3) WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston (w/ AJ Lee) vs. Team Hell No (c)
The match almost ends early when Daniel Bryan takes advantage of a kiss between Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee – shades of the 2012 World Heavyweight Championship match. Big E and Kane traded power moves, as Jerry Lawler commented about “never seeing anything like this”, in terms of Langston’s strength. Kane with a chokeslam to Ziggler, and Daniel Bryan with the flying headbutt for the win.
Results: Team Hell No retain via pinfall; Chokeslam & Diving Headbut to Dolph Ziggler
I absolutely loved the homage to last year’s World Heavyweight title match, almost making AJ Lee look like a bad luck charm for whichever man she’s with at the time. Unfortunately, that’s really where the greatness of this match ends. It was cool seeing Big E run wild all over Kane, but if you’ve been following him in NXT the last few months, nothing really stood out as extraordinary. I never really felt like Z&E had a shot at winning the belts unless WWE was going to go all the way with him at WrestleMania (meaning a cash-in). Unfortunately, they went nowhere instead. Another loss for the future Heavyweight champion.
4) Fandango vs. Chris Jericho
Fan-Dancy-Pants starts the match with a little jig, but Y2J doesn’t waste a whole lot of time slapping the taste out of his mouth for a little retribution. Jericho controls almost the entire match, with the rookie only getting in a few key shots, including the signature top rope leg drop. Jericho would miss a Lionsault completely, but recovered with the Walls of Jericho, only to get rolled up into a small package for a three-count.
Results: Fandango def. Chris Jericho via pinfall; small package
I’m a huge Jericho mark, and always have been since his cruiserweight days in WCW, but this wasn’t his best work. I’m not sure why they booked him to carry 90% of the offense – generally the heel sets the pace so the face can come back and bring the crowd with him to the finish. I think the odd booking had a lot to do with the silence these guys got from MetLife Stadium. Maybe Fandango just isn’t experienced enough as a worker to do his part. It wasn’t a bad match, although the finish – particularly the Lionsault and small package – were terribly sloppy. And I’m totally fine with Jericho’s two-year losing spree on PPV, because he’s doing his job as a veteran to put over the up-and-coming talent. I just wish the match was better; they really could have sold me on Fandango Sunday night, and came up short.
Grade: C-
