WWE has come back to the city that never sleeps where they came to play in the BK for two days! The Barclays has been the home to many WWE events, but this was my first major PPV at WWE, and in the borough, I was born in. Walking up to the Barclay’s, the energy from the crowd was good. I spotted Booker T and Jerry Lawler outside. Inside, people were chanting catchphrases and talking. It was exciting. My seats were terrific, and the food was pretty solid. Though, it could’ve been that I was super hungry. I was ready for the night to begin.
Matches:
Shinsuke Nakamura (Intercontinental champion) vs. Damian Priest (United States champion)
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
The first match of the night was part of the preshow. Nakamura came out with Rick Boogs. An entrance that gets me pumped up every single time. Pat McAfee’s energy was infectious, and I found myself super happy about this match.
Damian started the match aggressively, which led to him taking control pretty quickly. Nakamura was able to hit a spinning heel kick. The crowd cheered for this. During this match, Rock Boogs played guitar, which I loved.
Damian did not like that and broke Rick’s guitar. Another thing the crowd reacted well to this too. He hit Rick and then Nakamura, which led to a DQ. While I would’ve loved a different ending, this match was great. I thought it should’ve been on the main card.
Becky Lynch (Raw Women’s champion) vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women’s champion)
Winner: Becky Lynch
Both women came out looking super gorgeous and ready to right. Right away, Charlotte hit Becky with a right hand and pushed her into a ring corner. Becky did a Disarm-Her, and they went for a rope break.
Both women throughout this match were aggressive. The Queen and Big Time Becks beat each other up with many blunt force attacks and hard-hitting strikes. The fans cheered with Becky and booed Charlotte.
Charlotte tried to win with a roll-up by holding the ropes, and the referee caught her. Becky did the same thing and won the match. Usually, I’m not a fan of roll-up wins in general, but this was a fantastic match—one of the best of the night.
Team Raw (Kevin Owens, Austin Theory, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bobby Lashley) vs.
Team SmackDown (Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, and, Happy Corbin)
Winner: Team Raw- Seth Rollins, Sole Survivor
Team SmackDown seemed to work well early. Finn eliminated Corbin with a Coup De Grace. Kevin left the match and out of the ring, getting a count-out after arguing with Seth Rollins.
There were good moments throughout the match. My favorite part was the standoff between Jeff Hardy and Seth Rollins. Jeff did a beautiful Swanton that had me screaming from my seat. Jeff countered a Stomp with a Twist of Fate. However, in the end, Seth did get a stomp in and won the match, much to my dismay.
25 Years of The Rock Battle Royal
Winner: Omos
This was a fun battle royal celebrating The Rock, who made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 25 years ago.
Cesaro had many great spots during this. There were funny moments like R-Truth using pizza to tempt Otis. However, Omos, who also delivered eliminations early ultimately, was the winner. Once the match ended, The Street Profits beat up AJ Styles and threw pizza into the audience.
RK-Bro (Raw Tag Team Champions) vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Champions)
Winner: RK-Bro
This was a fun match, and The Usos always entertained me. Plus, the team of Randy and Matt has been one I’ve enjoyed so far.
Matt came in, and while he did well, The Usos dominated while he was in the ring. The Usos are more fast-paced in the ring, and Randy countered that by slowing the pace down. Randy ended the match with a blind tag and turned the splash into an RKO.
Women’s 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team Raw (Liv Morgan, Carmella, Zelina Vega, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair) vs.
Team SmackDown (Toni Storm, Shotzi, Shayna Baszler, Natalya, and Sasha Banks)
Winner: Team Raw- Bianca Belair, Sole Survivor
Carmella was the first to be eliminated from this match after Toni used a roll-up. The beef between Shotzi and Sasha showed throughout the match, both women not being good teammates. We got a peek into a Bianca and Sasha showdown, showing both women doing their thing in the ring. This was a moment I was excited about. Toni eliminated Zelina, but then she was eliminated by Liv. Liv then was eliminated by Sasha and Shotzi.
Bianca was down for a bit, and Team SmackDown eliminated Rhea. This left the four members of Smackdown against Bianca. However, they went after Sasha, which caused her to be counted out. Bianca then took put Natalya with a roll-up, Shayna, and then it was down to Shotzi. Bianca beat her with a K.O.D. and won. Though I wasn’t a fan of Sasha being counted out, this match showcased Bianca’s greatness.
Big E (WWE champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal champion)
Winner: Roman Reigns
Excitement coursed through me as both men made their way to the ring. I love Big E, and many know I’m one of Roman’s biggest fans. Roman took control of the match right away, especially after Big E missed a splash from the ring apron. Roman worked over Big E, but Big E did an Irish whip that sent Roman into the steel steps after a near fall. There was back and forth, and the crowd was definitely into this match. Roman did one final Superman punch to win the match. This was the match of the night for me, but Becky and Charlotte’s was a close second.
Host, Katrina at Survivor Series
Cons: I wanted Jeff Hardy to take that win for the men’s team match, but that may be my bias speaking. I wish I could see Noami on the match card as she is such a great performer. I also didn’t appreciate the crowd trying to hijack the show during the women’s team matches for Raw and Smackdown. It was disrespectful to all the women in the ring.
Overall, Monday Night Raw was victorious! A great PPV from the WWE. I’m glad I got to experience this in person and be at the Barclays.
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