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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WWE Money In The Bank 2019

By Steve Ward

Now that the dust has settled from Wrestlemania, it’s time for what has become one of the biggest pay per views of the year (aside from the “Big 4”) as it has dictated the landscape of WWE year after year. This year’s installment of Money In The Bank emanated from the back yard of WWE Headquaters at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Six titles were scheduled to be contested on the card that also boasted two massive Money In The Bank Ladder Matches and a steel cage match between The Miz and Shane McMahon. One factor to take into consideration heading into this event, was whether WWE would push the envelope with their PG rating and pedestrian booking due to the ever increasing pressure being put on by AEW who will present their debut pay per view, Double Or Nothing, next Saturday in Las Vegas.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon vs. Dana Brooke vs. Natalya vs. Bayley

Winner: Bayley

My only real gripe with this match was that it did not feature Alexa Bliss, other than that it was quite entertaining and a great opener to the main card. Towards the conclusion of the match, it appeared that Sonya Deville was going to hand the victory to her running mate Mandy Rose after an impressive display of strength where she threw Rose into a fireman’s carry and scaled the ladder with her on her back. Just as the briefcase was at Rose’s fingertips, Bayley emerged from nowhere to race up the ladder and shove the women off of the ladder leaving her unopposed to retrieve the Money In The Bank contract.

United States Championship

Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe (c)

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

This match presented an opportunity for Rey Mysterio to seek redemption after he was embarrassed by The Samoan Submission Machine at Wrestlemania with a submission loss in barely a minute. Well Rey certainly gained retribution as he countered a power bomb attempt by Joe and rolled him into a pin to steal the title on a missed call by the ref as Joe’s shoulder was off the mat.

Steel Cage Match

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

Winner: Shane McMahon

In another Wrestlemania rematch, The Miz sought retribution for his Falls Count Anywhere loss to Shane last month…this time however, it was going to be settled in the carnal confines of a steel cage. After a grueling contest, Shane-o-Mac won in quite entertaining fashion. With Shane McMahon hanging on from the top of the cage on the outside and The Miz attempting to pull him back in from the inside, McMahon slipped out of his shirt to drop to the floor for the victory.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Tony Nese  (c) vs. Ariya Daivari

Winner: Tony Nese via pinfall

“The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese made the second defense, first on pay per view, of the title he won from longtime champ Buddy Murphy at Wrestlemania. In a match that the crowd was just not into unfortunately, Tony Nese put his athleticism on full display, including execution of a 450 splash, on his way to retaining the Cruiserweight title.

WWE RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lacey Evans

Winner: Becky Lynch

In the first of two title defenses scheduled for “Becky Two Belts” on the evening, The Man squared off with Lacey Evans. Lacey Evans put on a strong showing in her first pay per view singles match as she took Becky to the limit. In the end, Becky reversed a pinfall attempt by the Southern Belle into the Disarmer for the submission victory.

As Becky started to leave for the locker rooms, she was intercepted on the ramp by Charlotte Flair.

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Charlotte Flair via pinfall

As it appeared that Becky would overcome adversity and retain both of her titles, Lacey Evans returned to ringside and delivered a Woman’s Right to The Man while the referee was engaged in a ten count directed towards Charlotte who was outside the ring. Charlotte then returned to the ring and delivered a big boot to Becky to regain the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

After the match, Flair and Evans proceeded to lay waste to Becky until the new Miss Money in the Bank, Bayley, came to the rescue. After Bayley subdued Charlotte, she immediately cashed in her briefcase, ascended to the top turnbuckle and landed an elbow drop to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion!

Elias vs. Roman Reigns

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

Elias shattered a guitar over Roman’s back as he made his way through the backstage area seemingly taking him out of the match. After Elias proceeded to insult the city of Hartford he was greeted with a Superman Punch on his way out. Roman then tossed Elias back into the ring and as soon as the referee called for the bell, Reigns speared Elias out of his boots for a laughably fast victory.

WWE Universal Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. A.J. Styles

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

This match was a bit of a snoozer until A.J. Styles stepped it up a gear and executed a Styles Clash. Styles then attempted to seal the deal with a Phenomenal Forearm, however, Rollins caught him with a knee to the face that dropped him to his knees. Rollins then super kicked Styles and followed up with the Curb Stomp to retain his title.

Six Man Tag Team Match

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

Well this wasn’t exactly a match. Lars Sullivan made his way to the ring and left a pile of carnage without an opening bell ever ringing. Essentially, this was WWE exposing Lars Sullivan to a pay per view audience as he continues to lay waste to everyone in his path every week.

WWE Championship

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Kofi Kingston

Kevin Owens baited Kofi into a title match after he posed as a member of the New Day for a couple weeks prior to turning his back on them during Kofi’s match with Shinsuke Nakamura a couple weeks ago. Kofi was able to withstand a Pop-Up Powerbomb and then turned the tables on Owens top rope senton attempt to land the Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall victory.

Men’s Money In The Bank Match

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor vs. Ricochet vs. Andrade vs. Mustafa Ali (now known as Ali) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. ???

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Sami Zayn was supposed to be the eighth competitor in this match until Braun Strowman earned a small measure of payback after Zayn enlisted Corbin and McIntyre to help him “earn” the final spot in this match recently on RAW. Zayn who was found hanging upside down in the back earlier in the evening got a trip to the hospital while Strowman was banned from the building. The crowd was under the assumption that there would be a replacement but the opening bell rang with only seven competitors in the ring…that is until the ring had later transformed into a war zone. The shocker of the night occurred as it seemed that Ali was going to retrieve the briefcase until the unmistakable music of “The Beast” Brock Lesnar resonated through the arena! Lesnar made his way to the ring, disposed of Ali, and scaled the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank.

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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 Royal Rumble 2019 Recap

By Steve Ward

The 32^nd installment of the beginning of the Road to Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, emanated this evening from Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The crowd in attendance, that exceeded 48,000, was more than I’ve ever seen for a D-Backs game and something I took great pleasure in hearing Corey Graves point out during the broadcast. It was an intriguing set-up for the event as the ring was positioned in the vicinity of where second base would be during a baseball game and the Superstars made their entrances through the visitor’s dugout. The main card featured five title bouts and two Royal Rumble matches as it clocked in at just under five hours long!

Pre-show:

Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. Rezar & Scott Dawson

Winners: Roode & Gable via pinfall

United States Championship

Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall

Fatal 4-Way Cruiserweight Championship

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami

Winner: Buddy Murphy via pinfall

Main Card:

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Asuka (c) vs. “The Man” Becky Lynch

Winner: Asuka via submission

The ladies of Smackdown kicked off the main card as Becky Lynch sought to regain her title after losing it at December’s Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view. Asuka retained her title as she first applied the Asuka Lock and rolled it into a bridge for a sensational submission victory.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

The Bar-Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon

Winners: The Miz & Shane McMahon

After The Miz was unable to compete in the finals of the “Best in the World” tournament at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view due to an injury, Shane McMahon stepped in and defeated Dolph Ziggler to earn the trophy. The Miz then encountered Shane-o-mac last month on Smackdown Live with a “heartfelt” plea for Shane to join him in a run for the tag team titles. Shane accepted the invitation and the two came prepared to bring the fight to the defending champs. Midway through the match, Shane McMahon appeared to have his prime opportunity for an Oh Sh*t moment as he attempted the Coast to Coast on both Cesaro and Sheamus only to have it thwarted as he landed himself in the Cesaro Swing. Shane McMahon soon redeemed himself after he was rescued from suffering a Brogue Kick and subsequently landed a perfectly executed Shooting Star Press on Cesaro to score the pinfall victory and crown new tag team champions!

RAW Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks

Winner: Ronda Rousey via pinfall

This contest ended in a vicious fury. Ronda appeared to be in dire straits as she was trapped in an armbar submission attempt by Banks. Ronda was able to roll out and execute a gutwrench powerbomb which she immediately followed up with the Piper’s Pit for the pinfall victory.

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner: Becky Lynch

Entering this match, we only knew that number 30 would be filled by Carmella as a result of her Mixed Match Challenge victory with R-Truth. The first two entrants in the contest were NXT alumni Lacey Evans and Natalya. Natalya set a Women’s Royal Rumble match record as she lasted an amazing 55:58. A couple of other notable entries in the match were Nikki Cross who made her debut from NXT at number eight and Alexa Bliss who made her return to in-ring competition for the first time since September at number 26. The dubious distinction of the first woman to be eliminated belonged to entrant number four, Liv Morgan, as she was the recipient of a back body drop over the top rope by Natalya.

Lana entered the match at number 28 but unfortunately was unable to walk to the ring due to an injury she sustained after she was knocked off the ring apron during Rusev’s title loss earlier in the evening. After Carmella entered at number 30, Becky Lynch made her way out and pleaded with backstage official Fit Finlay to let her take Lana’s place which he obliged.

The final four in the match were Bailey, Flair, Nia Jax, and Becky Lynch. Bailey was quickly eliminated by Jax. Shortly thereafter, Jax found herself on the apron after she squashed Flair and Becky in the corner, Lynch rolled out of the ring to the floor. Moments later Jax found herself attempting to reenter the ring from the apron after an exchange with Flair as Becky emerged to pull Nia off the apron and eliminate her. Before Becky could get into the ring, Nia would not go quietly and attacked her at ringside leaving her with a knee injury. Becky was still able to overcome the odds and eliminated Charlotte to earn herself a title shot at WrestleMania.

WWE Championship

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. A.J. Styles

Winner: Daniel Bryan via pinfall

The long standing feud between these two combatants, that commenced just before Survivor Series when Bryan shocked the WWE Universe and took the WWE Championship from The Phenomenal One on an episode of Smackdown Live, began another chapter this evening. Late in the contest, Eric Rowan made his shocking return and headed to ringside and just stood and watched. Moments later, the referee was knocked out by a missed enziguri attempt by Daniel Bryan. Styles proceeded to hit the Styles Clash but Rowan quickly made his presence felt as he entered the ring and unceremoniously picked up Styles by his face and slammed him to the mat. This newly formed alliance allowed Bryan to score the pinfall and retain his title.

Universal Heavyweight Championship

Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Finn Balor

Winner: Brock Lesnar via submission

Mr. McMahon removed Braun Strowman from this match as punishment for destroying his limo. Mr. McMahon then held a Fatal 4-way match to determine Lesnar’s opponent with the combatants being Balor, John Cena, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin. Balor landed the Coup de Grace on John Cena to earn his position in the match.

Balor certainly held his own against Lesnar throughout the match. It appeared as though Balor was going to win the title after he landed the Coup de Grace but as he went for the pin, Brock locked in a Kimura out of nowhere to earn the submission victory. Seemingly embarrassed by how susceptible he appeared at the hands of the much smaller Balor, Lesnar proceeded to lay waste to him as he delivered several suplexes that were capped off by an F5.

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner: Seth Rollins

Like the Women’s Royal Rumble, the only slot designated beforehand was number 30. R-Truth earned this spot as a result of his Mixed Match Challenge victory with Carmella. It was also reported prior to the show that John Cena would not compete as a result of an injury sustained on RAW and would be replaced by “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman.

The first two participants in the match were Elias and an absolute shocker in “Double J” Jeff Jarrett! Just as the WWE Universe thought they were going to be treated to a rendition of Jarrett’s “With My Baby Tonight” recorded way back in 1995, Elias lived up to his reputation. Jarrett was the first elimination of the match after Elias smashed his guitar over his back and tossed him out of the ring. Some other notable entries in the contest included WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle at number four, the new NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano at number six, and former NXT Champion Aleister Black. Just as we thought all of the surprises of the evening were exhausted, enter R-Truth at number 30.

Truth was just a few words into his trademark entrance song as Nia Jax emerged from the dugout and ambushed him. Leaving R-Truth in a heaping pile of carnage, Nia Jax took his spot in the match! Jax eliminated Mustafa Ali and then was eliminated by Rey Mysterio after being victimized by an RKO outta nowhere.

The final four participants in the match were Andrade, Dolph Ziggler, Braun Strowman, and Seth Rollins. Braun made quick work of Andrade and Ziggler leaving himself in a showdown with Rollins. Braun and Rollins brought us an exciting conclusion to the match as they delivered some anxiety inducing moments fighting on the ring apron. Rollins finally dropped Braun to his knees and delivered a curb stomp that sent Braun to the floor and punched his ticket to WrestleMania!

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