Big Cass vs. Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

[6.0] "I've always said the silver lining of Finn Balor getting injured was we got a Kevin Owens title run, a height he wouldn't reached again in the following 9 years with the company unless you count retiring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at wrestlemania (which you should).This was a fun era to revisit but I expected more from this match especially as it is Kevin Owens' first and only world title win. Kevin winning was 100% the right choice, he was white hot going into this so it was either this or give it Seth Rollins as he's the safest option. Roman Reigns was not quite peak go away heat at this point but still he is nuclear here, it's honestly absurd to see how much he was hated at one point even as a Roman hater myself. Also bizarre to see WWE dipping their toes into seeing if Big Cass is worth investing in. Big Cass would improve eventually after his departure with the company but it's safe to say this is also his peak. This match was enjoyable sure but even it's strongest elements feel reserved. Owens is easily the highlight as he's one of the best heels in the fed since he showed up. While Owens doesn't fully let loose, his character work does a lot of heavy lifting and similar can be said for Seth. Roman is OK here, he's precise and hits the right beats but he hasn't quite reached that explosivity that he'd later attain. Big Cass had a decent showing too, he's far more over than Roman but he's very limited as a performer and it's fataly obvious that without Enzo, people aren't exactly excited to see him. They're less into Big Cass as they're into Enzo Amore's friend. The swerve is understandably memorable but it's a real whatever ending to an ok match and makes the universal championship have a really fucked first few reigns. It's a watchable time capsule but through a current day lense it serves only historical context and not much rewatchability"

[9.0] "I forgot how electric this match was. This rocked. The crowd, the big fight feel this match had for the inaugural universal championship. Roman Seth and Kevin being 3 of the bright spots during the later 2010's was because of matches like this. Hhh aiding Kevin Owens winning the belt after turning on Seth was a crazy plot twist that led to their eventual match at mania. This ruled. ****1/4"

[9.0] "This is a match that I fondly remember watching it live and going crazy about it, and all of those years later, still holds up like it's the first time, obviously without the shock of Triple H interferences, but it's definitely one of my favorite 4-ways of all time, and one of the best matches of 2016 as well. The segment that opened the episode was really strong, I was a huge Roman Reigns hater back then, so I remember cheering that he came out on top of that angle, I was mad crazy about the possibility of him becoming champion, all of my chips were on Rollins, and this is one of the reasons why the ending was so damn cool, I wasn't expecting at all a Kevin Owens victory, much less with Triple H turning on Rollins, so it was very unpredictable, and extremely well done, every execution and selling of that ending stretch was perfect, and the reaction they've got was tremendous, this was a huge success, probably the episode closer that send me to bad most excited of all time. The actual wrestling here was excellent as well, Big Cass was super over, probably the most over guy in the match, but he was the first one eliminated, destroying every suspicion that he might actually become the champion. The triple threat part was fantastic, it had a lot of nearfalls, and the action was super enjoyable, phenomenal pace, this would've been incredible even without the Triple H interference, but that finish was awesome, Rollins and HHH built a very close relationship, and this was one of the turns that impacted me the most at the time, and still until today... this is just great - {****1/4}"

[5.0] "I remember the initial shock of Triple H turning on Seth Rollins and handing Owens the win. Now, I sit there and I think why? Why was Cass the star? Why is HHH/Rollins story even here? Were they that desperate to protect him? Is the match even special in any way? No. 2.5 Stars."

[9.0] "This match fucking RULES. Made Big Cass look like a star with two amazing Big Boots hit during the match (plus requiring teamwork to take him out) and an all-time classic finish to RAW that went down in history as an absolutely defining moment in Kevin Owens' career."

[9.0] "I love this match, I remember having watched it live and I was rooting with all my heart for KO to win the belt, but I was sure that the title would go to Seth, and after HHH's involvement, I was even more sure and now I was giving up until Rollins turned and Owens won the title and I was completely crazy with joy, first big moment on RAW post brand slipt 2016 (****1/2)"

[8.0] "One of the most important matches in RAW history of the last decade and probably Kevin Owens' greatest success. Very good fight, it may seem that Big Cass does not fit here, but he also fulfilled his role perfectly."

[8.0] "a solid fun fatal four way match. perfectly structured & booked. the plot twist was done beautifully. KO deserved this moment."

[9.0] "Perfectly structured four-way between these three incredible workers (and Big Cass) which was even better than I had imagined even if things took a while to get going because it wasn't always very fast paced in the first part of the match, despite that crazy dive sequence we usually see in WWE multi-man matches quite regularly. Cass wasn't the most captivating obviously but this was surely one of his best performances during his WWE run because he was not ridiculous at all next to the other three, he just did ordinary stuff but it was effective and the crowd LOVED him. However, when he was eliminated, the match took on a totally different and superior dimension, with an excellent finisher-fest between Reigns, Owens and Rollins. Lots of great moves, finishers, nearfalls, just the three of them doing their usual big stuff with some suspense until that memorable ending with Triple H. A plot-twist so unexpected at the time that still remains a magical moment six years later, HHH giving Owens the win to the delight of absolutely everyone. The acting of the two was perfect as they didn't take their eyes off each other, Owens was shocked and won the world title opportunistically as it should be. Really great stuff from start to finish, with a result that will go down in recent history."

[6.0] "Better than I thought it would be but still really far from really blowing me away. it was a good match by Raw standards but pretty average in the end for me."

[5.0] "The only good thing about this match is that Kevin Owens finally became a world champion in the WWE. Other than that nothing special about this match."

[5.0] "The end of the match was a retired/part-time wrestler coming out in a suit, hitting half the people in this match with his finisher (including the guy who was his on-screen protege, with an explanation for that STILL apparently forthcoming as of the time of this writing, FOUR MONTHS LATER), which promptly resulted in their eliminations, and the match's end. The action in the match was hit-or-miss throughout, but the ending was so atrocious."

[8.0] "I appreciate that every guy in the match was given plenty of spots and the chance to look good. Even Big Cass looked great and was able to shine in the short time he was in the match. The last 5 minutes or so were fantastic, and it was awesome seeing Owens getting a huge title win finally, even if I'm torn by Triple H being the man who basically was a "puppetmaster. " Nevertheless, Owens is a main event guy now, Rollins can turn, and Reigns is well... Reigns. Great match though."

[8.0] "A nice fun match that made Raw feel must watch, the ending swerve and winner really made this match and just put a huge smile on my face."

[9.0] "A really great fast paced fatal 4 way with a brilliant twist at the end. Nice to see the Prizefighter win his first world title."

[6.0] "Honestly have no idea what everyone saw in this match. It wasn't bad but an 8 seriously? Nothing happened that would warrant an 8."

[9.0] "Matches that assign a title are usually interesting. This four way is almost perfect, really solid action for the entire match. Every wrestler has its space, Roman Reigns tries everything to put up a big fight (but people don't recognize his qualities as usual). The eliminations are thrilling and it's way unpredictable, I expected a finish between Reigns and Rollins, but the return of Triple H surprises everyone with the end of the previous alliance and a new adept chosen to be the champion. It's a big moment for Kevin Owens and the match is great. I can't give it a 10 because the ending isn't clean and it's a deus ex machina conclusion. But it's the best match seen at Raw in months. ****1/4"

[7.0] "Just an ok, by the book WWE 4 way with an unexpected but not amazing ending, but everyone loves that Owens won so it's gonna get 9s and 10s."

[10.0] "This match started off and ended great which you don't see too often in WWE anymore. The match was a spotfest but a great one. The elimination stipulation that was added was fantastic. Big Cass put on the best performance of his career, KO and Rollins also put on great performances. Reigns did his usual boring thing but it wasn't as bad as usual. Now the ending was truly unbelievable and unexpected and that's what put the match on a different level. Owens getting put over with s Seth Rollins face turn was the best decision WWE has made in a while. Big Cass' big boots on Roman were something I've been waiting for, for years."

[8.0] "A very hot match with a really surprising finish. Cass was very over to start, and his elimination being first perplexed me somewhat, but then the match started to pick up further and really get the crowd going, even after the only face they wanted to cheer was out. Reigns, in all honesty, can absolutely work a match at this point, and he really kept this match going most of the time. The only thing I didn't like about him here (outside of how the crowd wasn't behind him at all) was the overuse of the Superman Punch, especially when it looks really dumb when he just sort of hops up in place to do it. Still, a lot of the interplay between the competitors was smooth, and the Triple H interference swerved the audience twice in a row, leading to Owens coming out on top. On what has been the lesser brand after the split, Raw put together a hot main event here and put the new title on a new star. ***3/4, MAYBE even ****."

[9.0] "A great match thanks to the final 5 or so minutes. Before that it was no doubt good and exciting but it was all too formulaic to be special. However the action really picked up at the end and had a fantastic ending. I'd take away some points for Reigns doing 100 superman punches but Owens winning redeems it. Great match and main event ****1/4"

[8.0] "A very well booked, structured & worked elimination multi man match. They kept things interesting from start to finish, all guys got to shine by hitting all of their signature stuff & the crowd was hot. Very good match. ***1/2"

[7.0] "The match had a pretty slow first six to seven minutes but once Big Cass got eliminated the match was very good. Owens, Rollins and even Reigns all did pretty good in this match. The ending was very surprising. After this they can easily set up a Shield 2. 0 with Reigns and Rollins finding one more guy that wants revenge on HHH."

[10.0] "Great match. Everyone looked really good individually, and there was not telling of who might actually win (though people probably knew Owens or maybe Rollins would have won). The Triple H interference was somewhat predictable since some people asked for a Rollins-HHH feud to turn Rollins face, but it was done perfectly because no one knew about it, so his appearance was surprising. One of the best Raw matches of the year thus far."

[7.0] "The Match was going really good, even with the elimination of Cass, but it went too overbooked for me with HHH's interference that totally worked to set the big story to come, but messed up a match that had potential to be a classic itself... Encountered feelings for the quality of the match but... hey, KO is Champ! :D ***3/4"

[9.0] "Great match that showcased all 4 guys effectively. On top of that, the crowd was extremely hot and never lost their interest. For storyline purposes, the finish makes sense and gives a direction for 3 of the 4 competitors. Although the WWE Universal Title does not have a ton of prestige right now considering it's a new title, the match made it feel like it was something very important."