The Big Takeaway: On the show where WWE talent is relegated when there’s nothing going on with them, Damien Sandow made his last televised WWE appearance, while, perhaps more worryingly, Apollo Crews made his debut.
*****
Darren Young beat Damien Sandow (5:10)
Since Rich Brennan was also released this past week, Tom Philips returns to announcing duties alongside Byron Saxton. They act like they’re best buddies for this week at least. The soon-to-be-rebranded Darren Young is sporting a new shorthaired look, but with a ‘life coach’ like Bob Backlund, who knows what he may end up looking like.
They lock up and it’s clear that Sandow is in heel mode for this match. He cheekily elbows Young and then viciously slams his head into the turn buckle. A forearm from Young, followed by a swinging neckbreaker, results in a two count.
Sandow regains the advantage with a drop toehold, so that Young is thrown throat first into the second rope. Sandow rains down on him with clubbing forearms and a leg lariat to the back of his head. After a knee drop to the bridge of Young’s nose, Sandow loudly announces, “You’re welcome!” I’m going to miss this character. I always liked it and thought they could have done much more with it.
Sandow calms things down, after a snapmare and elbow drop, with a rear chin lock. Weirdly on commentary, there’s lots of talk about Sandow being at a ‘crossroads’ and showing a new attitude to try and grab people’s attention in this ‘new era’. It’s the kind of rhetoric they tend to use on this show whenever someone who isn’t going anywhere is in the ring, but it seemed over done this week. Odd.
Young eventually gets the heat, fighting back with punches, clotheslines and a really neat belly-to-belly suplex. Young back body drops Sandow onto the apron for two. And then after a failed roll up from Sandow, he ends his current WWE run by taking Darren Young’s Gut Check all wrong, landing on his side. I guess that his mind was possibly elsewhere…
Apollo Crews beat Heath Slater (w/ Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) (8:05)
Crews and Slater are not exactly the best match. They try to mat wrestle, with a waist lock exchange, with Slater eventually getting bested and so he takes a breather with his cronies outside.
Another mat wrestling segment follows and Slater is clearly not comfortable with it. He gets up and runs into a beautifully executed drop kick from Crews and again rolls outside as we head to a break.
Slater is beating him down as we return until he runs into the broad shoulder tackle of Apollo Crews. Crews dumps Slater outside with a clotheslines over the tope rope and then follows him outside. Distraction by the other Outcasts leads to him eating a baseball slide from Slater. Back inside, a heel kick by Slater, results in a two count and we’re reminded yet again that Crews is still undefeated here on the main roster. Slater puts on a chin lock. Crews plays along and then Slater smashes his head against apron and goes back to the chin lock.
Crews finishes things off, by dodging a charge and sending the Outcasts packing with clotheslines. Crews hits Slater with a running splash to the corner, elbows him to the mat and then does a kip up and smacks Slater with an enzugiri. Crews finally gets the win with a spin-out powerbomb.