WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS

Charlotte, NC

DREW GULAK vs. HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs. LINCE DORADO (10:05): Wrestling is about to get interesting. This week, NXT starts a live 2 hour show on the USA network every Wednesday night. And in October, AEW starts their 2 hour live Wednesday night show on TNT and Smackdown moves to FOX on Friday night. This is the beginning before the storm. Will everything totally change? Will the WWE go down in flames and die? It's been pretty much running on fumes lately anyway, and now that the NFL is back the RAW ratings are taking a nose dive. But what about the product? It's been pretty stale for years, right? Summerslam was a monotonous bore. This show was surprisingly better, albeit it was more of the same really and an average show, although entertaining in spots and there certainly wasn't anything completely awful. This opener on the pre-show was the match of the night. Of course it was because Vince probably doesn't know that 205Live exists and thus can't sneak his greedy paws into it and turn it into mush. Gulak isn't particularly exciting, but this match also happened to feature two luchadores who are dynamic and fun to watch. A lot of big dives and flips and near falls and it was great. What happens to 205Live now is up for debate. Everyone seems to think it will be moved to Full Sail University and go on before or after NXT, which would be a vast improvement. Although the problem is what happens to guys when they "graduate" from 205Live? See the next match to view the bone chilling answer. And what the hell happened to Buddy Murphy? ***

AJ STYLES vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER (4:55): Alexander used to be on 205Live and now he's losing to AJ in less than five minutes on the pre-show. I suppose that tells you what Vince thinks of 205Live (wait a minute...you said earlier that Vince doesn't know 205Live exists). These two could have had a match of the year if they had gone thirty minutes. They didn't. And that's the problem with the WWE these days and why a hungry, rabid fanbase is about to explode when AEW starts on TV. As for this actual match: I don't even remember what the hell happened. It was a flash. And why is one of their biggest stars on the pre-show? 1/2*

ROBERT ROODE & DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. SETH ROLLINS & BRAUN STROWMAN (9:40): Rollins and Strowman lost the RAW tag titles to Roode and Ziggler even though I never remember Rollins and Strowman ever winning the titles. That tells you all you need to know about the coveted RAW tag team titles. This was at least entertaining though nothing special. I will say that this PPV was greatly helped by the Charlotte crowd that was not only loud and into every match but seemed to actually be interested in the show and invested in the WWE. Those dumb hicks, right? But it's actually refreshing after watching so many WWE events before a bored, tired, silent crowd or one that chants, "AEW! AEW!" after Kevin Owens was fired on Smackdown last week (if you don't like the WWE why are you going to their events?). **1/2

BAYLEY vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR (3:45): Short match. Bayley threw Charlotte into a turnbuckle that was missing the padding and then pinned her and ran away. Nice. Would it kill pro-wrestling to have a heel actually win by not cheating? I suppose it happens sometimes. Hell, it just happened at AEW's All Out when PAC submitted Kenny Omega clean. It's just sad to see Bayley be a champ but also be a bad wrestler. 1/2*

THE REVIVAL vs. THE NEW DAY (10:15): Usually these two teams have good matches but this one was flat for whatever reason. The Revival won the Smackdown titles. I could swear that they're supposed to be on RAW, though. *

ALEXA BLISS & NIKKI CROSS vs. MANDY ROSE & SONYA DEVILLE (9:05): Mandy Rose is like a model so of course she's a terrible wrestler. Nikki Cross is probably the only one that's a half decent wrestler. At least Bliss is fairly decent and being a heel. I cringed when Bliss got destroyed by the leg-sweep-and-legs-kicked-out-from-under-her-at-the-same-time move (I'm sure it has a name) because Bliss was recently sidelined because of excessive concussions. So let's do a move where she's quickly slammed down on the back of her head! Why the fuck not! Ugh. Bliss and Cross retained the women's tag team title. *

SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. THE MIZ (9:35): Sammi Zayn might just be the best thing the WWE has. I guess they're at least using him...although does he even wrestle anymore? You know he's a really good wrestler, right? Do they know that? Lately he's been Nakamura's heel manager even though Vince hates managers and rarely uses them (Paul Heyman is probably the only other one these days). This match sucked but during the match, Sami took the microphone and was making all kinds of jokes and mocking The Miz and doing a play by play during the match. And it wasn't on commentary at the announce table...he had the live mic that the whole crowd could hear. It was hilarious and preposterous (there was a match going on of course while he was talking). Since this show featured all of the titles on the line I'm assuming it was for the IC title. And The Miz sucks worse as a face, if that's possible. *1/2

SASHA BANKS vs. BECKY LYNCH (20:00): This was a good match. Not surprising, as Banks is the WWE's best main roster woman wrestler. She tried to quit and they wouldn't let her so she sat out all summer but is back for some reason. Lynch got DQ'd because she used a chair but she retained the title. They ended knocking out the referee and brawling up and down the arena and out on the concourse. It's so funny seeing them fake punching each other up on the stairs amidst the crowd and everyone is looking at their phones filming it instead of just looking at it. Every "great" moment has to downloaded and then showcased to the world for some reason. Why is that? Validation? Strange how our culture has become that way. The next PPV is the Hell in a Cell. Let's hope these two are in one. It'd be interesting. **1/2

KOFI KINGSTON vs. RANDY ORTON (20:50): Not as terrible as some of their previous matches. Thank the crowd for this, as they were into this match and every near fall and into Kofi. Why was this North Carolina crowd so into this show? Because it wasn't that great of a show. Is life in Charlotte that fucking boring? Or is the WWE just really popular in Charlotte? I don't think it's that popular, as one half of the arena was obviously closed as they intricately and carefully never shot one side of the building. But the crowd loved this basic, no frills match. It was okay. Kofi's reign will go down as one of the least exciting runs ever I think. **

ERICK ROWAN vs. ROMAN REIGNS "NO DQ MATCH" (17:25): Tells you a lot about Kofi and Orton, no? That they don't even get to go on second to last? Reigns is the big dog so he has to go on close to the top. This match was bad. They used the ringside steps. Reigns went through the announce table and another table out on the arena floor. The ending had Luke Harper returning and helping Rowan beat Reigns. I thought Harper was quitting but I guess they threw money at him to return like they did with Gallows and Anderson. Money talks! Why Daniel Bryan wasn't on this show is beyond me. He was supposed to wrestle Reigns at Summerslam and that never happened and now it might never happen. I'm still sad we'll never see Bryan in the G1...but at least put him on this show. I guess the table breaks were amusing. The rest? Eh. *1/2

SETH ROLLINS vs. BRAUN STROWMAN (11:00): Short match for a title main event, right? Have they ever given Strowman the title? I kind of think they never have. And why is that? Kind of weird as he's supposed to be this unstoppable monster who apparently is always stopped. They did give him two kick outs on Rollins' finishing move, though. Rollins had to give Strowman three Curb Stomps to pin him. That actually woke me up when Strowman kicked out at 1 on Rollins' finishing move. What a finishing move! Remember how nobody has ever kicked out of Kenny Omega's finishing move? And so it built his finishing move, The One Winged Angel, into this awesome thing? Well Rollins' finishing move is pretty much the exact opposite now. Nice. I guess Strowman is so big that he can't do a long match. But Walter just did a 45 minute match in NXT UK. Granted, Strowman is no Walter. But this is the main event for the title on a PPV! We need more than 11 minutes, idiots. We need a fucking epic masterpiece! After the match, Bray Wyatt, aka The Fiend, gave Rollins the Sister Abigail by the entrance. That was kind of cool. *1/2