Tonight marked a return to Tinseltown for the WWE after a bit of a hiatus with No Mercy. With the highly anticipated main events with Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, John Cena, and Roman Reigns, this year’s iteration of No Mercy has the makings of a WrestleMania caliber pay per view. Did the No Mercy execute or did it amount to nothing more than a promising theory? Let’s jump in!
No Mercy Kickoff Match: Elias vs. Apollo Crews
No Mercy started with this match between the potential superstar and the latest client of Titus Worldwide, Apollo Crews against Elias. After yet another unwanted solo from Elias, the match kicked off with Apollo dominating and showing the tools that should be having him in higher stakes matches. Apollo faltered late with a miscue that Elias capitalized on to garner the win.
Winner: Elias
Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs. Jason Jordan
This match officially kicked off No Mercy. This match’s reaction from the crowd led one to suspect that the PPV was held in the Twilight Zone rather than in Los Angeles. The Miz was cheered and Jason Jordan was booed despite the face. JJ’s weak mic skills are the likely culprit. Jason certainly delivered wrestling wise however. He throughly impressed performance wise. He delivered a wicked Northern Lights suplex that raised eyebrows. As usual, The Miz prevailed thanks to interference from the Miztourage to retain the belt after catching Jason unawares while being distracted with a Skull Crushing Finale.
Winner: The Miz
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
This feud appears to be in favor of further establishing Finn after his lengthy absence due to injury, which resulted in him abdicating the title. While Bray is getting some face time, it’s still baffling as to why he’s basically a jobber after being a recent champion. The question is further compounded since he still has buzz with the crowd. Finn came out to his usual huge pop and with new ring attire. The match started with some additional drama after Finn suffered a rib injury after Bray attacked him during his entrance. Bray dominated the handicapped Finn for a good portion of the match but Finn battled back. After some near falls, Finn beat Bray Wyatt with a Coup De Grace. The respective entrances of the two combatants were pretty much the thing that got the crowd into the match, since it’s basically become a guarantee that Bray will lose. Hopefully, something will be done because Bray needs some new life.
Winner: Finn Balor
Tag Team Championship Match: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins (c) vs. Sheamus and Cesaro
This may well have been the Match of the Night! Cesaro has long shown that he’s one of the most underrated wrestlers in WWE and this match was an exhibition of his mettle. The match was a war throughout, with much of the action happening outside the ring early on. This match had the Shock of the Night with Cesaro getting two or three teeth broken during the match after getting slingshot into the top of a ring post. He finished the match and barely missed a beat. He also displayed his trademark versatility with giving Dean Ambrose a Sharpshooter and then converting it into a Crippler Crossface late in the match. Sheamus and Ceasaro were able to isolate and beat Dean for a good portion of the match. Ultimately, The Bar retained over the former champs when Dean was able to hit Dirty Deeds on Cesaro after he was hit by a King’s Landing from Seth.
Winners: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bailey vs. Nia Jax vs. Emma (Raw Women’s Championship)
This match was somewhat predictable in that one could expect that the competitors would seek to try to take the biggest threat (Nia) out of the equation early. While that happened, the match basically showed why Nia is the most physically dominant star in the Womens’ Division. She exhibited this with a double Samoan Drop to Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. Nia was taken down by a brutal gang knockdown by everybody else that somewhat reminiscent of The Shield’s gang powerbomb. After multiple momentum shifts, Alexa retained after delivering a wicked DDT to Bayley after throwing her into Emma. The match did provide a glimpse of a ringside male Bayley fan who’s likely going to be the most memorable meme fodder since Ellis Mbeh. For those who don’t know, he’s the shocked guy who went viral after the Undertaker’s streak ended.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
This match exemplified the PPV’s entry into Bizarro World. John Cena is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE History but Roman Reigns is so hated, that John was actually cheered! One sign that was caught on camera said, “If John Cena loses, we riot!”. All this writer could utter was “Damn!” with the force of a thousand exploding Faarooqs (Ron Simmons). John exhibited a little bit of his former heel persona by leaving the ring after being asked by the crowd. Roman dominated early on and the match basically fed on crowd emotion and reaction. The match had the feel of Cena vs. The Rock. Eventually, Cena mounted an offense after connecting with some shoulder tackles. John seemed like he was outclassed since Roman countered everything but he displayed his trademark resilience, as did Roman. Ultimately, Roman won the match by capitalizing on John’s disbelief after he kicked out of yet another Attitude Adjustment. Roman hit him with a Superman Punch and a spear. After a show of mutual respect, it was clear that this match served as a passing of the torch for the head face spot.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Cruiserweight Championship: Neville (c) vs. Enzo Amore
Enzo entered this match riding a wave of momentum that’s result of him adopting Eddie Guererro’s blueprint. Enzo entered the match roasting Neville in an attempt to get in his head. Enzo looked like a joke since his outfit made him look like Beetlejuice/chain gang reject. As expected, Neville dominated Enzo for the majority of the match. As has been his custom as of late and as Eddie Guerrero before him, Enzo won by guile and cheating. He gave Neville a low blow to win his first title outside of NXT. This feud may prove interesting.
Winner: Enzo Amore
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman
The main event proved not to be wild brawl that it was hyped to be. Early on, Braun Strowman displayed his strength after getting hit with the first of what would be six German suplexes scored by The Beast. Braun’s assault injured Brock’s lower back and would bother him for the rest of the match. Brock hindered Braun somewhat after holding him in the Kimora lock for a time but he couldn’t get a submission. After hitting Braun with five Germans and then reversing a slam attempt by Braun into an F5, Brock retained the title. This feud likely isn’t over.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
