9 Match Star Ratings For WWE Stomping Grounds

7. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Vs. Big E & Xavier Woods

Kofi Ziggler Stars
WWE.com

A fun and tremendously-worked character showcase, this restored faith in WWE's road agent process.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn needed this, because WWE has defaulted to their being morons for much too long. Owens started the match by blindsiding Big E with a superkick and spamming several more in the direction of Xavier Woods before subjecting him to a torrent of aerial strikes. The action was relentless, Owens looked like a beast with a brain in his head, and Woods sold everything to a level just below immersion-breaking melodrama - particularly since, after a spirited effort, he took the pinfall. Owens was in top heel form here; his ironing board hip-swivel taunt was the right sort of terrible.

The blitzkrieg opening salvo was superb, creative pretext for Big E's hot-tag spot, which brought the house down.

It wasn't quite perfect. The spot in which Woods failed to hoist Big E on his shoulders sort of made sense - he was battered - but why did the New Day tandem try to repeat it? It wasted time and broke the spell. The story of the match pivoted on the idea that Sami hadn't broke much of a sweat, and yet he laid there like a stone.

A customary great finish saved it.

Star Rating: ***3/4

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!