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.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

WWE Fastlane Recap

By Steve Ward

The final stop on the Road to Wrestlemania landed this evening in Cleveland, OH as WWE presented Fastlane. The jam packed Quicken Loans Arena was treated to a nine match card that featured six titles being put on the line. This show certainly delivered and gave the WWE Universe a solid glimpse of the framework for how some feuds may develop and continue on over the next four weeks leading up to Wrestlemania in New Jersey.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

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

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

“The Best Tag Team in the World” sought to reclaim their tag team titles this evening after they dropped them to The Usos at last month’s Elimination Chamber event. The first "oh shit" moment of the match arrived when Shane McMahon was positioned on the top turnbuckle ready to deliver the Coast to Coast on one of the Usos, however, the other Uso brother climbed to the top of the opposite corner poised to deliver a splash to The Miz who was laid out in the center of the ring. Both men timed their jumps perfectly as Shane McMahon and the Uso collided in mid air! The conclusion of the match came as one of The Usos laid in the center of the ring and The Miz looked over to his father at ringside who gestured for him to ascend to the top rope, something The Miz is not known for. The Miz attempted a Frogsplash, however, he was greeted by a pair of knees from Jimmy or Jay Uso (I couldn’t tell which one it was and neither could the commentary team) and was rolled up for the 1-2-3. After the match, The Miz and Shane walked over to the The Miz’s father for a brief consolatory embrace. As Miz walked away, Shane McMahon clotheslined him from behind and proceeded to decimate him finally putting him to sleep with a guillotine choke in front of his father. In my anticipation, this will likely lead the two men straight into a head-to-head confrontation at Wrestlemania. 

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose

Winner: Asuka via pinfall

In my opinion, this match displayed how shallow the women’s division has become on Smackdown since Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch have migrated over to RAW. Don’t get me wrong, there are some very talented and promising women representing Smackdown, Mandy Rose included, but she wouldn’t at this stage exactly be who I’d expect to see compete in a pay-per-view title match. Just moments prior to the conclusion of the match, Sonya Deville lifted the ring apron as she attempted to locate a weapon beneath the ring, however, this action would prove to be costly for Rose. Shortly after the apron was left folded up onto the ring canvas, Asuka reversed an Irish whip attempt by Rose propelling her into the ropes. As Rose arrived at the ropes she slipped on the ring apron and stumbled right into a devastating round house kick delivered by The Empress of Tomorrow. The strike which dropped Rose like a sack of potatoes, allowed Asuka to easily cover her for the pinfall and to retain her title.

Handicap Match

The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) vs. Kofi Kingston

Winners: The Bar via pinfall

After The New Day stormed Mr. McMahon’s office and demanded that Kofi be placed in the WWE Championship match, Kofi made his way to the ring as the match was announced to be for the WWE Championship. One of the ringside attendants then called for the ring announcer to come over to ringside. The announcer proceeded to proclaim that the triple threat match would take place later in the evening and Kofi was thrown into a handicap match with The Bar. The Bar engaged in a completely one-sided brutal assault as they relentlessly bludgeoned Kofi with a plethora of tandem offense. Big E and Xavier Woods attempted to come to the rescue only to have their actions thwarted by Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev. The Bar subsequently executed a double White Noise and finally put Kofi out of his misery with a pinfall.

RAW Tag Team Championship

The Revival (c) vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black

Winners: The Revival via pinfall

The tempo of this match was frenetic to say the least. Ricochet was certainly a human highlight reel in this bout. One of the highlights saw Ricochet run from corner to corner and vault himself over the ring post as he took Bobby Roode out. As Ricochet propelled himself out of the ring, however, Chad Gable had the wherewithal to tag himself into the match. Gable was subsequently overwhelmed by both members of The Revival and with no salvation in sight, was finished with the Shatter Machine as Dash and Dawson retained their titles.

United States Championship Fatal Four Way Match

Samoa Joe (c) vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs. Rey Mysterio

Winner: Samoa Joe via submission

This match, added during the kickoff show, was a rematch from Tuesday night when Samoa Joe won the title. Samoa Joe was able to retain his title in impressive fashion and put the exclamation point on his performance as he rolled out the way of a springboard splash attempt by Rey Mysterio and quickly cinched in the Coquina Clutch for the victory.

Women’s Tag Team Titles

Boss n’ Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks) (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

Winners: Boss n’ Hug Connection via pinfall

After imposing her will for much of the contest, Nia Jax took exception to being rolled up for the pinfall by Bayley and she and her partner proceeded to lay waste to Bayley and Banks. As the onslaught spilled to the outside, special commentator Beth Phoenix dropped Tamina after an intense staredown, but was quickly decimated by Nia Jax. As the assault returned to the ring, Natalya attempted to save The Glamazon but unfortunately suffered a similar fate. Could we see a return to the ring for the WWE Hall of Famer? Only time will tell…Perhaps as soon as tomorrow night on RAW.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Match

Daniel Bryan w/ Rowan vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Daniel Bryan

This match was originally supposed to be Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston until Mr. McMahon replaced Kingston with Kevin Owens fresh off the shelf from double knee surgery. The implication earlier in the evening was that Kofi would be placed in this match, however, Mustafa Ali was shockingly the third participant. Kevin Owens frustratingly witnessed several near pinfalls slip through his fingers. First, he rolled out of the way of an 054 attempt by Ali and answered with a Stunner only to have Bryan break up the pinfall attempt. Owens was even able to execute the Pop-Up Powerbomb on Bryan and Ali to no avail. KO was finally removed from the equation by Rowan who launched him into the timekeeper’s area leaving Ali and Bryan alone in the ring. Ali attempted a splash off the top rope only to be viciously struck with a pair of knees by Bryan who was able to capitalize and pin Ali to retain his title.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Becky Lynch via DQ

This match was created after Becky Lynch’s suspension was lifted on Monday night by Stephanie McMahon. The stipulation stated if Becky Lynch could come out victorious, she would be added to the RAW Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania with Flair and Ronda Rousey. The Man, still sporting a crutch for her “injured” knee, spent the first few minutes hopping around on one leg as she was taunted by Flair. Flair then took control of the contest as she proceeded to go to work on Becky’s knee. As Flair seemed to have the match won when she locked in the Figure Four, Ronda Rousey sprinted to the ring and struck Becky Lynch. This action caused Flair to be disqualified awarding the match to Becky Lynch and punching her ticket to Wrestlemania.

Following the match, Elias rewarded the crowd with his THIRD performance of the evening and, as he was sure to allude to, it went uninterrupted. That is until Lacey Evans’ music hit and she walked to and from the ring. As Elias was distracted, he was stunned with an RKO Outta Nowhere! As Orton admired his work, A.J. Styles launched himself into the ring and dropped The Legend Killer with a Phenomenal Forearm. It appears that we are on course to witness Styles vs. Orton at The Showcase of the Immortals.

The Shield vs. Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, & Baron Corbin

Winners: The Shield

This match not only marked Roman Reigns first match in six months since he announced that he would need to undergo treatment for his Leukemia that returned, but also the “final ride” for The Shield. Roman rallied the troops for this final union in the ring because WWE, quite surprisingly unless it’s a work, has reiterated the reports that have circulated online that Dean Ambrose will not renew his contract. The match started a bit on the slow side to be honest, but business quickly picked up as the carnage spilled to the outside of the ring. The highlights included a Shield Bomb (triple power bomb) delivered on Drew McIntyre as he was unceremoniously put through the Spanish announce table. The second Shield Bomb was executed on Baron Corbin in the center of the ring after which Roman Reigns scored the pinfall.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

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.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

WWE SummerSlam Recap

For the second night in a row, the WWE invaded the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. A capacity crowd was on hand and chomping at the bit to bear witness to WWE’s marquee show of the summer for the 30th year in a row. Last night’s card boasted ten matches from the RAW and SmackDown brands with seven titles on the line.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins w/ Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Drew McIntyre
Winner: Seth Rollins

After weeks of being outnumbered by The Show-off and Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins shocked the WWE Universe by introducing the returning Dean Ambrose as his back-up on Monday Night RAW. In all honesty, this match did not have the crowd’s interest until Rollins hit a spectacular suplex off the top rope on Ziggler. In the end, it appeared Rollins was going to lose the match as he was distracted by Ambrose nailing McIntyre with Dirty Deeds outside the ring and Ziggler sized him up, and seemingly dead to rights, for the super kick. Rollins turned and beat him to the punch with a super kick of his own. As Ziggler was down, Rollins proceeded to finish him with the Curb Stomp. Your winner and new Intercontinental Champion, Monday Night Rollins!

SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day
Winners: The New Day via DQ

The New Day earned the right to vie for the Tag Team Championship after they defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) on SmackDown Live two weeks ago. Utilizing the Free Bird Rule, The New Day was represented by Big E and Xavier Woods. As the New Day began to build momentum after Xavier Woods landed an elbow drop on Harper from the top rope to the outside of the ring, Rowan put an end to that quickly as he bludgeoned The New Day with his hammer. This lead to a disqualification victory for The New Day, however, the titles can’t change hands in this manner so The Bludgeon Brothers are still your SmackDown champions.

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Braun Strowman

Kevin Owens “earned” a chance at Strowman’s Money In the Bank contract in this contest after pleading with Stephanie McMahon for an opportunity to seek vengeance after what he considered to be a personal vendetta was carried out against him for several weeks by Strowman. Owens didn’t stand a chance in this one. After a few minutes of chaos, The Monster Among Men finally hit the running power slam for the pinfall victory.

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
Winner: Charlotte Flair

This match became a triple threat encounter after Flair earned her way into the bout by defeating Carmella in a non-title contest on SmackDown Live. In the closing moments of the match, it appeared Becky was moments away from earning a win by submission as she had Carmella locked in the Disarm-Her. The Queen then emerged out of nowhere to hit the Natural Selection on Becky and pinned her to become the new champion. It appeared after the match that Becky and Charlotte were going to share a moment of sportsmanship as they hugged it out in the middle of the ring until Becky snapped! Becky proceeded to viciously assault Flair and walked out to a “You deserve it” chant from the raucous Brooklyn crowd who were energized by the heel turn.

WWE Championship
A.J. Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Winner: Samoa Joe via DQ

This match had a nostalgic feel to it as both men main-evented countless shows together during their tenure with TNA/Impact Wrestling, so much so, that the crowd even paid homage with a “TNA” chant in the opening moments. This match was turning into a classic until the action spilled to outside. Joe decided to get on the mic and address Styles’ wife and daughter in the crowd which pushed him over the edge. Styles proceeded destroy Joe with a steel chair leading to the second title bout of the night ending in a disqualification.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: The Miz

This was billed as a match eight years in the making dating all the way back to 2010 when Bryan was assigned as The Miz’s “rookie” in the early days of NXT. In the closing moments, Miz was knocked out to the barrier where his wife Maryse sat in the front row. As he hung over the barricade, Maryse slipped a foreign object into his hand that he used to knock out Bryan with as he attempted a suicide dive. Miz returned the object to his wife and quickly re-entered the ring to pin Bryan for the victory.

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor
Winner: “The Demon” Finn Balor

Balor threw the crowd into a frenzy as the arena faded to black and he made his presence known with his “Demon” persona coming to the forefront. Corbin got no offense in as he never was able to rid himself of the shock he faced with the presence of the Demon. Balor made short order of “The Constable” and finished him off with the Coup de Grace.

United States Championship

Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

This was a return match from Extreme Rules when Nakamura stole the title from Hardy after an unceremonious shot between the uprights. After Hardy successfully connected on the Swanton Bomb only to have Nakamura grab the ropes as he attempted to pin him, Hardy escalated things to a whole new level. The Charismatic Enigma decided to not only climb to the top rope but also the ring post. With Nakamura prone on the ring apron, Hardy attempted another Swanton Bomb. Unfortunately for Hardy, Nakamura moved out of the way and he landed hard. The Artist was able to get Hardy back in the ring and hit the Kinshasa for the win.

After the bout, Randy Orton’s music hit as he walked down to the ring, stopped, and walked back out of the arena leaving the audience a bit confused.

RAW Women’s Championship

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Ronda toyed with “The Goddess” for a few minutes as she put on a display of strikes and Judo throws before she finally sealed the deal with an armbar to become the new RAW Women’s Champion!

Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Winner: Roman Reigns

Just before the match began, the Barclays Center erupted as the Monster Among Men made his way to the ring. Strowman proceeded to convey a foreboding proclamation to Lesnar and Reigns that he would be waiting at ringside ready to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase against the victor. Reigns was on fire in the early stages of the match as he repeatedly punished The Beast with several spears before Brock attempted to put Roman to sleep with his ground submission game. As the action spilled out of the ring, Brock decided to take advantage of Strowman as he had his back turned and beat him down with his own briefcase and a steel chair, while throwing an F5 thrown into the fray for good measure. Unfortunately for Brock, he got greedy and took the steel chair into the ring in hopes of finishing off Roman. As Brock wound up with the chair in hand, Roman nearly broke him in half with a devastating spear to earn the pinfall and become the newly crowned Universal Champion.

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!