WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 has come to an end what an explosive finish it was. Things got turned up to eleven on the excitement meter in the last two major matches of the night – Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns in an Ambulance match and the WWE Universal Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe.
The rest of the card was pretty damn good as well, with only a few matches failing to live up to expectations. Now, that the WWE is done putting on the first-ever edition of the hilariously named pay per view, we get to look back and analyse on what went down.
It was a stacked event featuring eight matches (nine if you count Curt Hawkins vs. Heath Slater) and plenty of action to grab everyone’s attention – especially when Roman Reigns decided to go full mental on Braun Strowman and when Samoa Joe came to within seconds of beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship.
The show had plenty of winners but a few losers as well. So, without any further ado, let’s get into our list of the biggest winners and losers from WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017:
Loser #4 Enzo Amore
Poor Enzo. After all of his passionate speeches, he just got squashed by Big Cass. One would imagine that this is the beginning of the end for the diminutive superstar, but he could still have something left in him after that beatdown he suffered at the hands of his former best friend.
Also read: Best and Worst of WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017
Winner #4 Sheamus and Cesaro
The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship 30 Minute Iron Man match was everything we hoped it would be. There were plenty of falls, and it was worked perfectly with a nailbiting end where Cesaro stole the seventh pin and then kept away long enough to ensure his team picked up the victory.
It made the WWE Raw Tag Team Champions look great and really establishes them as the top tag team on Monday Night Raw without a shadow of a doubt. The Hardy Boyz looked great as well, but then again, when do they not?
Loser #3 Finn Balor (was set to face a PPV debutant)
Wait, how does Finn Balor make the losers’ list when he wasn’t even on the show? Well, that’s exactly it. He makes the list because he wasn’t even on the show. It’s a shame that one of the most gifted and beloved superstars on the roster can’t get a decent match at a major pay per view.
Finn Balor vs. Elias Samson was rumoured to be an unadvertised match for WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017, but the first-ever WWE Universal Champion couldn’t even get that going for him as Curt Hawkins and Heath Slater got some unimportant air time instead. This would have been Elias Samson’s grand PPV debut.
The WWE needs to start placing more importance on Balor and the kind of value he brings to the company or they risk losing out on his massive potential. Here’s to hoping that there is a big program in the Irishman’s near future.
Winner #3 Bray Wyatt
Holy crap, Bray Wyatt got a victory in a singles pay-per-view match. The world must be going mad. It’s great news for The Eater of Worlds, though, as he finally backed up his talk with a victory over a big name in Seth Rollins. Sure, it might have been via eye poke, but it doesn’t matter.
The two put on a surprisingly good match with plenty of crowd involvement. I say surprisingly good because the two have had a very bland build up to this match over the past few weeks, but they put on a good show.
Loser #2 Dean Ambrose
Well, we all knew that Dean Ambrose was most probably going to lose his WWE Intercontinental Championship match against The Miz, but that didn’t make the method of his loss any better for his career – which has been on a downward spiral since he won the WWE Championship last year at WWE Money in the Bank.
One would imagine – and hope – that this is the end of the feud and we can hopefully see Dean in a fresh new angle.
Winner #2 Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman
Nothing, but absolute DESTRUCTION courtesy of @WWERomanReigns and @BraunStrowman!!!! #WWEGBOF pic.twitter.com/fLSyRNLa2M
— WWE (@WWE) July 10, 2017
The Ambulance match itself might have been good, not great, but the aftermath of the match did a world of good for both Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. The Monster Among Men’s victory coupled with him staggering away under his own power after the Ambulance crash ensured he was well protected for the future.
Roman Reigns, on the other hand, embraced his inner hatred and took out all of his frustrations on his opponent to devastating effect. Is this the Roman we have all been waiting for? Early indications appear to be a solid yes, but either way, both men leave WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 on our winners' list.
Loser #1 Seth Rollins
Unfortunately for Seth Rollins, his loss to Bray Wyatt sends him tumbling further down from the main event scene where he was an absolute star before his face turn. His lukewarm run as a good guy is getting colder by the minute, and the company needs to find a way to spark him back to life ASAP.
I don’t think the fans are going to care too much about Seth if his current trajectory continues for the foreseeable future.
Winner #1 Samoa Joe
Who else was it going to be, right? Samoa Joe took matters into his own hands and beat the living hell out of Brock Lesnar and came agonisingly close to slaying The Beast. The booing ensures that Joe maintains his credibility as a legitimate threat at the top of the WWE’s food chain.
If I have one complaint about this match, it is that Joe lost to a surprise F5, but that is a minor issue and nothing more.
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