Here we are the last WWE PPV (can we still really call them those) of 2019. This year has been a strange one for the E, with many things going south for them recently. Viewers are upset and they have a massive feud going currently with All Elite Wrestling, whether they want you to believe it or not. So, does this PPV get us excited to start the road to WrestleMania?! No…no it doesn’t.
Pre-Show Match: Humberto Carrillo vs. Andrade Cien Almas
I’m writing this after the card finished, so with hindsight, this should have been on the main card. This was hands down the best match of the night, with both men putting on a clinic of near falls and high spots that kept the crowd hot. Andrade was busted open near his eye early from an errant kick, but that’s a weak downfall. Honestly, either man could have gone over and it would have been well received. Carrillo got the win and after the match, Andrade walked out on Zelina Vega. Do we need another “couple” really breaking up. Winner: Humberto Carrillo. Grade: A
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The New Day © vs. The Revival
This was a damn fine match between three hosses and the most over male babyface on the roster. Big E., Dawson and Wilder beat the ever loving crap out of each other, with Kofi picking up the slack with high spots and dangerous falls. However, both E and Dawson got wrecked with dangerous falls from a ladder through other ladders. This match made my already aching body hurt, so I can’t imagine how these guys felt. However, a few missed spots and some really dangerous moments with nearly busted heads and ankles make me wonder…is this worth it? Winners: The New Day. Grade: A-
Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy
Holy crap, 2/3 matches with accidental blood. When you have two guys who use their feet and knees the way these guys do, of course there is going to be an accidental crack to the face. Murphy and Black absolutely kicked each other’s asses in a match everyone thought would be the MOTN. These two read each other like a book. A few slow moments killed their momentum though. But a Black Mass out of nowhere ended what I hope is a match we see again. Winner: Aleister Black. Grade: A-
Raw Tag Team Championship: Viking Raiders Lay Down an Open Challenge
Soooooo…The O.C.? K. Why though? Look, I love Gallows and Anderson. But this was supposed to be a surprise, and we get two guys we’ve seen wrestle the champs. Furthermore, the match was plodding and boring. All four performers are great, but they couldn’t get it together here. This match was also subject of a stupid KFC promotion, where four fans were literally ringside, munching on mediocre fried chicken and admittedly good mashed potatoes and gravy, right near the ring where blood was just spilt TWICE within an hour. Somehow, this match ended in a double count out, no one was happy and then the O.C. went through the KFC table. Winners: Double Count Out. Grade: D
TLC Match: Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin
Sorry WWE. We’re not stupid, this isn’t a damn TLC Match, it’s a Hardcore Match. Especially when you don’t even use the L in TLC. But I digress, because I’m just going to get pissed. Look, I like Corbin and Reigns. I think they’re both solid in the ring and you want to see Reigns kick Corbin’s ass after all he has put him through. But this story is weak. Reigns lost the locker room because guys like Roode, Ziggler and The Revival beat him up? How does that make sense? It’s four guys? Again, I digress. Some of the bumps here were good. But the end was overbooked with the heels intervening. We almost got a “Reigns beats 12 guys and LOL wins” but Corbin went over here. Next. Winner: Baron Corbin. Grade: C
WWE Universal Championship Match: Bray Wyatt © vs. The Miz
YES! Bray wrestled as Firefly Fun House Bray, complete with knit sweater and Fun House Music! And not red light! This match was odd. I can see a lot of people hating it. Not a lot of wrestling went on here, with Miz taking it to Bray for five whole minutes without any defense from the champ. But one Sister Abigail on the outside later and one in the ring, and Miz was down for the count. The Fiend appeared on the Titan Tron and Bray grabbed a Harley Quinn-esque hammer from the ring. But a returning Daniel Bryan hit the ring, took out Bray and removed a hoodie to reveal a 2009 American Dragon looking Bryan. That was awesome. Winner: Bray Wyatt. Grade: B-
Tables Match: Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley
I’ve loved this garbage storyline so far. It’s what I always hoped Total Divas would be. But this match sucked. It’s two hosses botching a bunch of crap, a table not breaking so an audible needing to be called and no resolution. Winner: Bobby Lashley. Grade: D-
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship TLC Match: Kabuki Warriors © vs. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair
Wow. This match should have been awesome. It wasn’t. Everything was botched here, from table breaks, ladder spots, weak chair hits and even diving spots. It all looked like seven year old hitting each other with pillows. It gets no better than Charlotte going for a Spear to Sane on the outside, running at a snail’s pace, and neither even hitting the mat correctly. Yeesh. You are literally four of the best wrestlers on the roster. Get it together. Winners: The Kabuki Warriors. Grade: D
The PPV then ended with a major brawl between the faces and heels of the locker room. Was this supposed to tell us that Reigns got control of the face locker room? And Corbin was in charge of the heels? Wow, that’s something we’ve never seen before. And let’s just forget all about the brand warfare we all needed to rely on JUST LAST MONTH. This all happened literally MOMENTS after the main event ended, too. Is this Vince proving that no matter how many times the women main event, the men’s silly ass story is more important? I don’t get it. For a PPV that had three legit fantastic matches to start it out, it really went downhill fast.
I’m not a guy who hates WWE. I have problems with the product, sure, but I love this company. But this PPV sucked and probably doesn’t get anyone except Vince excited for 2020.
