Bronson Reed vs. Sami Zayn

[5.0] "[2.5*] Like everybody said, this was more about storytelling than wrestling itself. As much as the match was not the most intriguing one, the story behind it really was. Gable and Gunther affecting Zayn mentally and making him lose clean against Bronson is very cool. I was not expecting this result but I actually found it interesting."

[5.0] "This could have been so much better. Classic David versus Goliath story to the match that could have been old hat but Sami is so good he made it quite exciting and fun to watch. Spoiled, Im afraid, by a terrible finish that made Sami look very very weak. Was Gunthers mere presence that much of a distraction to cause a loss for someone who around about a year ago was main eventing PPVs for the universal championship! Did nothing to up the stakes for the mania IC match whatsoever."

[7.0] "Enjoyed this match. Was shocked by Bronson Reed getting the win over Sami Zayn who is challenging for the IC title at Mania. The Gable, Sami Gunther story has not interested me much but I did enjoy this match."

[7.0] "When Bronson Reed bleeds his own blood, he eats it. Alrighty then. The big man laid down some thunderous chops and increased his iron content, while Sami sold like gumby and continues to tell a fine story heading into his 'Mania match with GUNTHER."

[6.0] "The wrestling was decent, mind you, the only thing I can say is that I don't understand why they make Bronson Reed win if Sami is Gunther's opponent at WrestleMania. Kind of nonsense and I hope they clear this up because it's one of the dumbest results I've seen from this entire episode of RAW."

[5.0] "Not a bad match at all, but this story feels really forced. Let's see : 2 weeks agoSami won a gauntlet by surviving 3 other wrestlers including Reed and showing that he was a strong opponent for Gunther. Now, he doubts so much of himself that he's getting dominated by Reed, had a short come-back, and then lose because ... Gunther looked at him from the stage ? ... 5/10."

[4.0] "[2.75*] I understand what WWE tried to do here, Sami going to Wrestlemania being the biggest Babyface possible, but it's disconcerting to see the number one contender lose cleanly to Reed who probably won't even be at Wrestlemania, it makes them question Sami's victory over Sami even more. Gable. The in-ring action was solid, Bronson Reed was dominant, and I liked his Tsunami here, but the booking decision didn't please me at all."

[5.0] "Another match that was basically more of an angle than a wrestling match. Action was fine throughout, mostly carried by Sami's always great selling and underdog fire, but the whole thing was essentially just an angle that built towards Sami allowing Gunther to get in his head, which ultimately leads to him losing. Pretty interesting way to build to their match at Mania, and the Gable stuff after the match was also pretty good, but this match overall was just another broadly fine match on this show. **3/4"

[6.0] "I've always been curious about an scenario where the one wrestler that is supposed to win a random match due to having a bigger status and being placed in a match at a PPV actually lost that match without hurting him. Well, this is that scenario. The whole story of Gunther vs Sami is the classic David vs Goliath, nothing else. So this is the way to add some depth into the story, by having Sami lose against another big guy in Bronson Reed before having to face Gunther and now needing Chad Gable's advise to avoid Gunther's mental game. It's not a bad story, but this only makes the match that should've happened between Gable and Gunther even better than this story. At this point, I don't want a Sami Zayn that lost to Bronson Reed beat Gunther on his first shot. I don't know about a rematch, but the one thing I have clear since the match was made is that this is not the path Sami should've walked. Nice match by the way, nothing great, but decent enough (***)"

[7.0] "More of an angle I felt than it be a proper wrestling match as almost everyone here has mentioned as well. But it doesn't mean it's bad, it's a fine good match that needed to further establish the GUNTHER/Sami match as it lacks any motif behind it and Sami will play the typical underdog role, this at least would give him the motivation needed to tell something different."

[7.0] "Again, this was more about the consequences than the match given here, Sami is a very good in-ring storyteller and that was displayed here really well, while establishing his story vs Gunther ahead while making Reed strong in the process. I don't think it hurt either man's credibility."

[6.0] "Yes, Sami Zayn who is challenging for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania lost here clean to Bronson Reed. The storyline is that GUNTHER is affecting Zayn mentally, not helping that Zayn's win over Chad Gable to get the match wasn't popular with the fans. Now do they make this a four way, or will Gable and Reed all be in play following WrestleMania?"