Welcome to the first-ever Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view!
Tonight’s inaugural PPV will host a dream match between Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship! This is a match people thought they would never see but here we are, and the build has been better than a lot of recent Lesnar matches. If WWE ever saw this as a throwaway match to keep Brock busy, that all changed when Samoa Joe grabbed the microphone. Over the past 4-5 weeks, Samoa Joe has turned many heads with his incredible intensity and mic skills, which anyone will recognise if they watched his early TNA and ROH work. Joe is one of the best in the world and he more than deserves this match, and WWE has no doubt recognised his incredible work. It’s hard to know what to expect from the actual match tonight but it has the potential to be an all-time classic.
The other main-event worthy match for tonight is the Ambulance Match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. Braun returned from injury several months early and resumed his tyranny on Raw and Roman Reigns in particular. The two went right back to beating the crap out of each other and tonight we have a number one contender’s match between them in which the stipulation is, ironically, to send your opponent to the hospital. This is kind of a dumb match because it’s supposedly barbaric but you’re sending your opponent to get medical attention; it’s like a Last Man Standing match but with more care and concern for the other guys well-being. Anyway, I expect this to be a fun spot-fest that Braun should win.
Also on tonight’s card, The Hardy Boyz challenge Sheamus & Cesaro in a 30-minute Iron Man match, which should serve as the end to this long-running feud. These two teams have never failed to deliver inside the ring but fans never seem overly excited with the feud. Personally I expect this match to be fantastic and really get the crowd going. Elsewhere, Alexa Bliss defends her title against Sasha Banks in a surprising turn. It seemed obvious that Nia Jax was on her way to facing Alexa for the belt – the story-line was writing itself – but for some reason WWE decided to go with Sasha Banks instead. It might not have the story behind it but these two could have a really good match; Bliss isn’t on Banks’ level of in-ring ability but she’s no slouch either. Regardless, I would expect a screwy finish that allows Alexa to retain the feud to continue!
Seth Rollins battles Bray Wyatt, Neville puts his Cruiserweight Championship on the line against Akira Tozawa, Enzo Amore faces his former brother Colin Cassidy, and Dean Ambrose looks to take back the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz and his entourage. That’s a stacked card that has the potential to be the red-brand’s best of the year so far. Don’t forget to check out the Ringside News and Ringside Talk apps, where you can chat about tonight’s PPV on a dedicated social platform with all the other marks like me! Enjoy the show!
