[8.0] "****1/4. I really think no one in the history of the business has a greater grasp of pacing than Roman Reigns. A true master at the craft - this is one of his best matches BEFORE the really abrupt ending. I am fine with Seth screwing Edge but I would have loved a few more near falls and back and forthness. Romans crowd control, pacing, and selling were unreal. Edges counters and baby fire were great - the building and payoff to the big spots were just supurb. What a match!"
[5.0] "Oof... yeah, this one really shows how much pacing can make or break a 30+ minute match. Roman's "drama-heavy" template just drains the energy here--every big spot, comeback, or heat segment gets sapped by the slow build and filler. The crowd can only do so much, and unfortunately, it exposes the limits of both guys in this context. Edge as a heel thrives off quick, sharp bursts of offense and crowd reaction, but that doesn't translate in this drawn-out, almost procedural storytelling style. Spearing Roman through the barricade is a great visual, but without proper follow-up or consequences, it feels hollow. And the decision to have Roman win with the Spear instead of the built-up Guillotine? That's a baffling break in logic that undermines his prior wins and continuity. The interference and misaligned finish only compound the problem. It's a classic case of forcing a match into a template that doesn't suit the performers; flat pacing, overlong segments, and storytelling choices that don't land. The individual moments might have merit, but as a whole, it's frustrating. **1/4"
[0.0] "Another boring match with Reigns dragging out every dull move into his usual shtick. The sloppy wrestling, and copying the cringiest moment from their WM37 match (Reigns with the brass knuckles in his mouth while performing the choke). And once again, Reigns is shown as a weakling who barely beats Edge after Rollins' interference. Absolutely pointless match. It would have made sense if Edge had won the title at WM37. Or honestly, this match shouldn't have happened at all. And the appearance of John Cena after this match is the height of stupidity. His match against The Fiend should have led to a total repackage, but he returned as if nothing happened."
[8.0] "It starts slow which was expected with a match with roman and a old edge but once it got going it was quite the fun title match, Edge having roman scared with the chair crossface, putting roman through a barricade, Roman looking dominate at the start and getting the win via rollins was fun whcih set up for there 2022 match at the royal rumble well and then afterwards Cena returns"
[7.0] "A basic and at times slow match that was elevated by an energetic crowd and entertaining finishing stretch. I did like the beginning with Edge continuously getting the better of Reigns much to the latter's frustration. After being forced from the ring a few times in anger, Reigns is able to mount a comeback by using his strength and weight advantage to dominate Edge for a while. Reigns work on top was not particularly interesting here; it was very much the same stuff he had already been doing in all of his title match up to this point. The additional problem is that this match was long even compared to those at nearly thirty-five minutes, so it really started to feel long in the tooth after five or so minutes of this. Things did start to pick-up after Edge dodged Reigns spear on the outside, leading to the latter crashing through the barricades near the timekeeper's area. After this point, they both start to exchange big moves and build tension through increasingly close nearfalls. This worked well as the crowd was really into the match by this point, helping to elevate the tension as both competitors built toward the finish. Edge eventually inadvertently bowls over Charles Robinson; well, I say bowls over, but he kind of just gently fell on Robinson's knee. It wasn't the greatest ref bump I've ever seen, and it was very frustrating that no replacement referee was dispatched until minutes later, especially since Lil' Naitch had to be stretchered out. I have a pet peeve against how long it often takes replacement refs to get to the ring; it is always inconsistent, and I find it a lazy and contrived way to build drama. That being said, the crowd was really into the action by this point, and they popped big for Reign's kickout of Edge's spear. I wasn't too bothered by Seth Rollins interfering and costing Edge the decision, as it was an effective way to set up his upcoming feud with Rollins. Reigns had actually won his last few title matches--versus Bryan, Cesaro, and Mysterio--without outside help so it didn't come off as too predictable or repetitive at this point in time. Overall, a good title match that would have benefitted from a more exciting beginning and/or less time to improve the pacing. ***1/2"
[4.0] "Overbooked to ridiculous amounts of boredom. Very little of its runtime contains actually enjoyable wrestling, mostly saved by the individual talents and chemistry of the two. Latter part of the match seems very predictable and very shoehorned in to me. Overall very fragmented. Also haven't watched enough bouts to have a definitive opinion on this but seems to me Cole/McAfee is very repetitive in commentary. Cannot stand hearing them."
[8.0] "The match takes quite a bit of time to get into, but when it starts going, its really good. The two went back and forth and the crowd was great. Roman retained thanks to a ref bump and a bit of interference from Seth Rollins."
[9.0] "It's not their WrestleMania 37 triple threat match with Bryan, but it's still an amazing hard hitting match between both men, Rollins' interference would build up to his and Edge's feud and Cena's return was just the best."
[9.0] "Very solid match. Reigns has the complete advantage over Edge for the first 10 minutes and then Edge begins to respond afterward. It was very competitive and then came a 5 min ref bump. followed by an intervention from Rollins which caused Edge to lose the match. (4*1/2)"
[4.0] "Very surprised to see this so highly rated. Personally I thought it was an overbooked mess, so many different people running in to interfere. And it also really dragged for me, I thought it was way too long. And the end result was predictable (though easy to say in hindsight)."
[3.0] "I wasn't expecting anything amazing here, but at more than 30 minutes, it felt like an eternity. I love Edge, but he is a walking corpse at this point and Roman, while great, isn't the type who can carry him to some excellent match. You really shouldn't have these two going for so long, and we really didn't need 10+ minutes of Roman and Edge on the ground working a boring heat segment of headlocks. When things do get going, Edge lacks the explosiveness to really make the comeback pop, and of course, we get the typical, played-out interference finish to cap things off. Not too terrible, but a real downer on what was an amazing title-run from Roman up to this point."
[4.0] "This was a controversial match for a lot of reasons and I had a bad feeling about how this was going to be. Before I watched I predicted a slow build into a generic false finish exchange with lots of overbooking. Low and behold It's exactly what we got. The first few minutes with Edge working over Roman's arm seems logical and I guess this is where the rave reviews of psychology come from. The only problem is once Roman begins to work on top he never sells the arm and Edge never targets it again. So the arm work is dropped for an awful, glacially slow and generic control segment from Roman. Trash talking and Tribal Chief soliloquies with a ton of headlocks. They stayed in the lowest gear for 15 minutes until Edge made a comeback with only one standing boot to put Roman in the same condition as him. Edge was never a fiery babyface in his career and that showed here. He was really dull making his comebacks. Both guys trade the usual hits of superman punches and spears. The crossface and guillotine submissions didn't feel earned or built to. There was a botched referee bump followed with a fake run-in from the Usos to distract from the real run-in by Seth who interfered again before the finish. Of course the second referee comes out just in time to give Roman the win 5 minutes after the first referee got knocked down. God I hate that trope so much. I did like the small detail of Roman still kicking out Edge's Spear even without the referee. Not a good match though. **"
[9.0] "The start of the match was a bit slow, however the match was great, had good story telling and drama, and John Cena's return was of course great."
[7.0] "On a rewatch I appreciate this a little bit more although the start is still way too slow. Reigns just physically dominating Edge in this because Edge isn't as good as he used to be was a nice story even though Reigns work on top wasn't particularly interesting. Edges comeback and the drama down the stretch had the crowd on the edge of its seat. ***1/2"
[10.0] "Old school match between Edge and Reigns. Loved everything about this, from Reigns 10-15 minutes dominating, Edge great's comeback's, the Guillotine sequence, the spears through the barricade and my favourite is when Edge's counter Reigns spear with his own spear which could have a great near-fall if Roman didn't mess up(also a small detail but Edge's "Pumped" pinfall really makes you Pumped as well). Edge and Reigns Facial Expression, Story-Telling and Selling shows you that you can have Great things with so little and it's a shame that does are lost art (Wanted to put 9 but the score is way to low) ****3/4"
[8.0] "Honestly, I thought this match was very good despite its length. The first half of the match was really slow and Roman's top work wasn't compelling at all. It didn't need to go that long. But then the match really hit the next gear. They did good job creating some nice dramas and good atmosphere for the live audience. They had some nice near falls although no one could believe Edge had a chance to win. The interference made sense for future storyline between Rollins and Edge. A good 3.75 star match for me."
[9.0] "I'm so disappointed this doesn't have a rating of at least 8/10 on here. I thought this match was excellent, the in-ring psychology Roman has in this run is just insane and he's had amazing match after amazing match. Edge coming out of retirement has been so great for WWE, he hasn't lost a step at all even at his advanced age and it's great to see. The near-falls and old school working style used here were spectacular. It did go too long though, which seems to be a problem for some matches by Edge these days. I understand wanting to make the most out of your matches in a run where you've come out of retirement, but ease up a bit! *4.25*"
[8.0] "A very good main event bout falls short of the two spectacular matches before it , however this was still a exciting contest of wrestling action. The story-telling lacked depth that it required and some bland spots that were formed due to failure of capitalizing on story components. The fore-front of that issue is the arm-work done by Edge on Roman in the opening few minutes of the match which became a after thought soon enough as not much was done to promote it which could have provided more flavor to the match as Roman who usually dominates would have been put into a precarious position and the pace would have been dictated by Edge. That was not to be in this match unfortunately. Despite the flaws, there was much more to cheer about. The story told here was the hate and enmity the competitors had for each other. The purpose was to make their adversary suffer and not getting the instant win as both Edge and Reigns broke the count several times. The hard-hitting element was able to give rise to the earlier mentioned narrative of hate and enmity as well. The run-ins involving Mysterio's, Uso's and Seth Rollins. were very interesting adding a drama factor to the bout. The majority of the crowd was behind Edge and responded in amazing manner whenever Edge was close to winning such as the spear out of nowhere but the referee was taken down so Edge was not able to beat him. Edge would lock in Roman in the cross-face using the chair rod to exert unimaginable amounts of pain across the mouth which looked very callous. Reigns would pin Edge after a spear but Edge still looked strong in defeat as he had Reigns beat earlier in the match had the referee been present there. This was not a story-telling brilliance but more of a performance oriented and focused match. The match had loads of momentum which helped it go on for 33 minutes. The crowd helped make this match much more easier to engage and also pumped it with energy and provided a electric atmosphere. Overall, the match as a whole was incredible stuff. Worth the watch for sure. Edge showed that he can still go and Roman's marvelous Universal title reign continues. His next challenger will be Cena. This should be very interesting while also advancing the Edge/Rollins rivalry and setting up a match between them which should also be very enjoyable. ****1/4"
[5.0] "If Edge can't manage to go for 30 minutes then don't go for a 30 minutes match. The whole first half of the match was slow, boring and inconsequential, it was a chore to go through."
[8.0] "Started kinda slow, but it became much better. The nearfalls were ABSOLUTELY INSANE. Seth's interference was good storytelling and it set a good storyline."
[5.0] "I get what they were going for here but a slow 30+ minute match after such a long PPV was deflating. It didn't do anything offensive or obviously fake but the whole match just dragged and Reigns' heat segments of the match seemed so uninspired. This was the most "WWE main event" style match that I have seen in a long time, right down to the overbooked, nonsensical finish. The Usos came out but were thwarted by the Mysterios so the run in was pointless but then Rollins came out and attacked Edge, but this attack didn't actually lead to Reigns beating him so was pointless. Then, after already interfering once, Rollins came back out to cost Edge the match. The other distractions were pointless and had no actual baring on the outcome of the match. Overall, despite liking both wrestlers, this match was a huge disappointment."
[2.0] "It was way too long and slow but the ending was painful. There was no ref for like 5-10 minutes and people just kept coming in, Seth came out multiple times instead of just one time. John Cena coming out after the match was a good moment though."
[5.0] "30 minutes and not much to take away from this match really. At no point did they justify why it had to go on that long before a bunch of interference. Reigns needing help to beat Edge is a step backwards."
[5.0] "The highlight of the match for me was Reigns kicking out at the crowd's count. I think even if I liked the match that would still be my favorite part. As is, this just didn't work for me but I can see why some liked it. Can't say it's objectively terrible but I would say it was lacking for a big main event."
[7.0] "Yeah, that was a bit long but the construction was so on point. Edge had nothing to lost instead of Reigns. Not a fan of the very slow pace but they had the time to tell a story and moves were impactful. Final ten minutes made the match with good finishers and crazy kickouts. I wasn't bothered by the overbooking even if the ref thing always made me laugh. Good finish as well, it was logical."
[3.0] "Could not get into this one. 2021 Edge isn't good working underneath and doing babyface selling, and Roman's control periods filled with generic monologuing and slow pacing just don't make for an entertaining match. The hope spots were decent, and the last 5 minutes of interference were genuinely entertaining - lifted a lot by the molten crowd. This was a decent 12 minute match stretched out to 33 minutes, and felt even longer. Not a fan. 1 and ¾ stars."
[7.0] "Can't believe people are rating this a ten. It's not horrible but it is slow, plodding with not much happening under the false pretence of "storytelling" only watch if you're a huge Edge or Reigns fan."
[5.0] "This quite simply didn't have to be as long as it was, especially with the overbooked finish. Even without that, though, this wasn't building to anything that needed to be a half hour long. The basic idea for the match was Reigns cutting off Edge and controlling him. That's the right move, but it then leads a bunch of interference, where by the end I was wondering why Reigns needed so much help to put Edge away. I don't think it did any favors for Reigns' character ultimately. It's a shame because the match at Mania had the right idea in what it set out to achieve."
[7.0] "Very long and not that exciting match. Slow build-up towards the end of the match. The last couple of minutes were great. Sudden and unexpected finishers, near falls and crazy kickouts."
[9.0] "Combate de la noche para mi. Entiendo los retractores que tacharon el combate de aburrido y lento y si, el comienzo no es el más movido de todos, pero creo que la historia que se contó en el ring es más importante. Edge no tenía chances de ganar el combate desde un principio, pero creo que hubieron algunos momentos en los cuales se llegó a vender bastante bien que Edge podría llegar a ganar el título (después de todo, es una opción lógica para destronar a Reigns). Y aunque hubiera amado ver a Edge levantar el Universal Championship, la opción lógica y la mejor era mantener a Reigns con el título, desde hace rato que es lo mejor que está ocurriendo en el Wrestling en general. De todas formas, este combate sirvió para plantear dos combates de cara a Summerslam muy interesantes, y es que no solo la interrupción de Seth Rollins dejó claro el camino de Edge para Summerslam, sino que el regreso de John Cena ya dejó claro el Main Event de Summerslam. En resumen, un gran Main Event que deja claro el camino de Summerslam por parte de Smackdown. ****1/4"
[5.0] "The inmates showering heaps of praise on this match for its psychology, and calling others impatient and immature for not liking it encouraged another viewing, and I'd say this was definitely better on the re-watch but the majority of the problems still prevail. The first 10-ish minutes though are actually quite logically sound as Edge slowly forms a game plan to take down the Tribal Chief, eventually settling on targeting the arm(s? ) to soften Reigns up for the crossface. I can see why people would call this a great show of psychology but this narrative thread disappears almost instantly once Reigns begins his work on top, and Edge never once goes back to working the arm again. They never commit to that story fully so the arm work's just a way to extend the run-time. The crossface isn't earned. The escape out of the Guillotine isn't earned, no matter how hard Pat McAfee tried relating it with the '"arm-work earlier in the match. " The real issue here was Roman's control segment though. I've said this countless times but it bears repeating; I love Roman Reigns. I loved the Big Dog. I certainly love the Tribal Chief but his control segments are so f***ing bland if he isn't in the ring with an all-time great worker. Edge isn't a great worker, let alone an all-timer and he's just sitting in the chinlocks and rest holds, letting Reigns work over him in the most uninspiring way imaginable. Roman's work here is far more in service to the WWE Main Event formula then it is to a narrative. He isn't out there going after the arm like he did in the Cesaro match, he's just doing boring shit and if there was an attempt to tell a story like him targeting Edge's neck, it certainly was NOT told in a particularly engaging way. Finishing stretch isn't bad as the crowd's there reacting big time - booing and cheering properly - and both guys bust out some decent counters but as the match started picking up steam, they burned it down. Rollins costing Edge was pretty much a guarantee so I wasn't that mad about it, even if it meant Edge > Cesaro and Bryan but whatever. It actually lead to an awesome nearfall out of the spear and if they'd just ended with Roman getting the guillotine in just as Edge went for one final spear, they would've at least had a satisfying finish. WWE gotta overkill though and Seth comes out yet again, making Roman look weak AF. All in all, this isn't atrocious as I once thought it to be but it's bad enough to spoil Roman's incredibly strong WOTY case, and that makes me sad. I don't want to be sad. **1/2"
[10.0] "This match was awesome, hands down. The psychology, storytelling, and raw emotion from this match were unmatched from anything I've seen from WWE since Reigns versus Jey."
[9.0] "Brilliant storytelling and psychology in this match. The video package showed the crossface was the only time Edge saw any kind of fear of defeat in Roman's eyes when he watched back the WM match, and the first thing he does is target the arm & shoulder in order to soften Reigns up for said hold. Makes all the sense in the world. And then what does Reigns do to cut him off? Goes after Edge's crippled neck, even putting him in a nasty headlock that looked like it would tear Edge's neck and head off his shoulders, which also makes all the sense in the world. For some reason that gets hate from younger fans just because it's a "resthold" and they're not going 500 miles per hour, bu it's not like it's one just for the hell of it, it's one that makes perfect sense, targets the opponent's weakest body part and gives Reigns a legitimate reason to get the upper hand going forward. The one thing I didn't like that much was the lame "wrestler A goes for finish, stops to kick interfering wrestler off the apron, turns around and eats wrestler B's finisher and loses" finish, but otherwise this was absolutely amazing with some impressive and believable in-ring psychology by both wrestlers. I loved it. [****1/2]"
[4.0] "Way too long for what the end was. They've done this with Roman several times since becoming head of the table. Long matches that dont need the length. They present him as a dominant champion and he can never put people down. These matches get presented as these long dramas for him and its worse every repeat with a new dance partner."
[10.0] "Loved every second of this match from top to bottom beggining middle and end I felt that this match was beautiful in every aspect and the crowd seemed to love it as well."
[7.0] "It started slow, but managed to improve but when the match was at its best it was when it was ruined with the interventions and bad bookeo, even so the match was not bad, it was only somewhat slow, but without a doubt it could have been better."
[5.0] "I understand what were they doing. but it got too long and too boring to digest. The match could've delivered the same exact story if it was shorted by about 10 minutes. If you don't count how stretched out it was - the match itself was ok. Happy how they are continuing the storylines"
[7.0] "God, how LOOOOOONG this game was! I had to fast forward every time nothing was happening in the ring or I was going to fall asleep. But other than that, the match was good. Especially storytelling-wise. I don't know how long the rivalry will continue, unless it ended with this match, but in any case, it will go down in history. ***1/2"
[8.0] "Good match, but WAY to much foreshadowing interference. Roman should've pinned Edge clean, and than had Seth beat up Edge and Cena come out and give the AA to Rollins and stare down Reigns. I hope for a triple threat and the winner faces Reigns at Summerslam"
[9.0] "Match of the night for me! Great stuff here! Roman kicking out of Edge's spear might be kickout of the year for me. Only reason this isn't 5 stars in my book is I feel like it did drag a bit, and the Seth interference was kinda dumb. Overall though, super good match! ****3/4"
[9.0] "Man! Wrestling fans are so impatient nowdays. This match was boring? Seriously guys? Don't tell me that you expected a fast-paced spotfest from these two. This match was story driven and the storytelling was amazing. As a huge fan of Edge, he shined here, his selling was great and Reigns right now is the best in WWE, the way he constructed the match was awesome, sure the overbooking at the end was a little too much but still that doesn't take away anything from an already great match itself. ****1/4"
[3.0] "Its sad that the two biggest stars in the company cannot carry a +20 min match. It's become boring sooo fast, they just throw punches and spears. The interferences looks stupid and even the referi bothces the entrance, or edge do the pin too erlier, dont even know what happened there. This maybe don't have anything to do with the match, but Roman do a really funny face when edge do his sumision, that i can't take it seriously."
[6.0] "As I am writing this, I have no clue what to rate this match. The first 20 or so minutes are NOT excellent storytelling pieces as some are going to say. It was just slow wrestling, and it was pretty fuckin? boring. It had some good action in the second half, and an overbooked mess at the end. I am going to be very generous here. (***1/2)"
[9.0] "You people do realize this is what pro wrestling should be right? Two superstars who know how to work the crowd and get loud reactions from them. Give me this over the flippy crap EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! This is what a BIG TIME main event looks and feels like!"
[2.0] "Very slow match. Extremely random with all the run-ins and the ref was brought backstage after Edge exhaled on him. Personally, I don't think the Main Event of a PPV should have this many run-ins because it just feels cheap."
[7.0] "This took some time to get going but it never quite got over the hump. The time didn? t help them and they probably had one too many moments at the end before just getting to the point. What matters is that Edge can still have a good match on this level and that? s nice to see. Just find a way to trim some of this down a bit and it would be that much better, but it was still good as it was."
[9.0] "A tad slow for my liking, but I can recognize that this was a great match. I popped for every near fall, and actually thought Edge had a chance at some points. The post match was great, with Edge and Rollins brawling, and fucking JOHN CENA returning to one of the biggest pops ever."
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