Smackdown Live's exclusive pay-per-view (PPV) "No Mercy" just aired, and there were a lot of reactions on the internet based on how the matches went and how the matches ended. We try to evaluate every match and judge whether WWE made the right decision on these matches.
WWE took a risk when it had the triple-threat main event, which was for the WWE Championship as the first match. With John Cena looking to tie Ric Flair's 16-time record, this was a bout that seemed to have the fans at the edge of their seats; however, AJ Styles was able to retain his title with a steel chair and pinning John Cena in the absence of Dean Ambrose.
The second bout was a grudge match between Carmella and Nikki Bella with the latter coming off with a victory via the Rack Attack 2.0 after losing to Carmella week after week. This match, however, was not the last as we may be seeing more from these two during the next few months.
Up next was for the Tag Team Titles by Rhyno and Slater © against The Usos. Viewers may have anticipated that the Usos would win the titles given their rejuvenated characters as heels, but WWE didn't want to end the hype that Slater has been getting, and it just did the right thing by having the champions retain.
Following the title match was the bout between Baron Corbin and Jack Swagger. It was a hard-fought match, but WWE did the right thing by putting Corbin over and slowly build him up as a legitimate threat to the division who may soon be a world champion.
Perhaps, the highlight of the night was the Career vs. Title Match between The Miz © and Dolph Ziggler. Full of near-falls that had the viewers at the edge whether this would be Ziggler's retirement match, The Miz lost his title in an epic battle, and this match just proved that these two midcarders are ready for main event status again.
The penultimate match of the night was Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch ©; however, Lynch was out of action and not medically cleared to battle hence Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan announced a replacement for Lynch in the form of Naomi. Naomi rolled up Bliss for the quick win, which hurt Bliss's momentum as she is slated to battle Becky on November at Scotland for the title.
The final match of the night was the bout between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Sadly, the match did not live up to the hype of the matches that went before, and Wyatt scores another fluke win which has viewers doubt his legitimacy.
Overall, the bout featured a lot of superstars to highlight, and they certainly did impress. Bleacher Report says that the biggest winner of the night is Dolph Ziggler in what has been the match of the night accompanied by a legitimate build and backup story.
Forbes was not very forgiving as it calls No Mercy as "one of the worst pay-per-views in a while," but other than that, this was a pretty much strong showing and it continued to deliver SmackDown Live! as the superior brand.
