Thank God for small mercies. At the outset, we were thrilled to see that the crowd assembled at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, did not chant ‘ten’ and 'two sweet’, when the opportunities so presented themselves.
Did WWE gratify the crowd that had gathered with a show that lived up to the high expectations that it promised? In some ways, they certainly did so. In other ways, they did not. We bring you both sides of the coin, in this ‘Best and Worst’ article. Let us know in the comments if you agree with our assessment, or if you don’t!
#1 Worst: The top babyface is an attempted murderer
The world has unanimously wanted him to go heel and let this fact be known rather vocally, across arenas everywhere. However, Roman Reigns continues to be the top dog on WWE’s flagship brand (or rather, their Big Dog) and he continues to still be a very family-friendly, kid-friendly character. Until tonight.
At the conclusion of their hard-hitting match, where Reigns rushed into the ambulance and lost the grudge match, he locked Strowman in the ambulance, drove the same into the parking lot, and rammed the back of the van against another. This is a criminal offense and definitely not an example that babyfaces should be setting for little kids. Unless Reigns goes heel on Raw, his actions were surprising and shocking to say the very least.
Sure, we get why he did it, considering Strowman tossed an ambulance that Reigns was in shortly after Wrestlemania and WWE wants to close this chapter with the storyline finally coming full circle, but we wonder if the best way to do so would have been with the top babyface attempting homicide.
Also read: WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 Results July 9th, 2017, Full Show Match Updates and Video Highlights
#1 Best: Backstage drama
We love the fact that the match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns, as good as it was, spilt over to the backstage area. This was a good callback to that iconic moment when Strowman tipped over the ambulance with The Big Dog still inside it.
We are intrigued what Kurt Angle will say about Roman Reigns’ actions on Raw, setting up yet another long-term storyline. We were thrilled to see Braun Strowman walk out of the ambulance, hobbling on his own two feet. This made him look almost superhuman. All said and done, this was a great storyline, and it came to a thrilling conclusion, despite the babyface acting like no babyface ever does.
#2 Worst: Just one F5
We were ecstatic to see Samoa Joe take the fight to Brock Lesnar before the bell even rang. They did a great table spot, and Lesnar sold the Coquina Clutch as few other superstars have. However, all it took at the end was just another F5 to end Samoa Joe’s run of dominance.
As incredible as Joe looked for the entirety of the big money main event, his momentum was squashed with just another move. We understand that this was the plan all along, for Lesnar to carry the belt for a really long time, but it wouldn't have hurt to have Joe kick out of an F5 or two.
#2 Best: 30 minutes of thrilling action
With due respect to Cesaro and Sheamus, when it comes to amazing tag team wrestling, the Hardy Boyz are ‘the bar’. We have been critical of their performances in the ring since they came back without the ‘Broken’ gimmick.
We were alarmed when we found out that they would have to get 30 minutes with two amazing and incredible workers in Cesaro and Sheamus at the big PPV. The Hardyz honestly held their own, and with the help of their opponents, put on an absolute wrestling clinic.
The pacing of the match was great, and they worked almost as beautifully with the countdown clock as Omega and Okada did at their last encounter. Kudos to the Hardyz who are still as relevant as they were at their wrestling peak.
#3 Worst: A heel dominated show
Neville retained his championship, Wyatt beat Rollins, Big Cass completely obliterated Enzo Amore, The Miz beat Dean Ambrose, Strowman won his match, Cesaro and Sheamus won theirs.
With the exception of Sasha, who won on a technicality and did not win the championship, Heath Slater who won a match nobody in the arena or at home really cared about and Lesnar, who's not really a babyface anyway, the heels won everything at Great Balls of Fire 2017.
In a lot of cases, they got the last laugh. While this is fine from a long-term storytelling perspective, it is always good to give the fans some reason to celebrate. The crowd, honestly, did not experience a single moment of babyface jubilation, at the pay-per-view.
#3 Best: Incredible Sasha Banks
Thanks to Sasha Banks, the Goddess Alexa Bliss wrestled her best match, maybe in her entire career. Much like AJ Styles does with the men, Sasha Banks can have a good match with any woman, on just about any given night. Kudos to The Boss. May she become Raw Women’s Champion yet again, someday. Those knees into Alexa Bliss' throat off the commentary table were a treat to behold.
#4 Worst: Big Cass’ new theme song
It is clear that WWE has long term plans for Big Cass. It is also clear that they did not spend too much time on his music. What a shame! Iconic music can make or break a superstar, and Cass’ theme song is as vanilla as they come.
In conclusion, we cannot wait for Raw to see how the storylines develop. Alexa Bliss bids you goodbye.
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