Super Show-Down 2018: Two Excellent Title Matches Rescue an Overlong Australian Spectacle

The New Day and The Bar open with the kind of polished tag match they can produce almost automatically. Cesaro and Sheamus isolate Kingston through quick tags and power offense, then Woods' hot tag raises the tempo without forcing the match into a long finishing sequence. The best stretch comes when Cesaro swings Woods into the Sharpshooter and Kingston has to break the hold while also neutralizing Sheamus on the floor. The champions survive several near falls before revealing a creative finish: Woods hits the Backstabber and holds Cesaro in place while Kingston comes off the top with a double stomp. The match is compact, energetic, and exactly suited to opening a long stadium card.

Lynch and Flair work a competitive ten-minute title match built around Lynch becoming more openly aggressive while the crowd continues to support her. She attacks the arm and fingers, uses the ropes, and repeatedly looks for ways to leave with the championship rather than simply outwrestle Flair. Charlotte answers with the spear, big boot, and Figure Four, eventually trapping Lynch in the Figure Eight. The finish is intentionally unsatisfying: Lynch grabs the title belt and strikes Charlotte to force the disqualification while retaining. That outcome extends the feud toward Evolution, but it also makes this match feel like a chapter rather than a destination. The wrestling is good enough, while the booking prevents it from reaching the level of their later matches.

The entire match is structured around delaying John Cena's involvement until the audience is ready for the greatest-hits sequence. Lashley works almost everything, trading power offense with Owens and Elias before the heels isolate him through basic tags, holds, and a frog splash. The control section is lengthy enough to become repetitive because there is little doubt about the eventual hot tag. Cena finally enters, hits the shoulder tackles, Five Knuckle Shuffle, Attitude Adjustment, and his newly introduced Sixth Move of Doom, then pins Elias. The crowd enjoys the payoff, but there is almost no competitive tension. As a stadium attraction it accomplishes its purpose. As a pay-per-view match it is essentially a ten-minute setup for sixty seconds of Cena.

The IIconics receive a warm Australian reaction that gives the match more atmosphere than the wrestling creates. Asuka and Naomi control most of the early action through speed and double teams, while Billie Kay and Peyton Royce rely on shortcuts and positioning. The match is too short to develop a meaningful control segment, and several exchanges look loose. The useful booking choice comes at the finish. Kay removes Asuka from the equation near the barricade, allowing Royce to hit Naomi with the running knee and earn the pin without damaging Asuka directly. The hometown victory is clearly the point, and the crowd responds accordingly. Beyond that reaction, there is very little here that rewards a replay.

Styles and Joe finally receive a stipulation that lets their personal feud become a fight without another disputed finish. They start on the ramp, use the barricade and chairs, then gradually return the story to Joe's injured knee. The table spot changes the match when Joe lands badly and immediately begins selling the leg, giving Styles a target that makes the closing submissions feel earned rather than convenient. Joe repeatedly finds the Coquina Clutch, while Styles attacks the knee with a 450 splash and Calf Crusher. The final transition is excellent: Joe traps Styles again, Styles escapes and turns the exchange into the Calf Crusher, forcing a clean submission. It is physical, coherent, and decisively ends the rivalry.

The six-woman tag uses the same basic formula as the Cena match, keeping Rousey on the apron while the Bellas absorb the control segment. Nikki and Brie work extended stretches against Riott, Morgan, and Logan, who cut the ring in half efficiently without creating much danger. The crowd becomes louder once Rousey finally tags in. She throws Logan, attacks with rapid strikes, survives Morgan's attempted save, and finishes by applying armbars to Morgan and Logan at the same time. The double submission is a memorable visual and keeps Rousey looking dominant before Evolution. The match itself is functional rather than exciting, and the lack of the expected Bella turn makes the setup feel incomplete on this night.

Murphy and Alexander understand that the hometown setting is the story, so they work a fast sprint designed to make every kickout feel like a possible title change. Murphy attacks immediately, Alexander answers with explosive counters, and both men escalate through increasingly dangerous power moves rather than slowing for extended control. The super Michinoku Driver and Spanish Fly create major near falls, but the defining moment is Murphy kicking out of the Lumbar Check. The Melbourne crowd reacts as though the title has already changed hands. Alexander tries to springboard back into control, Murphy catches him with a knee, and Murphy's Law ends the reign. The wrestling is excellent, and the emotional payoff makes it the event's signature match.

The six-man tag succeeds by mixing Shield nostalgia with the growing question of whether Dean Ambrose will remain loyal to the group. Rollins absorbs a long control segment before Ambrose and Reigns create the comeback, and the match becomes more interesting once Reigns accidentally strikes Ambrose with the Superman Punch. The opposing trio surrounds Ambrose and briefly tempts him to turn, but he attacks them instead. From there the match becomes a chaotic brawl built around attempted Shield Bombs, Strowman's charges, and rapid saves. Reigns eventually spears Strowman through the barricade while Rollins breaks up the Claymore-Zig-Zag combination. Ambrose then finishes Ziggler with Dirty Deeds. It is long but productive, advancing character tension without sacrificing the team.

The booking idea is defensible even though the match is barely allowed to exist. Miz attacks Bryan's injured ribs immediately, steals Bryan's running knee for a near fall, and tries to convert that momentum into the Skull-Crushing Finale. Bryan counters with a small package and wins in just over two minutes. As a surprise finish, it works because WWE rarely ends major contender matches that quickly and Bryan wins by outwrestling a rival who has repeatedly cheated him. As the payoff to a months-long personal feud, however, it is deeply unsatisfying. The crowd barely has time to settle before the match is over. The result advances Bryan toward the WWE Championship, but the match itself feels like an angle compressed into a pay-per-view slot.

The main event has enormous entrances and recognizable stars, but twenty-seven minutes exposes the limitations that a shorter nostalgia match could have hidden. Undertaker and Triple H work slowly through ringside brawling, chairs, tables, and interference from Michaels and Kane. Individual moments still land, including the Tombstone near fall, Triple H's Pedigree, and the sequence involving the sledgehammer and superkick before the finish. The problem is everything between those moments. Transitions take too long, several exchanges look awkward, and the wrestlers visibly tire as the match continues. Triple H eventually wins after Michaels' superkick and another Pedigree. The crowd appreciates the spectacle, but the match cannot justify its length or the Last Time Ever billing.