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WWE No Mercy 2017 Review: Brock Reigns
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This is my WWE No Mercy 2017 review. My next column will be the September Reader Feedback edition. I reply to the comment section only once per month, so be sure to get your questions in now! No cussing or insults.
WWE No Mercy 2017
– I did not see the Kickoff Show. I was watching my Green Bay Packers come back and defeats the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. Exciting stuff down the stretch. My television flipped over when Elia vs. Apollo Crews was ending. No real thoughts on it, as I didn’t watch. Fan of both so I’ll check it out another time.
– On that note, how about those New York Mets? When the season started, I said they would take a big step back and miss the playoffs. Despite being called out for it, here we are. Got another bold prediction right.
– I liked The Miz vs. Jason Jordan for the IC Title starting the pay-per-view portion of the event. They were a part of the ’empty arena’ Summerslam match, so it is a step up at least, right? Correct call in Jordan falling short and showing signs of frustration afterwards. My guess is The Miz and his gang was gearing up for a showdown with The Shield, so the finish works. Keep the slow burn going for Mr. Nice Guy finally snapping.
– Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt was my least anticipated bout of the evening. That is why it was a smart move to have Bray attack Finn early. The match instantly became more important, and the Los Angeles crowd bought into the cowardly actions. Balor won, which was the correct call. That guy needs to be in the Universal Title picture soon (when Brock Lesnar is around next). Move up the card before WrestleMania season begins.
– Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to keep the RAW Tag Team Titles. Very good match and the correct call. Everybody is talking about Cesaro losing his tooth front teeth, but Christmas is right around the corner. He should be alright. All for the champs retaining. Like I have been saying for months now, a FULL reunion with all three members of The Shield is coming soon.
– Alexa Bliss kept her Raw Womens Championship, which was (again!) the correct call. Everything was checked off in my box to see if everything was accomplished. Bliss is still champ? Check. Nia Jax looked dominant but didn’t get the belt? Check. Emma finally received her PPV spot? Check. Sasha Banks got the fan support and was there for in-ring action? Check. Bayley is officially back and lost due to her injury? Check. Nothing wrong with any of this. The live audience seemed to enjoy the fatal five way as well. The countdown for Asuka coming to RAW is on…
– Speaking of, Asuka is debuting for the red brand next month at TLC. This was the reported date a few weeks back, so that story was accurate. Unlike many others from ‘other’ sources who somehow keep getting credited. I love the fact that Asuka is debuting on a live WWE Network. You want to make each show special and worth the subscription? Do things like this. I would build up her arrival as THE major selling point. A match or not, hype up Asuka as the star she is.
– Roman Reigns vs. John Cena is everything I figured it would be and then some. Not match of the year but definitely in the top five discussion. Highly intriguing and certainly WrestleMania worthy as WWE stated on multiple occasions. The near falls were believable, and the finish was THE correct call with an emotional post-match scene. Absolutely 100% the correct call. I have no idea why there is even any debate about that. I will write more about it in my Q&A next week, so get your comments in now! Tell me how wrong I am and say Reigns sucks. Cena sucks. Blah, blah, blah. Go right ahead…
– The only match prediction I got wrong was also the only match outcome that was wrong. Amazing how that works, huh? Enzo winning the Cruiserweight Title is not going to make me watch 205 LIVE. The only way I will defend this is if Neville is ditching the division and getting more involved with Raw story lines. Then it’d be okay. If not, this was the lone misstep from Sunday night.
– Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman was…fairly disappointing. There is a reason why I had Cena/Reigns as THE main event. The live crowd was invested in that dream match and by the time Braun made his entrance, it was dead on arrival. He stood no chance and not even a clash with Brock was going to turn them around. LA was spent. Cena/Reigns deserved to go on last, and this suffered because of it. A shame too because the Universal Championship match was heavily hyped. As for the result, here are some thoughts.
– I never bought into Braun winning. I know we always love these magical ‘fantasy booking’ scenarios, but I thought the smart fans were supposed to be smart? Lesnar wasn’t losing at No Mercy and certainly not to Strowman in September. I just never understand the logic used from some fans. Brock was always going to win, and if you even go by the rumor mill, that was stated from day one. At no point was it ever stated this was going to be Braun’s moment. Never once.
– Argue all day long, but Brock retaining was the correct call. Same with Reigns over Cena clean. The company has bigger fish to fry than worrying about No Mercy. They got all the promotion they could out of it. Now time to move forward. Lesnar holding a title belt is money. Hopefully, The Beast is not gone for the rest of 2017. He is not needed for TLC (that should have Asuka and The Shield), but a Survivor Series match would be nice.
– If you are going to cry and whine about Braun, save it. He will be fine. Amazing how last year was called and bum and begged to be off TV but now he is apparently everybody’s favorite? The guy just gave Brock Lesnar one of his worst matches ever and made a WM worthy main event fall flat. It takes two to tango no doubt, but Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe in a quick bout was a million times more intriguing that this. Either there was no chemistry or something else happened. You decide what went wrong.
SUMMARY: Good show. Not great but more than entertaining for three hours. Only one missed prediction and that was the ridiculous Enzo victory. If Cena/Reigns went on last, I think this would have been better received. Ending the show on John Cena congratulating Roman Reigns and saying goodbye would have been much better than the flat Brock/Braun match. Just my opinion.
Big Brother 19 Finale
Another season has come to close. Admittedly the past three months dragged and did NOT deliver much. However, the two hour finale on Wednesday was an all-time epic event and more than made up for the dull season. The winter edition will be filled with celebrities, so maybe that is when I get cast? Or not. For the first time EVER, I wrote a column discussing Big Brother and the season 19 finale from last Wednesday. It should be posted sometime in the next century. Those two hours inspired me like never before. For those that watched, they know how amazing it was.
Cheap Plugs
— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) September 19, 2017
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @JustinWatry
Debut novel done, in the process of editing and finding a publisher. Easier said than done.
Thanks.
