Tim Fiorvanti breaks down every match on Sunday's WWE No Mercy pay-per-view card, which takes place from Sacramento, California. Senior stats analyst Sean Coyle offers ratings worth a maximum of five points. Criteria for ratings is based on storytelling, in-ring execution, match psychology, timing and innovation -- worth up to one point each.
The following was updated in real time.
Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton by pinfall (15:40)
The one lingering question about this feud circled around why fans should care enough to warrant this match closing out a PPV. Orton and Wyatt have made strides toward making this rivalry resonate with the WWE universe, but simply positioning it in a prominent way on SmackDown Live and at No Mercy wasn't enough to make it a main-event feud on its own.
Despite a somewhat quiet reaction throughout the match, the dramatic return of Luke Harper did more for Wyatt in 30 seconds than much of the last year of his career.
Having gone through both of those big title matches earlier in the night, the crowd had little left to give, and that didn't do the match any favors. Wyatt and Orton pushed hard and got very physical, but the slow pace of the action wasn't what this tired crowd was looking for. Each man hit his signature offense and got parts of the crowd into it at times, but it simply couldn't be maintained for a significant stretch.
Utilizing the positioning to put this match on last seemed to be one last attempt to drive home how important it was supposed to be, but with the way everything has played out, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler seemed to have "earned" the traditional main-event spot in lieu of the world title match going on last. The visual of Orton's face getting distorted in the mirror was a cool one before the match, but in terms of storyline continuity and realism, that backstage moment felt more like the disastrous Hulk Hogan-Ultimate Warrior WCW rivalry than anything creepy and modern.
With all that said, considering Harper's appearance in the ring and Wyatt grabbing a very big win, it was a positive ending to an otherwise mediocre in-ring performance. For better or worse, Harper is a much more dominant and believable heavy than Erick Rowan, and he presents an opportunity to give Wyatt one last push toward the top of SmackDown Live.
Naomi def. Alexa Bliss by pinfall (5:26)
A last-minute replacement for the match involving Bliss and injured WWE SmackDown women's champion Becky Lynch, this one had the tough task of following the Intercontinental championship showdown. The result is a bit of a headscratcher as well; the No. 1 contender fell to Naomi, who hadn't been close to a title match since the Six Pack Elimination Challenge to crown the inaugural champion.
It was a pretty good match in a few brief moments, and the willingness of each woman to push her limits and take chances was evident; both should benefit in the long term because of this style.
After the roll-up victory by Naomi, the temper tantrum from Bliss was a bit much. This result could be as simple as giving Bliss a brief rivalry to tide her over until her upcoming title match in Scotland against a returning Lynch, but it's dangerous to potentially derail her momentum at this moment, when she has been doing some strong work and overachieving in her rivalry against Lynch.
WWE Intercontinental championship: Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz (c) by pinfall (19:42)
There was genuine doubt over the fate of this career vs. title match since it was announced, helped by the level of storytelling done by The Miz and Ziggler and some reality blurring activity on social media.
It has been an ideal execution of a modern storyline since Backlash, and despite several moments when it looked as if Ziggler would have his career ended by The Miz's nefarious tactics, he overcame four people working against him and won a career-defining decision on the way to his fifth career Intercontinental championship reign.
There were lots of early pinfall attempts from each man, pushing just how driven each of their characters were to accomplish what they came to Sacramento to do in short order. The Miz brought back his copycat act of utilizing Daniel Bryan's moveset, and even threw in several mocking "Yes" chants before utilizing the double stomp to the back of Ziggler's knees after three consecutive running corner dropkicks.
From the beginning, The Miz was trying to cut every corner, as he'd done in each previous showdown. He tried to use the ropes for leverage during a pinfall attempt and then grabbed the tights during a roll-up. He also took the pad off of one of the top turnbuckles, striking two big blows later in the match that led to some excellent near-falls.
One of the brighter spots in the early going was a sequence in which The Miz had the "Figure Four" locked on and dragged Ziggler toward the middle of the ring. Ziggler couldn't quite reach the ropes and nearly lost by both pinfall and submission before finally reaching out. It was made even more believable as Miz had been working Ziggler's leg from the beginning, making it a through-line throughout the match. From a dropkick to a trapped leg against the rope to the "Figure Four" and other maneuvers, Ziggler sold his injured leg by struggling to even stand at various points in the match.
The Miz dug into the Bryan bag of tricks once more by doing big kicks to Ziggler's chest, but in taking it too far and attempting to hit a running knee, Ziggler got enough space to hit a "Zig Zag" for a two-count and turned the tide of the match.
It looked as if Ziggler would suffer the same fate for a third consecutive match as Maryse brought the hairspray into play, but in the third edition of this sequence, Ziggler got his leg on the bottom rope at the very last moment to save the match. Miz went after the leg again, and Ziggler's boot came flying off. Ziggler then hit a superkick for another two count, but he seemed more hobbled than ever.
Maryse beckoned for The Spirit Squad to come and make a difference and, with both Kenny and Mikey hopping up onto the apron, Miz was able to hit a "Skull-Crushing Finale" that led to a two count, fooling much of the audience as Ziggler kicked out at the last possible moment.
After coming to his senses, the referee kicked Miz's three ringside cronies out, and while the champion complained, his distraction led to one more superkick and a pinfall victory for Ziggler.
Whether or not a rematch is forthcoming, as much as these guys have done with this rivalry, this served as a fitting climax.
Baron Corbin def. Jack Swagger by pinfall (7:28)
There has been a clear desire to make Corbin a piece of the future in the WWE since his victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in April, but no matter what has been done with him in the past six months, he can't quite seem to pick up the right kind of momentum.
He has a unique look and a finisher that looks different and effective, and yet fans just can't quite connect with him, in either a good or a bad way. This rivalry with Swagger, which feels like a diet version of the Sheamus vs. Cesaro feud on Raw, is based around two tough guys wanting to get the better of each other.
The end of this match was fun; Corbin grabbed the apron during a ropebreak to force Swagger to break an ankle lock attempt. While the referee fixed the apron, Corbin poked Swagger in the eye and connected on his End of Days finishing move for the pinfall victory.
While each was able to hit his signature offense, these two guys didn't seem to click very well at any point in the match. Corbin's aggression is clearly on display, but until he finds the right opponent he's going to wallow in mediocrity.
WWE SmackDown tag team championship: Heath Slater & Rhyno (c) def The Usos by pinfall (10:17)
Counting out Heath Slater and Rhyno has been commonplace since the pairing was first announced. It not only appeared as if they weren't going to win the titles, they certainly didn't seem likely to successfully defend them against some of the tougher teams on SmackDown Live.
And yet, they keep on winning. Despite every sign in recent storylines that The Usos and American Alpha are destined to battle for the tag team championships, "Beauty and the Manbeast" don't appear to be slowing down after Sunday's victory.
Early on in this match, Slater was the victim of some serious offense from The Usos, while Rhyno was able to clean house and keep his team in it, for a stretch. Further embracing their roles as the bad guys, Jimmy and Jey Uso did everything within their power to take advantage of the referee turning his back.
After years of meandering around the lowest tier of the WWE, the "One Man Brand" not only did a believable run in last Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live to save American Alpha, he showed just how much he has improved in the eyes of fans by getting a hot tag and cleaning house. He also executed a great looking powerslam, jumping to the second rope but only getting a two count.
It looked as if The Usos had brought the fairy tale to an end with a superkick into a chop block, followed by a "Tequila Sunrise," but it was all broken up by Rhyno, who hit a spear on the outside and then broke up the submission on Slater. A Gore locked up yet another victory as the unlikeliest of tag team champions retained again, and with the reactions they continue to receive from the crowd, they might be in this spot for some time to come.
Nikki Bella def. Carmella by pinfall (8:06)
Carmella hasn't been getting much in the way of reactions from the fans, even after turning into a full blown heel. But despite her relative inexperience in the ring, the level of violence she has put on display in her rivalry with Bella has been impressive.
These two had the unenviable task of following the WWE world championship match, and much of this match was spent allowing Carmella to carry on her previous trend of administering a beatdown for most of this match. Bella hit a roundhouse kick and a Bella Buster, but Carmella was able to get the kickout and another string of offense in.
Bella finally got a measure of revenge, managing to counter a "Flatliner" and a pair of "Code of Silence" attempts to eventually hit her Rack Attack 2.0 finishing move and pick up the victory. With the uncertain status of the women's division and a title match between Bliss and Lynch pushed off for almost a month, it seems likely these two might have a little bit more to do against one another before all is said and done.
WWE world championship: A.J. Styles (c) def. John Cena and Dean Ambrose by pinfall (21:15)
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