Two nights ago, Monday Night Raw hosted the Great Balls of Fire Pay-Per-View. It seemed like a pretty stacked card going into the show with a lot of expectations to live up to. For the most part, the big event delivered. There were five championship matches and a few that were just about personal rivalries. With a ton of variety throughout the night, let’s dive into what went well, and what failed to deliver.
The Best
Sheamus & Cesaro Retain the Tag Team Championships
The Raw Tag Team Championship match between Sheamus and Cesaro and the Hardy Boyz was great on multiple levels. First, Iron Man matches are always exciting, and this was the first Tag Team Iron Man Match in WWE history. Second, two of the best tag teams in the world put on a tremendous match featuring smart tag team wrestling. Finally, Sheamus and Cesaro retained the titles and can now focus on other opponents.
The in-ring psychology for this match made it truly stand out from the rest of the night. Every fall was scored with strategy in mind. Here are all of the falls with their respective strategies:
- First Fall: Sheamus and Cesaro confuse Matt Hardy as to who is the legal man, leading to a Brogue Kick and a pin to start the match.
- Second Fall: Sheamus kicks Matt Hardy off of the apron, leading to the champion double teaming Jeff Hardy.
- Third Fall: The Hardy Boyz score their first fall by using the same strategy Sheamus and Cesaro just used.
- Fourth Fall: Sheamus gets into the ring to avoid a count-out, but Cesaro holds onto Matt Hardy so he couldn’t do the same.
- Fifth Fall: The Hardy Boyz work together to put Cesaro in a very unusual pinning predicament, which gave him no possible way to kick out.
- Sixth Fall: While everyone is exhausted, Matt Hardy manages to hit the Twist of Fate from the top rope.
- Seventh Fall: Jeff Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb on Sheamus, but Cesaro sneaks in a pin since he was the legal man the whole time.
Tag team wrestling is at its best when smart strategies are used, as opposed to the usual “get beaten up until you tag your partner in for a hot tag” strategy we see most nights. This is why The Revival and The New Day have been so successful; they know how to create a two-on-one scenario in their favor.
Roman Reigns Goes Too Far With Braun Strowman
For months, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman had been brawling with each other and it led to their Ambulance Match. After Strowman dodged a spear, Reigns ended up throwing himself in the ambulance, so all Strowman had to do was close the doors and he won. He was celebrating his win and Reigns took advantage to continue the fight. After a huge spear, Reigns put Strowman in the ambulance and started driving to the parking lot.
At first, it seemed like Reigns was going to drive into the city of Dallas with Strowman in the back, but he had an idea. He lined the ambulance up in front of a production truck and drove full speed in reverse, crashing the ambulance with Strowman inside. After the Dallas Fire Department used the jaws of life to pry the ambulance door open, Strowman stumbled away, refusing medical attention. This was a very well done moment, making it perhaps the first time Strowman has looked vulnerable since leaving the Wyatt Family.
The Worst
Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt
There really isn’t anything specific to complain about in this match. Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt are two great performers, but everything about their feud just screams “meh.” It is hard not to tune out when they are cutting promos against each other, giving the fans no reason to care about this match at all. It didn’t help that it felt like a Monday Night Raw match instead of a Pay-Per-View match, and Rollins is known to put on memorable performances in those situations. There was no reason to care to begin with, and the match fell flat.
