3: Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Rusev

Of all the matches on the card, this was the one with the least build, and it turned out to be one of the night’s most enjoyable encounters. A smart decision to open the show with this match, Rusev and Shinsuke set a good tone for the rest of the night and the crowd was well invested in both men.

For once, Rusev was booked to look strong in defeat to a main eventer and this loss hasn’t damaged him at all. In fact, he was booked to look strong against Shinsuke for a lot of this match, scoring several near falls before finally falling to the Kinshasa, The duelling chants made for a great atmosphere to start the night and hopefully, Rusev will continue to climb up the card in the coming months. He is one of the most popular superstars in the WWE today, and the company will be foolish to leave him off the Mania card.