring. She tries not to let too many women get in the ring. The first casualty of the match is Sasha Banks and to a lesser extent, Ember Moon. Ember bounces off the middle rope to hit a crossbody to Sasha on a small ladder. Lana comes in and hits an X-Factor on the same ladder to Ember. Natalya comes in and body slams Lana on the ladder. Charlotte comes in and slams Nattie. She grabs the ladder in the ring and Becky comes in. As they both have an end of the ladder, Naomi comes in and leaps on the ladder, jumping off to hit Nattie. She ducks under the ladder and then dropkicks it back into Charlotte and Becky. Naomi and Ember fight over the ladder and its stood up as they try to take it out of the hands of the other. Becky comes in and tries to climb the ladder, but Naomi and Ember push her off and then just drop the ladder on her head. The two of them fight and Naomi tries to monkey flip her, but Moon lands on her feet and hip tosses Naomi into the ladder propped in the corner. Sasha comes in, takes out Ember and goes to climb the ladder, but is yanked down by Charlotte. They go at it for a bit and Charlotte lays a ladder between the ropes in the corner. Charlotte goes a Razor's Edge to Sasha, who manages to get her feet on the ladder set in the ring to escape. Charlotte tries to stop, but Nattie comes in and stops her for some reason. Becky comes back in and pushes the ladder over, Sasha hits like a double meteora on Nattie and Charlotte on her fall. Soon after that, Lana comes in and sets up a taller ladder and now 6 out of the 8 ladies are all reaching for the briefcase. Natalya gets Sasha on her shoulders and throws her into the ladder Becky happens to be on and it falls over. Charlotte props a ladder up in the corner and powerbombs Ember on it. Charlotte grabs Alexa and is probably planning the same thing, but Alexa counters into a super smooth Code Red! Lana knocks Alexa down with a kick, Bliss lays on her stomach and Lana yells “Lana, CRUSH!” The crowd pops big time for this and Lana locks Alexa in the Accolade. It doesn't look good but whatever, it got a good reaction. Lana climbs the ladder and Naomi springboards in, landing on the opposite side! She kicks Lana off and pretty much has the briefcase because Becky comes in and for some reason exploder suplexes Lana. Becky now stops Naomi after taking out the bigger threat. Becky climbs up now and Charlotte is back in, she climbs the other side. Alexa gets back in and pushes the ladder over. But Becky and Charlotte both land on their feet. Alexa forearms Becky but Charlotte takes Bliss out with a Spear. This ending is kinda silly because now its just people taking turns stopping whoever is climbing. Sasha grabs Charlotte and gives her a backstabber. Naomi comes in and shoves Sasha into the ladder. Lana yanks Naomi off the ladder, and she faceplants the mat. Nattie pulls Lana off and gives her an electric chair. Ember comes back in and superkicks Nattie. Charlotte is back though and Spears Ember into the propped up ladder. Becky comes back inside and hits an exploder on Charlotte. It looks like it may be Becky's moment. But then at the very last moment, Alexa comes in and pushes Becky off the ladder. Becky hits the ladder laid in the corner. Bliss climbs the ladder, takes down the briefcase. Just a couple of things. Number 1, some of them had to go out of their way to not take down the briefcase to continue the match. Naomi and Becky looked like idiots because the people who were supposed to stop them were late. Number 2, I don't think Alexa needed this win. I know this was done solely to get the title back on her in time for SummerSlam. But it would've been cool to see it go to someone like Becky (although I think it was better for her character in hindsight), Naomi or Ember. Other than that, really good ladder match.

My Rating: ***3/4

Match 5: Roman Reigns def. Jinder Mahal (15:40)

Oh. My. God. This was peak Roman Reigns propaganda. I think we all know why this was happening. They figured, “people hate Jinder. Surely, they'll cheer for the dog now.” Only for the exact opposite to happen ‘cause we all saw right through it. The whole reason this is happening is Jinder cost Roman a MITB qualifying match. Allowing Finn Balor, a guy we all liked, to qualify instead. Didn't think that one through did you guys? And then they have Jinder cut a promo about Roman crying “conspiracy” when he's been handed opportunity after opportunity. Which is just how we all felt about Roman at this point. And yet they were probably sitting in their seats going “How are they not cheering him.” Exact same energy as “Why am I still getting hate?” The crowd completely hijacks this match, they let everyone know they didn't give a fuck about this. And why should they? This match was boring as hell. Sunil Singh is at ringside too and he is comically injured. He's got a neck brace, an arm brace, he's in a wheelchair. But surprise surprise, it was fake! He wasn't hurt at all because a couple minutes in, he shoves Roman into the ring post with the referee's back turned. And then Jinder starts a very slow pace that we all had to suffer through during his reign as champion. Like, come on guys, you're putting me to sleep. And then, just as Roman starts to comeback, the crowd starts doing the wave. This crowd couldn't care less and I love it. Jinder starts to bleed on the side of his face as the match goes on, which kinda sucks for him. He's in there getting cut for this butt ass match. Both men are able to counter each other's finishers and wind up outside again. Sunil tries to push Roman into the post again, but Roman stops himself this time. He superman punches Sunil back and over the wheelchair. Roman then waits for him to get up and Spears him. Roman gets back on the apron and Jinder tries to roll him up, Roman kicks out, ducks a clothesline and Spears Jinder and pins him to win. And not a cheer was heard that night. I can imagine Vince threw his headset across Gorilla, he was so pissed.

My Rating: **

Match 6: SmackDown Women's Championship Match - Carmella (c) def. Asuka (11:10)

But Vince got his revenge here. If we weren't gonna cheer Roman, he was gonna make Asuka look terrible. How do you suddenly start having her lose all the time after one loss? Asuka was the longest reigning NXT Champion at this time the year before, 0 losses. But she loses one match to Charlotte and now she's a fuckin’ loser. But its the way she loses that has me fucking fuming. This was practically character assassination. Carmella taunts Asuka and slaps her in the face within the first minute, and Asuka gets a smile on her face after that slap and drops Carmella with a dropkick before she slaps her harder in the face not once but twice. Asuka puts the boots to her and sends her outside, so Carmella decides she doesn't want anymore and tries to leave with her title, but Asuka stops her from getting away. Carmella is able to take the advantage by pulling Asuka by her shoulder into the ring post. And then Carmella starts to dominate Asuka. Do you hear whats wrong with that sentence? Asuka has to fight up to Carmella. Asuka eventually starts to comeback after Carmella's taunts became too much. Asuka starts to kick the shit out of her. Asuka goes for the Asuka Lock, but Carmella frantically drags herself to the ropes and Asuka starts to slap her again. Asuka runs the ropes and Carmella pulls the middle rope down, Asuka flies through the ropes. Asuka tries to get back in, but Carmella drops her throat across the top rope and then kicks her hand still hanging on. Asuka hits the floor with a splat. Then Carmella dives through the ropes onto Asuka. Mella throws her back inside and hooks her leg. Asuka kicks out all 3 times she tries to pin her. Asuka swats Mella's foot away as she tries the superkick. Asuka hits her with a couple backfists and tries a german, but Carmella rolls forward but Asuka sits down on her with a victory roll pin. Mella kicks out but Asuka rolls forward and kicks her in the face. It looks like Asuka is about to take it. But then, someone with a robe and wearing Asuka's mask gets on the apron. And Asuka… Is for whatever reason terrified? Entranced? Whatever it is, she just cannot take her eyes away and stop looking shocked. For whatever reason, she's unable to focus on Carmella. It also doesn't help that the moron behind the mask just stood there for 2 minutes before finally taking it off. Its fucking James Ellsworth if you don't remember. Asuka gets superkicked by Carmella and is pinned. Carmella retains… I know I said in my WrestleMania reviews, buried is a term I hate just because everyone throws it around so much. But this feels like a burial for no reason other than Asuka came out of this looking so, so, so, so, dumb! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! And even more infuriating is they did it again at Extreme Rules. They made her look even dumber!

My Rating: **1/2

Match 7: WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match - AJ Styles (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura (31:15)

So this show kinda took a turn after the first Ladder Match but now we're getting back to that good shit. 4th times the charm as they say. AJ and Shinsuke finally managed to put on a banger we knew they were capable of! Not quite the stipulation we expected, but hey, whatever does it. I thought this was excellent. Not the most brutal match, but it still works regardless. It just begins with the two going at it. The fight spills out on the ramp. Shinsuke throws AJ on the steel and is now the man in control. He beats the shit out of AJ and the two go into the crowd. AJ starts to fight back and throws Shinsuke back over the barricade. AJ hops up on the barricade and gets his foot kicked out from under him and AJ hits the floor. Shinsuke throws AJ back in the ring. But Styles is able to keep his momentum and goes for a Styles Clash, Nakamura tries to low blow him, but AJ saw it coming. (How could he not at this point). AJ steps back and then the two go through a nice sequence. AJ goes for a sliding Forearm, Shinsuke dodges and hits a back exploder. He goes for the Kinshasa, but AJ catches him with a forearm. The two men go back outside and Nakamura sets AJ up on one of the tables. Shinsuke goes to the one of the other end. Shinsuke runs across the tables and delivers a knee to Styles’ face. AJ rolls off the table to stop the count. Shinsuke throws AJ back in the ring and brings out a table. He front suplexes AJ's ribs first on the table as its sitting on its side. Shin props the table up in the corner and just throws AJ through it. Styles gets back on his feet and Shinsuke is shocked. He takes the turnbuckle pad off and goes to ram AJ's face into it. But AJ stops himself but Nakamura lays AJ across the top rope and tries for the knee into his gut. But AJ moves out of the knee and Shinsuke's knee hits the exposed buckle. AJ locks on to Nakamura's knee now and goes after it. He puts Shinsuke in a calf crusher. Shinsuke slides outside and AJ follows him. He grabs a steel chair and swings it into Shinsuke's knee. Shinsuke stands back up and begs AJ off. AJ swings the chair at Shinsuke again. Now Shinsuke is on his knees, pleading for mercy. But it was a trick! AJ gets too close and as he raises the chair, Shinsuke low blows him. Shinsuke drops AJ with a Kinshasa. It looks like this is the end, but AJ gets back up with help from the table beside him. He throws himself on to it. Nakamura throws AJ onto one of the tables but AJ stops whatever Shinsuke has planned with a forearm off the table. AJ grabs Shinsuke and hits a Styles Clash off the steps! Landing on that floor is bad enough, I can't imagine landing on it with extra weight on top of you. But Shinsuke, using the table, gets back up and leans back on it. He tells Styles to “come ooooooooon!” He hadn't done it all match yet. And I clowned on the whole “he hit him in the dick” bit of this storyline. I still think its stupid. But man, they tied it back in the best way possible. AJ just flat kicks Shinsuke in the nutsack. Hard. He wasn't gentle about it at all. AJ goes back in the ring and springboards back out because Shinsuke is somehow still on his feet. And AJ delivers a phenomenal forearm and he crashes through the table. Which, I think would hurt AJ way more than it does Shinsuke. But I'll take it. AJ is the first to get up and the referee counts Shinsuke out. AJ is our last man standing. What a match!

My Rating: ****1/4

Match 8: Raw Women's Championship Match - Ronda Rousey def. Nia Jax (c) via DQ (11:05)

This may be a weird take. I think Nia was Ronda's best opponent in the ring. Nia is the only one who could believably force Ronda to fight up. And thats why I think this match works. The bell rings and Nia picks Ronda up and rams her in the corner. Then chucks her across the ring and splashing her in the corner. Ronda fires off some punches to Nia and backs her into a corner, but Nia shakes her off with a headbutt. Ronda wrestles Nia down and tries to lock in an armbar, but Nia stands up, holding Ronda up before dropping her with a sit out powerbomb. When Ronda tries to stand back up, she tumbles out of the ring on her face. Nia goes outside, hooks Ronda’s and holds her upside down to swing her into the barricade. Nia tosses Ronda back inside and begins to dominate her. As I said, making her fight from under. Ronda manages to get shots in and makes an attempt at a guillotine, but Nia shuts her down every time. But Nia makes a mistake when she tries to ram into Ronda. Ronda jumps and Nia hits the ring post, shoulder first. Ronda gets Nia in an armbar on the ropes and lets go on 4. Nia favors her arm as Ronda climbs up to the top and Nia turns around to take a crossbody for a 2 count. Ronda puts her game face on (in other words, she scrunches up her face a little bit) and starts hitting blows to Nia's body. And then jumps up to hit her face with her knee. Ronda judo… hip toss, I can't really say throw cause she didn't throw her. Nia escapes the next attempt at the armbar by rolling with Ronda and pinning her. Ronda kicks out and hits a side slam on Nia. Ronda goes after her arm again and Nia is desperately trying to stop the hold from being locked in. But Ronda pries her hands apart, but just as we're about to see it, Ronda gets hit in the back by a briefcase.

My Rating: ***1/2

Match 9: Raw Women's Championship Match - Alexa Bliss def. Nia Jax (c) (0:35)

Alexa Bliss causes the DQ finish and she beats Ronda and Nia both with the briefcase. She throws Ronda shoulder first into the post. Hits her again with the case and throws her over the announce table. Bliss hands the referee the briefcase and we have a Title Match. Nia says she's ready, but then a moment later, Alexa DDTs her, hits Twisted Bliss to win the title. Gotta say, pretty stupid of her to not cash in on Carmella instead. Like you won your title back, at the expense of two dangerous women. But whatever, whats done is done. Bliss is the champ again.

Main Event: Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Braun Strowman def. Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Rusev, The Miz, Bobby Roode & Kofi Kingston (20:00)

This was off the hook. Like holy crap this was so fun to watch. I loved the idea of not revealing the New Day member in the match until the last moment. Of course, it ended up being Kofi who really killed it here. And there was a big Kofi chant at the start of the match. And at Money in the Bank 2019, he's the champ. The biggest criticism towards this match that I've seen is everyone looking weak in comparison to Braun. Not sure what they were expecting from a guy who was able to toss around Brock Lesnar with ease. Like, thats how they presented Braun for 2 years. Everybody goes after Braun right away, but he pretty quickly clears the ring. Braun goes out for a ladder, but so does everyone else. And they use those ladders against Braun. Rusev, Roode, Kofi, Joe, Finn. They knock Braun off his feet at the entrance and bury him underneath so many ladders. While they're doing that, Miz is in the ring and tries to get the briefcase, but Samoa Joe runs back down and knocks the ladder with Miz on it over. Kofi comes in and gives Joe a Trouble in Paradise before dropkicking the ladder into Miz's face. Owens stops Kofi from going up the ladder. Finn Balor comes and fights with KO. They head outside where Owens superkicks Balor onto a table and sets up a huge ladder on the outside, but abandons whatever plan he had when Rusev tries to go get the briefcase. Rusev hits a fall away slam to Owens onto a ladder leaned on the ropes. Soon enough, we have Kofi go to the rope and pretty stage dives into the arms of KO, Roode, Joe, Miz and Rusev. They hold him in the air as Finn Balor takes a leap over the ropes and takes out all of them. Finn grabs one of the ladders on the aisle, but Braun Strowman emerges from his burial ground and he shoves the ladder into Finn's gut. He takes out Roode, bulldozes Kofi. Braun roars but from in the ring comes Samoa Joe, who dives through the ropes and knocks down Strowman. Owens and Rusev each back Strowman up the aisle with kicks. Owens, Joe and Rusev (which would make a sick trio) all team up on Braun. They lay Braun on top of a table. Joe and Rusev hold down as Owens climbs this absolutely massive ladder. Braun escapes their grasp and climbs the opposite side of Owens. Braun grabs him by his wrist and drags him back up to the very top. Braun grabs him by his collar and throws him off through some tables on the floor! Lets just say Mr. Owens will not be heard from again. Kofi throws himself at Braun. Bad idea as Braun then chokeslams him onto a ladder. Finn and Roode both have an end of one ladder in hand and Strowman just runs through it. The ladder snaps in half. Braun ran right through. I don't care how unbelievable that is. That fucking rules. Miz is in the ring, he has a ladder stood up in the ring and he just stares, he looks like a deer in headlights. Braun gets in and stops Miz from climbing. Then Joe comes in and slams a ladder into Braun's back. Then clotheslines him out of the ring. Braun stumbles over to the time keeper area, and Finn Balor runs and dropkicks Braun over the barricade. Finn and Joe each go for the briefcase but get knocked off by Roode. Roode sends Finn out and Rusev soon sends Joe out too. Rusev knocks Bobby down with a kick. Then Rusev knocks Kofi inside out with a kick. Rusev pulls Kofi on top of Roode and screams “Rusev CRUSH!” And he locks in a double Accolade. Then Miz comes back in and tries to give Rusev a SKF, but Rusev elbows him in the face and gives him a kick, Miz falls on top of Kofi and then Rusev smiles like he's the happiest guy on earth and he goes to lock on a triple Accolade. But Joe gets back in and tries to lock in the Coquina Clutch. Rusev escapes the attempt and gives him a Machka kick. Rusev goes up for the briefcase but Miz pulls the ladder over and Rusev crashes on the top rope. Finn takes Miz and Kofi out of the ring and kicks Roode in the face from the apron. Finn feels the ladder Owens set up on the outside on his back and climbs it. Finn delivers the Coup de Grace to Roode from the outside ladder to inside the ring. But just as Finn is about to ascend, Strowman comes back in and stops him. Joe gets in and gets a Powerslam. Miz tries to get the case quick, but he gets yanked down and powerslammed. Strowman climbs up the ladder. Balor gets up and starts climbing the opposite side. Kofi springboards onto Strowman’s back. And Braun doesn't stop his climb. He keeps going. All 3 reach for the briefcase. Kofi knocks Finn off with a shot. Braun grabs Kofi's arm and just flings him off. Now there's nobody to stop Braun. Finn can only look up as Strowman takes the briefcase. God damn. This match was awesome. Its nothing but pure excitement from beginning to finish. Much like the 2019 Match, except with less Brock Lesnar to ruin it. Loved it.

My Rating: ****1/4

Cagematch Rating: 6.70

My Rating: 8.5/10

Most of this is a fantastic show. My overall experience with this event is great. But as it always is with these events during these years, Vince has gotta sprinkle some asbestos on a sirloin. It feels like they made an attempt to bury 2 people we liked (Sami and Asuka) while simultaneously trying to make us cheer the guy we didn't like (Roman). I mean, who the fuck loses to a stalling suplex and… James Ellsworth? But holy hell, every other match on the card was good, so its nowhere near terrible. Conflicting is how I would describe this show. Because if it wasn't for those 3 matches, I think this event would be looked back on more fondly.