Assessing and grading Punk vs. Jey Uso, Penta vs. Rusev, Breakker vs. Knight, Charlotte & Alexa vs. Bayley & Lyra, more

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Despite Bayley recently showing signs of a split personality, her and Lyra Valkyria have developed into a good tag team. With the momentum theyâ€ve had lately, it was only a matter of time before they received a shot at the Womenâ€s Tag Team Championship. They would get their shot this week as they faced the champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss in this weekâ€s main event. Similar to Bayley & Lyra, Charlotte & Alexaâ€s team also got off to a rough start before they found success. With the task of closing this weekâ€s show, both teams gave us a match that showed how prestigious those titles can be when theyâ€re given the spotlight.

As Asuka & Kairi Sane made their case for also deserving a title shot, they would send a message to both teams before the night was over. In addition to that, we had a face to face between C.M. Punk and Jey Uso ahead of their World Heavyweight Title match this weekend, Penta going one on one with Rusev to decide who gets another shot at the Intercontinental Title, and Bron Breakker going one on one with L.A. Knight.

C.M. Punk vs. Jey Uso

Latest developments:

Two weeks ago, C.M. Punk defeated L.A. Knight and Jey Uso in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender for Seth Rollins†World Heavyweight Championship. As Punk was attacked by Rollins, Bron Breakker, & Bronson Reed after the match, Breakker & Reed shockingly turned on Rollins immediately after. Last week, Adam Pearce announced that Rollins would be stripped of his title due to the injuries he suffered from the attack by Breakker & Reed. Pearce then announced that a Battle Royal would take place later in the night to decide who would face Punk for the vacant title at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event. After simultaneously eliminating Knight and his own brother Jimmy, Jey eliminated Dominik Mysterio last to win the Battle Royal and earn the right to face Punk.

This week, Jey opened the show to talk about how he was going to win the title this Saturday before he was interrupted by Punk. Punk admittedly that Jey has what it takes to be champion but asked how far he was willing to go to make it happen. Punk said he knew how far he was willing to go as he claimed he needed to be champion again like he needs air in his lungs. Jey responded by saying he knows how to swim in the deep waters and how as soon as he does something right for himself, Punk paints him out to be the bad guy. Jey then told Punk “Screw you†and that on Saturday night, heâ€s going to show him who the best in the world is.

Analysis:

Although it couldâ€ve been longer, this segment was exactly what it needed to be. The highlights of it were when Punk had his theme song played over again like Jey always does as well as the line where Jey told Punk “Screw you.†While it accomplished what it needed to in selling the match, there wasnâ€t much about this that anyone will remember beyond this week. As popular as Jey is, it still feels like Knight wouldâ€ve made for a more interesting opponent for Punk. Considering the tension Punk and Knight have had in recent weeks; it felt like that spot was tailor made for Knight if Bron Breakker wasnâ€t going to get it.

With all of that aside, Punk vs. Jey one on one is a match we havenâ€t seen before. Although how the match turns out remains to be seen, thereâ€s no doubt that itâ€ll feel like a big match by the time it happens. If thereâ€s an actual winner on Saturday, this will mark the first time in history that a new World Champion has ever been crowned on a Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event. However, with the strong possibility of Breakker, Bronson Reed, and even Jimmy getting involved, it doesnâ€t feel like a certainty that weâ€re going to get a new champion. With Survivor Series only a month away, this vacant title situation could very easily continue until then.

Grade: B

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Raw: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller†on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

Penta vs. Rusev

Latest developments:

Two weeks ago, Dominik Mysterio defended his Intercontinental Championship against Penta. Rusev came down to the ring during the match but before he could interfere, Penta leaped over the top rope onto him. Dominik then hit Penta with the timekeeperâ€s hammer as the referee was distracted, and he followed that with a 619 and Frog Splash to retain his title. Dominik defended his title last week against Rusev in a match where he tried to leave the ring with his title, but Penta stopped him before he could. Rusev then knocked down Penta and as the referee later took away the timekeeperâ€s hammer that Rusev pulled out of Dominikâ€s boot, Dominik hit Rusev with a low blow and that led to him once again retaining his title.

This week, Penta and Rusev faced each other in a match to decide who would get the next shot at Dominikâ€s title. At one point, Penta escaped an Accolade attempt and hit Rusev with a Penta Driver for a close near fall. As both men were trading shots while down on the mat, El Grande Americano along with Los Americanos attacked them both to end the match on a double disqualification. Despite the attack, Rusev and Penta recovered and fought them all off as they stared each other down afterwards. Later backstage as Adam Peace saw Dominik talking to the Americanos, Pearce informed him that heâ€s now going to have to defend his title against both Rusev and Penta in a Triple Threat match at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event.

Analysis:

Considering that these two have been chasing Dominik for the better part of a month, the outcome to this match was very predictable. As Dominik is still a slimy heel despite being cheered like a babyface, him having Los Americanos interfere on his behalf made perfect sense. As having them interfere caused the match to be thrown out, it was obvious that he was going to end up having to face both Penta and Rusev in a Triple Threat. With the interactions these three have been having recently, it was inevitable that this was going to be the destination. If given sufficient time to work with, this Triple Threat could potentially be the match we walk away from Saturday talking about the most.

Unfortunately, Saturday does feel like the place where this feud is going to end. If itâ€s true that Dominik is going to face John Cena at Survivor Series, thereâ€s no sense in him losing the title in this match. Even if that match ends up not happening, it still wouldnâ€t be the right move to take the title off Dominik with the momentum he has right now. As he will likely move on to other challengers after this, that will free up Penta and Rusev to feud with each other some more. Theyâ€ve shown in their recent matches how good their chemistry is together and they can continue to build on that, even without the IC Title involved.

Grade: B

Bron Breakker vs. L.A. Knight

Latest developments:

Two weeks ago, Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed turned on World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. As the injuries Rollins suffered forced Adam Pearce to strip him of his title, Pearce also removed Breakker & Reed from the Battle Royal that was scheduled for later in the night that would decide who would challenge for the vacant championship. As he was one of the final four in the Battle Royal before being eliminated, L.A. Knight cut a promo this week where he said he would challenge whomever the new champion is. In response to this, Paul Heyman convinced Breakker to face Knight later in the night so that Breakker could be in the conversation for an eventual title shot.

As the match progressed, Knight hit Breakker with a Springboard Superplex for a near fall. Despite being distracted from Reed jumping on the apron, Knight ducked a Spear attempt as Breakker ran shoulder first into the ring post. Breakker then attempted to Bench Press Knight into a Powerslam, but Knight reversed it into an inverted DDT for another near fall. Knight went to the second rope for a Jump Up Elbow Drop before Breakker kipped up and as Knight came down on the mat, Breakker hit him with a devastating Spear to get the win.

Analysis:

As the two people who many wouldâ€ve preferred to be in the title match this Saturday over Jey Uso, they put on a match here that showed why people feel that way. Although weâ€ve seen countless variations of Knight against Breakker & Reed over the last month or so, this was by far better than any of them. Despite not being the one whoâ€s destined to become champion any time soon, Knight has shown with outings like the one here that heâ€s not out of place in the main event picture. Unfortunately for Knight fans, he does end up losing these major matches more often than not. Although heâ€s in a good spot, it does feel like heâ€s not being positioned to get past a certain point (at least for now).

In addition to that, there was no way that Breakker was losing this match with all the heat that he has right now. As Breakker is destined to be the champion in the not-too-distant future, this match was just another way of keeping him strong. Considering that Pearce pulled Breakker & Reed from the Battle Royal last week, the two of them getting involved in the title match this Saturday is an absolute certainty. Their involvement could potentially even lead to no new champion being crowned and having to wait until Survivor Series for it to happen. If that does happen and there ends up being a tournament to decide the new champion, then that will be the likely scenario where Breakker wins the title.

Grade: B+

Sheamus vs. J.D. McDonagh

Latest developments:

Last week, J.D. McDonagh & Finn Balor lost the World Tag Team Titles to A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee. Later in the night during the Number One Contenderâ€s Battle Royal, they were both eliminated by Sheamus. Immediately after, they snuck back into the Battle Royal and eliminated Sheamus. This week, J.D. & Finn went into Adam Pearceâ€s office to demand a rematch for the Tag Titles. After what they did in the Battle Royal last week, Pearce told them that heâ€d only consider giving them their rematch if J.D. faced Sheamus later in the night.

As the match took place and Sheamus hit J.D. with the High Cross, Finn put JDâ€s foot on the ropes to interrupt the pin attempt. Sheamus clocked Finn with a knee to the face outside the ring and was about to hit him with a High Cross through the announce table before J.D. interrupted with a Suicide Dive attempt. However, Sheamus caught J.D. before he could do any damage and then threw him over the announce table. As Sheamus threw J.D. back in the ring and climbed to the top rope, Finn hit him in the back with a shillelagh as the referee was distracted. This allowed JD to hit a a Spanish Fly from the top rope onto Sheamus to get the win.

Analysis:

On a night where the wrestling carried the show, this was arguably the best match of the night. Although weâ€ve seen great performances from J.D. before, he really shined here in a way that he hasnâ€t in other matches. As great as he is as a tag team wrestler, he really showed here that heâ€s no less great in singles matches. This match also served as another example of how great Sheamus is, even though heâ€s getting closer to the end of his career. No matter what type of match or type of opponent heâ€s put in the ring with, he finds a way to make whatever heâ€s involved in great.

As great as Sheamus still is, J.D. winning this match was the right move. Considering that he along with Finn are getting their rematch for the Tag Titles next week, it only made sense for him to get the win here to give them some momentum going into that. While thereâ€s no need to rush it considering how great of team he makes with Finn, J.D. can definitely be a singles star at some point. From the match last week to this one here, this was the second straight week where the best match on the show involved the Judgment Day. Regardless of how the match next week turns out, itâ€ll be one that will likely continue this trend.

Grade: A

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

Latest developments:

Last week, Bayley told Lyra Valkyria that she had a surprise for her for this week as her birthday was coming up. The following Friday, Bayley challenged Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss on behalf of her & Lyra to a match for the Womenâ€s Tag Team Championship for Raw this week, which was later accepted. This week, Asuka & Kairi Sane confronted Lyra backstage over the fact that they shouldâ€ve gotten a shot at the titles first. After they walked away, Bayley walked in as Lyra blamed her for issuing the challenge for the titles without talking to her first. After Lyra continued to vent for a little bit, she eventually snapped out of it and said that the two of them could win the titles.

In an extremely competitive match that main evented the show, Charlotte went for the Figure Eight on Bayley before Lyra interrupted with a top rope Leg Drop onto the back of Charlotteâ€s neck as she had tagged in behind Charlotteâ€s back. Lyra ran across the ropes as Alexa caught her mid way to hit the Sister Abigail DDT, but Bayley interrupted the count. Lyra caught Alexa as she went for a Cross Body and hit her with the Nightwing before Charlotte kicked Lyra in the head to save the titles. Charlotte later had Bayley trapped in the Figure Eight as Lyra held up Bayleyâ€s hand to keep her from tapping, but Alexa then hit the Twisted Bliss on Lyraâ€s back. Charlotte & Alexa then hit Bayley & Lyra with dueling Natural Selectionâ€s as Charlotte pinned Bayley to retain the titles. Asuka & Kairi attacked the champions after the match as Asuka held up Charlotte as Kairi hit her with the Insane Elbow and the two of them then attacked Lyra before Bayley ran them off.

Analysis:

Although this match happened a little sooner than expected, it turned out to be another strong main event showing from the women. From the opening bell, the counters, to that great finish with the dueling Natural Selectionâ€s, there was nothing that this match was lacking. Ironically enough, this was the second week in a row where we got a great match that was centered around a pair of Tag Titles. This was a clear example of how WWE shouldnâ€t just be taking the Tag Team Division more seriously with the men, but also with the women. This was the best match Charlotteâ€s had since she came back from her injury, the best match her & Alexa have had since they became a team, arguably the best Womenâ€s Tag Title match this year next to the Bianca & Naomi vs. Liv & Raquel match from late February.

In addition to a great match, what we also got from this is the potential direction for what feuds could follow in the coming weeks. With Asuka & Kairi attacking everyone after the match, it seems certain that theyâ€re going to get the next shot at Charlotte & Alexa. When you take into consideration the heat they have right now, thereâ€s a strong chance that they could even end up winning the titles. What happened here post math also gave a hint on what the potential womenâ€s teams for WarGames could be. While more of that still needs to play out in the next few weeks, what we saw here gave us plenty of reasons to be excited for this yearâ€s WarGames match involving the women and their division as a whole.

Grade: A

Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez

Latest developments:

After Nikki Bella came to the rescue of Womenâ€s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer as she was being attacked by Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, Nikki went one on one with Perez this week. Raquel jumped on the apron to cause a distraction before Nikki knocked her down as Perez then attempted to roll Nikki up for the win with her feet on the ropes before she kicked out. Nikki went for the Rack Attack 2.0 before Perezâ€s escaped and Nikki then hit her face into the turnbuckle as she tried to run into Perez. Perez then took advantage of this and hit the Pop Rocks onto Nikki for the win. Raquel & Perez attacked Nikki after the match until Vaquer came out to her rescue. Raquel faced off with Vaquer briefly as Nikki stood by Vaquerâ€s side and Raquel backed away.

Analysis:

While there wasnâ€t much about this match that stood out, what did stand out from it was Perez getting a credible win over a veteran like Nikki. As bright of a future as she has, this was the second straight week where she had a match that felt underwhelming. Predictably so, this is all leading to a tag match pitting Vaquer & Nikki against Raquel & Perez next week. After it was teased that Perez is going to be an eventual challenger for Vaquerâ€s title, what we saw here is making it look like Raquel is going to be another one. As much as it looks like theyâ€re getting along now, it wonâ€t take long before Nikki eventually turns on Vaquer to establish herself as another potential challenger.

Source link