WWE European Belfast, Northern Ireland

Finn Balor vs Neville

Finn Balor beat Neville. There was a surprisingly tepid response for the Irishman Bálor when he made his entrance, perhaps indicating the crowd perhaps aren't overly familiar with the NXT product. The match itself was exactly what you would expect: fast-paced, fluid, and filled with a thrilling mix of hard-hitting strikes and chain wrestling. As the match progressed, the Belfast crowd gradually began to cheer more for Bálor, until they exploded when he hit the Coup de Grace for the win. Following the match, Bálor and Neville shook hands. 

Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E)

 

WWE tag champions Tyson Kidd & Cesaro (w/Natalya) beat New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E. w/Xavier Woods) to retain the WWE Tag Titles. A fun tag match that mainly played off the "New Day Sucks" chants. During the opening minutes of the match, Cesaro and Kidd had some fun spots where they performed moves e.g. Cesaro using an Arm Wringer timed to the chants. In the end Cesaro and Kidd retained their championship belts using their Big Swing/Basement Dropkick combo.

In a post-match angle, Xavier Woods issued an open challenge, setting up the next match...

R Truth vs Xavier Woods

R-Truth beat Xavier Woods (w/Big E. and Kofi).This match was just you typical throwaway house show match. At one point R-Truth asked one half of the audience to chant "What's Up!" and the other "New Day Sucks!" which the crowd gladly did. Towards the end of the match, Big E. and Kofi were thrown out of ringside, allowing R-Truth to hit his finisher. This match went on far to long and was too reliant on the dueling "What's Up/New Day Sucks" chants. It's obvious that New Day are not over in any way.

Jimmy Uso vs Fandango

Jimmy Uso beat Fandango (w/Rosa Mendes). Another largely throwaway match, albeit a shorter and more enjoyable one. Early on in the match, Fandango challenged Jimmy to a dance-off, so he and Rosa "Fandango'd" before Jimmy asked JoJo into the ring to waltz. The finish of this match came when Fandango missed Jimmy with his Leg Drop finisher, allowing Uso to nail Fandango with the Superkick and a Frog Splah/pin combo for the victory.

Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler & Erick Rowan vs Sheamus & Bray Wyatt & Bad News Barett

  Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler & Erick Rowan beat Sheamus & Bad News Barrett & Bray Wyatt in a six-man tag match. Bryan pinned Barrett. This was probably my match of the night. Once the match started we were treated to a highly enjoyable six-man tag. The Odyssey website had been listing this match as two matches: an IC Title match of Bryan-Barrett and Ziggler-Sheamus, but this match more than made up for it. Sheamus worked the crowd like a pro, and came across as a dominant heel against Ziggler. This meant that when Dolph made the "hot" tag to Bryan, the crowd exploded. Team Bryan won when DB hit the Running Knee on Barrett.

One other thing of note is how popular Bryan remains with WWE fans. Everyone in the building was doing the "Yes!" Chants.

Damien Mizdow vs The Miz

 Damien Mizdow beat The Miz. This was probably the most surprising match of the night in terms of match quality. Both Mizdow and Miz worked their asses off in this relatively short match. The crowd were firmly on the side of the "babyface" Mizdow, even going as far to chant "We want Mizdow!" at Miz before he had made his entrance. Unfortunately I missed the finish of this match due to children obstructing my view of the ring at that moment in time.

Next was Roman Reigns vs. Big Show in the main event. 

                          Roman Reigns beat Big Show in a Dublin Street Fight. Much like last night's show in Dublin, this was your typical Pre-Extreme Rules house show Street Fight. Big Show spent the majority of the match dominating his opponent using weapons like the steel steps to gain the advantage. The turning point of this match was Reigns reversing an attempted middle rope splash. This allowed Reigns to gain some momentum, before scoring the pinfall from a Spear. Overall, a real solid main event that gives me hope that Reigns can become a top star - providing he has the right opponent.

 Roman Reigns Celebrating After Beat Big Show