7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (8 Aug)
5. Plunderbirds Are Go
The Miz vs. AJ Styles was an enjoyable execution of the standard WWE plunder format.
No Disqualification matches can never truly live up to their violent billing in this promotion. This is a clean, vacuum-packed, family-friendly approximation of wrestling, not a rough-edged, hate-filled world where rivals are willing to go to brutal lengths to down each other. Knowing this helps temper expectations.
Miz and Styles did well. Kendo sticks, chairs, and tables all came into play, though the table took a while to come out. AJ and Miz played the crowd by having Styles tease pulling it from beneath the ring only to be thwarted. The gratification came later on, when an interfering Ciampa was put through it after trying to suplex Styles to the outside.
His fragile ego had Miz getting in AJ's face, talking smack to his more decorated opponent whilst sitting down with a kendo stick in hand. This backfired. Later on, when Miz launched a chair in AJ's face as he went for the Phenomenal Forearm, the Skull-Crushing Finale yielded only a two-count. His grip started slipping thereafter, with Styles sending Miz into a chair before he could finalise the Figure Four, scoring the win, eventually, via Styles Clash.