Becky Lynch was unable to compete tonight due to a medical issue. Alexa Bliss will get her shot at the Smackdown Women’s Championship on November 8th during an episode of Smackdown Live.
#SDLive Commissioner @ShaneMcMahon shares news with @AlexaBliss_WWE about @BeckyLynchWWE. #WWENoMercy pic.twitter.com/8umthH5VQs
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2016
Kickoff Show:
8 Man Tag Team Match: American Alpha & Hype Bros vs The Vaudevillians & The Ascension
American Alpha started off the match by destroying the Vaudevillians. Ryder was then tagged in and he continued the beatdown. Viktor was tagged in and took out Ryder. The crowd got behind Ryder and he responded by hitting a Neckbreaker. Mojo Rawley was tagged into the match and he started dancing around the ring. Rawley hit a big Clothesline on Viktor. Everything broke down and all 8 Superstars were in the ring. The Hype Bros and American Alpha cleaned house and the kickoff show went to a commercial.
When the kickoff show returned, Zack Ryder was trapped in the corner. Ryder spent the next couple of minutes desperately trying to get a tag. Ryder eventually was successful and Jason Jordan was tagged in. Everything broke down again and it was down to American Alpha and Aiden English in the ring. American Alpha hit the Grand Amplitude and Jason Jordan pinned English for the victory.
Winners: American Alpha & Hype Bros
Main Card:
WWE World Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs Dean Ambrose vs John Cena
John Cena was greeted with “John Cena sucks!” chants as he walked down the entrance ramp. There were dueling “Lets go Cena!” and “AJ Styles!” chants to start off the match. Ambrose started off the match by slapping John Cena. Ambrose then Dropkicked Styles out of the ring and then launched him into the barricade. Ambrose went to jump onto Cena but John caught him and slammed him into the ring post. AJ Styles then hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Cena outside the ring.
The match continued to be back and forth throughout. Cena went for an Attitude Adjustment on Styles but AJ reversed it into a Pele Kick. Styles locked in a Sleeper Hold on Cena but Cena reversed it into a Sleeper Hold of his own. Ambrose then got into the ring and broke up the hold. Ambrose then locked in a Sleeper Hold on Cena.
Cena battled back and wound up hitting a 5 Knuckle Shuffle on both Ambrose and Styles. Cena followed it up with an AA on Styles but AJ rolled out of the ring. Cena then hit an AA on Ambrose but Dean kicked out at two. Cena then went for another AA on Styles but AJ reversed it into the Calf Crusher. Ambrose broke it up and locked in a Calf Crusher on Styles. Cena then got back into the picture and locked in the STF while Ambrose had the Calf Crusher applied. Styles tapped out but the referee waved it off because Ambrose and Cena both had a submission hold applied at the same time.
Dean Ambrose hit Cena with the Dirty Deeds but Styles dragged the referee out of the ring to break up the pin. Ambrose then launched himself on Styles and then sent him flying over the announce table. Ambrose was greeted with an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope from Cena when he got back into the ring. Styles then got back into the ring and hit Cena with a chair a couple of times. AJ Styles then pinned Cena and retained his WWE World Championship.
Winner & Still WWE World Champion: AJ Styles
Here is your winner and STILL @WWE World Champion @AJStylesOrg! #WWENoMercy pic.twitter.com/pGvzZqyJBf
— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2016
Reaction: This was an excellent match. The crowd was on the edge of their seat the entire time. AJ Styles needed to retain his title and he did so. Cena is presumably taking time off to film a reality TV show. It wouldn’t have made sense for him to tie Flair’s title record at this time. Ambrose had a good showing but ultimately fell short. If you didn’t catch this match live it is definitely worth checking out on the WWE Network.
Nikki Bella vs Carmella
Carmella dominated 99% of this match but Nikki Bella kept battling back. Carmella locked in the Code of Silence but Nikki reached the bottom rope. Nikki Bella eventually hit the Rack Attack 2.0 for the victory.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: Heath Slater & Rhyno (c) vs The Usos
Slater and Rhyno started off the match with the momentum. The WWE Universe chanted “Heath’s got kids!” during the beginning of the match. The momentum turned quickly and The Usos isolated Heath Slater and beat him down. Slater eventually battled back and tagged in Rhyno.
The Usos still controlled the match and beatdown Rhyno. Jimmy Uso was tagged in and finally Rhyno battled back. Rhyno tagged in Slater and the crowd went crazy. Slater got in some offense but got hit with an amazing looking Superkick from Jimmy Uso. The Usos then targeted Slater’s leg. Jey Uso had a submission hold applied to Slater when Rhyno hit a Gore on Jimmy outside the ring. Rhyno then got back into the ring and broke up the hold. Slater tagged in Rhyno and he hit a Gore on Jey Uso for the victory.
Winners & Still Smackdown Tag Team Champions: Heath Slater & Rhyno
Reaction: I was totally wrong about this one. I thought The Usos would win the titles and that the crowd had lost interest in Slater and Rhyno. The audience was very much behind Slater & Rhyno and their improbable title run continues.
Congratulations to @HeathSlaterOMRB and @Rhyno313 on retaining the #SDLive #TagTeamTitles! #WWENoMercy pic.twitter.com/ArC250nw94
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 10, 2016
Baron Corbin vs Jack Swagger
This match started off very physical. Corbin kicked the steel steps outside the ring while Swagger’s hand was trapped between the steps and the post. Corbin then continued to target Swagger’s hand and stomped on it several times. The crowd didn’t seem too interested in this match and even chanted “boring!” a few times.
Corbin was dominant for most of the match but Swagger kept battling back. Swagger went for the Patriot Lock but couldn’t apply it due to his injured hand. Corbin slammed Swagger to the mat but Swagger kicked out at two. Corbin began to get frustrated and started shouting at the referee. Corbin then shouted at the crowd to shut up.
Swagger eventually did lock in the Patriot Lock but Corbin reached the ring apron and pulled it into the ring. The referee broke up the hold and went to fix the ring apron. While the referee wasn’t looking, Corbin poked Swagger in the eye and followed it up with the End of Days for the victory.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Reaction: The crowd really wanted nothing to do with this match. I didn’t think this match was great by any means. However, it was better than the crowd gave it credit for. It told a story and Corbin got his revenge for the controversial finish that took place on Smackdown. I think Corbin and Swagger work well together and hope they continue to do so. I understand not being interested in a feud. What I do not understand is why people would just summarily dismiss a match before it even happens.
Intercontinental Championship/ Retirement Match: The Miz (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
The Miz controlled the match early and mocked Daniel Bryan by doing the “yes!” chant while standing over Ziggler. The Miz hit three Dropkicks on Ziggler in the corner. However, when he went for the fourth Ziggler sprinted out of the corner and hit Miz with a massive Dropkick.
The Miz quickly regained control of the match and targeted Ziggler’s leg. Ziggler was locked in the Figure Four but was able to withstand the pain and reach the bottom rope. Maryse got onto the ring apron to distract the referee and The Miz removed the padding from the top turnbuckle. Ziggler went to jump onto The Miz but he got out of the way and Dolph landed right on the exposed turnbuckle. The Miz followed this up with a Powerbomb but Ziggler kicked out at two.
Ziggler finally got in some offense and hit a Zig Zag. The Miz kicked out at two but Ziggler quickly locked in a Sleeper Hold. The Miz was able to make it to the bottom rope and the hold was broken. Maryse then sprayed hairspray in Ziggler’s face and The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale. Ziggler was able to get his leg on the bottom rope and the referee stopped the count.
The Miz accidentally ripped of Ziggler’s boot and Dolph hit him with a Superkick. As Dolph was going for the pin, the Spirit Squad sprinted down to the ring and distracted the referee. Ziggler took out the Spirit Squad but The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale. Once again, Ziggler kicked out and the crowd went crazy. The referee finally threw Maryse and the Spirit Squad out. The Miz was distracted by this and when he turned around Ziggler hit another Superkick for the victory.
Winner & New Intercontinental Champion: Dolph Ziggler
Reaction: This match had a lot of hype going into it and thankfully it lived up to it. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler put on a terrific match that was full of emotion. The crowd was split down the middle in the beginning of the match but by the end of it they were heavily behind Ziggler.
HE'S DONE IT! @HEELZiggler remains on #SDLive as he comes a 5-TIME #ICChampion at #WWENoMercy! pic.twitter.com/FwW65Ot0GE
— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2016
Naomi vs Alexa Bliss
Naomi controlled the match early but Alexa Bliss fought back. Naomi hit Alexa with the Rear View but Bliss kicked out. Naomi then rolled up Alexa for the pinfall victory.
Winner: Naomi
Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt was shown earlier in the night sitting in his rocking chair and speaking in tongues. Orton was then shown looking in the mirror and his face became distorted. The match itself started out back and forth. Wyatt went for the Sister Abigail rather quickly but Orton blocked it and sent Bray flying to the outside of the ring. Orton followed him and went for the RKO but Wyatt threw him over the announce table. Wyatt then set up the steel steps near the table but Orton recovered and hit Bray with a series of Clotheslines.
The action returned to the ring and Bray Wyatt was in control. Wyatt mocked Orton by posing for the crowd on the turnbuckle. Wyatt went for a Senton but Orton got out of the way and Wyatt landed on the steel steps. Orton took control of the match and hit Wyatt with a DDT. The lights cut out and when they came back on Luke Harper was in the ring. Wyatt then hit the Sister Abigail on Orton for the win. After the match, Wyatt and Luke Harper celebrated and stared at Orton from the entrance ramp.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Former #WyattFamily member @LukeHarperWWE appeared out of nowhere at #WWENoMercy! @RandyOrton @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/Zh85eoYC54
— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2016
Reaction: I’ve mentioned on this site a few times that Bray Wyatt needed to win this match. It didn’t matter if it was outside interference or not, Wyatt simply needed to win. The reason being that he never wins any matches. It is hard to take a character seriously when they constantly lose. Luke Harper returning was awesome but I think a lot of people were expecting something more to happen in this match. Whether it be Sister Abigail making an appearance or something else more shocking. The match itself was decent.
Overall, No Mercy was a very good show. The WWE World Championship and the Intercontinental Championship matches were excellent. If I had to chose a match of the night I would probably go with The Miz versus Dolph Ziggler. There was just so much at stake in that match and I thought it was over countless times. The Miz had a pretty good IC title run. Hopefully Ziggler can continue to make that belt as important as it should be.
What did you think of No Mercy? What were your favorite matches? Let us know in the comments below.
