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Through three hours, seven matches, and one title change, what were the three biggest takeaways from Sunday’s WWE No Mercy 2017?
Sunday’s WWE No Mercy 2017 pay per view was about as Jekyll and Hyde as a show can get. What started off as a barn-burner of a show for about two hours suddenly devolved into a mess, only to come back with a solid, although unspectacular main event. Jason Jordan and The Miz kicked off the card in entertaining fashion and that was followed up by a terrific fight between Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt. The tag team title match was an absolute war, and Raw’s women’s division was represented strong in their fatal 5-way match.
However, the John Cena/Roman Reigns match did not come close to living up to its hype and Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight title winning performance was just appalling. He somehow managed to make a Neville match bad, which is not easy. The main event somewhat made up for the preceding two matches, but an argument can be made that it could’ve been better.
But for any WWE pay per view, it’s not always just about the matches. These events can bring out the best and sometimes the worst out of the WWE superstars and can have implications for the future. Sunday night was no different.
Here are three things we learned from Sunday’s No Mercy.
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3. Cesaro May Just Be The Toughest Guy In The WWE
During the Raw tag team title match Sunday night, Cesaro found himself in a vulnerable position. With his ankles hooked under the armpits of Dean Ambrose, the chances of “The Swiss Superman” being catapulted were almost automatic. And that’s exactly what happened. Cesaro flew through the air and in what wasn’t an unfamiliar spot, headed straight for metal pole behind the turnbuckle.
But in what looked like a very common scene, turned out to be a gruesome one. Cesaro went mouth first into the post and when he turned around, his face looked like something out of a horror movie. His mouth oozed blood and when some of the fluid was swallowed back, all that could be seen was shattered teeth. At least 2 of his front teeth were smashed and as he tried to attend to the damage on his own, the situation intensified as mouth continuously filled with more blood. However, after some ringside attention, Cesaro went back to work. After all, there were tag titles to try and win.
This was a 16-minute match and Cesaro’s accident happened about five minutes in. That’s right, for over the next 10 minutes he battled through the pain and didn’t skip a beat. And not only did he perform admirably, between he, Sheamus, Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, the two teams put on the best match of the night and one of the very best matches of the year Sunday night.
If an MVP could be awarded for No Mercy, it would’ve gone to Cesaro. o battle through such a vicious injury yet perform so brilliantly in the night’s best bout, was stunningly inspiring. Toughness is a word thrown around a lot when describing WWE superstars and Cesaro showed everyone why Sunday night. Maybe this is the moment he needed to finally take the next step in his career that most fans feel he deserves.
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2. John Cena’s Farewell Tour Is Officially Underway
After 22 minutes of back and forth, underwhelming wrestling in the John Cena/Roman Reigns match Sunday night, “The Big Dog” reigned supreme. And after Cena respectfully raised Reigns’ arm in victory, “Big Match John” sat quietly in the center of the ring as his conqueror walked out to a chorus of boos. After Regins’ music ended, Cena was alone with the WWE fans in the Staples Center and in a show of their own respect, the fans gave him a nice send-off, cheering and thanking the 16-time world champion for all his contributions over the past 15 years.
So the question now has to be asked. Why would Cena wait in the ring and get what essentially was a goodbye from the L.A. crowd? Well the answer seems somewhat simple. This may be the last time these particular fans see Cena live as a full-time performer. In the post-No Mercy Raw Talk, Cena essentially alluded to the fact that his time as a full-time worker could be coming to an end sooner rather than later. It makes sense. He’s 40 years old and has accomplished more than any other wrestler in WWE history. Factor in that he most likely has some more Hollywood gigs in his future, and it seems that Cena may be setting up his farewell tour.
So where does Cena go from here? He put Reigns over Sunday night, and with about six months until WrestleMania, which would be a perfect spot to work one more big one before going into “per diem” status, one has to wonder how one of the all-time greats wants to go out. He does still have that pesky record-breaking 17th world championship to still attain, and it seems logical that he’ll get it at some point. But one things for sure, if the crowds in his final months treat him the way The Staples Center did Sunday, this could be a very fun conclusion to an immaculate career.
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1. Brock Lesnar’s Title Reign Is On Fumes
When Brock Lesnar captured his fourth World Championship in WWE back in August of 2014, there was a certain mystique around it. Wrestling in only his 8th match since returning to the company after an eight-year hiatus, “The Beast Incarnate” took the belt after dismantling John Cena at that year’s SummerSlam. Over the course of 16 minutes, Lesnar unleashed punishment that had never been administered to Cena in his entire career and when the destruction was over, he was once again the official dominant force in the company.
Lesnar’s ensuing title reign was a lot of fun. He had a solid follow up match with Cena at Night of Champions before engaging in a match of the year candidate at the Royal Rumble against Cena and Seth Rollins. His WrestleMania 31 match against Roman Reigns was even a solid tilt, although it got infinitely better when Rollins cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase and won the title.
However, his most recent title reign hasn’t had the same intensity as the previous one. It didn’t help that he attained his fifth world title by defeating Goldberg for it at WrestleMania 33 in what was one of the most asinine programs of the entire year. But since then it seems Lesnar has shown many chinks in his 40 year-old armor. He was taken to the brink by Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire in a match that lasted less than seven minutes. His SummerSlam title defense in a fatal 4-match was terrific, however, Lesnar spent two-thirds of it in the locker room. And his most recent feud with Strowman made him look as weak as he has in his entire career. His victory in just over nine minutes against Strowman didn’t do him any favors.
Next: Full Review, Grades, Analysis For WWE No Mercy
All this evidence leads to one thing. Lesnar’s time as champ should be coming to a close soon. His recent challenges have shown that his dominance is waning and if the guy can’t last more than 10 minutes in a world title match, then maybe it’s time to give the belt up, especially when the company is loaded with young guys who are ready to take the next step. It’s been a lot of fun, but Lesnar needs to drop that title, and do it soon before he looks any worse.