WWE Summerslam 2025 Night One

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to the great state of New Jersey this evening as Summerslam emanated from MetLife Stadium. This also marked the first time in WWE history that the event would be a two night spectacular. Tonight’s card featured six scheduled matches with three championships contested as Gunther battled CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman
Winners: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso via pinfall

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso reunited tonight in Reigns’ first in ring action since “The Wiseman” (now “The Oracle”) Paul Heyman turned on him at WrestleMania and forged his alliance with Seth Rollins. Tonight, Reigns and Uso would square off with the two newest Paul Heyman Guys, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. In the closing moments of the opening bout, Breakker had Uso sized up for a spear. As Breakker charged forward, Reigns shoved Uso out of harm’s way and took the spear that nearly broke him in half. Uso then disposed of Breakker and delivered an Uso Splash to Reed to earn the victory.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair
Winners: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair via pinfall

Following Liv Morgan’s shoulder injury, Roxanne Perez stepped in as the newest member of The Judgement Day and as the new tag team partner of Raquel Rodriguez. Tonight they were challenged by Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, who recently became allies of convenience, for the Tag Team Championship. In the closing moments, Charlotte took out Raquel with a big boot allowing Bliss to hit the Sister Abigail on Perez to crown them as the new tag team champions.

Karrion Kross w/ Scarlet vs. Sami Zayn
Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

For weeks, Kross has been trying to convince Zayn that he must tap into his evil side to achieve his goal of becoming a world champion and tonight their rivalry would come to a head. As the match came to an end, Zayn resisted using a steel pipe offered to him by Scarlet and instead delivered a Helluva Kick to earn the win.

WWE Women’s Championship
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Winner: Tiffany Stratton via pinfall

Jade Cargill punched her ticket to a title shot at Summerslam following her win in the Queen of the Ring tournament and tonight she sought to win her first singles championship against Tiffany Stratton. The closing minutes saw Stratton avoid her demise by reversing a top rope Jaded and following it up with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to help her retain her title.

Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre
Winners: Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre via pinfall

Jelly Roll was invited to perform on Smackdown several weeks ago only to be interrupted by Logan Paul. Orton then saved Jelly Roll only to be immediately ambushed by Drew McIntyre. This lead to the start of a bitter rivalry that culminated in a bitter grudge match tonight. The closing moments saw Jelly Roll somehow return to the ring after being put through the announce table but was first met with a Claymore from McIntyre and then the Paul From Grace to suffer defeat in his in-ring debut.

World Heavyweight Championship
Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

After Gunther retired the legendary Goldberg a few weeks ago on Saturday Night’s Main Event, CM Punk stepped up to the champ stating he needed to be World Heavyweight Champion and established himself as his new challenger. Late in the match, Gunther had his legs swept out from beneath him as he stood gloating on the Spanish announce table and took a header on the way down. As he recovered from the ground, he was covered in a crimson mask. Punk then went on to escape a subsequent sleeper hold by Gunther and finished him off with to Go To Sleeps.

As Punk celebrated, Seth Rollins’ music echoed through MetLife Stadium as he and Paul Heyman made their way out. Rollins stood there on crutches with a knee brace on as Heyman held the Money In The Bank briefcase. Rollins let Punk know he’d be cashing in on him soon and proceeded to start walking out only to abruptly stop, drop his crutches, remove his brace, and storm the ring with briefcase in tow.

World Heavyweight Championship Match #2
CM Punk (c) vs. Seth Rollins w/ Paul Heyman
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Seth Rollins proceeded to beat CM Punk down with the briefcase before handing it to the referee to cash it in. Rollins then hit the stomp on Punk and quickly covered him to claim the title.

WWE Summerslam 2021

By Steve Ward

WWE Summerslam emanated this evening (yes, on a Saturday)  from a sold out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was the event moved to a Saturday, but also to the same night where Sin City would play host to the huge Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas showdown. Prior to the event, reports circulated that WWE was actually told to keep their event within three hours so that it would not coincide with the huge title fight, however, that didn’t even come close to happening as the show eclipsed four hours. The card this evening featured ten matches while it boasted seven title bouts in the mix and featured Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship against a returning John Cena who was in search of his record 17th world title.

WWE RAW Tag Team Championship

AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs. Rated RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Matt Riddle)

Winners: RK-Bro via pinfall

Following weeks of failing to see eye to eye between Riddle and Orton, The Original Bro came to his rescue recently on RAW as his singles match with Omos quickly escalated into a handicap encounter hence earning The Viper‘s respect in the process. The reformation of this team proved to pay dividends for them this evening as this rather abrupt match ended with an RKO delivered to Styles to secure the pinfall victory and crown new champions.

Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie w/ Dou Drop

Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall

Since her uninspiring return to WWE, Eva Marie has found herself in the crosshairs of Alexa Bliss who has continued her Fiend-like role despite the recent departure of Bray Wyatt. Sadly, Alexa Bliss’ talents were not able to be utilized to their full extent in this bout with her given opposition. This was yet another match that arrived at a rapid conclusion as Bliss executed a strike to the jaw of Eva Marie to set up the pinfall.

United States Championship

Damian Priest vs. Sheamus (c)

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

Sheamus recently returned to action following a broken nose with a face mask in tow and immediately entered into a program with Damian Priest. This created a huge opportunity for the man once know as Punishment Martinez in his ROH days as he competed for his first title since becoming a member of RAW. What had the promise to be a sleeper match on the card quickly lost it’s momentum as Priest vaulted himself to the ring floor and landed badly on his hip. The bout finally picked up some momentum late as Priest withstood a Brogue Kick and the figure four leglock to deliver The Reckoning allowing him to solidify the victory and crown himself the new United States Champion.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

The Usos (c) vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

After dropping the title to The Usos at Money In The Bank, The Mysterios earned another opportunity to regain them this evening. The Mysterios came up a little short this evening in their bid for a second tag team title reign as The Usos did their part to keep the bloodline intact prior to their cousin, Roman Reigns, title defense later in the evening.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Bianca Belair was poised to defend her title in a Wrestlemania rematch with Sasha Banks, however, ring announcer Greg Hamilton stated that Banks was unable to compete and would be replaced by Carmella. After Carmella made her way to the ring, Belair proceeded to take the mic and belittled Carmella only to be interrupted by the return of “The Man” Becky Lynch! Becky Lynch quickly disposed of Carmella and challenged Belair for the title. Belair accepted the challenge and will be wondering what hit her until Friday Night Smackdown. Following the opening bell, Lynch extended her hand to Belair. Belair reciprocated only to be blindsided with a forearm to the face followed by The Manhandle Slam. The Man quickly pinned Belair to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion after a year and a half off for maternity leave.

Jinder Mahal vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Drew McIntyre

The rivalry between the former Three Man Band cohorts (yes, I went there) that erupted at Money In The Bank last month when Mahal, along with Shanky and Veer, cost McIntyre an opportunity at retrieving the briefcase. In a relative squash match, McIntyre made quick work of Mahal with a series of belly-to-belly suplexes followed by the Claymore Kick.

RAW Women’s Championship

Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission

After Charlotte defeated Ripley to regain her title at Money In The Bank last month, she promptly dropped it the following night on RAW to Nikki A.S.H. who cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase. With Flair and Ripley both laying claims to the title, we arrived at our triple threat encounter tonight. Charlotte again put her wrestling acumen on display as she overcame the odds to earn her 12th championship. With Ripley disposed of on the ring floor, Nikki and Flair found themselves alone in the ring. Nikki attempted a splash from the top rope only to have Flair side step her and quickly cinch in the Figure Eight to regain her title.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Edge via submission

Edge was out for revenge this evening following Rollins’ actions at Money In The Bank which cost him his match for the Universal Championship with Roman Reigns. Rollins awakened a beast within Edge after he referred to him as Edge-light which lead the Rated R Superstar to dive back into a dark place. Edge jumped into the time machine for his entrance this evening as he delved into the archive for the old Brood entrance theme and was raised through a flaming platform - all that was missing was Gangrel spitting “blood” into the air from a chalice. Rollins controlled much of the action in the early going until Edge began to turn the tables late. Edge executed a brutal spear after the prior one was thwarted with a reversal in the form of a Pedigree. Edge then blocked a curb stomp attempt and proceeded to smash Rollins head into the canvas several times before cinching in a move resembling the combination of a sleeper and a crossface to earn the submission victory.

WWE Championship

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP

Winner: Bobby Lashley via no contest

Goldberg made his triumphant return to RAW the night after Money In The Bank to pose a challenge to WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley. Following Lashley’s acceptance the following week, things then became personal as MVP began to target Goldberg’s family - specifically his son at ringside. That brings us to our showdown tonight as the 54-year old Goldberg attempted to reclaim championship gold once again. Just minutes into the match MVP struck Goldberg in the knee with his cane as the referee was distracted which proved to be the deciding factor. Lashley proceeded to target the knee until the referee was forced to put an end to the match with Goldberg’s inability to put weight on his leg. After the bell was called for, Lashley attacked Goldberg with a steel chair until his son jumped the champion only to be the recipient of The Hurt Lock. 

WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

This match came to fruition after John Cena confronted Roman Reigns in the ring following his victory at Money In The Bank and called out the Tribal Chief in search of his 17th world championship. Roman Reigns withstood multiple Attitude Adjustments, including one through the announce table, to finally put away Cena with a devastating spear to retain his title. As Reigns celebrated in the ring, he was interrupted by the unmistakable entrance music of Brock Lesnar! The capacity crowd unleashed a deafening roar as Brock made his way to the ring and stood toe to toe with The Tribal Chief. Paul Heyman appeared to soil himself as he implored Reigns to leave without conflict to which he obliged as the show came to a close.

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WWE Hell in a Cell 2021

By Steve Ward

WWE emanated, once again, from the Thunderdome within the confines of the Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida as they push on with their Dystopian Era. Thankfully the WWE has announced they are returning to the road next month with actual people in attendance but it still demonstrates questionable decisions on their part as AEW has successfully, and safely, hosted fans for over a year in nearby Jacksonville while progressing to full attendance with their pay per view last month. This has all occurred while Vince McMahon has been moving forward with budget cuts in the form of mass talent releases - including stars Braun Strowman and Aleister Black. 

Now onto the evening’s card…while this show always brings a glimmer of hope to me that we will be treated to a Hell in a Cell match that will make a valiant attempt to pay homage to The Undertaker vs. Mankind from way back in 1998, I am sadly disappointed time and time again. Perhaps it’s the PG rating they’ve carried for several years now or even the talent they book for these matches who couldn’t lace the boots of the Dead Man or Foley. Nonetheless, this evening’s card only featured six bout and showcased two Hell in a Cell Matches with blatant omissions of some of their top tier stars such as Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and Roman Reigns.

Smackdown Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair (c)

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

The main card kicked off this evening with the squared circle encompassed by the ominous Hell in a Cell structure as Bianca Belair defended her Smackdown Women’s Championship against former champion, Bayley. This match didn’t exactly have the effect that the bookers for the event intended, I would presume, as the fans lining the arena on the TV screens seemed mostly disengaged while the cell was barely used in this contest and fake crowd noise was clearly filtered in at the conclusion of the match after Belair mercifully finished Bayley off with the Kiss of Death (her version of the Death Valley Driver) onto a ladder.

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Seth Rollins

The next chapter in the rivalry between these two combatants, one that really built momentum with Cesaro’s huge victory over Rollins at Wrestlemania, was written this evening following weeks of endless ridicule directed at the Swiss Superman. This bout wasted no time getting off the ground as Rollins jumped Cesaro during his entrance and a brawl ensued that spilled down to the ring. Rollins appeared to be in dire straits late in this bout as Cesaro was beginning to systematically break him down with a series of submission holds - specifically the Sharpshooter and Crossface - after he executed the Cesaro Swing. As Cesaro was about to attempt to cinch in another Sharpshooter, Rollins rolled him up out of nowhere for the shocking pinfall victory.

Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax & Reginald vs. Alexa Bliss

Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall

Since “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt has been held off of TV for several weeks now, Alexa Bliss has assumed his role so to speak and has targeted The Queen of Spades recently leading to their showdown this evening. Under normal circumstances, this could have been a phenomenal match, however, WWE continues to push the envelope with the theatrics surrounding Alexa Bliss’ current character. After she used some “mind control” tactics on both Baszler and Jax, Bliss finally finished off Baszler with the Twisted Bliss for the win.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

Is it just me or does it seem like every time WWE creative has no idea what to do with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, they book them in another program together? Well this appears to be the case once again as they‘ve found themselves embroiled in yet another feud. This match evolved after Zayn cost Owens his match with Apollo Crews’ muscle, Commander Azeez, on Friday Night Smackdown which left him at the receiving end of the Nigerian Nail. After selling his “throat injury” from Friday night and seemingly injuring his shoulder at the hands of Zayn this evening, Owens only real offense mounted was in the form of a Stunner on the arena floor. Aside from that, Zayn controlled the tempo of this entire bout before he finally solidified his victory with the Helluva Kick.

RAW Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)

Winner: Charlotte Flair via disqualification

Charlotte’s quest to ascend to the top of the Women’s Division once again continued this evening as she finally found her way into a singles bout with the reigning champion, Rhea Ripley. Charlotte tactfully targeted the knee of Ripley for the duration of the match by utilizing the steel ring stairs and a figure four leg lock seemingly positioning herself for an eventual attempt at the Figure Eight. This match met its abrupt end as the action spilled out of the ring where Ripley used the cover of the announcer’s table to strike Flair in the face leading to her disqualification. As we all know, this means Charlotte was awarded the match, however, the title cannot change hands in this situation.

WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match

Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall

Another chapter…perhaps the final chapter…would be written into the rivalry between WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and former champ, Drew McIntyre, this evening. Not only was this bout contested in the ominous Hell in a Cell, but also held the stipulation where McIntyre would never be able to challenge for the title again as long as Lashley holds it in the event he were to lose. Late in the match, McIntyre turned the tide of the contest after an onslaught of kendo stick shots at the hands of Lashley with the use of a steel chair. Unfortunately for Drew, he inadvertently took out the referee with the aforementioned chair before he took out Lashley with a Future Shock DDT. 

With no referee to count the pinfall, the second referee outside the cell needed to remove the padlock and enter the cage. McIntyre again attempted a pinfall only to be stopped this time by MVP who followed the new ref into the cell. After Drew laid waste to MVP, Lashley reemerged to cinch in the Hurt Lock on the arena floor only to have McIntyre break the hold by propelling Lashley and himself through a table. This reopened the door for McIntyre to continue his assault on the champion with a steel chair until Lashley stopped him in his tracks with a choke slam that propelled Drew from the ring apron through a table staged outside the ring. The match reached its conclusion as McIntyre was sizing Lashley up for the Claymore Kick only to have MVP grab his ankles allowing Lashley the opportunity to roll him up for the pinfall to retain his title.

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WWE Fastlane 2021

By Steve Ward

This evening marked the final pay per view on the Road to Wrestlemania, as well as, the first pay per view on the Peacock Network and the final one on the WWE Network in the U.S. The event emanated from the Thunderdome at Tropicana Field and should mark the final pay per view in the Quarantine Era as each day of Wrestlemania is expected to host a significant number of fans. This evening’s card featured seven matches with titles defended including Roman Reigns squaring off with Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c)
Winners: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax via pinfall

The opening contest of the evening presented an interesting dynamic as Wrestlemania opponents became partners for one evening as Belair and WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks, teamed up to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. As expected, this match closed with a meltdown between Banks and Belair. After Belair allowed herself to be shoved into Banks as she had the Bank Statement cinched in on Baszler, Sasha blamed Belair for preventing the submission. While the two were distracted, Baszler rolled up Banks for the pinfall.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Big E (c) vs. Apollo Crews
Winner: Big E via pinfall

Big E’s power was on full display for much of the early part of this match as he dismantled Crews while delivering a pair of brutal splashes out on the ring apron. Crews was able to build some late momentum but could not capitalize as a series of inside cradle reversals finally settled in favor of Big E. Following the match, Crews proceeded to assault Big E until he was beaten senseless so it would appear this rivalry has not concluded quite yet.

Elias w/ Jaxson Ryker vs. Braun Strowman
Winner: Braun Strowman via pinfall

This bout was originally supposed to feature Shane McMahon going toe to toe with Strowman, however, he suffered a training injury to his knee early in the day. Following a conversation backstage between Elias and Shane regarding his Wrestlemania involvement, Elias found himself as the substitute for this match. Strowman essentially mauled Elias like a bear attacking it’s prey until he mercifully finished him off with the running power slam.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

As Rollins continues to find his footing following paternity leave, he has lately been on a mission demanding respect. This match came to fruition on Friday Night Smackdown after Nakamura delivered a kick to Rollins’ face creating a contest between two top tier stars who WWE creative have no clue what to do with. Nakamura appeared in prime position to overcome Rollins late in the match, however, a failed Kinshasa attempt was the only opening Seth needed. Rollins unleashed an offensive onslaught that included a well executed Falcon Arrow before he finished off Nakamura with the Curb Stomp.

No Holds Barred Match
Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre
Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

After Sheamus turned his back on his longtime friend several weeks ago, the two have become embroiled in a bitter feud that would culminate this evening in a No Holds Barred Match. Sheamus appeared to be in dire straits early in the match as he was thrown through a bay of the dystopian fan screens which ignited in sparks, however, he did turn the tables to give McIntyre all he could handle - most notably a White Noise through the announce table. In what ended up being a surprisingly brutal match, McIntyre finally persevered in the end as he put the Celtic Warrior down with a Claymore Kick.

Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss
Winner: Alexa Bliss

After Orton “burned” The Fiend alive three months ago, he has found himself repeatedly confronted by Wyatt’s sidekick Alexa Bliss in encounters that are just flat out weird. This brings us to tonight where the two were scheduled to square off. The first few moments of the “match” saw Orton stalking Bliss around the ring dodging things such as falling scaffolding and fire. Once they returned to the ring, a hand punched through the ring and grabbed Orton by the ankle. After flames shot up through the ring, The Fiend emerged sporting attire that appeared to have been singed in the spirit of Jason Voorhees after he was sent to hell. The Fiend proceeded to deliver the Sister Abigail to Orton which allowed Alexa Bliss to pin The Legend Killer.

WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After Daniel Bryan overcame the odds by surviving a grueling match against five other men at Elimination Chamber last month, he was immediately thrown into his title opportunity with Roman Reigns that of course became an impossible task. Bryan then found his way into a rematch which Edge took exception to and subsequently lead to his position as the special ringside enforcer for this contest. Late in the bout, Bryan continued to bring his A submission game as he repeatedly tied up Roman Reigns. Bryan then attempted the running knee but Reigns ducked out of the way leaving the referee to take the full blow. Edge then stepped in for the referee and failed to count the pinfall on Reigns first attempt to cover Bryan. Next, Jey Uso made his way to the ring and delivered a super kick to the face of Edge and then Bryan.

Uso then introduced a chair into the ring which ended up backfiring on him as he was quickly disposed of. Daniel Bryan proceeded to grab the chair and attempted to take out Reigns who again ducked and left Edge to take the shot this time. Bryan then took out Reigns and trapped him in another Yes Lock. As Edge recovered, he cracked Bryan in the back with the steel chair while Reigns was tapping out. Edge continued to lay waste to both men before storming out of the Thunderdome. Another referee made his way to the ring just in time for Reigns to roll over and cover Bryan to retain his title. 

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Wrestlemania 36 - Part One

By Steve Ward

In a time devoid of the vast majority of professional sports, the WWE (and AEW) have continued to satiate the desire for entertainment to their loyal fan bases as they have consistently aired all of their weekly programs absent of any fans. The “Showcase of the Immortals” began this evening with part one of Wrestlemania 36 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. This year’s event has been billed “Too Big For One Night” and hence the reason it has been divided into two evenings making it one of the most unique Wrestlemanias since Wrestlemania 2 - when some of you may recall the event emanated from The Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, The Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, IL, and The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA with each venue having it’s very own main event.

One could deduce that this year’s show had been divided into two evenings because there is no NXT Takeover event being held and to limit the amount of personnel in the Performance Center but leave it to WWE and their publicity team to put a positive spin on the event. While I would not expect the superstars to put any less effort forward from a physical standpoint, the biggest question would be how they would react to the dynamic of no fans in attendance. Sure, many of the wrestlers have likely performed in a high school gymnasium in front of 15 people in the early stages of their careers, but to be someone who feeds of off crowd reaction and uses it drive their performance this could certainly be disconcerting - if not eerie.

Nonetheless, I still feel like a kid again when this weekend comes around each year and look forward to two great nights of live entertainment because I can only watch so many classic ballgames on MLB Network.

Kickoff Show

Cesaro vs. Drew Gulak
Winner: Cesaro via pinfall

Cesaro disposed of Daniel Bryan’s newfound running mate Drew Gulak as he executed a no-hands airplane spin to seal the pinfall victory.

Main Card

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) (c)

Winners: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross via pinfall

Bliss and Cross appeared to be in dire straits for the majority of this bout. Bliss was disposed of at ringside for a significant portion of the match allowing the Kabuki Warriors to have their way with her - even executing a modification of The Doomsday Device. Cross was able to stave off defeat long enough to turn the tides as late in the match she executed a spinning neck breaker on Sane as Bliss conveniently made her way back to the ring apron. Cross tagged Bliss back in as she scaled to the top turnbuckle and landed the Twisted Bliss to crown new champs.

King Corbin vs. Elias

Winner: Elias via pinfall

There was a great deal of speculation as to whether Elias would even participate in this match after Corbin had launched him off of a balcony one week ago on Friday Night Smackdown. Not only did he show up but rode the momentum of a Jeff Jarrett-esque guitar shot to Corbin’s head prior to the start of the match.

RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Shayna Baszler

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Following an absolutely dominant performance where she defeated five other women to become the number one contender at last month’s Elimination Chamber pay per view, the Queen of Spades went toe to toe this evening with The Man for her title. This was an extremely physical contest with an abundance of strikes thrown by each superstar. It appeared Baszler was about the fulfill the prediction of many and win the title as she cinched in the Kirifuda Clutch, however, Becky rolled over while Shayna’s shoulders were still pinned down and miraculously stole a pinfall to retain her title.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Daniel Bryan w/ Drew Gulak vs. Sami Zayn (c) w/ Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

Cesaro and Nakamura proved to be the difference in this contest. Late in the bout, the two of them laid waste to Drew Gulak which prompted Daniel Bryan to take them out with a suicide dive. With Zayn still seemingly down for the count in the ring, Bryan climbed to the top turnbuckle but as he dove at Zayn he was unceremoniously met with a version of the Helluva Kick allowing Sami to retain his title.

Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Kofi Kingston vs. Jimmy Uso vs. John Morrison

Winner: John Morrison 

Yes, you read that correctly. This bout was for the tag team championship, however, only one member of each team participated after The Miz fell ill, and obviously with the current global climate, was not able to compete. As the closing moments of the match approached, all three competitors found themselves at the top of two ladders propped below the titles hanging in the balance. All three men had their hands on the titles as they were detached and as they struggled for possession, Morrison fell down onto another ladder that was propped up by the ring ropes and one of the ladders in the ring. By dumb luck, he fell with the titles in tow solidifying a successful defense.

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Kevin Owens via pinfall

Following his open defiance of Seth Rollins and his collective of AOP and Buddy Murphy for several weeks, Kevin Owens finally earned his shot at redemption and his Wrestlemania Moment tonight. Rollins dominated the bout early but wasn’t able to put Owens away. Owens then caught Rollins with the Pop-Up Powerbomb but The Monday Night Messiah escaped the pinfall and rolled out of the ring. Rollins then made his way to the timekeeper’s area with Owens in tow, grabbed the ring bell, and struck KO with it leading to a disqualification. This outcome wasn’t acceptable to Owens who proceeded to call Rollins a bitch and challenged him to a no disqualification match which he readily accepted. This second match didn’t last long as Owens laid Rollins out across the announce table and ascended to the top of the Wrestlemania sign just behind it. Owens then jumped from the top of the sign and put Rollins through the table. The two then returned to the ring where Owens dropped Rollins again with the Stunner to earn the pinfall.

WWE Universal Championship

Goldberg (c) vs. Braun Strowman

Winner: Braun Strowman via pinfall

Following weeks of buildup of a title clash between Roman Reigns and Goldberg, The Big Dog was removed from the card due to health concerns stemming from his recent bout with leukemia. In stepped a formidable foe in “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman - a man who previously had no match scheduled on the card to much surprise. Goldberg slipped out of an early power slam attempt by Strowman and executed four spears in a row, however, when he attempted The Jackhammer, Braun reversed it with a power slam. Braun then executed two more power slams and finished things off with a running power slam to quite frankly provide the shock of the night as he pinned the Hall of Famer to earn his first ever Universal Championship.

Boneyard Match

The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles

Winner: The Undertaker

Following The Undertaker’s surprise appearance at WWE Crown Jewel in February where he cost Styles his victory in a gauntlet match, The Phenomenal One has made it a point to call out the Deadman time and time again until tonight’s match came to fruition. This match did not take place inside of the Performance Center, but rather at an undisclosed outdoor location made up to look like a graveyard. AJ Styles arrived in a hearse whereas The Undertaker tapped into his old American Badass persona from the early 2000s and rode in on a motorcycle. After Undertaker had dumped Styles into an open grave, Gallows and Anderson made their presence known as they arrived with several “druids.”

The Undertaker laid waste to all of the robed individuals and as he was gaining the upper hand on Gallows and Anderson, Styles reemerged to crack what appeared to be a piece of concrete over The Phenom’s head. Styles proceeded to verbally belittle The Undertaker for several minutes until he cracked a shovel over his back and threw him into the open grave. As AJ boarded a John Deere in order to bury him, a rejuvenated Undertaker emerged behind Styles and proceeded to lay waste to both him and his OC cohorts. Moments later, Styles also became the recipient of a vicious choke slam off the top of a shed/barn-like structure. Styles proceeded to beg for forgiveness until The Undertaker kicked him into the open grave and used the John Deere to bury him. Apparently this was a buried alive match (I say apparently because no stipulations were established beforehand) so with Styles put away, the Deadman jumped back on his motorcycle and rode off into the night to bring night number one to a close.

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WWE Clash of Champions 2019

By Steve Ward

WWE Clash of Champions emanated this evening from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. 

Aside from eight WWE titles being contested, this pay-per-view carried a supreme level of importance from a business standpoint as well. After the highly successful AEW “ALL OUT” pay-per-view a couple weeks ago treated fans to quite possibly one of the most entertaining shows of the year, the pressure was on for the WWE to step up their game. 

Among the questions to be addressed: 1) Would WWE push - or perhaps finally break - the boundaries of their frustrating PG rating? and 2) Would thousands of subscribers lash out at WWE for continued buffering issues since the inception of their updated streaming platform that ruined Summerslam for countless members of the WWE Universe? 

These are all of paramount importance with NXT debuting on USA this week, Smackdown moving to FOX in October (and still not giving the network the “edgy” product they want), and AEW premiering in a matter of weeks on TNT. These storylines along with eight titles contested would paint the picture for the evening.

RAW Tag Team Championship

Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman (c) vs. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler

Winners: Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler via pinfall

The opening contest of the main card pitted the recently crowned RAW Tag Team Champions Rollins and Strowman (scheduled to face each other later in the evening for the Universal Championship) against Roode and Ziggler who earned their shot after coming out victorious from the largest tag team turmoil match in WWE history recently on RAW. In the closing moments of the match, Strowman attempted to knock Ziggler off the ring apron only to have Ziggler pull the ropes down so that he tumbled out of the ring. With Rollins distracted, we received a truly glorious conclusion to the bout as Roode got the upper hand on The Beastslayer and executed a flawless Glorious DDT to earn the pinfall.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Bayley

Blink and you would have missed the end of this match. As the referee was distracted with Charlotte Flair while Bayley laid in the corner, the champion removed the bottom turnbuckle cover. As Charlotte went to grab Bayley, she was propelled head first into the exposed steel turnbuckle. The devastating effect of this blow left Charlotte incapacitated allowing Bayley to earn the quick pinfall.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)

Winners: The Revival via submission

The Revival practiced what they preach and took their old school approach on the road to victory in this contest. First, they strategically destroyed the knee of Xavier Woods and later proceeded to take Big E out of the equation as they executed The Shatter Machine out on the arena floor. With Woods still ailing in the ring and no help in sight, The Revival delivered another Shatter Machine on him and rather than score an easy pinfall, Dawson cinched in a reverse figure four leglock for the submission victory.

Women’s Tag Team Championship

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) vs. Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville)
Winners: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross via pinfall

In a match that was clearly carried by Bliss and Cross, the only real offense mounted by Fire & Desire was when they executed some brief tandem offense in the form of a high-low on Bliss. This advantage didn’t last long as Nikki Cross hit the swinging neck breaker with Rose’s legs propped up on the top ropes for the pinfall victory.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Miz vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) w/Sami Zayn
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall

The first few minutes of this match were ruined by Sami Zayn supplying obnoxious commentary as he strutted around the ring until his mic was mercifully cut off and we could get down to business. This match saw The Artist Known As Shinsuke Nakamura attempt to continue his title reign while The Miz was striving to earn his ninth Intercontinental Title. Zayn proved to be the difference in this match as The Miz finally had enough of his antics in the closing moments and proceeded to chase him around the ring. Unfortunately for The Miz, he didn’t see Nakamura laying in wait on the other side of the ring and as he rounded the corner, he was greeted with a jumping knee strike to the jaw. Nakamura then rolled Miz back into the ring and sealed the deal with the Kinshasa for the victory.

RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Winner: Sasha Banks via disqualification

After a lengthy hiatus, Sasha Banks returned a few weeks ago with a vengeance and it was apparent from the get-go that The Man was explicitly in her crosshairs. As Banks became frustrated that she could not put away Lynch with The Bank Statement, she turned to some dirty antics as she introduced a chair into the fray. This soon backfired on Banks as The Man picked up the chair and swung for the fences. Unfortunately for the referee, he took the first shot that laid him out. Lynch then laid waste to Sasha and the fight spilled into the arena. Once the women finally made their way back to the ring, Lynch continued her vicious assault on Banks even though she had long since been disqualified. WWE officials finally rescued Banks as Lynch seemed poised to pop out her shoulder with the Disarmer while using a steel chair for leverage. Needless to say, this rivalry is far from over.

WWE Championship

Randy Orton vs.  Kofi Kingston (c)
Winner: Kofi Kingston via pinfall

After coming up short against Kingston at Summerslam, The Viper was given another opportunity at the WWE Championship this evening against someone who’s had a more improbable title reign than Mr. McMahon’s back in the Attitude Era - perhaps that’s a little harsh but oh well. This was by and far the most lackluster match on the card as Kofi unbelievably dominated Orton for a good deal of the contest and the crowd was not engaged - at least not in a positive fashion as you could hear boos echoing out. The only time the crowd rose to their feet was when Orton nailed Kofi with an RKO Outta Nowhere, however, Kofi placed his leg on the rope to break the pinfall attempt. Orton tried to finish Kofi once and for all with the punt to the skull but Kingston evaded it and landed the Trouble In Paradise to retain his title.

No Disqualification Match

Roman Reigns vs. Rowan
Winner: Rowan via pinfall

After weeks of speculation as to who was responsible for attack after attack on Roman Reigns, it was finally revealed that Rowan, not Daniel Bryan, was the mastermind. Roman Reigns was out for vengeance this evening as he entered the ring with Rowan in a no disqualification match. It appeared late in the contest that Reigns would overcome being put through not one, but two, tables to come out victorious over Rowan. After attacking Rowan with a TV camera at the top of the stage, Reigns seemed poised to run down the ramp for a spear or Superman punch, however, he was intercepted with a boot to the face by a returning Luke Harper! The two proceeded to severely beat down Reigns just before Rowan finished him off with the Iron Claw.

WWE Universal Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman
Winner: Seth Rollins

After coming out unsuccessful in their defense of the RAW Tag Team Championship earlier in the evening, partners became foes as Rollins and Strowman stepped into the squared circle again - this time with Rollins’ Universal Championship on the line. The real highlight of this match was a legit splash that Strowman landed on Rollins from the top rope, however, it wasn’t enough. Rollins had to put work in this evening to keep his title as it took four curb stomps and the Pedigree to finally overcome The Monster Among Men. As Rollins made his way to the top of the entrance ramp in victory, the arena went black. Then a spotlight illuminated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt holding a subdued Rollins. First, Wyatt put Rollins down with a Sister Abigail just before the lights went out again. This would not be all, however, as the two were illuminated again, this time with Wyatt’s fingers shoved down Rollins’ throat as he choked him out with the Mandible Claw to close the show.

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