FASTLANE

Shane McMahon & The Miz vs. The Usos

A big time upgrade from their previous match, and sort of a surprise in how good it was. Good energy & atmosphere from bell to bell (& after w/ Shane's heel turn) - Usos were really good as usual, Shane didn't do anything annoying & all of his spots were actually pretty good + The Miz was on low-key FIRE with this being in front of his hometown fans. Awesome way to kick off the PPV. ***

Asuka vs. Mandy Rose

This wasn't much. The whole Sonya interference kendo stick deal was a bit confusing, but at least Asuka looked really good as always with her offense, and Mandy looked good with what she did too. Felt like a fine, yet overly booked TV match. *3/4

Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The Revival

Didn't care for this at all. Just a collection of very choreographed looking spots with very little heat. *

Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe

This was really goddamn good - awesome action from start to finish, with everybody getting time to shine. I thought Rey & Joe especially looked great during this; Rey with his amazing smoothness hitting those highflying spots, all the while making them look really impactful & then Joe with his bulldozer work, especially in the beginning. ***3/4

Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

This only went like 7 minutes, so they didn't get to do much, but for the time they got, they worked a solid lil' match with their usual dynamic. Bayley especially put in a lot of effort. **

Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali

This was a great three way dance. Just great spotfest action, with some great bursts of 1-on-1 action, especially by Bryan, in between the big spots. Bryan was great with everything he did, receiving & giving an asskicking, Ali was in his element bumping like a maniac & busting out those gorgeously vicious dives of his & these kind of matches definitely fit Owens' move-set & wrestling style very well. Dat finish! ****

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

The match revolved around Becky's bum leg, and while it wasn't bad, it certainly wasn't very compelling either. Oh well. At least this time she didn't forget which leg to sell. **

Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre vs. The Shield

I am gonna be honest: I didn't care for the match at all until it spilled to the outside, and I got them Shield vs. Evolution flashbacks with their all-over-the-place chaotic brawling. That's when the match started to RULE, and it never stopped ruling big time after that. The sequence Corbin & Reigns had inside the ring while the other four were outside was great, as was the whole Triple Powerbomb bit w/ the heels first trying to do it mockingly, only for The Shield to PUNISH them with the real thing. The finish with the boys just destroying Baron was superb too, and I won't lie, I got them goosebumps when Rollins got fired up yelling "one last motherfucking time!" when they went for the Triple Powerbomb to get the finish. Awesome stuff. ***1/2