Welcome to Extreme Wyatt... er, I mean, Fiend Rules.... er, I mean, whatever.
Very much looking forward to tonight's show, not just because of the "surprise" reveal, but also how well built-up all the matches are tonight. Definitely a biproduct of the Triple H era.
Absolutely LOVED the show intro, with a spelling bee being juxtaposed against extreme moments and all of the highlighted competitors. Simple, yet extremely effective. I also love how they repeated the White Rabbit vignette even though they'd just shown the same video during the kickoff. If we don't get Wyatt tonight.... mannnn,,,,,,,,
The Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium was a perfect choice for the opener. You could probably start every WWE premium live event from now until the end of time with this match and no one would mind. The whole match told a great story, but I really loved the Sheamus-Gunther sequence, as that's clearly what the crowd was waiting to see. A very satisfying win, and a very physical opener.
Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey had a big fight feel to it, helped by the transformation story they've been telling with Liv since her initial title win. That said, the obvious chair botch slowed things down a bit (and Michael Cole's comment didn't help matters, to be honest). Giving the belt back to Ronda was the right move, no doubt, but I don't get the logic of Liv smiling as she was passing out.
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross had an inventive start by Kross not immediately donning the leather strap. This was an incredibly physical match at times; everything the Morgan-Rousey match was supposed to be but wasn't. I didn't love the finish, but it keeps the feud going. Prediction: Karrion Kross is going to be THE guy one day. Not only does he have the right look, but he's doing all the little things right.
The crowd was very much into Bianca Belair vs. Bayley, which is a compliment to how well they've been telling this story since SummerSlam. I loved the double KOD spot, even if it took a while to assemble. Likewise, the final KOD spot on to the ladder was really cool. This was a fun match, and I think Bianca is amazing in these big-match situations.
Edge vs. Finn Balor sounded great on paper (especially when you consider it's their first meeting), but after the first few minutes, I wasn't really feeling it. The microphone gimmick gets tiresome quickly and takes you out of the match a bit, I feel. That said, both guys fought hard to make this a really entertaining match. By the time it became an overbooked mess with The Judgment Day, Rey Mysterio and Beth Phoenix, this was a ton of fun. It's taken all year, but Judgment Day has finally become a top heel faction. So while it started off slow, I loved the match overall.
I'm really glad they saved Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins for last - not only is arguably the hottest feud right now, but the Fight Pit gave this a very different UFC feel (not to mention the addition of Daniel Cormier as referee). I'm truly glad Riddle got the win here, as it was something he needed in order to evolve. Seth Rollins is one of the best in the industry right now, and I feel this loss won't hurt him one bit. Fun and different match, with a really satisfying ending.
Speaking of satisfying endings... what a great reveal at the end. Sure, we all knew where it was going, but it is the second time this year (Cody Rhodes being the first) where WWE just went with what people wanted and the crowd ate it up. I can't wait for the next chapter in the Bray Wyatt story.
Overall, a decent show with a really satisfying ending.