* Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal (w/ Sunil Singh) vs. Baron Corbin was a solid opener. Jinder tried to cut a promo on his way to the ring but the boos were so loud that it was actually impossible to understand his words. Jinder and Baron double teamed Roode for a good portion of the match before ultimately fighting each other. Roode countered an attempted Khallas by Jinder with his trademark Glorious DDT for the win. Tons of cheers for the finish.
* Mojo Rawley vs. Tye Dillinger in a slow paced match was next. Massive pop for Tye Dillinger here with a lot of “10” chants. Tye was amused by a bunch of guys at ringside chanting “8” instead of 10. Mojo Rawley getting the pinfall on Tye was a surprise and the crowd responded accordingly.
* The New Day vs. Mike Kanellis & Primo was a fun and entertaining tag team match. The New Days were really over. During Primo and Mike Kanellis’ entrance, Big E used the middle rope to “dance” in a very suggestive position, which got a nice pop. Seeing the way those guys work the crowd is really amazing. Kofi and Xavier worked the match while Big E kept cheering for them at ringside. At some point, Primo briefly left through the crowd as Kofi was twerking in the ring. The finish came when Xavier Woods performed a diving double foot stomp on Primo from the top rope. The New Day (and Francesca) celebrated at ringside, but sadly no pancakes this time …
* Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Carmella was a solid contest. Becky was really over but the loudest pop was during Charlotte entrance. Carmella and Lana did a bit of comedy by preventing each other from getting the pin on Charlotte. Charlotte won with the figure eight.
Intermission
* The Bludgeon Brothers defeated Breezango in a squash match. A lot of fans at ringside where disappointed when the Bludgeon Brothers came in as most of the people were expecting Rusev & Aiden English. Fandango took the pinfall while Tyler Breeze barely got in the match. The Bludgeon Brothers partially destroyed the ringside area before making their exit.
* Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler had a lot of comedy action. Most of the match was about Dolph trying to shake Nakamura’s hand before quickly taunting him. Dolph worked the crowd perfectly, but Shinsuke got the bigger reaction. Shinsuke kicked out both a Famouser and the Zig Zag for a near fall and finished the match with the Kinshasa. Dolph was wearing a Tye Dillinger t-shirt and made his exit in the arms of referee Charles Robinson.
* AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn competed in a hell of a WWE championship match. Needless to say, AJ got the loudest pop of the night. Good comedy from Sami and Kevin, who both tried to give their best AJ impersonation. They also interacted a lot with young fans at ringside, cracking a few jokes about AJ. The finish came after Sami performed the Helluva Kick on Kevin Ovens. AJ followed with a phenomenal forearm on Sami for the win. Kevin Owens made the save in time (it seemed) but the referee declared AJ the winner. Interestingly, there was some confusion at ringside after the finish and Kevin Owens looked upset. Owens took the microphone to address the crowd saying that tonight AJ pinned Sami, not him. He ended up praising AJ, saying that he is really phenomenal. The crowd gave Owens the “What” treatment. Owens asked AJ if he is man enough to put his title on the line in a one on one match against him, but not in Sacramento because this place “sucks”. AJ accepted the challenge by shaking Kevin hands but was attacked by Kevin afterwards. AJ avoided Kevin’s right hand and connected with the Styles Clash to send the crowd home happy.
The arena was about 80 – 85 % full. Tons of Rusev Day chants before the show and during Lana’s entrance.
Biggest pops:
AJ Styles, Nakamura, The New Day, Charlotte
Most heat:
Jinder Mahal, Baron Corbin, Bludgeon Brothers, Mojo Rawle
