Lost Ones
Straight up and down, props to Tiffany Stratton for finishing this match. I’m not even talking about her win, which I will get to. But after she took a hellacious fall from atop the ladder early in the match, I wasn’t sure she’d continue. Seriously, look at this:
Just reinforces how dangerous these matches are. One
small slip can have very big consequences. Thankfully we avoided those.
Now, as for the match itself, the women rocked it. This was the second match of the night and it almost felt like they showed out because they weren’t last. It’s always hard recapping these things because they’re a lot of chaos. Which means I usually stick with the winner and what it means for them. So yes, let’s talk about the clock striking “Tiffy” once again.
I don’t like it.
There’s nothing wrong with Tiffany in this spot in a vacuum. Outside of that, there are other more interesting dramatic angles and, frankly, more interesting choices. Like Roxanne Perez. Roxy is one of NXT’s most decorated and a current member of Judgment Day. Two of her stablemates also clamor for the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship, with Liv Morgan craving it the most. Why not give Roxy the briefcase to turn the screws on the underlying tension between them? Why not signal they’re ready to make a new star rather than going back to the well? Why foreshadow an unearned heel turn to break up a friendship that was never quite explained? And why oh why telegraph doing a redux of Tiffany and Nia Jax?
WWE’s tendency to revert to what they deem as safe choices unfortunately makes for boring decisions. I say that without knowing exactly what will happen. There’s a chance this truly boosts Chelsea Green. I hope it does. I hope Tiffany adds her name to the short list of people who cash in unsuccessfully. Wishful thinking on my part but I’m an optimist, so thinking about things in a wishful manner is my thing.
The crowd was hot for Roxanne. The story was right there just looking everyone in the face. The muted reaction to Tiffany’s ascent spoke volumes, and it took the crowd a bit to get back into the show after the letdown. I hope WWE can salvage that in the weeks and months to come.
If not, I’ll keep wondering what could’ve been while complaining about what is.
B-Sides
- I didn’t think they’d do it. While the women’s match produced a conventional result, the men’s match was anything but. Penta, possibly the hottest cat in WWE right now, has the most powerful briefcase this side of Wall Street. And wrestling logic told me that Je’Von Evans was the guy. How wrong I was. But let’s get to Je’Von before I give Penta and Bron Breakker their props. Je’Von took a hellacious spear from Bron that put him on a stretcher and into an ambulance. That happened early enough where I knew he’d be back and in a big way. While I wish he sold the injury that put him out of commission in the first place, it was still a good spot for him and he delivered. Which brings me back to Bron. He truly rocked my world in this match. Besides hitting his usual spots, he dominated the match. The only other narrative that competed for my attention was Kevin Owens and CM Punk, who both made sure neither achieved their goals. I don’t know when Bron gets back to prime position; maybe he doesn’t. But he looks like he belongs.
- Back to Bron and Je’Von (that rhymes). After Je’Von made his miraculous comeback and got some vengeance on the man who barks , he set up the worlds tallest ladder to get to the briefcase. That ultimately led to his doom as Bron recovered to push Je’Von off that ladder and onto the ambulance roof. I don’t know when they started making ambulance roofs with 2x4s and cardboard, but lucky for them they found at least one. I didn’t love the spot because of that. That’s not to say they can’t or shouldn’t do insane things like that but I know how a vehicle roof feels, and have some idea of what they’re made of. It looked cool but just didn’t connect with me for those reasons. Still, props to Je’Von for taking that dive.
- LA Knight might be an eternal bridesmaid but he got very close to the altar in New Orleans. Extremely close, actually. For my money, this is LA’s best match on the main roster to this point. The very hot cajun crowd had something to do with that, but he was also on his game. Outside of one Powerbomb spot that almost went very left, he executed all of his spots pretty flawlessly. Despite Roman Reigns retaining, this was another match for the champ that saw him fighting for his life. Corey Graves called him a “desperate champion” in the match’s latter stages, which summed up everything perfectly. Reigns without his family backing up works harder if not smarter. He’s gutting out these wins as his opponents prove they can withstand his best shots. Does that mean the Tribal Chief doesn’t hit as hard as he used to? I don’t think so; I see it as an acknowledgment—pun intended—that an even playing field makes Roman more mortal than god (mode). All those questions are for another day. This was a very dope opening match that showcased both men at their best. And as a bonus, it led to something very fun.
- 946 showed up in the crowd to either threaten Roman or attack him. Neither happened because for the first time since this whole drama started, The Bloodline actually outsmarted them! I know, I know, I didn’t think it possible either. But lo and behold, there they were behind 946, and ready for a fight. Thankfully, that’s exactly what we got. They brawled throughout the concourse and spilled out into the New Orleans streets. Well, not to Bourbon Street or anywhere fun like that, just in front of the arena. This previewed their upcoming match on Raw, which makes me wonder how they’ll restrict that match to just the ring. In fact, I’d be surprised if the match really happens since they’re clearly saving some juice for Survivor Series next month. It’s just hard imagining these cats brawling like this here then going to a standard match shortly thereafter. But I digress. The brawl ended when Jaida Parker just so happened to be in the right place at the right time waiting in the whip. She told her boys to get in and then sped off before everyone could even properly get seated! Money in the Bank started with a lot of energy thanks to these two segments back-to-back.
- It really seems like Stephanie Vaquer’s title win was purely for the home crowd and the moment. Right? If I remember correctly, there was also a documentary involved, so that also has something to do with it. To call her latest reign abrupt is an understatement, but it seems like being out for so long hurt La Primera’s momentum. That’s why I don’t see this as a big loss although putting the championship back on Liv Morgan feels like running in place. Especially with Roxanne losing her chance to hold the briefcase. Imagine the drama and tension in that Judgment Day clubhouse with Liv smiling in the face of the woman who might dethrone her. Plus, it’s not as if these two don’t have a checkered past to expand upon. Alas, that’s not what happened. That said, this was a fine match even though it took the crowd a bit to get into it. I loved the last table spot, which finally gave the crowd what they asked for. Becky fell victim to her petard when Stephanie dumped her onto the Slim Jim sponsored wood, but it didn’t break. Well, the leg broke, but not the table itself. I’ve never seen anything like that. That gave Liv the opening for Oblivion, and another reign as champ.
- Oba Femi and Bronson Reed should wrestle more often. This was fantastic until we got to the ending, which not only felt unnecessary, but made Bronson look rather chumpesque. New word, copyright to myself. Bronson looks great in the ring. He lost the weight but not the power and strength behind every move. His high flying stuff still looks deadly despite the dropped lbs. If anything, he looks more deadly now than before. I don’t remember the last time they booked Oba to look so mortal. Bronson worked The Ruler’s back, which gave us the closest thing to Oba working from under. But then that ending came. Of course The Vision got involved, despite not really needing to. They did their usual sleight of hand where they get the ref looking one direction while something more nefarious happens in the other. Austin Theory interfered, which drew Oba’s attention. Logan Paul came in with a chair, which grabbed the ref’s attention. Maxxine slid Bronson brass knuckles, which grabbed my attention. Bronson then struck Oba twice across the jaw with the famed foreign object. I emphasized twice because despite those two hits and a Tsunami, Oba still kicked out of a pin attempt. That’s a lot. Kicking out of the Tsunami is one thing but kicking out of it after getting hit in the mouth twice with a loaded fist makes Bronson look a tad weak. And it certainly makes The Vision look like blind mice. It’s clearly time for Oba to move on to the big belt. If the plan is to make that happen at WrestleMania, then let’s hope they can keep him this hot for the next few months. He’s Superman at this point with not a single speck of kryptonite in sight. Most interesting? Paul E. Heyman celebrated after Oba’s win. Hmmm.
This was a very fun show. It started strong and ended strong. And I’ll always take a surprise winner. I clearly have some issues with the show but not enough to knock it entirely. Penta holding that briefcase makes the main event scene more interesting, but also means he’s probably heading to SmackDown soon since Roman Reigns has a date with The Ruler. The women’s scene is in a much more interesting place but there are ways to fix that. The question is will they and if so, how long will they take?
Grade: B+
What say you, Cagesiders?
