ALL IN 2018: Star Ratings For All 9 Major Matches
7. Tessa Blanchard Vs. Chelsea Green Vs. Madison Rayne Vs. Britt Baker
This felt a bit cheeky, in all honesty - a match driven by the cultural barometer more than anything else. It was a spot - key word - of tokenism.
The content of the match reflected the mentality behind it. With no storyline build on Being The Elite on which to layer something truly gripping, it was a thrown together dynamic that yielded a succession of thrown together spots, not that those spots weren't inventive or well-timed (that disaster of a finish excepted).
Again, the work, while sloppy in places, was mostly very good. Major spots followed pin break-ups that followed major spots that followed pin break-ups. It was formulaic and repetitive, as these matches tend to be, but easy drama is still dramatic. Built around Tessa Blanchard, she excelled in her role as the narrative pivot, though Chelsea Green's unique brand of charisma stood out also. Ultimately, it was a match the hardcore crowd evidently really enjoyed, and one you can very much imagine Kevin Dunn enjoying, too. That's no small feat.
On a show promoted to prove that there is a market outside of WWE, and mostly presented as an alternative to it, this was the most WWE thing on it by some distance.
Star Rating: ***