1. It’s all about Daniel Bryan tonight, which doesn’t mean I have any interest in hearing Steph talk, even if it is about Bryan. Fast forward time.
2. Back to normal speed with Brock in the ring with Ambrose & Reigns for another pointless contract signing. And I’m immediately rewarded with Steph saying ‘Everybody knows who your name is Paul.’ FFS… Heyman rescues the segment as the crowd chants for Suplex City. The beast obliges and hits Roman with a table, then hits an F5 on Ambrose.
3. Nice video package for NXT era Bryan, followed by the next installment in the Owens vs Ziggler rivalry. Another solid match from these two, with a nice cannonball reversal pin from Ziggler with his feet on the ropes.
4. Charlotte vs Alicia Fox was your standard Charlotte match, with Grandpa Ric wooing forlornly on the outside. Nature Girl wins on her way to a pointless match with Brie Bella at Fastlane. Bring on Sasha Banks!
5. Miz TV seems to go on forever, turns into the Highlight Reel until AJ shows up and saves us from any more talking. Styles and Jericho brawl for a while and make Miz look like a joke, which seems appropriate.
6. Ambrose is backstage, hoping to get beaten up by Brock Lesnar. Then we get another Daniel Bryan package, reminding us that he won the big gold belt by pinning an unconscious Big Show. Seems like a bit of a f**k you, but okay…
7. Hey, it’s Ryback vs Bray Wyatt, and call me crazy but is Ryback getting better in the ring? Perhaps it’s Bray, but the meat hook clothesline reversed into Sister Abigail was a nice finish.
8. Team Hell No flashback, which was a very entertaining time when Bryan started to excel in the ridiculous skits that WWE like to call entertainment.
9. Titus vs Adam Rose was just sort of there, and if they’re trying to build Titus as a threat then they’re taking a very strange approach…
10. Ambrose calls out Brock Lesnar, and Lesnar eventually comes out and destroys him. After Reigns comes out for the distraction Ambrose punches Brock in the balls, then escapes. Well that went well, didn’t it?
Plus 5 bonus thoughts!!
11. Lucha Dragons vs the League was as good as could be expected with a pair of charisma vacuums like Rusev & Del Rio. As a bonus, Kalisto forgets the obvious way to avoid Del Rios finisher (stop holding yourself up) and loses. Meh.
12. Becky Lynch vs Tamina was good if a little sloppy at times, but I have the feeling that Team BAD are just waiting to be future endeavored once their program with Sasha and Becky is over
13. Well, that certainly is a lot of tables. The 8 man tag table match was as shambolic as you would expect, until Big E got a 3D thorough a table and it was all over. If they have like 30 tables why wasn’t this an elimination match?
14. Just for fun the Dudleys put both Usos through tables after the match, which doesn’t really serve to make them any more relevant in 2016
15. After the crowd finally quieted down, Bryan’s farewell speech was heartfelt and emotional. While I knew intellectually that it wasn’t going to happen, I kept waiting for the swerve, for him to tear off his shirt and proclaim that nothing could stop him – but that would be wrestling bullshit, and this is real life. Good luck to you, Bryan. You truly are the man.
