WWE Tribute to the Troops took place Sunday before NXT TakeOver: WarGames at the WWE Thunderdome in Orlando, Florida.
The annual event that does what the name says, pays tribute to the troops, has been a popular show for years because WWE books it slightly different from its usual event.
This year's TTTT featured three matches and a musical performance, which has also become a tradition for the show. Country star HARDY, no relation to Matt and Jeff, played for the crowd.
The Miz took on Drew McIntyre, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair faced Bayley and Natalya and a big 10-man tag match took place.
Let's take a look at everything that happened at Tribute to the Troops.
10-Man Tag Match
1 OF 3
The show opened with a video package showcasing highlights from past Tribute events from the U.S. and abroad. We went live and saw the Thunderdome screens filled with men and women from the armed forces.
The first match was the big 10-man tag bout with Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, jeff hardy and The Street Profits taking on Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, King Corbin, Sami Zayn and Elias.
Mysterio and Ziggler started off with a quick pace as they traded holds and takedowns. Both men got in some offense before Roode tagged in and took over for his team.
The Charismatic Enigma came in and regained the upper hand for his team. A huge brawl broke out after Elias took a cheap shot at Hardy right before the break.
The same patterns continued after the break with quick tags on both sides. The end came when Montez Ford hit his sky-high frog splash on Zayn for the pin.
Grade: B
Analysis
When you pack 10 people into one match, it's going to follow a certain pattern. Everybody gets a little time in the ring from each side, and at least one huge brawl will always take place.
Every near-fall that happened early in the match was obviously not going to be the finish, so it took away any sense of danger until everybody had been in the ring at least once.
Those basic criticisms aside, there was a lot to like here. We saw some fun exchanges between different stars, and WWE did a good job balancing the teams on both sides.
This bout managed to include a few different storylines, but it didn't do anything to further them. It just reminded us feuds like Elias vs. Hardy exist, which isn't a bad thing. Tribute shows like this are more about putting on a fun show than advancing feuds.
This was a solid way to kick off the show even if it was predictable in a lot of ways.
Bayley and Natalya vs. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair
2 OF 3
After a musical performance from HARDY, a push-up contest between Lacey Evans and three marines, and some videos of celebrities thanking the troops, the women came to the ring for their tag match.
The former best friends kicked things off for their teams with a furious lockup. Banks brought Bayley down into a side headlock before she brought in Belair. The EST countered a drop toe hold, but The Role Model still cornered her by Natalya.
Belair got the first near-fall of the match and managed to fend off both opponents. She picked up Banks and threw her into Bayley and Natalya for a nice double-team spot.
We returned from a break to see Bayley and Natalya controlling the pace. Belair managed to tag in Banks, and The Boss turned things around with a barrage of offense. She locked The Queen of Harts in The Bank Statement for the submission victory.
Grade: C+
Analysis
Michael Cole made sure to mention how Bayley and Natalya have had some recent run-ins but also talked about their mutual hatred for their opponents.
What was surprising was how little that animosity between Natalya and Bayley came into play. It seemed like Cole brought it up to plant the seeds for a miscommunication to cost them the match, but it never happened.
The bout was good but felt a little rushed. The pace they worked never allowed anyone to sell anything for long. Belair and Banks made a good team. It would be awesome to see them pursue the tag titles at some point.
The Miz vs. Drew McIntyre
3 OF 3
The main event saw McIntyre face The Miz in a non-title match. Mr. Money in the Bank had his contract close by and John Morrison at ringside for support.
The Miz got in the first few punches, but the WWE champion quickly cornered him for a thunderous chop to the chest. He threw Morrison over the barricade at one point, and it allowed The Miz to take control momentarily.
The Scottish Warrior, which is not as cool of a nickname as The Scottish Psychopath, managed to fend off both his opponent and Morrison before hitting the Future Shock DDT.
He lined up and hit a Claymore for the pin.
Grade: C
Analysis
This was a little too short and way too predictable. They looked good together, but like the tag match before it, they had to rush to make sure they got everything they needed into the match.
What would have really made this show special was a successful or failed MITB cash-in by The Miz, but when it comes to Tribute shows, the babyfaces almost never lose.
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