WWE No Mercy 2017.

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.