The Glimpse:
Bray Wyatt takes on Chris Jericho and a hefty portion of tag team action, plus the Divas of NXT will be in action. Paige wants her some Summer Rae.
The Action:
Match 1: Primo and Epico vs The Wyatt Family vs Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville, Triple Threat Elimination
Winners: Wyatt Family via pinfall
Dallas and Rowan start off with Bo firing elbows to him in the corner. Neville is tagged in and hits a double axe handle from the top, tagging Bo right back in for one of his own. Bo hits the running gut punch/boot/forearm combo for two. Rowan explodes out to escape and now it’s Harper ad Neville. Neville with a victory roll, then gets tossed into the corner and pummeled. Harper gets a two count then lands a scoop slam. Neville dodges stomps and kicks him in the head, then Epico tags in. Bo’s turn to tag in and it’s a double hip toss for Epico and a two count. Bo goes to work on the arm and Epico tries to escape via scoop slam, which Bo rolls through, keeping the arm lock on. Neville tags in again and kicks the arm. Another quick tag out to Bo who throws Epico by the arm and gets a one count. Epico tosses Bo to the turnbuckle and rakes his eyes on the top rope. Epico gets back dropped to the floor for a commercial break. Key here – Every time Bo gets tagged in, the crowd boos.
Dallas is being worked over by Harper and Rowan and Harper gets a two, then a chinlock. Bo gets to his feet for a jawbreaker and Primo tags himself in to stomp away at Dallas. Quick suplex for two and Bo kicks out. Boots in the corner and the Epico/Primo stomp cycle kicks off. Russian leg sweep and elbow combo from the cousins for two and now a surfboard applied to Bo. Bo stands up, takes one big step and then throws Epico away. Epico answers with a clothesline and a pair of near falls. Bo is placed in another chinlock to fight out of. Bo runs over a grounded Epico off a whip and just stops mid ring, then walks head first into him, leaving both on the mat. Neville gets the hot tag and hits running forearms and a calf kick, then a standing shooting star for two. Bo spears away Epico and Neville delivers kicks to the Wyatt Family. Primo tries a roll up and Neville kicks out. Out of the corner, Neville flips away and hits a kick to the head, setting up the finish. Neville hits the corkscrew shooting star to eliminate Primo and Epico. Harper hits a surprise diving lariat and the Wyatt Family takes the win.
Long, long recap of Paige and Summer Rae’s issues. This is a good thing. Focus on Divas makes them more legitimate. Not to mention Paige’s in ring ability bringing so much to the table.
Match 2: Paige vs Summer Rae
Winner: Paige via pinfall
Rae attacks Paige from behind as she makes her entrance and mocks her. Paige stomps on Rae as she gets in the ring, then whips her with her jacket. Paige bounces her off the ropes neck first multiple times. Summer begs off and tries a clothesline, only to get tossed by her hair to the mat. Once again into the top rope by Paige. One more. Rae slaps Paige then takes one to the face, leveling her. Paige tosses Summer head first into the mat and gets a two count. Paige hits a fisherman’s suplex for two. Paige grabs a front headlock and Summer forces her into the corner. Summer screams and delivers forearms to the back. Rae throws herself at Paige who catches her on her shoulder, then a roll through with Rae ending up on top. Catfight spot back and forth and Summer slips to the floor for some breathing room and a commercial.
Back to it, Summer has the control, working on the leg of Paige. Summer mocks Paige’s scream. Summer locks in an Indian deathlock and chokes Paige with her boot. Summer rolls it over for more pressure. Paige crawls for the ropes slowly but surely and finally get them. Summer drags Paige to the middle of the ring for a two count. Paige answers with a kick to the ribs and whips Summer by her hair, then again. Stomps in the corner by the Brit. Rae says she doesn’t need this and heads up the ramp. Paige whips her back first into the ring apron. Both crawl back into the ring and Summer tries a spin kick. Paige catches the leg and turns it into the Paigeturner for the win.
Match 3: Bray Wyatt vs Chris Jericho
Winner: Chris Jericho via submission
Stalemate off the first lockup and again. Wyatt gets in Jericho’s face and gets a slap and a back elbow for his trouble. Chops on the ropes and a dropkick from Y2J. Wyatt grabs the ropes on the next whip and bails to the floor to consider his strategy. Talking to his Family, Jericho takes advantage with a baseball slide and throwing Wyatt to the barrier. Jericho heads to the top for a crossbody and a two count after throwing Bray back in. A pair of kicks and Rowan trips Jericho up, getting himself ejected. After yet another mid-match commercial, Jericho is still in control. Wyatt turns it around and tosses Jericho to the floor then distracts the ref, allowing Harper to boot him in the face. Wyatt meets him on the floor and stomps away, then drives his back into the apron. Rolling back in, Wyatt drops elbows and gets a two count. Chinlock as the crowd rallies behind Jericho, who stands up but gets thrown to the mat. Wyatt talks trash before Jericho fights back, then takes a knee to the gut, allowing Wyatt to put the chinlock back on. Jericho fights to his feet again and Wyatt chokes him on the ropes, then Harper does the same. Dragged to the middle of the ring, Jericho is out at two. Chinlock once again and this time Jericho fights out of it, but ends up taking a suplex from Wyatt. Wyatt wants the senton and Jericho rolls out of harm’s way, then hits shoulder blocks and a top rope axe handle. Jericho hits the bulldog off the ropes, then a triangle jump dropkick for Harper. This allows Wyatt to hit a huge lariat for a near fall. Jericho ducks a right hand and hits a step up enziguiri for two. Wyatt reverses a whip and hits a crossbody to the gut for a very near two. Wyatt approaches and walks right into the Codebreaker, but he rolls to the floor. Harper checks on him and Jericho gives chase, depositing Wyatt inside. Harper tosses Jericho into the ringpost and rolls him in – Wyatt crawls over and hooks both legs but Jericho still kicks out. Wyatt lights Jericho up in the corner then gives some space for an avalanche, then dances Jericho to the middle of the ring wanting Sister Abigail. Jericho escapes and hooks him for the Walls, but decides to slingshot him into Harper who has hopped on the apron again. Jericho transitions this over into the Walls for the win.
The Reaction:
Really fun match. Way too much Bo Dallas. A necessary evil for Neville to make the big come back and hit his finish. The finishing lariat from Harper looked brutal, which is great. The crowd was REALLY anti-Bo in this one. Curious to see how that carries to the main roster and how the folks in the back react to that. Neville needs to practice promos and get to the main roster as soon as possible.
Not sure if they’ll continue this rivalry with Paige coming back and just getting a dominant win. As long as Paige has someone to wrestle, the division has some lifeblood in it. Good match back and forth, but I could do without the catfight spots, at least when a real wrestler is involved. Good match and it let Summer Rae show off some ability in the ring as well. Quality stuff.
Great match for Bray Wyatt. It’s hard to not look good in the ring with Chris Jericho; it’s far more impressive to keep up with him and look like you belong in the ring with him. Wyatt has managed that here with little effort. Perfectly fine for him to take the loss to a 6-time world champ, as it won’t cause him any loss of steam. Wyatt is one of the next expected up to the main roster, and if this is any indication, he’ll do just fine up there. Most important is for WWE to not do something stupid like jimmy his gimmick around. He’s been doing the gimmick for some time now and it’s second nature for him. It will be a breath of fresh air on the main roster shows.
The Preview:
Adrian Neville can select a stand-in partner for Oliver Gray, as he is injured. Bo Dallas will join him against the Wyatt Family!
The Shill:
As always, if you like what you read here, let me know in the comments or on twitter @sbfantom. I sincerely would like to hear what people think and strike up some conversation!
