No Mercy was another show of
two halves, similar to last month’s SummerSlam. Once again, the Raw Tag Team
Championship match set the bar. Once again, Brock Lesnar retained his Universal
Championship. Unlike SummerSlam, this B-level pay-per-view didn’t have a bad
match, even if some poor booking choices deflated the Staples Center.
The Miz held onto his Intercontinental
Championship via interference from his Miztourage. A solid opening contest that
showcased Jason Jordan’s impressive repertoire. ‘Kurt Angle’s son’ has lost to
John Cena, Roman Reigns and Finn Bálor recently on Raw, hopefully his storyline
arc has a satisfying payoff.
Non-demon Finn Bálor beat Bray
Wyatt to go 2-0 up in their feud. WWE love 50-50 booking, so this result was a
pleasant surprise. Wyatt’s pre-match attack and promo effectively set up the fiery
Irish comeback. Finn will either rematch Wyatt, or change course and face Brock
Lesnar. I’d much prefer the second option.
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose,
Sheamus and Cesaro went to war for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Rollins and
Ambrose won, but some of the counts were breathtakingly close and made fans
doubt the likely outcome. Cesaro even kept going with broken teeth. Respect
earned, Swiss superman indeed!
Alexa Bliss reigned supreme. This
Fatal 5-Way match for the Raw Women’s Championship exceeded expectations. Nia Jax
dominated the competition; she must get a one-on-one shot by the end of the
year. It took four women to keep her down, Bliss took advantage afterwards and
picked up a sneaky victory.
The first of two ‘WrestleMania
worthy’ main attractions was overindulgent. John Cena and Roman Reigns fought
for 22 minutes, but didn’t live up to the hype. Their efforts were stop-start, paint-by-numbers
and too dependent on finisher kick outs. Reigns withstood FOUR Attitude Adjustments
and won with a regular spear. Cena endorsed ‘The Big Dog’ afterwards and the
fans booed heavily. What a mess!
Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship
reign ended abruptly after Enzo Amore hit a low blow and rolled up ‘The King’. Enzo
has the promo skills, but only time will tell if the sudden change in direction
pays off.
Finally, the biggest disappointment
of the evening. Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman. ‘The Monster’, who seemed
superhuman at Great Balls of Fire when he walked out of a smashed ambulance. ‘The
Monster’, who destroyed three tables and manhandled ‘The Beast’ at SummerSlam.
Put down by one F-5? Oh well, got to keep Lesnar strong so he can put Reigns
over at WrestleMania 34! Deviating from the long-term plan occasionally pays
off, but what do I know?
Thanks for reading,
Philip.
