WWE Super Showdown Aftermath

By Steve Ward

WWE presented it’s latest Saudi Arabian cash-grab today from the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with Super Showdown.  This show aired at 2 PM ET/11 AM PST while most of North America was at work  -including myself. Despite the time difference, it was still about 100 degrees in the stadium at the start of the show which certainly would create an additional dynamic for the Superstars. The ridiculously stacked card was arguably as good as, if not better than, this year’s installment of Wrestlemania as it featured nine matches with three titles contested, including a 50 man over-the-top battle royal thrown in for good measure. As has been the case with all of the previous Saudi Arabian shows, there were no women’s matches featured on the card, however, Renee Young was still featured on the commentary team - my one question here is with her present and her long blonde hair fully exposed, did this earn a TV-MA rating on Saudi television???

WWE Universal Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Baron Corbin

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Lesnar made his way to the ring after the contest with a referee and The Advocate with the intention of cashing in his Money In The Bank contract, however, Paul Heyman “tripped” over the ropes. This mishap distracted Brock long enough for Rollins to low blow The Beast. With Lesnar subdued, Rollins subsequently laid waste to him with a steel chair before he finally finished him off with a curb stomp that drove Lesnar’s skull into his own briefcase.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

“The Demon” Finn Balor (c) vs. Andrade

Winner: Finn Balor via pinfall

Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon

Winner: Shane McMahon via pinfall

While Shane McMahon continued to impress me with his ability to hang in with some of WWE’s top talent at age 49, he needed the assist in the form of a brutal Claymore Kick from Drew McIntyre to score the pinfall.

3 on 1 Handicap Match

Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, & Kalisto) vs. Lars Sullivan

Winner: Lars Sullivan via DQ

Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Winner: Randy Orton via pinfall (RKO Outta Nowhere)

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Winner: Braun Strowman via pinfall (Running Powerslam)

WWE Championship

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Winner: Kofi Kingston via pinfall (Trouble In Paradise)

50-Man Over-the-Top Battle Royal

Winner: Mansoor

Once the luster of the spectacle that was 50 men in the ring at one time faded, this match turned into kind of an uninspired cluster. Essentially, the WWE threw in all of the Superstars who haven’t been on tv in quite a while with those they didn’t book a match for (except for The Revival and The Usos who squared off on the kick-off show) and allowed the bodies to start flying. Another disappointment was the lack of  any legends in the contest along with the continued burial of EC3 as he was the first participant eliminated. The match concluded as virtual unknown and the first Saudi born WWE Superstar Mansoor (Am I the only one who immediately thinks of Mantaur when I see this name? Look him up if you need to, you won’t regret it.) eliminated Elias to walk out victorious in front of his fellow countrymen.

Goldberg vs. The Undertaker

Winner: The Undertaker

Two legends collided in the main event, unfortunately it was twenty years beyond the time this collision should have occurred. I give the utmost respect to these two 50+ year old men for still stepping into the ring, however, The Undertaker (54) and Goldberg (52) both appeared to be slowed by the intense heat and Goldberg by the blood he lost from a gash to his forehead early in the contest. Late in the match, Goldberg hoisted up the near seven foot Undertaker for the Jackhammer, however, he was unable to land all of it as it essentially turned into a Brainbuster. After The Undertaker kicked out of the subsequent pinfall attempt, Goldberg appeared to attempt a Tombstone but both men fell to the canvas seemingly exhausted. As soon as they returned to their feet, The Undertaker quickly executed a chokeslam (barely lifting Goldberg off the canvas) and covered him for the pinfall. Personally, the ending of this bout left me and seemingly many of the fans in attendance dissatisfied so I would not be opposed to seeing a rematch in an air conditioned venue with about five minutes shaved off of it.

Fun fact: Before Goldberg debuted in WCW way back in 1997, his now famous entrance theme had been used by Pat Tanaka - best known as a member of the Orient Express in his WWF days and Badd Company in the early days of ECW.

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Wrestlemania 35 Recap

By Steve Ward

After a pro wrestling fan’s dream weekend with events such as Wrestlecon, The G1 Supercard, NXT Takeover New York, and the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony (I’m still waiting for an actual building to be erected to enshrine these hall of famers), the day has arrived for the granddaddy of them all, the showcase of the immortals, Wrestlemania. This year 82,265 fans embarked upon MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants, in East Rutherford, New Jersey and were treated to a marathon that clocked in at nearly seven and a half hours. One of the major questions posed by fans was how this show would play out with the undeniable pressure of the upstart AEW coming in the fall and the massive aforementioned G1 Supercard (a joint event by New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor) that was held at Madison Square Garden, the “home” arena of WWE for decades. Aside from the competition posed by competitors, the card advertised leading up to the event was clearly devoid of WWE staples John Cena, The Rock, Hulk Hogan (after the drama that accompanied his return to the company), and the man who personifies Wrestle mania - The Undertaker.

Kickoff Show

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese

Winner: Tony Nese via pinfall

Unfortunately the men of 205 Live were denied the respect they deserve as they opened the kickoff show in front of a half full MetLife Stadium. Long Island’s Tony Nese put on an outstanding performance as he withstood Murphy’s Law to execute a German Suplex that propelled Murphy into the turnbuckle and he followed it up with the Running Nese to earn the pinfall.

Women’s Battle Royal

Final Four: Carmella, Asuka, Sarah Logan, Sonya Deville

Winner: Carmella

After Asuka unceremoniously dropped the Smackdown Women’s Championship two weeks ago, she was my favorite to win this until Sarah Logan eliminated her. The fans believed Sarah Logan won until Carmella emerged from outside the ring to super-kick her over the top rope for the victory.

RAW Tag Team Championship

The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) (c) vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

Winner: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins via pinfall

The streak is over! Curt Hawkins’ 269 match losing streak ended as he rolled up Scott Dawson for the pinfall!

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Final Four: Jeff Hardy, Braun Strowman, Michael Che, and Colin Jost

Winner: Braun Strowman

Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Colin Jost attempted to get the upper hand on the Monster Among Men as they emerged from beneath the ring after hiding there for the duration of the match. After Strowman eliminated both Hardy Boyz, Che attempted to eliminate himself by stepping over the top rope, but received a shot to the jaw to knock him off the ring apron. Braun then launched Colin Jost over the top rope into a collective of Superstars for the win.

Main Card

Just when the WWE Universe didn’t think the show could kick off any better than with Alexa Bliss and Hulk Hogan, Paul Heyman stormed down to the ring and declared that his client refused to sit around all night if he wasn’t closing the show and wanted to get business done.

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman  vs. Seth Rollins
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Seth Rollins solidified his position in a title match at The Showcase of the Immortals after he outlasted 30 other men to win this year’s Royal Rumble. It didn’t take Rollins long to declare that he would challenge The Beast for his Universal Championship. After Brock laid waste to Rollins for several minutes, Rollins shoved Brock into the ref and capitalized with a low blow. Rollins proceeded to execute three consecutive curb stomps to become the new Universal Champion.

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
Winner: AJ Styles via pinfall

Another surprising entry early on the card pitted The Phenomenal One against The Viper. AJ styles dodged an RKO attempt by Orton while he attempted a Phenomenal Forearm as he grabbed Orton by the back of the head and drove his throat down into the top rope. Styles then successfully landed his second Phenomenal Forearm attempt while Orton was stunned to solidify the pinfall victory.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way
The Usos (c) vs. The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev
Winners: The Usos

After it appeared Ricochet and Black would win when The One and Only landed a magnificent 630 from the top rope, The Usos proved their resilience and landed dual top rope splashes from opposite corners on Nakamura and Sheamus to retain their titles.

Falls Count Anywhere
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz
Winner: Shane McMahon

This match came to fruition after The Miz and Shane-o-Mac came up short in their attempt to regain the Smackdown Tag Team Titles at Fastlane and Shane turned on Miz as he engaged in a vicious beat down of the A-lister in front of his father. This match exceeded my expectations as it spilled all over the stadium after The Miz’s father was beat down by Shane. Eventually the two men scaled a camera platform in the middle of the crowd after destroying the foreign commentary section. The Miz proceeded to superplex Shane off of the platform to a pile of mats and plywood about 15 feet down. The way they landed left Shane on top allowing referee Charles Robinson to make the three count.

Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way
Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs. Natalya & Beth Phoenix vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. The Iiconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay)
Winners: The Iiconics

It appeared that Natalya and Beth Phoenix had the titles won after Phoenix dropped Bayley on her face with a modified gut wrench, however, Billie Kay tagged Phoenix before she left the turnbuckle. As Phoenix pinned Bayley, the Iiconics threw her out of the ring and Kay pinned Bayley to win the titles.

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) w/Rowan vs. Kofi Kingston
Winner: Kofi Kingston

After weeks of being run through the ringer by Mr. McMahon, Kofi’s counterparts Big E & Xavier Woods successfully ran the gauntlet on Smackdown Live to earn Kofi his title shot at Wrestlemania. Kofi seemed to be a man of destiny as he withstood several running knee strikes and submission attempts in the form of the LeBell lock. Kofi sealed the victory with the Trouble in Paradise to become the new WWE Champion.

United States Championship
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner: Samoa Joe via submission

Blink and you would have missed this match. Rey landed wrong on his ankle coming off the top turnbuckle allowing Joe to lock in the Coquina clutch for the quick submission victory.

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

This match marked Roman’s first singles match on pay per view since his return from a battle with leukemia. Roman’s opponent, the man once billed as Vince McMahon’s chosen one, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre dominated the majority of the contest until, in typical Roman Reigns fashion, Roman got “fired up” after being slapped and proceeded to hit the Superman Punch and The Spear in succession for the pinfall victory.

After the match, it was time for the Elias concert. Halfway through the concert, a strange video highlighting Babe Ruth played on the Titantron. At it’s conclusion, Thuganomics was displayed in conjunction with John Cena’s classic entrance theme. Cena came to the ring dressed like it was 2002, dissed Elias in classic fashion, and hit the F-U and Five Knuckle Shuffle to the loudest pop he’s received in 15 years.

No Holds Barred Match - Triple H’s Career on the line
Triple H vs. Batista
Winner: Triple H

Batista made his return to WWE several weeks back on RAW when he assaulted Ric Flair backstage during his 70th birthday celebration and proceeded to call Triple H out. The two proceeded to make their demands regarding the stipulations of the match. First, Triple H accepted the challenge but declared it would be contested under No Holds Barred rules. Then Batista countered and told Triple H he wanted him to put his in-ring career on the line - which Triple H aptly accepted. This match was absolute carnage. Broken announce tables, ring steps, pliers, and of course - sledgehammers. Just when it seemed Triple H’s career was in jeopardy after Batista kicked out of a Pedigree, Ric Flair emerged to pass him a sledgehammer. Triple H took down Batista with it, then utilized another Pedigree to seal the victory.

Kurt Angle’s Farewell Match
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
Winner: Baron Corbin

Much to the chagrin of the WWE Universe, Kurt Angle was scheduled to square off with Baron Corbin in what has been coined his farewell match. Kurt arrived in great shape, landed several German suplexes, The Angle Slam, and the ankle lock submission - none of which did the job. Angle then attempted a moonsault but, unfortunately, Corbin rolled out of the way and trapped Kurt in the Deep Six to defeat the only Olympic Gold Medalist in WWE history.

Intercontinental Championship
Bobby Lashley (c) w/ Lio Rush vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor
Winner: “The Demon” Finn Balor

Finn Balor shockingly power bombed the much larger Bobby Lashley and proceeded to land the Coup de Grace to become the new Intercontinental Champion in impressive fashion.

RAW & Smackdown Women’s Championship - Winner Takes All
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Initially “The Man” Becky Lynch earned her spot against Ronda Rousey by winning the Women’s Royal Rumble match, however, she was supplanted from the bout after being suspended by Mr. McMahon and replaced with Charlotte Flair. After Becky earned her way back into the match making it a triple threat contest, Charlotte shocked the WWE Universe by defeating Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship a couple weeks ago on Smackdown Live making tonight’s bout a winner take all affair. All of these ladies put on performances worthy of walking out with the titles but it was The Man’s night. With Charlotte laid out on the floor, Ronda Rousey hoisted Becky up for the Piper’s Pit and as she dropped her to the canvas, The Man rolled Rousey onto her shoulders to claim the pinfall victory.

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WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 Recap

By Steve Ward

WWE Elimination Chamber emanated from The Toyota Center in Houston, TX this evening. The card featured six matches with five titles defended. Two of the bouts were contested in the awe-inspiring Elimination Chamber structure with one most notably to crown the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions. On a personal note, I will say that I found this to be one of WWE’s most entertaining “non big four” pay-per-views in quite some time - could it be because they are starting to feel the pressure from AEW or is it simply because we are on the Road to Wrestlemania? Only time will tell. Nonetheless, I’ve always held a soft spot for the Elimination Chamber ever since I was in attendance at The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, for it’s inception at the 2002 Survivor Series. This match saw the final two competitors come down to Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a classic contest. Without further ado, here are the results from this evening.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match

Carmella & Naomi vs. Riott Squad - Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. The Iiconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley

Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley via submission

The first bout contested in the ominous Elimination Chamber this evening was to crown the first WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Deville and Rose kicked off the match against Banks and Bayley as the remaining four teams were locked in their respective pods. Jax and Tamina entered the ring shortly after the Iiconics scored the first pinfall of the bout on Naomi. The imposing tandem, who remind me of the female version of the Faces of Fear (Barbarian and Meng), quickly laid waste to all of the competitors except for the Iiconics who attempted to take shelter in a pod.

Their seemingly clever tactics didn’t last long as Jax and Tamina broke open the pod and flung them back and forth against the chamber wall like they were rag dolls. They then proceeded to simultaneously deliver Samoan drops to the Iiconics for the pinfall. The next elimination came after Tamina delivered the top rope splash made famous by her father Jimmy Snuka onto both members of the Riott Squad to secure another pinfall elimination. After Jax missed a spear on Bayley, she went through one of the pods in the corner leaving Tamina susceptible. This proved to be the turning point of the bout as the other two remaining teams proceeded to beat down Tamina.

 Bayley capped off the assault as she delivered a nearly flawless elbow drop and all four women then piled on top of Tamina for the pinfall. The matched reached it’s conclusion as Sasha Banks locked Sonya Deville in the Bank Statement to claim the submission victory and solidified Bayley and herself in the annals of sports entertainment history as the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Shane McMahon & The Miz (c) vs. The Usos

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

After winning the titles from The Bar at the Royal Rumble, Shane-o-Mac and The Miz made their first title defense this evening against the new number one contenders, The Usos. It was quite evident from the get-go that the champs had put in some serious work as they functioned as a cohesive unit. Shane McMahon delivered a Coast to Coast and an elbow drop from the top turnbuckle to the announce table at ringside and The Miz connected with the Skullcrushing Finale but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. After The Miz executed his patented finisher, his pinfall attempt was reversed and in a shocking turn of events, the Usos are new tag team champions!

WWE Intercontinental Championship 2-on-1 Handicap Match

Bobby Lashley (c) & Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor

Winner: Finn Balor via pinfall

The odds were seemingly stacked against the leader of the Balor Club as he was forced to fight both Lashley and his hype man Lio Rush. Lashley had this match in hand and appeared to sizing up Balor for a spear when Rush reached over to tag himself in. This was the window of opportunity Balor needed as he ran roughshod over Rush and sealed his victory with the Coup de Grace to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

RAW Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Ruby Riott

Winner: Ronda Rousey via submission

This was a statement match for Rousey as her Wrestlemania opponent (as it currently stands) Charlotte Flair sat at ringside. Riott attempted to play games with Rousey as she continued to duck out of the ring. When she finally did engage Rousey, Ronda hoisted her up for the Piper’s Pit and transitioned it into her signature armbar submission for the quick tap out.

As Flair and Rousey stood face to face in the ring after the match, “The Man” Becky Lynch made her way through the crowd on a pair of crutches and entered the ring. First, The Man obliterated Flair with one of her crutches leaving her in a pile of mutilated flesh. Then after Rousey took a crutch and appeared as if she was going to join the party and continue the assault on Charlotte, Becky took out The Baddest Woman on the Planet with her crutch as well. We’ll see if this will have any bearing on the Wrestlemania Main Event since Becky was removed by Mr. McMahon and subsequently suspended for 60 days earlier in the week. If I was a betting man, I’d say we’re about to have a triple threat match on our hands for Wrestlemania.

No Disqualification Match

Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman

Winner: Baron Corbin

Strowman for the most part dominated Corbin up to the point where he drove him through a table with a running power slam. Just then Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley hit the ring and assaulted The Monster Among Men with a pair of steel chairs. The carnage finally reached it’s climax as the trio stacked two tables on top of each other, then with Lashley standing on a ring step positioned next to them, Corbin and McIntyre hoisted Strowman onto Lashley’s shoulders and the three power bombed him through the tables. At this point, Corbin was able to easily win the match via pinfall.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match

Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniel Bryan (c)

Winner: Daniel Bryan

The first two combatants to participate in the visceral chamber were Daniel Bryan and “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe. After these two exchanged several strikes and chops that left Daniel Bryan’s chest looking like ground beef, the next competitor to join the fray was Kofi Kingston who was coming off a taxing performance Tuesday night in a grueling gauntlet match.

Still with no eliminations, only three weary sports entertainers stood in the ring, A.J. Styles entered the match. As Samoa Joe and Kingston were exchanging blows in the center of the ring, The Phenomenal One propelled himself into the ring with a Phenomenal Forearm to the skull of Samoa Joe. Styles quickly pinned Joe for the first elimination of the match. Shortly after Joe’s elimination, Jeff Hardy entered the match and went right after Styles. After Hardy delivered an awe inspiring Swanton Bomb from the top of one of the pods onto Styles who was laid out across the top ropes, Bryan wasted no time delivering a running knee to Hardy that allowed him to steal a pinfall for the second elimination of the match. 

The last man to be released from his temporary confinement was “The Viper” Randy Orton who earned this position with a victory in Tuesday night’s gauntlet match. As Styles attempted a Phenomenal Forearm from the top rope with Kingston in his sights, Orton executed an RKO Outta Nowhere to pin Styles. As Orton appeared to be in control of the match, Kingston hit Orton with the Trouble In Paradise to shockingly eliminate him.

The conclusion of the match saw Bryan and Kingston jockeying for position on top of one of the pods. It appeared that Kingston was in a prime spot to win his first WWE Heavyweight Championship as he kicked Bryan down into the ring. Kingston went for broke as he attempted a splash from the top of the pod but nobody was home as Bryan rolled out of the way. Bryan quickly recovered to hit the running knee to earn the pinfall victory and successfully retain his title.

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