Ramun writes: “Baron Corbin has a world of greatness awaiting him.”
Pre-Show: The Hype Bros vs. The Colons
The Hype Bros. (photo, Online World of Wrestling)
Winner: Hype Bros
Rating: C
Breakdown: Well, what could be said about this match. Realistically, nobody watches the Pre-Show event of pay-per-views, but it least it warms up the crowd.
The Hype Bros are united once again, which is good for both Zack Ryder and Mojo Rowley. That’s because nothing was going on for Mojo after winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal … and rightfully so.
The Hype Bros gained victory they needed to build momentum for a future championship shot. With that in mind, the WWE creative team better not make them lose upcoming matches because the Bros need to continue with a great momentum.
I believe they have the potential to become great champions and carry the Tag-Team Division of Smackdown.
#1 Match: Women MITB Ladder Match
Participants: Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Carmella (w/Ellsworth), Tamina and Natalya
Winner: James Ellsworth (Carmella)
Rating: B-
Breakdown: So this just happened: James Ellsworth retrieved the briefcase for Carmella. Erm, what?!
That showed how weak Carmella can be and that she needs Ellsworth to do the work for her. All the other women have done themselves tremendously and the crowd was rooting for Becky Lynch to be victorious. Although she didn’t win she came out strong like the other female competitors.
I’m looking forward to the future and what what they’ll be doing with Carmella. She’s not the top contender to carry the women’s championship.
#2 Match: Tag Team Championship
Participants: The Usos vs. The New Day
Winner: The Usos
Rating: C
Courtesy: Reddit
Breakdown: Finally there was the long-awaited debut of The New Day! The longest reigning tag champions put on a great performance, despite a botch at the end with Big E and Uso.
The match was okay and I think the rivalry between these teams will continue for a while. The beginning of the match was slow, but the finishing sequences got smoother and put the crowd at the edge of their seat.
This might be the best run of The Usos’ career. I’m excited what about what have in store for us.
#3 Match: Women’s Championship
Participants: The Ravishing Lana vs. Naomi
Winner: Naomi
Rating: D
Breakdown: This was the another long-awaited match–Lana’s debut. But he crowd wasn’t much into it and deservedly so. It was a little sloppy and Carmella’s interference shifted the focus to Carmella, which was disappointing.
I’m convinced that Lana will have plenty of opportunities to showcase her skills. One day she may become the first Ravishing Champion of Smackdown.
#4 Match: Tag Team Match
Participants: Fashion Policemen vs. The Ascension
Courtesy:Amino Apps
Winner: Fashion Policemen
Rating: E+
Breakdown: This match was monotonous. Breezango do have a good run, almost conquering the Tag Champions at #WWEBacklash, but this match was dull. The Ascension hasn’t had a good run since coming from NXT roster.
I think they have to go back to NXT and re-build credibility.
#5 Match: WWE Championship
Participants: Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
Rating: C-
Breakdown: RKO, RKO and RKO. St. Louis gave a resounding ovation to Randy and other legends who sat in the front row. The pop was great, but not the match itself.
There were great spots of RKOs during the match. It’s getting quiet obvious that WWE makes hometown heroes lose. Examples are Bayley (Payback vs Alexa Bliss) and Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell) vs. Charlotte. There are exceptions, of course, with Naomi at Wrestlemania and others.
Bottom line though is that Randy has lost his rematch clause. He needs to earn a championship shot battling other contenders. (BTW, I’d like to see AJ Styles back in the title picture.) Jinder has had the best run of his career and I am eager to know what awaits him in the future.
#6 Match: Men MITB Ladder Match
Participants: Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kevin Owens
Winner: Baron Corbin
Rating: B+
Breakdown: This was the match of the night! It was very exciting and that’s what main events should be.
Baron Corbin (photo, CBS Pittsburgh – CBS Local)
The great talent in this match delivered. Nakamura was hot. It was great to see him come back after being attacked by Baron Corbin while entering the match. The stand-off between AJ Styles and Nakamura excited the WWE Universe.
This is the match everyone had been talking about for possible a Wrestlemania match. They deserve to have a bigger spotlight because it’s a dream match.
Baron Corbin, a young talent with great potential, has a world of greatness awaiting him if he rises to the occasion and showcases why he deserves to win the MITB.
