David Starr vs. Rampage

[8.0] "This was a great match. Rampage was on a role as Defiant world champion, and it helped that he's also a pretty good powerhouse wrestler. David Starr was rising up as one of the promotion's biggest stars, and they were in the long term storyline that NXT did years earlier with Sami Zayn eventually winning the NXT Championship, getting so close to winning the big one but just falling short. They had some good chemistry here, with Rampage being the big badass and Starr able to take the fight to the bigger man. Ultimately, it was one mistake of Starr missing the clothesline and wacking his head on the ropes that cost him the match. ****"

[8.0] "A compelling title defense with a lot of suspenseful near-falls, but an ending that deflated the crowd. Since they were going to put the belt on Starr eventually, I'm not sure why they didn't just do it here instead. A lot of my favorite Starr matches are when he's against larger opponents, and this was no exception. He wrestles a harder-hitting style where he puts a lot force and energy into his strikes so that they come across as more believable. I was glad to see Starr get a lot of offense in here as sometimes Rampage can be a bit lackadaisical when he's controlling the tempo."