Indeed, this has not been some extended dream. Great Balls of Fire is a WWE pay-per-view event that actually happened. Emanating from America Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the Raw brand took center stage. With a stacked, promising card, the WWE Universe was buzzing. Was the show able to deliver?
Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Championship: Neville defeated Akira Tozawa – Neville’s reign as Cruiserweight Champion continues after some shenanigans. It’s the right call to make, in my opinion. Tozawa could be the guy to end The King’s run, but honestly, there’s no one on Neville’s level right now. I don’t care if he never loses the title at this point. The Cruiserweights have put on several quality pay-per-view matches in a row now. Add another one to the list. Rating: 6/10.
Bray Wyatt defeated Seth Rollins – After a series of duds with Randy Orton, Wyatt was due for a strong singles showing in one-on-one competition. Despite Booker T’s continual grunting, the match was smoothly executed. It certainly seems as though these two have good chemistry together. What hurts this feud is the fact that it seems like both men lack clear direction…so, they were just paired up for this show! Nonetheless, a good match, traditional heel finish, and a Wyatt victory. Rating: 7/10.
Big Cass defeated Enzo Amore – Wow, I hope that is not Big Cass’ long-term singles music. Like, that was 2000-era WCW theme song bad. Hopefully, his real entrance music just isn’t ready yet. Anyway, this match was what we thought it would be – nothing more, nothing less. Rating: 5/10.
Raw Tag Team Championship Iron Man Match: Cesaro & Sheamus defeated The Hardy Boyz – I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the quality of matches these two teams have been routinely having. At first, I thought this would be a one-and-done match, but the feud that has blossomed out of it has been fantastic. This was another great showing between the two teams. The last five minutes or so of this contest was absolutely unreal – a classic tag team showdown. Rating: 8.5/10
Raw Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss (via countout) – Wow. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better Bliss match since her call up to the main roster….maybe even in her entire career. The Women’s Division has been missing a legitimate Match of the Year contender. Well, this could be it. A strong showing for both ladies. Rating: 8.5/10.
Intercontinental Championship: The Miz defeated Dean Ambrose – Nothing wrong with this match at all. These two work well together, and The Miz-tourage at ringside adds a new, ridiculously entertaining dynamic to the feud. I still don’t understand how both of these guys move over from SmackDown Live and just continue feuding…I’m ready to see them in new programs. Taking this match on its own, it was still a great contest. Rating: 7.5/10
Ambulance Match: Braun Strowman defeated Roman Reigns – Wow – another classic between these two. This match was brutal, physical, and completely emotionally exhausting. I’m just going to breeze right through the inconsequential Heath Slater vs. Curt Hawkins match. Everything about this whole bit was perfectly executed. This is easily the best rivalry of 2017, and we may have seen the beginning of a Reigns heel turn. Just simply amazing. Rating: 9/10
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar defeated Samoa Joe – It didn’t go 10 minutes, but as far as recent Lesnar matches go, this was one of the best. It made Joe look like a legitimate threat, and the contest itself was hard-hitting and very….sweaty. We’ll see where it goes, but you could sign me up for a Lesnar-Joe-Strowman triple threat. Rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 8/10. This was one of the most fun, fast-paced shows WWE has put on in a long time. It’s hard to say right away, but it’s definitely one of the best shows of the year so far. I consider it in the mix, with its biggest competition being NXT’s TakeOver: Chicago. What a show – now, it’s on to Summerslam for the red brand.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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