Credit: WWE.com
This week, WWE fans were treated to several fantastic matches, including a few excellent back-and-forths on SmackDown Live.
Buddy Murphy has been one of WWE’s MVPs in 2018, and not even his biggest supporters in NXT, where he was tearing down the house at live events after the dissolution of his successful tag team, could have foreseen this meteoric rise on 205 Live.
But ever since making his presence felt in the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Murphy has ascended to the top spot on 205 Live as the Cruiserweight Champion, and his reign is already off to a fantastic start. This week, Murphy had yet another one of the best bouts on WWE television.
205 Live: Buddy Murphy vs. Mark Andrews
Last month, I wrote that Buddy Murphy vs. Mark Andrews could be a tremendous match on 205 Live as a possible non-title or “open challenge” type match for Murphy. The two clashed this week on 205, and the result was the best match of the week, even in the face of stiff competition from the likes of Danny Burch and Pete Dunne.
205 Live’s wrestlers are some of the most creative and athletic in WWE, and they always put together matches where each wrestler gets plenty of offense. While Murphy’s bout with Andrews certainly wasn’t unpredictable, it always seemed like the scrappy Andrews had at least a slim chance of pulling off the upset.
Andrews is a joy to watch, as he ‘s one of the smoothest athletes in WWE. His acrobatic, sleek style of wrestling juxtaposes nicely with Murphy’s beast-like power and explosiveness, though Murphy can obviously hold his own as a technical wrestler. If you can only watch one match this week, this is the one.
SmackDown Live: Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Cross
Nikki Cross hasn’t been officially called up to the main roster, but it was an absolute thrill to see her make an entrance with the other four members of Sanity again. Cross is the glue that holds Sanity together, and for a brief minute, all the complaints about Sanity’s usage on the main roster were forgotten when Cross walked down the ramp with Killian Dain, Eric Young, and Alexander Wolfe.
Her surprise appearance on SmackDown Live in Manchester, England saw her take on “The Man”, Becky Lynch, in an “Open Challenge” match. Cross, as expected, gave Lynch all she could handle, but Becky remained in control and eventually submitted Cross with the Dis-Arm-Her.
In NXT, Cross has finished a feud with Bianca Belair, only to have Candice LeRae call her out after she seemingly ratted out Johnny Gargano. The possibility that Gargano is covering for an attack from LeRae remains, and it could provide LeRae added motivation for silencing Cross.
That upcoming bout between LeRae and Cross should be excellent, but her surprise match against Lynch was more than good enough, too. For many, Cross vs. Lynch was a dream match on the main roster, and the United Kingdom fans were certainly ecstatic to see Cross live.
SmackDown Live: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
This qualifies as another dream match, and Andrade “Cien” Almas and Rey Mysterio gave the crowd plenty to discuss after a rapid-fire match that featured some tremendous counters. Almas’s double-moonsault is one of the most exhilarating moves in WWE, but Mysterio managed to counter the second moonsault by getting his feet up.
That proved to be a critical reversal for Mysterio, as he eventually won the match against the powerful Almas, who may have been at a “disadvantage” without Zelina Vega by his side. Vega, sadly, may have suffered a concussion at Evolution, but perhaps the silver lining for her injury could be additional character development for Almas.
This character development will likely include revenge for Almas down-the-road. He’s come so close against two of the best wrestlers in the world in AJ Styles and, now, Mysterio, and it seems like he’ll work his way up the SmackDown Live ladder one day to beat those foes. For now, he’s “stuck” as the highly impressive main roster “rookie”, though most fans have been thoroughly entertained by both his character and elite in-ring work. Almas brings a different type of high class to SmackDown Live, and he already carries himself like a champion, even in defeat.
NXT UK: Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch
NXT UK has already met expectations as a crisply-presented wrestling show with an excellent atmosphere, as evidenced by the reaction to any odious Zack Gibson promo. The latest barnburner on NXT UK, with another honorable mention to Toni Storm and Dakota Kai, was Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch for the NXT UK Championship.
Burch defeated Sam Gradwell last week and cut an impassioned promo after the match about how he was British Strong Style long before Dunne strapped his boots. This promo came after Burch, once again, elevated a little-known opponent with his impeccable timing, realistic selling, and grimacing strikes.
Dunne’s eventual date with Gibson is the big target for the NXT UK brand, but this match with Burch was more than just a detour. It was yet another reminder of both how brilliant Dunne is in the ring and how important Burch is as a veteran competitor on NXT and NXT UK. Burch has to be ranked as one of the most under-appreciated wrestlers in WWE, though he did earn massive plaudits after “Match of the Year Candidate” at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II earlier this year.
In this bout, Burch kicked out of the “Bitter End” and came the closest anyone has ever been to finally ending the run of WWE’s longest-reigning champion. In the end, Dunne submitted Burch in uncomfortable fashion, securing another highly impressive victory. If Gibson was watching this match, he sure as heck has to feel even more worried about the prospect of losing the usage of his digits to Mr. Dunne.
Raw: Drew McIntyre vs. Kurt Angle
In terms of quality, Drew McIntyre vs. Kurt Angle was nowhere near The Usos vs. The New Day on SmackDown Live or Kai vs. Storm on NXT UK. However, a match’s ability to tell a story is paramount, and McIntyre’s work here was chilling to the core.
McIntyre didn’t just want to defeat Angle and prevent a relic of the past from captaining the Raw Men’s Survivor Series Team. No, McIntyre wanted to flat-out embarrass the WWE Hall of Famer and perhaps plant a seed in Angle’s mind that he can no longer compete at this level.
It was alarming and almost nauseating to watch McIntyre strip Angle of everything he owns in the ring. He goaded Angle, and just when it seemed like the former Raw GM would muster some sort of a comeback, McIntyre ended him. He hit Angle with an “Angle Slam” before tapping out the former Olympic gold medalist with an “Angle Lock”.
Nicknamed the “Scottish Psychopath” (what country is “psychopath” from, anyway?), this may have been McIntyre’s most sickening moment on WWE Television yet. The former NXT Champion made a massive statement with this win over Angle, and it’s performances like this that make most fans speculate McIntyre will be Universal Champion before long.