Best Moment of the Week: Braun Strowman Crashes the Party (RAW)
With a chance to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on the line, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns went toe-to-toe in a hard-fought scrum that was definitely the match of the night on Monday. The two behemoths were throwing each other all over the place and made the main event spectacular in their own right before Braun even showed up.
That said, when Braun did show up, things went from good to great. The crowd went nuts for Braun as he made his way to the ring to seek revenge on Reigns and show Joe who he was messing with. Joe and Reigns had to team up reluctantly to try and slow down the Monster Among Men, but it was still Braun who was able to overcome the duo and stand tall to end RAW. The best part of this whole moment was that it might set up a fatal-four-way at SummerSlam between four of the heaviest hitters in the WWE. That match has must-see written all over it.
Best Promo: John Cena, the Patriot (Smackdown LIVE)
Now, John Cena is no stranger to standing up for the Red, White and Blue, but man is he good at it. Cena showed a ferocity in declaring his love for America that made you want to stand up and salute. He also did well in reminding the audience just how a flag match worked while not sounding too cheesy. As of late, not many have been able to put on a better promo than Cena when he feels passionate about something.
Then, as we knew would happen, Rusev pounced. Laying out Cena in the ring while holding his own Bulgarian flag high, Rusev looked strong heading towards Battleground this Sunday. After this promo, this feud feels huge and now hopefully Rusev wins and picks up some much needed momentum towards a main-event push. Then who knows? Maybe Cena will bring his excellent promos to RAW to mix it up with someone new.
Best Match: Ruby Riot vs Ember Moon (NXT)
In what was a bout to see who would most likely face Asuka at Take-Over: Brooklyn III, these two ladies stole the show on NXT. Ruby Riot easily had her best match since debuting on NXT, showing off the hard-hitting skill set that set her apart on the Indy-scene. Ember Moon meanwhile continues to show that she has to be the one to dethrone Asuka, as she picked up the win here in impressive fashion with her Eclipse finisher.
Both of these superstars will continue to remain in the main event scene in NXT until they move up to RAW or Smackdown, and for good reason. While Ember may be transitioning towards a long-term feud with Asuka for the title, Riot’s turn at the top belt can’t be too far off either. As long as both continue to produce matches of this quality, the future couldn’t be brighter for them.
