Sean Raw Sapp (9/11): Match Ratings, Analysis, Cena vs. Braun, Reigns vs. Jordan

Roman Reigns defeated Jason Jordan
7/10

• Reigns' demeanor is awesome. I don't know how anyone sees him as a straight up babyface at this point. WWE has embraced shades of gray.
• Jordan connects with an awesome belly-to-belly suplex. Reigns later answers with his own.
• Reigns' corner clotheslines still look bad, and WWE production make his leaping clotheslines look bad too. The replay angle looks much better.
• This is Jordan's fifth straight TV match without a win. He's been beaten by Miz, Balor, Reigns, Cena and eliminated by Jeff Hardy so there's a level of protection there. 
• Jordan gets a capture suplex, Saito Suplex, rolling Northern light suplexes. Incredible. Jordan is a really great contrast of styles that I love being thrown in with a lot of these guys.
• It's not often you can lose five matches in a row and come out better and smelling like roses, better than you were before. Jordan has.
• I think Reigns had the better match. He shakes Jordan's hand after. 

REIGNS AND CENA

• Cena comes out and makes fun of Reigns for calling Jordan a rookie.
• Cena trolls Reigns' mic skills.
• I think a lot of people wanted this kind of storyline with Reigns, I just don't think a lot of this makes sense with Cena saying it.
• These two seem to be thoroughly enjoying the zingers
• Reigns says Cena is trying to make a name off of him because Reigns is selling tickets Cena couldn't sell for a long time. I'll need Brandon Howard and Chris Harrington to verify
• Reigns says if Cena wants in Hollywood, he knows a guy.
• Cena makes a drug test failure joke. 
• That was probably my favorite of any of their promos.

Sasha Banks defeated Emma
5.25/10

• Sasha and Emma are in a tough spot and start off really fast. 
• They let Nia come out with no leather on. It's a new era.
• Lots of "OH!" called, including double underhook suplex. Makes me sad.
• We see the return of the Emma sandwich, but she loses. Good, short match.
• Later we see a vignette for Asuka, which Alexa and Nia are watching. Nia reveals they have a match next week. 

Brock, Braun, Heyman!

• Paul Heyman cuts his usual promo, but welcomes Braun Strowman out.
• Strowman obliges and gets suplexed by Lesnar.
• Braun no-sells it and Lesnar's facial expression makes the entire segment. Braun kicks his ass.

Bray Wyatt defeated Goldust 
5.25/10

• Wyatt appears on a screen and cuts a promo on Goldust
• Every Bray Wyatt promo: "YOU AINT WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.
• A Goldust boot misses by a mile and Bray sells anyway. 
• Goldust almost kills Wyatt with a somersault senton off the apron. 
• If you'd ask Goldust to do the Janela/Lio Rush spot, he'd find a way to get it done.
• He didn't get it done in this match, though.
• Wyatt wipes off Goldust's paint, and Balor makes the save. 

Tag Team Warfare

• Cesaro and Sheamus cut a promo backstage before this and I don't know how I feel about it.
• The Good Brothers would be much better served as babyfaces, or heels with Balor.
• Rollins and Ambrose attack Cesaro and Sheamus, and this planned match never goes down. There's a pull apart brawl.
• The issue here is no other teams appear on the level of Rollins and Ambrose. I don't think it's a tough fix, especially with Anderson and Gallows. They need an authority figure or Balor to question their performance, then get quick, dominant wins over Heath Slater & Rhyno, Miztourage, Titus Worldwide, or any other teams you can, and probably the Hardys to really establish things.
• Kurt Angle books an 8-man tag main event. The Hardy Boyz are picked

Elias defeated Kalisto
5.5/10

• Elias performs a song, and he's becoming quite the guitarist.
• Kalisto is a victim of the WWE talent boom and not having enough spots for all of them. He interrupts Elias' song because of course. 
• These two have a solid back-and-forth match. I'm not sure what the direction is for Elias. He's one of these guys who has a hot character that they have no clue what to do with, like a "Dashing" Cody Rhodes or a Bad News Barrett.
• Anyway, he kills Kalisto with a powerbomb, hits his finish and wins. 

John Cena defeated Braun Strowman via DQ
5.5/10

• WWE telling everyone to watch the late game after this match.
• Two of the ugliest dropkicks ever, but Strowman's got a reaction. 
• Cena took a step forward when he knew Strowman was coming running right at him. He gets crushed. 
• Strowman just keeps adding to his arsenal every week.
• This is nowhere near as good as Jordan and Reigns, but Strowman is looking good.
• Strowman rolls out of the ring after an AA, then powerslams Cena onto stairs for a DQ. Using the stairs on Cena's face wasn't enough for a DQ I guess.

Enzo Amore defeated The Miz (w/ Miztourage) via DQ

• Miz announces he and Maryse are having a child. Congrats to them.
• Enzo is out and Miz goes off on him for getting kicked off tour busses and out of the locker room. 
• Looks like WWE sent Miz out to have the ol Ric Flair-Carlito talk.
• Miz puts over the cruiserweights and says there was nowhere left for Enzo to go, and he won't be able to hang.
• Enzo says that Miz copies everyone. Some aspects, sure. I don't see it though. 
• They're gonna have a match. They trash talk each other on the mic during the match.
• Enzo says Miz needs to be asking the child "who's your daddy?"
• The Miztourage kick the living shit out of Enzo.
• Backstage, Neville laughs maniacally at Enzo.

Hardy Boyz, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro, Sheamus, and the Good Brothers
5.25/10

• I like all eight guys involved in this match, but this is rough going up against the first Monday of football season.
• The crowd is hot as Jeff Hardy flies over the top rope onto Cesaro & Sheamus before our last commercial.
• Graves refers to Gallows as having "well educated feet," which I would never use to describe Gallows
• There's not much of a point to this match. 
• Ambrose has the power to back body drop a guy over the top rope, but not to make a tag.
• Babyfaces win after Cesaro and Sheamus duck out.