Unfortunately, it didn’t.īraun Strowman wrecked The Miz and John Morrison in a handicap match for the Universal Championship. Considering Asuka did not actually win the Raw Women’s title, it is extremely important for her to be positioned in an elite manner.Īsuka lost to Charlotte Flair this past Monday on Raw, which had a lot to do with interference from Jax, but this should have been a night that helped build Asuka. Becky Lynch, who announced that she was giving up the title due to her pregnancy, crowned her as champion the following night on Raw. If this was the best possible ending, then Asuka should have wrestled someone else.Īsuka won the belt by proxy of winning the women’s Money in the Bank match. The match was good, but the finish lacked any sort of creativity. McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins in an outstanding match at last month’s pay-per-view, and he is slowly building a solid resume as WWE Champion. McIntyre is massive, so it is tough for him to be positioned as an underdog, but he was able to successfully paint that picture against the monstrous Lashley. But there was a lot to like here, as Lashley was presented as a legitimate threat. That finish continues an exhausting, tried-and-true WWE theme of women getting in the way. Though her intent was to help Lashley, she opened a brief window for McIntyre to hit a Claymore and steal the win. The near-falls were compelling, and it appeared Lashley was on his way to victory until Lana arrived. And MVP did an outstanding job in Lashley’s corner, showing how much a manager can add to a wrestling match. That set up a solid structure for the match that saw McIntyre constantly overcome Lashley’s strength and power.

Thanks to a distraction from MVP before the bell, Lashley locked his full nelson onto McIntyre. This was Orton’s best performance since his match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 30 and immediately belongs on a list of Edge’s greatest hits. There was creativity in the moveset, but each took pieces from their past–Edge using Christian’s Killswitch and Orton hitting Triple H’s pedigree, harkening back to his time in Evolution and The Authority–and the facial expressions from both wrestlers, particularly Edge’s eyes, only added to the intensity and significance of the match. Orton and Edge were physical but took the time necessary to tell a story with an easily definable protagonist and villain. Backlash was hurt by having a crowd that felt more like actors than spectators, but the match itself was excellent. Had that match taken place as scheduled in front of a packed crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the place would have erupted as soon as Edge made his way to the ring.

Their “Last Man Standing” match at WrestleMania took place in the infancy of the empty arena era, and it was hurt by going too long.

Old randy orton theme song