It’s a crazy night in Lyon, France for the new champions.
The Bloodline (Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa) vs. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton
The new Bloodline without Reigns is led by Solo and has caused havoc on Smackdown since Mania. Jimmy is out. Tama is in and they’ve been vicious in attacks on KO so the match makes sense as a BRAWL. That’s what it quickly turns into as Nick Aldis wades in on the mayhem to say ‘do what the fuck you want’. They did a great job of showcasing the chaos early on with a split screen across the arena and Orton losing Tama leading to the Bloodline taking over was pretty funny. By the way, this crowd is fucking bonkers and the best WWE crowd since probably Money in the Bank 2011. They sung Orton’s song for two straight nights and were so loud the camera shook throughout the night. This felt like the perfect opener for this crowd with non-stop action before a good finishing run. Orton took out Solo with an RKO through a table and Owens hit Tama with a Brainbuster through a bunch of chairs in a terrific spot. Cue interference and a TANGA LOA debut to join the Bloodline and help Solo pin Owens with a NASTY spike that KO sold like he’d legit been shot. ***3/4
Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship
Another good one here and a great showcase for the women’s division on Smackdown which has some great talent if they use them right. Stratton was given the big push throughout this and she was presented as a real threat to Bayley’s title. She’s very good as reading a crowd and when she gets the ring psychology down (which working with people like Bayley will help), she could be an all-timer. A well-worked finish saw the faces take out Stratton with a 1D (sup Jimmy) and Bayley win a pinning exchange with Naomi to retain. This felt much more of Bayley surviving against a hungry set of challengers rather than proving herself which is the right call to increase validity of the division. ***1/2
Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
JEY’S ENTRANCE IS AN ALL-TIMER with everyone yeeting with their phone lights. Fuck that was great. A champion’s first defence is the theme of the night, but they tell three different stories with it. Bayley survived the sharks, Cody’s Ace journey needs to start taking shape but for Priest, it’s proving doubters wrong. Nobody believes he should be World Champ, so he wants to prove he can do it on his own with Judgment Day’s help. He wrestles this like a big-game guy too. He knows for large parts, with this crowd and the role that Jey is on in kayfabe, he’s going to have to weather the storm and take offense. He’s prepared to do that and win in his moments, but Judgment Day interfere in the two occasions when Jey is on top. It’s a really subtle way of questioning whether JD and Finn believe Priest can do it and I like the storytelling. Eventually, Priest puts Jey away with a SUPER South of Heaven but he’s not pleased that his first defence has been tarnished by JD and Finn. ***1/2
The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
God damn, the face team is like the Mega Powers of the women’s division and I’m all in for it. Use Bianca as a tether for the division to build new stars and give Jade a gateway to build and improve before splitting them and doing the big singles match. It’s good booking but it did affect the match here as nobody though the champions had a chance. I wonder if the match would have been more impactful with five or so minutes shaved off. Anyway, there was a lot to like with Jade/Bianca gelling, Bianca v Asuka being good again and a terrific finishing run with Kairi and Cargill pulling off the Skye Blue transition into Jaded. A downside was the really awkward moment where Kairi wasn’t the legal wrestler and they struggled for like two minutes to get it back on track. The right result here but I reckon it went too long. ***
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship
Excellent traditional-style WWE PPV main event. Cody starts his run with an Ace performance against a Styles who is always dangerous and had a point to prove that he’s still a top guy. They did a great job of building up the tension and pace rather than just throwing it all out there. They started slow as both men were cautious, but eventually, it built up into bigger, and more meaningful strikes and moves. Cody hit a powerbomb through the announce table and it brought out a meaner AJ when he recovered who wrestled through his anger. Both men are great at scouting opponents through so it was super difficult for either Cody or AJ to hit a finisher meaning their signature moves provided the big kick outs. It’s smart as it protects the finishers but also saves something for a rematch later in Cody’s run. Cody hit an Ospreay-style Cody Cutter from the top rope for a near fall and then put AJ away with a sole Cross Rhodes. A match where they did simple, but effective things and let the wild French fans take it up a notch. Good stuff all round. ****
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