Austin Aries def. Bully Ray:
What I Liked:
A perfect spot in the card once again. Austin Aries proved tonight that he is one of the best talents in the entire company. He is reminding me of Daniel Bryan, not necessarily of his in ring work, but because of his ability to get the crowd to immediately draw interest to him. They did it in different ways, but Aries and Bryan started by being professionals in the ring. This was a great feud for Aries because Ray is such a good heel. I was not sure if they were going to put over Aries, but I am thrilled they did. Great opening of the match with both guys talking trash to one another to emphasize the hatred between the two. The action had a solid pace to it, and showed off the skills of both guys. A great combination of speed from Aries and size from Ray gave the match many different angles throughout. Ray could not keep down Aries with multiple moves, including a pop-up Ace Crusher. That move looked great as Aries sold it well. Aries went on the attack late with a missle dropkick, and the end saw a great Last Chancery for the victory. This was a great match from bell to bell. Well done by both guys, who were able to tell a story in the ring with more than moves. The emotion was there, the facial expressions, and the conclusion of drama.
Grade: A
Kurt Angle def. AJ Styles
What I Liked:
From the very beginning, the match was paced out perfectly. It was a great match that went back and forth from mat technique to ground and pound. Both men were able to utilize all of their offense here, as the timing of the match was fantastic. I felt like Angle held a lot of the offense, but Styles hit bigger “splash moves.” Nonetheless, both guys hit their finishers and were able to reverse many moves and tactics the other was throwing at them. Finally, Angle picks up the victory by locking in the Ankle Lock. Styles had to tap out. Great from the beginning to end, very solid and focused more on the wrestling aspect over the “big moments.” They told their story in a different way than most matches, but it worked.
What I Disliked:
I would have loved to see more about Styles’ secret costing him focus. Wasn’t this supposed to be what cost Styles the match? Yet, he kicks out after being distracted by Kaz and Daniels, so that devalues why they came out. After the match, Angle saves Styles. Why? They just fought and now Angle is seen as a face. Make up your time on what they want to do. Face or Heel?
Grade: B+
