Top 5 WWE Matches of the Week (9/16/18)
Superstars from SmackDown Live, NXT, and 205 Live competed in this week's best matches. Raw once again did not make the top 5 list but have a few matches listed as honourable mentions while the Mae Young Classic have one match listed as an honourable mention.
Honourable Mentions:
Nikki Bella vs Ruby Riott: Nikki Bella competed in her first singles match of the year. While this was a solid match with solid performances from both competitors, the finish of the match causes it to lose points. Nikki Bella held Ruby Riott up in the fireman's carry and then waited for Brie Bella to take out Liv Morgan before hitting the Rack Attack 2.0. That made Ruby Riott look a little bad because she should have been able to counter the move after being in the same position for 15 seconds.
Ronda Rousey & Natalya vs Alexa Bliss & Mickie James: This was a very decent match that ended with the wrong result. It probably would've been best for Alexa Bliss & Mickie James to win with Alexa Bliss pinning or submitting Natalya. They could've then both attacked Ronda Rousey after the match with Natalya being incapacitated from the match. Instead, they took another loss and just got a cheap kick in after the match.
Finn Balor vs Elias: This was the best match on Monday Night Raw. This was an excellent back and forth matchup and it seemed like both superstars could get the win at one point in this match. Elias looked dominant while Finn Balor looked like the gutsy face. However, it would be nice if Finn Balor got a less fluky win. Instead of winning with a roll up, maybe Finn Balor could've countered a superplex and hit the Coup de Grace out of nowhere for the win. This way, Elias would've been protected but Finn would've gotten a big win (which he needs).
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy: This was a very good match. However, it was extremely predictable. It was obvious that Randy Orton wouldn't allow Jeff Hardy to get a win before Hell in a Cell. Nobody was surprised when the match ended in a disqualification. (Can it also be noted that of the 5 Jeff Hardy vs Shinsuke Nakamura matches, 3 of them ended in disqualification, one of them ended in a few seconds because Nakamura attacked Hardy before the match, and only one of them that has ended clean).
Bianca Belair vs Nikki Cross: This match was pretty good. It was coming along pretty nicely before it ended in a no-contest. However, it did lead to a nice brawl and will definitely lead to future matches between the two.
Mercedes Martinez vs Ashley Rayne: This was definitely the best match of the second episode of the 2018 Mae Young Classic. However, it was pretty slow. If the two competed at a faster pace, it definitely would've made this list.