Current Watch List:

• Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Dolph Ziggler (WWE)
• Fandango vs. Adam Rose (WWE)
• Miz vs. Roman Reigns (WWE)
• Rusev vs. Erick Rowan (WWE)
• Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury (WWE)

Matches Watched:

Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Dolph Ziggler
United States
WWE

Ryback and Ziggler showed some potential as a team.  Ryback has quietly had a solid start to the year though admittedly is a small sample size.  Neither guy is going anywhere fast so a pushed babyface tag team run might work.  Goldust & Stardust continue their annual pre-WrestleMania breakup.  I am not convinced it is going to go any further this year than it has the past couple of years.  Nice first glimpse of Ziggler and Ryback as a team (assuming that becomes permanent). Not much of a match overall.

Fandango vs. Adam Rose
United States
WWE

Rose and Fandango are similar in a lot of ways.  Both were brought up to the main roster with a one note gimmick and were quickly soured on.  Rose has some chemistry with Cesaro and Kidd so for his sake, I hope they continue in that direction.  They are pushing a breakup with him and the Rosebuds which could be a step in that direction.  Fandango is so dead in the water and has been forever.  His latest repackaging might have been the least a wrestler has changed after supposedly getting a new/refined gimmick.  Nothing match.

Miz vs. Roman Reigns
United States
WWE

Thought this was a good match in that Reigns got to beat a guy who is not going to get cheered over him and Miz showed a higher-than-usual level of intensity.  Smartly set up TV match.  Reigns is fine in this role and probably should have done a few months beating mid-card heels like Miz before getting the big singles push.

Rusev vs. Erick Rowan
United States
WWE

Should have been good, but was rushed and what they did was not up to the potential of the match up.  Granted, the match existed just as a means of building Rusev up for his upcoming Cena match, but still.  Totally missable match.

Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury
United States
WWE

Is this the first WWE match involving four guys that all wrestled for ROH?  Tried to think of another one and came up empty.  Punk & Bryan teamed against the Shield before, but that’s only three former ROH guys.

As far as handicap matches go, this was pretty good.  Noble and Mercury did a nice job straddling the line between stooge and minor threat.  If they come off as completely useless, then there is no danger in Bryan having to face three guys.  They cannot come off as the solid wrestlers they are (were) though because that’s not their role.  They worked the middle well by sticking to basic stuff and scurrying anytime they got in trouble.  Noble’s short clothesline and leg drop still looked like a million bucks.  Matthews was very good in 2002 ROH as the Special K member that didn’t really belong, so he is used to these offbeat roles.  I also liked Rollins using the Germans to taunt both Bryan and Brock at the same time.  Completely fine for what it was and free of any overbooking, as well.