The blue brand did a good job of building on its current storylines while bringing in a nice tough of nostalgia that also starting laying the groundwork for a WreslteMania mega match.
Batista calling out Triple H is certainly setting up a great build for The Grandest Stage of them All where Batista can finally get the face send-off he has been longing for. His turn in the Marvel movies has certainly endeared him to fans and the crowd was certainly receptive to his promo on Tuesday night.
With the appearance of Evolution, the McMahon family, Edge and The Undertaker stealing some casual fans attention, the show did a good job focusing on its two top feuds heading into Crown Jewel.
AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan should be everything a fan of in-ring wrestling wants, but it is a difficult build with two faces that are so over. The match with the highly underrated Usos provided a good platform to add some intrigue as the match approaches, but it is difficult to see any way that Bryan comes out of this with the belt.
The feud between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch is simply red hot. Any time these two can find their way near each other it provides fantastic fireworks. Edge’s over-the-top plea to the Irish Lasskicker to not throw away her friendships seems ill-timed and continued to show that there is nothing that Becky can do to get jeered by her adoring public.
She has successfully reinvented herself quickly and honestly and it had taken her career to another level. The next year for her should be extremely exciting, especially when they decide what to do next after Charlotte.
The Bar vs. The New Day feud is also solid as it is probably as good as almost anything that is on Monday nights. But, why is Big Show joining The Bar? It does not make much sense. They had not been overwhelmed by The New Day having a trio, so it seems like a forced match, but it could play out in entertaining ways if they prove to be more ambitious than just being tag team champions.
Oh … and Rey Mysterio returned in a clunky match with Shinsuke Nakamura (remember him?). Nice to see the 619 back in action, curious to see what kind of role he will have.
RAW Top 10
- Ronda Rousey
- Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman
- Dean Ambrose
- Dolph Ziggler
- Seth Rollins
- Drew McIntyre
- Bobby Lashley
- Finn Balor
- The Bellas
Smackdown Live Top 10
- Becky Lynch
- AJ Styles
- Daniel Bryan
- Charlotte Flair
- Randy Orton
- The Miz
- The Bar
- The New Day
- Rey Mysterio
- R-Truth
Overall Top 5
- Becky Lynch
- AJ Styles
- Ronda Rousey
- Roman Reigns
- Daniel Bryan