It was quite a week for WWE programming. We saw the crowning of a cruiserweight champion, the announcement of a triple threat match for AJ's title on Smackdown, and a certain Bulgarian Brute returning to (literally) kick Roman Reigns out of the main event. Due to a work-related injury to my right hand, I wasn't able to chronicle things as they occurred this week, so today I'm playing catch up.
The Kevin Owens show chugged along on Raw, with the challenger Seth Rollins getting physical with his opponent before their inevitable match at Clash of Champions, which will be the Raw brand's first exclusive special. I think Rollins as a babyface is working well enough, and if anyone can draw some heat, it's K.O. Meanwhile, the New Day/Gallows and Anderson tag title feud dragged on and Rusev returned from his honeymoon to knock Roman Reigns down a peg. This is good: keep Roman at the U.S. title level for a while and rebuild his character during the fall so he can move up in time for mania next spring. Nia Jax and Bo Dallas continued to dominate in their roles as well, with the latter utilizing a new finisher and bringing a harder edge to his character.
Charlotte's relationship with her "student" Dana Brooke crumbled last Monday night as well. I don't know if Dana being on her own is going to help or hurt her, and I still think she needs a little more seasoning on NXT. (Also, the NXT women's roster needs all the help it can get right now. Asuka alone does not a good division make.)
Smackdown saw the continued evolution of the Usos as heels, as well as the next chapter in the Ziggler/Miz feud. The tag division on this show is very strong, but the midcard/IC title-level stuff is hurting. Baron Corbin is waiting in the wings, Jack Swagger is there, and Apollo Crews is catching on the way I imagine they thought he would.
John Cena made his return and showed the usual fire in his promo exchange with the new WWE champion AJ Styles. Not to be outdone, Dean Ambrose inserted himself, which led to Cena ripping on him as well. These three men have no love for one another and their triple threat match at No Mercy could blow the roof off the place. Both Cena vs. Styles and Ambrose vs. Styles were great matches, so I'm banking on a combination of the two resulting in something even better. Great main events on both brands.
Alexa Bliss became Becky Lynch's first challenger after slithering her way to a victory in a five woman #1 contender match. This is light work for Lynch; a placeholder opponent until the next challenger (Carmella) finishes her current feud. Like I said last week, I think Becky being away from Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley is helping her character shine similar to Dean Ambrose being away from his former Shield brethren. Bliss is a work in progress, but after watching her on Talking Smack, I think there's potential for her to play a great opportunistic heel. It's going to take time though . . .
NXT wasn't half bad this week. Samoa Joe challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to a rematch, then attacked him in as brutal a fashion as possible without any bloodletting. As good as their first encounter was, it felt like the first match of a series, with both men holding just a little back. Shinsuke's probable next opponent, the equally flamboyant Bobby Roode, scored a decisive win over Andrade "Cien" Almas in the main event, cementing himself as the next man to watch in NXT's main event scene. His GLORIOUS theme music has been stuck in my head for several days. The music department at WWE deserves major kudos for that piece.
The best thing to happen this week was the conclusion of the CWC. This two hour special saw the final four men finish out the bracket to crown the inaugural Cruiserweight champion, as well as a tag match to keep the crowd warm and give the finalists a chance to rest for a few minutes. Maybe it's the I've we've been following this tournament week in and week out for the last couple of monthes, or maybe it's the alternative look of the program, but this felt more important than Backlash last Sunday or even the recent SummerSlam show. There were no harsh words or corny storylines here, just great in-ring action by some of the most diverse group of competitors on the planet.
The results of the CWC also surprised me, as I was sure either Zack Sabre Jr. or Kota Ibushi would be taking the title to Raw next Monday. ZSJ was eliminated by Gran Metalik in a fun encounter, but the match of the night had to go to Ibushi and TJ Perkins. The slow burn of this match, with Perkins blocking Ibushi's kicks and both men wrestling like they've been watching a lot of tape, was an example of how the matches near the end of a tournament bracket should go. I'd easily put this semifinal match in my top three next Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H from Roadbloack and Shinsuke vs. Sami Zayn from two Takeovers ago.
The finals saw Gran Metalik and TJ Perkins put on quite a show, but that Ibushi match overshadowed it for me. Perkins won the match, the tourney, and the title, to close out the show. (The title belt design needs a little work IMO, but hey.) This has been my favorite weekly wrestling show for it's entire run, eclipsing even NXT. The real test will be seeing how the cruiserweights are handled on Raw going forward. I don't want to see them fed to Rusev or Sheamus. I'd like them to stay within their own division, at least for a little while. Anyhoo, it was a great week of wrestling and this is the first year in a while I think the 'E could have a serious shot at taking on the NFL for ratings, as along as they remember what made NXT and the CWC so successful and apply that to their two main shows.
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