WWE No Mercy Review 10/09/2016

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my No Mercy review. This is the return of the No Mercy PPV, with the last taking place in 2008. It featured Shawn Michaels facing Chris Jericho in a Ladder Match for the World Championship. For those who remember that classic, can now comprehend how long ago that really was. Also, this is Smackdown Live’s second brand exclusive PPV. The first being Backlash, which was a success to a lot of fans including myself. However, its time to see if they can keep up that momentum. I mean at Backlash there was this excitement in the air because we were guaranteed to see the crowning of brand new champions because the first ever Smackdown Women’s and Tag Team Champions were crowned. However, No Mercy doesn’t have that attraction to its show but now those titles are to be defended for the first time. Also the build up for all the matches in my mind have been incredible. Everything besides Corbin/Swagger match seem to have a real purpose and motive behind them.
I was 5-2-1 for my predictions with the one being that I predicted that Curt Hawkins would have a match but instead he just came out to announce that he would be wrestling this Tuesday on Smackdown. I counted the Alexa match as a correct prediction because I predicted she would lose her match which she did, however Becky wasn’t the winner. It was announced all over the inter web and confirmed on the kick off that due to a recently discovered injury that Becky Lynch would not be able to compete at No Mercy and would defend her title against Alexa Bliss at a later date. Yet, Alexa was still booked to compete on the show. Also announced earlier in the day was that the WWE Championship match was to kick off the show. This might have been because of the US Presidential Debate being on TV as that seems to be the most logical reason. I watched the kick off but I was still busy doing things, so I did not pay much attention to it, so I’m not reviewing it. Lets get to my review.

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WWE No Mercy comes to us from the Golden 1 Centre in Sacramento, California.

– The show opened a video package.

WWE World Championship
AJ Styles (C) def. Dean Ambrose & John Cena
in 21:40 via pinfall
All three guys made their entrances and were announced before they showed the build up video package. It the main event opening the show wasn’t already oddly placed, so was the video package. Other than that, this match was absolutely amazing. All three guys brought their game and it really had you sitting at the edge of your seat. Each guy whipped out moves they only use every once in a while. It was the perfect pace for a triple threat match. I don’t ever remember it slowing down. I always exaggerate how the first match of the show should always be the match to set the pace for the rest of the show to keep people excited for the rest of the show. This match did that even though it was supposed to the main event. Also the crowd was fresh still at this point and totally involved in this match. Although there were moments where both Ambrose and Styles had the win, they did a really good job of making it look like Cena had the match won at times. I mean there were a lot of moves and spots set up by Cena that we’ve seen him win a lot of previous big matches with. For example the double AA was set up and he executed an AA from the top rope. There was a little over booking, when Cena and Ambrose both had Styles in a submission and AJ tapped. People can argue that Cena or Ambrose won because of that, but in my mind it was just smart on Styles to tap. It was smart because it made both men release the hold relieving him from pain while he knew both of them couldn’t be crowned the winners of the match. In the end, the right man won in AJ Styles. It might have taken two chair shots but there was No DQ and Styles only took advantage of that when he needed to. I love that even as a hell Styles is a wrestler’s wrestler. He tries win the match with all his talent and only cheats out of desperation unlike most heels, who try to cheat at all costs such as The Miz. Also, with Cena taking time off to film his TV show, I was happy that he took the fall which protected Ambrose who may still be a contender for the championship. I don’t see why Ambrose wouldn’t still be in contention for the title, mainly after he thinks he made Styles tap out. This match alone makes this No Mercy memorable and this match alone is a must watch for anyone who skipped the event.
Rating – ****

– They aired a video package about the Randy Orton/Bray Wyatt feud

Nikki Bella def. Carmella
in 08:05 via submission
The moment Nikki Bella came out in them jean shorts it made me think of Cena and AJ Lee. AJ Lee fans around the world must have been upset and I like her shorts more than Cena. Nikki looked great! I’m actually happy that she’s back and on Smackdown Live. I mean her being on Smackdown Live elevates the division, however if she was on Raw, I think I would have been disappointed because she just doesn’t fit in over like she does on Smackdown its like the perfect fit. No matter how great Carmella has been since her heel turn and how enjoyable this simple jealousy rivalry has been, Carmella still gets little no reaction from the crowd and it sucks because she’s been great since turning heel. These two had the tough position on the card having to follow the WWE World Championship match. I mean I know I felt drained and as if the show was over because we just watched the main event. I don’t mean over like nothing else was worth watching, but I mean like it felt like we just watched the end of the show, so to keep watching knowing their was an entire card ahead of us was weird. These two put on a very solid match, but I don’t blame the crowd for feeling drain. There was nothing wrong with this match, it had its highlights but there was nothing spectacular about it. If anything we knew what to expect from Nikki Bella, as she has improved so much these past few years and has dope spots like her corner disaster kick. I was really impressed with Carmella though. I think for anyone who doesnt watch NXT often or is just getting to know this Carmella character, this was a good showing for her because she did really well. Initially, my only complaint was that Carmella was screaming her trash talk a lot, but once it started reminding me of Robin yelling at Patrice from “How I Met Your Mother”, I was amused and content with it because I love that f’n show. Although, you can argue that Carmella should have won here, I predicted that Nikki was going to win because this was her first big singles PPV match back since her injury and she needed this win to make a statement. Also, this victory can only add more fuel to fire in this feud which I do expect to continue. I’m still hoping these two can have a No DQ match down the road, where Carmella can be as aggressive as she wants and Nikki has to overcome it.
Rating – **3/4

– Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan are backstage reacting to Nikki Bella’s victory when The Miz and Maryse approach them. The Miz says the show will be better after he retires Ziggler. He also mentions how Bryan can have some credit for it as well since he basically forced Dolph into this situation. The Miz says after he retires Ziggler he wants to renegotiate his contract because he knows there will be extra money available once Ziggler is off the show. The Miz is honestly one of the most consistent heels of the past decade and I loved the Rocky 4 reference.

WWE Tag Team Champions
Heath Slater & Rhyno (C) def. The Usos
in 10:20 via pinfall
I’m still a huge fan of the Uso’s new look and aggressive mean steak since turning heel. I feel like the live crowd wasn’t 100% use to the Uso’s new theme music because there was a late reaction. I’m in the same boat, however they have only had it for a couple of weeks so I’m sure I will get use to it. I love how they have so many different attires in this new gimmick. The match was very good and the two teams worked really well with each other. Heath Slater usually takes the beating with Rhyno coming in gaining the offence for their team, but Slater had his moments in this match too. Although many people including myself thought that the Usos’ were going to walk out as the new tag team champions, that wasn’t the case. I don’t mind that Rhyno and Slater retained because they’re still super over but it leads me to wonder whats going to happen next in the SD Live tag team division. I mean they could get by Survivor Series with a Smackdown Live tag team traditional Survivor Series match, but what about the next Smackdown exclusive event in TLC. I still think triple threat TLC for the tag titles could be lit and the night to crown new champions, allowing Slater and Rhyno to soak in this reign.
Rating – ***

– Bray Wyatt cut a promo where he spoke in tongue and sang his tune. I love it when Bray sings “he’s got the whole world in his hands”. There is something about that song that fits with his character so well. It allows Bray to seem more powerful and remains creepy as well. Also, considering how the matches were placed on the card, I was expecting

Baron Corbin def. Jack Swagger
in 7:30 by pinball
This match was kind of just there. I mean it was not bad but it was nothing spectacular either. These two worked the right style but there was an energy missing. I mean I know they brought Swagger to Smackdown to help him rejuvenate his career, but this feud doesn’t really help him. Plus, it has been years since Swagger seemed important and a feud with Baron fucking Corbin isn’t going to reboot it. Baron Corbin has been poorly booked since his debut on the main roster which has really made me not care for him although I do think he has potential. I didn’t care for him much on NXT either and I finally started to with his gimmick where he hated the Indy stars coming into the WWE, but then they brought him up to the main roster. I don’t think the fans are invested in either guy, and it showed. Swagger beat Corbin on Smackdown and Corbin beats Swagger on No Mercy, so I’m sure they’ll be facing each other again, but does it really matter? Good match but nothing to really care about emotionally or be invested in, like most of the other matches on the card.
Rating – **

Intercontinental Championship
Title vs. Career
Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz w/ Maryse (C)
in 19:45 via pinfall
What a match! This build up to this match had me really invested in it. Ever since the stipulation of the match was announced, the Smackdown creative team, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler did a really good job at making it seem like there was a chance that Ziggler could be leaving the company for real after this show. It was even more believable because the dirtsheets put it out there that Ziggler’s contract was coming to an end as well to. The live crowd was really invested in this match from start to end as well. I mean these two have great chemistry with each other but this has to be their best match yet. Hell, it might even be the best match of the year for both of them thus far. Hell the performances from both guys may have been the best of both their careers. I mean this will be one of Miz’s best matches for sure. He’s had two this year, the other being the fatal four way against Cesaro, Owens and Zayn. There were so many near falls and false finishes but due to the career threatening stipulation it had everyone feeding into every single one. The Miz tried every trick he had up his sleeve to get the easy win. Feeding off their previous matches, Maryse even sprayed Ziggler in the eyes again with the hair spray which last time cost Dolph the match, but he overcame it tonight by getting his foot on the bottom rope. People may claim the match was over booked but this was over booking done perfectly. The interferences and attempts to get the victory by cheating didn’t directly impact the finish but played the perfect role to the rivalries overall story. I mean it makes sense that The Miz would try to find any way possible to win rather than just winning clean as it would be out of his character not to try to find the easy way out. It was nice seeing the Spirit Squad kept around for this match too. The only complaint was that the match could have used a couple more minutes for the finish after Maryse and the Spirit Squad got evacuated from the ring, to build just a little bit more drama for the finish. I mean at least make it seem like The Miz maybe could have possibly still get the win even, though he wouldn’t. This way no one can claim Ziggler got lucky because Miz was distracted from his wife being ejected from ringside. At the end of the day, Ziggler overcame the odds. I loved Ziggler’s post match celebration and the crowd popped for his win. It was a huge celebration, and made me question why this match didnt go on last like I expected it would when they announced the triple threat would kick off the show.
I also loved Miz’s reaction following the match as it was the perfect expression of shock and disappointment he should have had after all the shit he talked and how high he had gotten on himself. I don’t see this hurting the Miz though, as he’s been the best he’s been in years since that “Talking Smack” promo. If I was to choose one person that the brand extension benefitted, it was Dolph Ziggler. I mean he’s been more important these past few months than he has since around Survivor Series 2014. There is the potential that in a couple of weeks, Ziggler who finally accomplished winning the big one could get stale or something but I think with the smaller roster on Smackdown he’ll be focused on more and continue being a major player on the blue brand rather than when the roster was one entire crew and he was further down the priority list. Regardless, these two have wrestled each other a million times, but tonight these two tore the house down and the match was amazing. WATCH IT!
Rating – ****1/2

– Randy Orton is backstage and trips out when he looks into the mirror. Classic mirror tricks before a big match. It immediately reminded me of previous backstage mirror spots, for example when Hogan could see Warrior in the mirror but Bischoff who was standing next to him couldn’t or when the same thing happened to Randall before when he saw Undertaker in the mirror.

– Alexa Bliss comes out and cuts a promo on Shane and Bryan saying they’re just trying to protect Becky Lynch. Bliss says she doesnt believe that Becky is really hurt but just avoiding her so that she wouldn’t lose her title. I thought this would have been a perfect moment for Bliss to bring back up that topic about how Becky just was not born to be a champion but she is. However, that never came up even though I think it would have tied in well with the promo she cut at the contract signing and with their rivalry. Bliss says there is no other woman on the roster at her level and Naomi makes her way out.

Naomi def. Alexa Bliss
in 5:25 via pinfall
I know this was a match put together last minute because of Becky’s injury and thats the only reason I appreciate the fact that they tried to put on a great match. However, this match just felt out of place and definitely the weakest match of the show. I strongly believe if the match went as planned with Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss that wouldn’t have been the case. I’m not saying anything against Naomi but I don’t think these two have really had the opportunity to work against each other, mainly in a one on one style of match. There were some rough moments during this match where things didn’t seem to go as they might have planned and that might have such been because of the inexperience of working each other. I assume that Naomi was only victorious because the initial plan was that babyface Lynch was going to win. I personally think it was a huge mistake having Bliss lose here to Naomi. Mainly since she’s still booked to face Becky Lynch for the Women’s Title on the November 8th episode of Smackdown Live which is taking place in Glasgow. I get that Lynch is out for a few weeks and that Bliss will need something to do, but having her lose here was a poor choice. It kills her momentum right now. Yeah, theres a chance she could reagin it but if she can’t beat other women on the roster in regular matches, how I we supposed to believe she can beat the champion. I thought that they were going for something good with Bliss working on the arm, but it turned into the fluke loss instead. I would have had her win here with the arm bar, and then do some enhancement matches over the weeks with her using Lynch’s arm bar to pick up win. Bliss is the perfect fit for a heel character to just mock her opponent to get under their skin while they’re out injured.
Ratings – *1/2

Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton
in 15:40 via pinfall
I expected something big to happen in this match once I realized it was going to be for the main event. I got my hopes high but why wouldn’t I? It didn’t make sense to me that this match would go on last over both the triple threat and career threatening IC title match, unless something spectacular didn’t happen at the end of this match. Both guys are worthy for the main event spot, I mean Orton is a certified main event star, but the triple threat and the IC title had a lot more on the line such as Flairs record of being the only 16 time World Champion and Ziggler’s career. I swear if it just ended with one of them getting a clean win over the other, I would have been left with a sour taste in my mouth for this PPV regardless how great some of the other matches were. The fans were strongly behind Randy Orton thankfully, because at least we knew the crowd would be invested in the match. The match was solid but was worked in that more methodical slow paced style. The match had very basic formula with nothing too excited happening. I feel like a No Holds Barred or No DQ stipulation really would have helped this match. From a technical standpoint everything was fine for this match. Orton got his stuff in and Wyatt got his stuff in but there wasn’t anything new or exciting. The most memorable spot from this match was when Wyatt went for the running backsplash on Orton was placed into the steel steps but Orton moved. As Orton was setting up for an RKO, Wyatt video gimmick appeared and we returned to Luke Harper in the ring facing off with Orton. Wyatt capitalized on Orton being distracted and hit a Sister Abigail for the win.
Boy, I’m glad Wyatt got a win on PPV, which I think was his first one since sometime in 2015, possibly 2014. I really feel like they don’t have a clue what to do with Wyatt, I mean he wasn’t used in a match at Wrestlemania or Summerslam, but hopefully this could be the beginning of a turning point for him. Its great seeing Luke Harper back. Harper is my second favourite Wyatt Family member character wise and my first favourite Wyatt Family member when it comes to in ring wrestling. I know people are worried he’s just going to be Bray’s lackey on Smackdown Live, but I’m glad Harper wasn’t put on Raw. I feel like he would have been lost in the shuffle over there similar to the likes of Sami Zayn. This may not have been as big as surprise as I was expecting because I knew Harper was back in action already since he was working Raw live events but it was a nice surprise and the plot thickens for this feud.
Rating – ***1/4

Final Thoughts
I think No Mercy was a really good PPV. The only downfalls was a match that you could easily forget was even on the card between Corbin/Swagger and a match that had to be rebooked last minute between Alexa/Naomi. The rest of the card delivered. The matches were oddly placed, and I still think if the triple threat was going on first then Miz/Ziggler should have gone on last. I marked out for Harper’s return and that does make me want to tune into Smackdown Live this week to see what happens next, and thats the only reason I think it went on last. Otherwise, the main event felt kind of flat and tame. It’s as if they were saving their intensity for a future a match but used this one to build to Harper’s return.
Smackdown again proves that even with their smaller roster and less time on their weekly TV show compared to Raw, they can put on PPV events that can get us fans invested in the stories and matches. Smackdown knows how continue the stories they establish on a weekly basis while keeping their viewers satisfied. If you skipped this event or are short on time, I definitely recommend you check out the triple threat WWE World Championship match that opened the show and the “career vs. title” Intercontinental Championship between Ziggler and The Miz. Dig it?!
Final Rating – 7.5/10

What were your final thoughts on No Mercy? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.