Okay, so I'm about 10 hours late to the party.... but noon on a Thursday wasn't exactly ideal for my viewing schedule.
Edge vs. Seth Rollins in Hell In A Cell was a hell of an opener, and probably the perfect ending to their lengthy rivalry. I'd go as far as saying it may have been Rollins' best match since turning heel a couple of years ago. Lots of brutal spots here and the weapons everywhere gave it a different feel than most HIAC matches (this honestly could have just been a TLC, no?). Crowd made a massive, massive difference in the success of this match and what I really liked is they talking about this match as the end of the rivalry... and that's exactly what it ended up being.
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali was fine given their feud, but definitely would have played out differently had it taken place pretty much anywhere else in the world. I'm not complaining, as it was nice to see other performers getting a decent amount of profile.
The legit highlight of RKBro vs. AJ Styles and Omos was when Riddle rode to the ring on a camel. A decent match, overall, but nothing we haven't seen from these guys before. I'll say this: the eventual break-up of Orton and Riddle is going to be incredible.
I didn't love Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega, and not sure it was worthy of this Queen's Crown title. Like, honestly, why couldn't they have put the crown on Shayna Baszler, who is on fire at the moment? Also, Michael Cole saying: "Everyone remembers the first King of the Ring, Don Muraco." WTF???
Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley was WAY better than I thought it would be! Just a massive brawl that hid all of Goldberg's weaknesses, and was by miles his best match in Saudi Arabia.
Xavier Woods vs. Finn Balor was decent and I do feel as though the King of the Ring title will mean something with Woods. Such simple booking, but perhaps the perfect way to elevate him to the level of his New Day teammates.
The placement of Big E vs. Drew McIntyre felt a bit weird, given they had JUST HAD a face vs. face match, and one involving a member of The New Day, to boot. Still, this match certainly delivered, didn't really hurt McIntyre's story on route to SmackDown, and gave Big E another big win, making sure his title reign will mean something,
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks really delivered and to Lynch's pre-show comments, this could have actually been the main event. This is the first time since her return that The Man has truly felt like an A+ player and I definitely want to see more interaction with these three down the road.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns was also better than it had any right to be (and far better than their first Saudi encounter at the Greatest Royal Rumble). You can easily still go back to this match again after Survivor Series, and they managed to blur the lines with Paul Heyman's allegiances to want you to see a rematch.
Overall, a really fun show, even though I'm watching 10 hours after the fact!
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