Seth Rollins vs. The Miz

[9.0] "Other then the Ziggler 2016 matches and the late 2023 Gunther matches this is up there with mizs best matches I just can't choose out of those matches what is the best. Rollins is on another level as the ic champion. I wish they allowed Miz to just be this style of in ring worker all the time he has a aggressiveness in this match that he rarely ever had again or before he was a heel but wasn't a over the top heel he was just a aggressive heel who wanted to win and it was great. The last few minutes where Rollins is on the sell with his knee is great and how they work it into the final moments. Finish is also great with the rapid quick pins into the stomp. (****1/4)"

[8.0] "[4.25 Stars] Without a doubt one of the best matches of The Miz's career, and it wasn't 100% carried by Rollins--he really gave it his all."

[2.0] "This type of match is called a "comeback match, " where one wrestler tries to make the match look good and carries the opponent. And clearly, that's not about The Miz in this match. Here, only Rollins was trying. Rollins just pulled out a bunch of moves from his arsenal to make the match somewhat watchable. Rollins honestly sometimes fits the definition of a wrestler who can carry a watchable match even with furniture. This match is often characterized as The Miz's best match. However, I believe it's a match where Seth was trying to make it watchable. This characteristic is something The Young Bucks are often praised for."

[9.0] "The last time that Rollins was sincerely a contender for one of the best in the world, a perfect match that tells a simple narrative flawlessly, ties in Rollins? knee injury without going over the top, manages to perfectly time near falls and drama, give a great showcase for the Miz as a dynamic wrestler and made people (including myself) believe sincerely in the potential of Seth as a babyface megastar. He? ll always have this wonderful match if nothing else."

[2.0] "This match really presents my problem with Rollins post-knee injury. The sections of the match where he has control feel awfully dull, they all blend in together and are overall pretty uninteresting, especially when you compare it to some of his incredible work from the past. His selling in the match was all over the place and I hate that he took two Skull Crushing Finales and kicked out of them twice from having his knee give out nice. No matter how much selling he does that just sounds ridiculous and he doesn't do any work to at least make it seem like he's fighting through the pain. The Miz is pretty mediocre but compared to Rollins' control sections his actually are passable though his character work is annoying. His selling actually isn't too shabby and when him and Rollins are going back and forth the match there were some cool moments sometimes. It just that a portion of this match isn't very good and the rest is kind of inconsistent with more bad than good."

[10.0] "Rollins had such a fantastic run with the intercontinental title and both he and Miz had a really fantastic match and a fantastic opener to a garbage can that was Backlash (2018)"

[8.0] "Backlash 2018 is a very shitty show overall but at least it has a very good opener. I'd argue that this is probably one of the best singles matches that Miz has ever had but honestly most of this is carried by how good Seth was during this time. The whole match is built around Seth's knee, with the Miz constantly targeting it throughout the match and commentary constantly referring to Seth's history of knee injuries. He's able to fight Miz off at first, but eventually the two end up on the apron, and Seth's knee collides with the ring post after he misses a ripcord knee. Miz immediately gets him back in the ring and locks in a figure 4, which Seth is able to get out of after a major struggle but it's clear that his knee is damaged and it affects him majorly for the rest of the match and allows Miz to get some very close near falls. I really liked the lead up to the first Skull Crushing Finale nearfall, as Seth attempts to counter the move with a roll up like he had done on two other occasion throughout the match, but Miz had it scouted this time and counters that by picking Seth up in a wheelbarrow position. Seth gets out of this but his leg gives out, allowing Miz to capitalise and hit the SCF for a really good nearfall. The rest of the match after that is basically just some more great action and fantastic selling from Rollins, which allows the Miz to hit another Skull Crushing Finale for another nearfall, only for Seth to eventually win after hitting the stomp. Really good match overall, not only a brilliant opener to this show but also one of the best WWE main roster matches of 2018. ****"

[8.0] "A nugget of gold in the middle of a lot of shit, it's sad that this match is on one of the worst PPVs in WWE history. A glimmer of light in dark times (****1/4)"

[8.0] "This was easily the best match on the show. The in ring psychology was amazing and Rollins selling was the best its ever been. The two went back and fourth and kept attempting each others finishers only for Seth to eventually hit his and win."

[6.0] "This was honestly the one and only decent match on an otherwise horrendously awful show from top to bottom"

[9.0] "A diamond in the trash, a golden crown on a throne of shit, a drop in a sea of nothing...ok, I think you get me now. Easily the best match of the night, I don't think there's any doubt. Frankly, I never expected such a good match, I was expecting something solid but nothing more. Their different styles meshed really well, and even a usually annoying element like Rollins' knee works really well. The match lasted over 20 minutes, but it felt like a 10 minutes match. A great opener, dynamic and entertaining"

[8.0] "Miz had a good opening control segment which leads to an awesome Rollins comeback. Once Rollins rams his knee into the post we got some good selling from him and Miz was solid on offense. His knee buckling every time he landed was simple yet effective and allowed Miz to hit both of the skull-crushing finales leading to great near falls. Loved him hobbling to pin Miz after hitting the stomp due to how damaged his knee was.****"

[7.0] "Very good and basic psichology work from both wrestlers to put a very good opener for the event, this is the type of matches the intercontinental title should have. A very satisfactory match. [***3/4]"

[10.0] "Awesome opening match between Rollins and The Miz here which was probably one of the best surprises we've had in a long time at the time because although Rollins was on fire and we know all of The Miz's potential, I think I speak for everyone when I say that absolutely no one expected anything as fantastic as this. Something good or solid maybe, but not a classic like this. The action from both wrestlers was exciting to follow and really interesting in its entirety, both raised their game and decided to tear the house down for our enjoyment. There was some interesting storytelling around Rollins' knee which Miz did a good job on and which the champion sold well, leading to two superb Skull Crushing Finale's out of nowhere and two crazy nearfalls afterwards. I'd also like to point out the importance of this crowd here who were involved from the first to the last second, really one of the best atmospheres I've seen for a main roster match in 2018 as the people in Newark that night were great and they played the game. Great action, outstanding crowd, this opener is really the tree that hides the forest for what is definitely one of the worst PPVs of the decade."

[9.0] "Rollins' selling had been widely criticized by multiple people, but here in this match, his selling was magnificent. There wasn't a moment he ignored the leg injury, and Miz was awesome (no pun intended) going to work on it in great fashion. One of the best PPV openers ever. [****1/4]"

[8.0] "A perfect opener and if you want to see only the good parts of this PPV you can easily stop after this match. Seth Rollins is unbelievable, he's reached the level of AJ Styles, which is to be the best worker in WWE, at least on the main roster. His workrate looks fantastic to me. Unfortunately, with this very good match, The Miz will be glorified again. I don't dispute his skills on the mic, but in the ring he remains the same mediocre wrestler at best. You could see it from the first few seconds, when he simply couldn't get out of a wrist lock, and throughout the match. He obviously does what is asked of him, but nothing more. I find it funny that they say he's a safe worker, but he doesn't know that when you get a Suicide Dive you don't put your hands in front of you, you try to catch your opponent so they don't fall on their head. Rollins' kickouts and the rushed pace with which Miz executed his finishing maneuver made for a believable finish to the match, especially since Miz would have tied Jericho's record."

[6.0] "This is not bad but definitely overrated. We are in an opener, it's too long, we have 2 kickouts of finisher, what should not happen in an opener. The in ring is cool, we have a good selling of the leg by Rollins but that's all. **3/4"

[8.0] "The only great match from this Backlash edition ! Both Rollins & Miz tore the house down, with a match like this one, we could expect to still have a good but it wasn? t the case haha. They delivered just bid holds, both have a great chemistry actually just a big showcase !"

[8.0] "Excellent IC title match to open the show. The knee spot on the apron that led to the convincing figure-four spot really kicked this match to another level. From there, Rollins' knee was the story of the match as it kept giving out, but he kept coming back with the Miz unable to put him away even with 2 skull-crushing-finales. For my money, the best non-NXT WWE PPV match of 2018 thus far. ****1/4"

[9.0] "Back when Seth Rollins was in talk to be "The Guy", this was a legit great match with a great story told, Crowd was HOT for this match from the beginning to then end. 3 or 4. The story around Rollins' knee was great, the way Miz set his Skull Crushing Finale up was awesome, the second nearfall was unbelievable. This match was unfortunately the peak of the PPV. (****1/4)"

[10.0] "Definitely one of the best main roster matches of the year, you combine the raw athletic ability of Rollins with the masterful storytelling Miz is capable of, and you get something actually quite fantastic. The way they built up the near falls towards the end was brilliant."

[9.0] "What an incredible match. Crowd was very involved in it and really thought it was over after the second Skull Crushing Finale."

[9.0] "Ist für mich nah an den 10Pkt dran. Miz und Rollins liefern einen Wahnsinnsopener ab, wobei der Champ hier den Löwenanteil der Arbeit macht. Rollins jumpt und bumpt sich durchs Geviert, bringt am Ende noch Würze ins Match durch die Knieverletzung und übersteht zwei Finisher von Miz. Mit ein wenig mehr Offensive von diesem, wäre hier sogar ein echter MotY-Kandidat draus geworden."

[8.0] "Easily the match of the night. I'd like for more respect to be given to the Intercontinental title and the men holding it by putting it later in the show."

[9.0] "As much as I like A-lister Miz's whole run, he's rarely clicked in the ring like in this match. Miz was just perfect in this match; working heel without outright cheating as he's said he's doing because of his daughter, keeping up with Seth, telling a story, playing it smart, being so smooth with his counters and timing. Miz looked like a world-class talent in this match. Rollins contributed a lot too, and I'm usually just alright on him; he's actually pretty damn over now which gave the match heat, he's pretty smooth himself, and his selling of the knee was good. I'll admit that this was a very standard opener for a while, but after they have Seth knee the post off the failed Kingslayer on the apron, that's when the match kicked into high gear; the pacing went up just enough and the focal point of that leg was used tremendously well. The sequences that were done here to highlight the knee injury and how Miz targeted it and how Seth had to work around it were stellar, especially the repeat of the reversal done earlier in the match being imperfect due to the injury and the finishing sequence which was so well-done. Had the first half been more than just good and instead been on par with the latter half, this could've been a truly fantastic no-bullshit championship match, but as it stands it's a great opener and featured some awesome performances by both guys. I'm so ready for Miz to start wrestling as well as he talks. ****+"

[9.0] "This was probably the best singles match I've ever seen from The Miz. Every thing in this match was impeccable. Obviously the crowd truly makes it, but that doesn't make the work of the wrestlers any less amazing. **** 1/2 if not **** 3/4"

[4.0] "Really just an Indy match on an otherwise good card. I would give it a 5 if it was later in the show. Miz was excellent, sold everything (his facial expressions were incredible), made Rollins look excellent and was the real worker of the match. Rollins was disappointing. He mostly sold his leg injury except during his spots, which were too smooth for an injured man; especially the rolling suplex that he didn't struggle with. He made Miz look week and looked like he was falling asleep while in the figure four. He's a main eventer, he should be able to manage his facial expression. This match was just a typical modern sports entertainment crap fest that did nothing to advance either wrestler or any storyline. Poor pacing, too many finishers kicked out of and too long for what it was. This should have gone half the time it did."

[5.0] "This wasn't as disappointing as most Rollins matches end up being, since Rollins actually did a decent job selling his injured knee and Miz was a fantastic heel partner to work with. I can't connect with Rollins on any personal level, and his constant tic-tac light offence isn't very compelling, but I appreciated his dedication to gesturing to his injure knee all throughout the match. In many other sell-heavy matches he would usually totally forget about the knee for large portions, but here he was relatively consistent. By contrast, Miz was great all around. He's an easily detestable personality and his constant heel tactics are very compelling because of the surprise factor, since you never know what sort of cheap or intelligent move he'll pull next. Heck, Miz was even a much better babyface seller than Rollins, even while being a heel. Did you see him selling his pain during the countered Figure Four hold? Or when he failed to put Rollins away after his second Skullcrushing Finale? The guy is super easy to sympathise with. Speaking of Skullcrushing Finales... I would say I'm shocked, but really, I've totally come to accept that WWE is moronic when it comes to their wrestlers' finishers. Seriously, Rollins already had a limb injury, yet he survived TWO Skullcrushing Finales in such quick proximity? That was totally absurd, and it made Miz look weak as hell. Miz looked even more foolish in the finish, since he waited on his knees for what felt like forever before Rollins finally hit him with a weak Curb Stomp for the win. A much better match than I would expect from Rollins, but still a match that suffers from the usual WWE-isms. **3/4"

[8.0] "8. 2/10 : Easily the match of the night, not that I expected this to be a bad match, who would have thought it was going to be this noteworthy once the PPV was said and done. The Miz has proven time and time again that he can hang in there with great wrestlers and deliver when paired with them. While Seth is just phenomenal right now, he is on that level, that 2015 level, he is hotter than fire right now and possibly the most over guy on the roster this precise moment. You can tell he knows it from the swagger with which he wrestles. He is in the zone now, everything he touches turns to gold, and this match is solid proof of that."

[8.0] "No one expected a Miz match to be match of the night. I'd like to say it's a testament to how versatile Rollins is in carrying someone, but that would be completely unfair to the performance Miz put on as well. It's not like either man did anything crazy either, but they still went out there and put on a very compelling match. I don't know if I should say it's a major complaint, but Miz's finisher really didn't need to be kicked out of twice. A great final sayonora for Miz from RAW, ****1/4."

[8.0] "What a surprise here ! Both delivered a great opener. Good little story was told when rollins unexpectedly injured his own right leg and miz targeted it immediately. Rollins's selling was surprisingly good. Miz did his job better than i expected. A lot of good nearfalls and with an invested crowd, this was MOTN."

[8.0] "A very good, fun, energetic match aka the perfect way to kick off a show! The Miz was good in his control segments, Rollins was very good with those comebacks, the knee psychology was awesome, the two Skull Crushing Finale nearfalls were legitimately amazing, as were the sequences leading to them, full of struggle & desperation. And talking about sequences, that finishing sequence was absolutely fantastic. The Miz & Seth Rollins are 2 guys who I don't think much of in singles action, but gotta give it to them big time here, what a banger of a match! ***3/4"

[8.0] "Great opener with a heated crowd. Both men worked a fast paced match with great psychology around Rollins' knee, with Rollins selling brilliantly. Miz was great and Rollins continues his streak of fantastic performances this year. (****)"

[7.0] "Good start for the event, it's not a Must See but The Miz and Seth Rollings make things interesting, solid action, great moves and a nice ending. This is the best match to kickoff the show. ***1/2"

[9.0] "This match was incredible. There is everything in this match. At some point I really though Miz was gonna win, they are just so good. Rollins showed once again he is the best performer in WWE right now."

[8.0] "Hasn't Seth Rollins shown enough. Put him in the main event. Everyone else in Raw locker room seems irrelevant except for Seth Rollins who has been consistent and put on stellar matches and Braun Strowman whose gimmick as the monster amongst man is awesome."

[7.0] "Fun opener. Some really, really nice storytelling and selling from Seth after that post spot. The match was slow but was never boring and the crowd was super into the match and Rollins. Not a fan of two many finisher being kicked out of, especially in the opener of the show but it wasn? t too much of a problem. The match was pretty good. Love that Seth is really over with the crowd these days. ***1/2"

[9.0] "Extremely hot opening match, great spots throughout and the Miz more than carries his weight. Went a good 20 minutes and it didn't drag for me. Rollins selling the knee was a nice touch. Unfortunately after this its a steep decline. 4. 25/5 or 4. 5/5, I think my appreciation for this match is gonna increase over time."