I went into this show with almost no expectations. The card stunk on paper and almost put me to sleep in (lack of) action.

Match 1: Tye Dillinger vs Eric Young

One Sentence Review: Indie promotions need to learn the key to having a great show is having the second most-over babyface on the show lose via shenanigans in the opener.

Tye is too talented to still be in NXT, but he's too over for WWE to do nothing with on the main roster. Eric Young's group has cool music but they look like Aces and Eights and I've never been a fan of him. sAnity is a classic "Will work in NXT, has no future on the main roster" type NXT act.

**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match 2: Roderick Strong vs Andrade Cien Almas

One Sentence Review: These two talents aren't going anywhere.

Roddy won. He should have. Andrade is really getting the hang of the "WWE" style but they've already given up on him. Roddy is a mediocre-at-best babyface that will probably be Eric Young's next victim.

** 3/4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match 3: The Authors of Pain vs DIY(C)

One Sentence Review: If mad scientists had the power to clone humans, The Authors of Pain would be what would happen if you took the fat piece of trash that couldn't pass a drug test from The Ascension and made him team with himself.

EDIT: I was reminded that The Authors of Pain have the fucking most amazing finisher of all time. They both hold their opponents up in a powerbomb position and... get this... bump their backs together.

HOLY SHIT.

Some one get Joey Stiles because OH MY GAWD as god as my witness they're broken in half.

What a fucking gay finisher. I used to be upset with Naomi using ass-based offense but now that even their big men are doing stupid ass shit so now, officially, it doesn't matter what moves you use. The DDT is now a fine finisher. Bring back the side suplex as a finish. What you do doesn't matter anymore, because making people bump their backs together is now supposed to be a part of a dominant finish. It's all over.

They're not just brutally dangerous, they offer no talent. The best part of their act is Paul Ellering's pre-tapes. God bless Tomasso and Johnny for giving it their all, and to their credit they got something better than awful out of The Authors of Pain... which I suspect won't be too common

** 3/4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match 4: Nikki Cross vs Billy Kay vs Peyton Royce vs Asuka(C)

One Sentence Review: Peyton Royce's behind can't make up for the lack of logic and the bad camera angles.

Peyton Royce is gorgeous. Billy Kay is gorgeous. Don't let that get in the way of the fact the match made no sense. Billy Kay was going to let Peyton win, and yet apparently they're too stupid to come up with the "Pin eachother" plan. Asuka is cool, but kicking people isn't cool for a full year. Her act has grown stale. Nikki Cross tries far too hard to appear "crazy" and it comes off as phony and hokey. The match was fine, but it wasn't anything special. Nikki and Asuka should have a good one-on-one sometime in the near future.

**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match 5: Bobby Roode vs Shinsuke Nakamura(C)

One Sentence Review: Better on paper than in reality.

I've watched more than a couple good Bobby Roode matches. I've watched dozens of good Shinsuke Nakamura matches. This was not one of those times. The beginning took longer than the Kenny-Omega-Rumble-rumor saga and wasn't half as excited.

"But nothing happened with the Kenny Omega rumors.."

Exactly.

Raw will have 30 television main events better than this match. It was a middle-of-the-road type television main event with a bunch of smoke and mirrors that might make some people think it's better than it was. They rehashed the Jeff Jarrett/Razor Ramon Royal Rumble 1995 injury angle and teased the "We're going to call this early" angle they've done to death. In kayfabe Nakamura was kept strong. In reality, I'm beginning to doubt whether Shinsuke Nakamura is still a top tier wrestler.

** 1/2

Pretty much agreed.