All 8 WWE Night Of Champions 2015 Matches Ranked From Worst To Best
7. Pre-Show: The Cosmic Wasteland Vs. Neville & The Lucha Dragons
There’s always a lot of pressure on the first match of the show to set the right tone for the remainder of the program. Needless to say, this match did the trick.
It featured several impressive high spots that showcased Neville’s impressive technical skill, including a Frankensteiner reversal out of a Superbomb, and some impressive coordinated outside dives. That was the point where the crowd really got invested in this match and started to actually make some noise.
However, credit is equally due to the heel team working very hard. Stardust and the Ascension did some classic heel work and really got the crowd to get behind Neville and the Lucha Dragons. However, a problem with this team was Konnor, who botched several spots and looked stiff in the ring at times, and not in a good way. That said, that team was redeemed by Stardust’s cleverness in sacrificing his own teammate to get the upper hand over Neville to end the match.
In the end, it was a good match that, in theory, should’ve been the perfect tool to elevate the Cosmic Wasteland to a higher level. Unfortunately, the night afterwards, Neville’s team won again, in a perfect demonstration of the ‘50/50’ booking that’s plaguing WWE right now. As a heel team, the Cosmic Wasteland has much more to do in order to be perceived as a legitimate threat.
Winning a PPV match and then losing the following night is not the right direction.
Final Rating: **3/4