I thought the opening segment tonight's show was great. It wasn't anything that will blow you away however the time flew by and it was something different. Rollins was the highlight of the segment for me along with Heyman. Both guys delivered fantastic promos and did a great job of foreshadowing things that would happen later in the evening.
1) Dolph Ziggler & Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper & Big Show
After the hell that Ziggler & Harper put themselves through at TLC, it wasn't surprising that they didn't go all out here. Both guys seemed tired and worn out and rightfully so. This was a pretty short match with the only highlight being Ziggler and Harper brawling over the announce table. The two deserved any easy night after they stole the show and put their bodies on the line the previous night so I can't complain. One thing I will complain about though is that Big Show pinned Erick Rowan for the second evening in a row. I don't think that's a smart decision especially if they're trying to build up Rowan. They could have atleast had him pick up the surprise win here over Show to give him some sort of momentum.
The Highlight Reel with Rusev & Lana
This actually went better than I thought although it wasn't as eventful as I expected. Jericho ragging on Lana was pretty funny and this was a nice rub for Ryback to be introduced by Y2J as the guy who wants to stop Rusev. Basic segment that accomplished what it set out to do. Looks like Ryback & Rusev will be feuding going into the new year.
3) Xavier Woods & Big E vs. Gold & Stardust
The audience really crapped on this match. I guess it was because of the New Day gimmick, but either way, I went into it with an open mind and somewhat enjoyed this one. It was nice seeing Woods being able to showcase what he could do for once even though no one really took the time to appreciate it. Except for the infamous Brock Lesnar guy at ringside who was dancing around during their entrance. I guess it's time for The New Day to turn heel because it's clear it's not going over very well with the audience.
4) Kane vs. Adam Rose
I really didn't feel compelled to even talk about this one, but it happened so here we are. The only thing worth noting here is how talented a group of rosebuds that Adam Rose had on hand this evening. ROH star Jimmy Jacobs, outstanding female wrestlers Heidi Lovelace, Taeler Hendrix, & Tessa Blanchard - it's a shame all these talents aren't on WWE TV doing something worth while. Hopefully it would lead to something unlike this match which was pointless and done just to fill time. Kane delivering a tombstone to the bunny was pretty funny though.
Chris Jericho-Brock Lesnar confrontation
This segment was gold as expected although it didn't last as long as I thought it would. Heyman sold us all on how scared he was only to introduce Brock Lesnar. Lesnar rolled out, took out Y2J, and left. Simple yet effective and enjoyable.
Roman Reigns attacks Fandango and is confronted by Big Show
Why? Why on earth is Reigns feuding with Show? I guess this explains why WWE let Show go over Rowan twice in a row. That alone goes to show how much stock they are putting into Roman Reigns and I don't know if it's the right move. Mowing down another growing talent for the sake of Reigns. Meh. They should have had Rowan go over at TLC and then Show get the win back tonight, not two consecutive victories. None the less, hopefully Rowan can recover, it just makes him look weak to the casual fan because we all know Reigns will squash Show then go on to win the Rumble and you know the rest. Enough negative talk though, Reigns' presence here was as awesome as ever. Less talk, more action is the way to go with him and that's essentially how it was done here so I can't complain although I'm really not looking forward to this feud with Show.
5) The Miz vs. Jey Uso
In all honesty, I barely even paid attention to this match. Neither are very good wrestlers and while I'm interested in the storyline, Naomi and Mizdow are the main reason so this didn't do much for me. Miz's cheap imitation of Austin Aries' last chancery was funny but not as hilarious as Mizdow doing so outside of the ring. Mizdow continues to be the highlight of everything Miz does.
6) John Cena vs. Seth Rollins
Around this time last year, these two had a MOTY candidate bout on Smackdown. A match that was so good that not even their great efforts from earlier this year could come close to it, much less top it. That is, until tonight. Rollins and Cena have an undeniable chemistry which shined through here in this dramatic Steel Cage match filled with a lot of near falls along with action that kept me on the edge of my seat. As if things couldn't get better, Seth Rollins shakes hands with Paul Heyman after Lesnar lays Cena to waste. An amazing visual as we saw what could possibly be the start of a dangerous alliance between Lesnar, Heyman, & Rollins. Great match, awesome ending.
Match rating - ***3/4
Overall thoughts: While this show was an improvement from the past weeks, it still wasn't the best. However, I'll take what I can get from WWE at this point. The opening segment, middle segment (Jericho/Lesnar), and main event were so well put together that I can recommend checking this show out simply to see that. Just skip all the stuff in between.
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT and this blog @ThePWTruth!
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