Well, look at that.
The WWE may have a clue after all.
Maybe.
With all the negative criticism the company has gotten after Roman Reigns’ Royal Rumble win two weeks ago, throwing Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins in the middle of the #1 contender’s shot at Wrestlemania makes a ton of sense.
But not so fast.
While Reigns will face Daniel Bryan at Fast Lane for the title shot at WM, the WWE still has the wrong idea with the “Powerhouse.†Why does Reigns consistently get paired against old behemoths the likes of Big Show and Kane? If anything, Reigns needs to perform against someone like Lesnar in terms of technical proficiency, stamina and power. While the WWE doesn’t have many alternatives to Lesnar, putting Reigns in a short-term feud with Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett or United States Champion Rusev makes a ton more sense. But with Dean Ambrose now involved with Barrett and John Cena taking on Rusev, Reigns is stuck in the middle, despite being on top.
At any rate, a possible feud between Rollins and Reigns is something to keep an eye on and appears to be something the company will look to build after Wrestlemania. For now however, Reigns will have to prove he has the stamina to keep up with Bryan, one of the best workers in WWE history.
Matches:
Roman Reigns vs. The Big Show w/Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury: J & J security distracted the referee and Rollins hit Reigns in the back with the briefcase, allowing Show to get the win with the Showstopper Chokeslam.
Goldust and Stardust vs. The Ascension, Viktor and Konnor: Thanks to The Fall of man, The Ascension pulled off a quick win.
Luke Harper vs. Ryback: A physical encounter that saw Ryback sell a lot more than you might have expected. As usual, Harper worked hard in the ring and made Ryback look great, all the while delivering signature strikes and grapples maneuvers, including his Tilt-a-Whirl Sideslam. Nearly winning with a Super Kick following a counter of the Meat Hook Clothesline, Harper wasn’t about to give up. Harper also avoided the Shellshocked, but wasn’t able to avoid another Meat Hook Clothesline, which Ryback followed up with a successful Shellshocked for the win.
WWE Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso w/ Jay Uso and Naomi vs. Antonio Cesaro w/Tyson Kidd and Natalya Neidhart: A good back and forth match that saw Cesaro get the win after he countered the Super Fly Splash with a nasty European Uppercut. After the match, Kidd took out Jay Uso with a seated Dropkick, adding even more fuel to the fire.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt: A lengthy encounter with plenty of offense and near-falls. Ironically, just when Ziggler appeared ready to take the match, hitting Wyatt with the Fame-Asser, Wyatt popped back up and won with the Sister Abigail.
Alicia Fox vs. Paige: A waste of time that saw Paige win with the Rollup and the Bellas, who were ringside, sprayed Paige with tanning spray after the match.
The Miz w/ Damien Sandow vs. Sin Cara: Miz seemed more obsessed with berating Sandow than wrestling and Cara took advantage with plenty of offense. Regardless, the Miz was never out of the match and fought back with signature maneuvers of his own. However, after Sandow pandered to the crowd behind The Miz’s back and was caught, The Miz went nuts, allowing Sin Cara to hit the Rollup for the win.
Erick Rowan vs. United States Champion Alexander Rusev w/Lana: The match was thrown out as Rusev attacked Rowan on the outside before the bell and continued to work him over with a Super Kick on the Apron and the Accolade in the center of the ring, sending a clear message to John Cena.
Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins w/Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury: While things were pretty even early on, interference from Noble and Mercury allowed Rollins to hit a Suicide Dive on Bryan to get the advantage. Soon enough, the Big Show was ringside to give Bryan another annoyance to worry about. Despite that, Bryan fought back and got the crowd into the match. Nailing Rollins with strikes, Bryan regained control, but following a counter on a Top Rope Frankensteiner, Rollins evened things right up again. However, Bryan kept the pressure on and not only took out J & J security but Rollins as well with a Suicide Dive. With the action back in the ring however, Rollins and Bryan continued to trade offense, with Bryan hitting a top rope Belly-to-Back Suplex for a near-fall.Rollins fought back with a Turnbuckle Powerbomb and a Super Kick, but he couldn’t put Bryan away either. Soon enough, Bryan latched on the Yes Lock, but Rollins managed to get his feet under the ropes.
Enter Roman Reigns .
Spearing Show and Mercury and nailing Noble with the Superman Punch, Reigns allowed Bryan to finish off Rollins with the Running Knee for the win and shot against Reigns at Fast Lane.
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