5 Surprising moments from WWE Worlds Collide 2020

That is how you book Walter.

WWE Worlds Collide was a unique experiment by the WWE. As opposed to the usual NXT Takeover before a major pay-per-view, they decided to have an NXT versus NXT UK show. Was it a success? I am sure we are not surprised to know it was a smashing success. We had a fun opener, a shocking title change, a epic tag match and a truly impressive main event. I know I am ready for more Worlds Collide events in the near future.

With all of this in mind after being worried about all the Undisputed Era’s chest after the Walter slaps, I present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Worlds Collide 2020:

#5. Ilja Dragunov impressive In defeat

Finn Balor had all he could handle at Worlds Collide.

It was weird to see the Houston crowd cheer the usually heel Finn Balor on Saturday night. It seemed like crowd didn’t really know Dragunov that well. That changed quite a bit over the course of the match.

It wasn’t really a surprise that Balor was going to win. He has a major match coming up with Johnny Gargano so he needed to win at Worlds Collide. But in the process of this opening match, he helped make Dragunov look like a star as well.

Dragunov has a unique look. He is also really good with his facial expressions to help sell the story of this match. He controlled most of the offense of this match as well. He only lost the match when Finn Balor blocked the senton splash and proceeded to hit his finishers. I look forward to seeing more of our up and coming Russian star in the near future.

#4. Jordan Devlin wins the NXT Cruiserweight Championship

One of many incredible sequences that these four pulled off in the Cruiserweight match.

I cannot believe that Angel Garza’s Cruiserweight title reign only lasted 45 days. How can such an amazing and cocky champion lose so early in his title reign? We will fondly remember all the times he pulled off his pants to reveal his tights.

The Fatal Four Way match was an incredible twelve minute match. The incredible sequences they pulled off are too many to count even in such a short match. But all four (Angel Garza, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks) had credible chances to win the match.

The ending itself was truly surprising. Garza hit his finisher on Scott. He was then quickly hit with a head butt by Devlin. Jordan Devlin hit his finisher on Scott as well and got the pin just before Angel Garza could stop it. I doubt many expected a title change at Worlds Collide but you cannot deny that Jordan Devlin has had two of the best WWE matches of the year so far. It is exciting to see him win his first singles title and where the Cruiserweight division will go with Jordan Devlin as champion.

#3. DIY and Moustache Mountain live up to the hype

I know I am ready for the sequel in the very near future!

This was penciled in by many as a possible match of the year contender before it began. Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate are among four best wrestlers in the WWE roster today. They have produced some of the best matches in the company in recent years. With all four of them facing off for the very first time, the hype level was extremely high. The surprise is they clearly lived up to it.

The match started slow with a lot of fun posturing to the crowd. It helped them get into the match even more. After a few minutes, the pace picked up and it became the tag team classic we expected it to be. It was a flurry of perfect strikes, near falls and an incredible fast pace. While DIY won it lived up to the hype and the crowd gave it the response it deserved. Hopefully we will see a sequel in the near future. It will live up to the hype as well.

#2. Rhea Ripley wins a very brief NXT Championship match

That was it? It was such a short match.

That was it?

It was certainly a very difficult spot on the main card for this championship match. How could the Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm match be really that successful following after the incredible tag team match? The crowd just seemed really deflated. The booking of the match didn’t do them any real favors either.

So what is the truly best way to get the Houston crowd invested again in your NXT Championship match? Why you could have a match that runs less then ten minutes and have Toni Storm get no believable pin falls at all in the entire match. It was very surprising booking to say the least. I know the goal was to make Rhea Ripley look strong for her future Takeover match but couldn’t Toni Storm have looked better in defeat? It will be interesting to see where the talented Toni Storm goes from this point. She deserves better then she received from Saturday night.

#1. Walter was booked like a true star

I know I wouldn't want to take a chop from Walter.

A night like this is proof why the booking of Walter at WWE Survivor Series was very silly.

Walter was treated like the star he is in the thirty minute tag match on Saturday night. It was interesting to see Imperium become the good guys for the Houston crowd and Walter played the hero role quite well.

They certainly had a huge curveball early in the match when Alexander Wolfe was hurt. It led to a handicap match for nearly the entirely of the now seven man tag team main event. It seemed to cause Marcel Barthel to take most of the abuse from Undisputed Era. It also allowed Walter to be the conquering hero for his first real time on WWE programming.

Walter is one of the most impressive wrestlers in the WWE today. He can produce some of the most brutal chops in the business and shows an agility that is rare among big men. The booking was just about perfect as he recovered from being thrown through the announce table and become the man to get the pin fall on Bobby Fish.

After his shocking and unnecessary quick elimination from Survivor Series, it was great to see a match where Walter and the rest of Imperium looked like star. The image of the NXT UK team standing tall in victory was the perfect way to end a wonderful show.