The Big News: Samoa Joe is your new NXT Champion, but that’s something you have known for 6 days already.
The Medium News: Shinsuke Nakamura returned, continuing his undefeated streak by beating Elias Sampson.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Asuka kicked Eva Marie’s head clean off her body and then squared off with Nia Jax.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Eva Marie
Miss All Red Everything is the first victim of the new champion. Eva showed way too much confidence walking to the ring, it’s almost like she’s not smart enough to realize she’s about to get killed to death. Corey Graves and Tom Phillips argued about whether Eva being on the winning team at WrestleMania qualified her for a title match.
Asuka used a snap mare in the first minute and kicked Eva so hard in the back that I think she was ready to quit. Eva began getting frustrated as she was unable to connect with any of her moves. Asuka, seeing Eva’s growing frustration, mocked Eva’s gyrations.
After Asuka sent Eva flying outside the ring Nia Jax came out to lend moral support. This helped turn the match around as we came back from commercial with Eva on offense. Eva’s offense, which mind you has improved, looked horribly weak in comparison to the champion. Asuka made her comeback, complete with a dropkick from the middle rope.
Asuka hit several kicks to the chest before actually kicking her right in the breasts, which looked like it hurt just a smidge. Eva did get to do more than you would expect, but she lost with a spin kick to the head.
After the match Nia Jax got in the ring for a stare down. Asuka teased kicking Nia in the head before Nia picked Eva up and they left together.
**********
They showed highlights of the Samoa Joe-Finn Balor match from Lowell last week. This was the first title change on NXT whose entire match was not aired on tv. Anyway, Samoa Joe now joins Seth Rollins, Big E Langston, Bo Dallas, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Finn Balor as NXT Champions.
The king is dead, long live the new king!
We got a post match promo with Samoa Joe. Joe declared that he said this was inevitable. The last two times they squared off Finn survived, but this time he didn’t.
**********
The Revival defeated Matt Lee & Jeff Parker
This is Dash & Dawson’s first NXT match since losing the straps at TakeOver: Dallas. This was a better Revival squash than most of their matches as champions. Jeff Parker was beaten like he owed them money, while Matt Lee was busy doing comedy on the apron, leading the crowd in chanting “defense” and screaming that he’s following the rules.
Revival hit kind of a reverse Doomsday Device where Dash picked Parker up in a power bomb position before Dawson came off with the clothesline. Lee tagged in and fared no better and got beaten with the Shatter Machine.
After the match The Revival cut a promo saying they are the absolute best tag team on the planet, causing the fans to chant for American Alpha. They put every tag team in the world on notice that they will destroy all of them until they get their belts back.
**********
Hype Bros defeated Blake & Murphy
I should point out that this is Ryder’s first tv match since the rematch for the IC Title with Miz on SmackDown. Blake & Murphy didn’t have Alexa with them and wow did this trio fall off the face of the Earth lately.
The fans were into the Hype Bros, which is more than you could say about Full Sail lately, but they did not care about Blake & Murphy at all. Mojo got the hot tag and he beat up both Blake and Murphy by himself before tagging Ryder back in to polish off their foes with the Hype Ryder.
After the match the Hype Bros were attacked and beaten down by The Revival, of all teams. Revival gave Mojo the Demolition Decapitation outside the ring after throwing Ryder into the post.
**********
Carmella submitted Aliyah
It’s a full card tonight as Carmella makes her first appearance since her men went to Raw without her. In case you forgot, Carmella got her job on NXT when Enzo Amore went to her hair salon and spilled a bucket of hair cream all over Carmella’s dog, which cost Carmella her job. Carmella then demanded Enzo get her a job on NXT, which he did.
This match was solid, nothing terribly exciting, just a nice, simple match. Carmella won with a head scissors. It’s nice to keep things simple.
**********
Elias Sampson was interviewed backstage about his match with Nakamura. He is annoyed that William Regal misinterpreted his words, but he will show Shinsuke why he is The Drifter. So…he’s going to just wander away during the match?
**********
Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Elias Sampson
I still can’t believe Nakamura is in WWE, much less NXT. This is so incredibly surreal it’s not even funny. It would almost be like Misawa coming to the WWF in 1995 and wrestling Waylon Mercy or Henry Godwin.
Sampson looked pretty good in this match, better than he has in any of his other NXT matches, with Nakamura telling him to lay his stuff in. This match only went 4 minutes, but was as good as you could expect in 4 minutes. It’s so weird that Eva Marie got 3 times the amount of time Nakamura got.
Anyhoo, Nakamura won with the Kinshasa.
That will do it for this week. The only thing promoted for next week is Austin Aries in action, so we’ll see what happens. Until then remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Cage battles Johnny Mundo inside a steel cage, while the trios tag title tournament concludes as well. Rey Mysterio Jr., Prince Puma, and Dragon Azteca Jr. face off against the current champions of Ivelisse and Son of Havoc, Joey Ryan and The Crew, and the trio of Jack Evans, PJ Black, and the former Gift of the Gods and Lucha Underground Champion Fenix – who aims to claim the first-ever Lucha Underground triple crown.
Show Recap:
The show begins with a recap of the trios tournament, Dario putting the current champions in a four way, and the Mundo-Cage feud is rundown briefly. Bang Data plays us in to this week’s show, with a cage already constructed around the ring. Striker says that Matanza and Mil Muertes will return to action soon after going through Dario’s ceiling. Vamp says that the trios title tourney concludes tonight. Melissa Santos introduces Cage – who is in fact still a machine. Striker says that more experience in a cage benefits Mundo here, who won the only other cage match in the Temple.
Mundo vs. Cage – Steel Cage Match for an Aztec Medallion
Vamp talks about the history of aztec medallions being a bit murky due to the history being tracked by people who were busy making human sacrifices. Cage pummels away in the corner on Mundo and lands 10 strikes and a pair of short-arm lariats. Mundo does a Spider-Man wall crawl up the cage, but gets pulled down and thrown across the ring. Cage tosses him into the steel twice. Striker talks about the history of great cage matches – like Snuka vs. Muraco and Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer. Vamp adds himself versus Sting and himself versus his ex-wife.
Vamp talks about training in BJJ and being surprised that Cage isn’t going for a Kimura during a cover. Cage locks in a Boston crab on Mundo while he is locked into the middle rope – akin to missing a shoulder charge and then getting locked in a crab from there. Cage walks on the rope, but gets crotched by Mundo, who lands a cage-assisted shining wizard and a basement dropkick. Cage and Mundo fight up top, but Taya whips Cage’s hand with her boot and Mundo hits a C4 off the top for 2.
Mundo whips him with Taya’s belt and he rushes in before eating a Samoa Joe-style STO out of the corner. Cage and Mundo fight on top of the cage, and man are the veins in Cage’s forearms crazy. Moonlight Drive off the top gets 2. Taya tries to give Mundo a kendo stick, but Cage nixes that and Mundo goes for a Flying Chuck from the blindside, but gets countered into a deadlift German. Buckle bomb leads to a steel cage powerbomb! Cage goes up, but Taya kinda bonks him a bit to take him down. Mundo grabs it and then lays some sick shots in for 2.
Cage goes to attack with the stick, but Mundo uses parkour to avoid it. Cage canes him and snaps it over his knee before getting 2. Mundo avoids a shot and gets a superkick and a Pele for 2. Mundo sunset flips out of a Weapon X. Taya gives Mundo a chair and he hits him in the head for 2. Mundo goes up and poses before teasing an End of the World off the top and missing. Taya climbs up top and dives into Cage. Magic killer onto Cage gets 2. Taya pulls handcuffs out of her boot, but she gets them put on her against the ropes. Spinebuster to Mundo leads to a Steiner Screwdriver on a chair for the win. This was outstanding – outside of the unprotected chairshot to the head and Taya’s weak cane shots. Trios Title tournament match is next, leading to some nice shots of the title belt.
Dario comes out and interrupts Melissa, getting a “jefe!” chant and then a “we want lucha!” chant. He says he has news – Angelico has had an accident, and he’ll get to the bottom of it. However, the title match will go on and Havoc and Ivie will defend the titles for their team. He wishes them luck and says they’ll need it. Evans walks down the steps on his hands, which seems like a very bad idea for many reasons.
Ivelisee and Son of Havoc vs. Fenix, Jack Evans, and PJ Black vs. Joey Ryan and The Crew vs. Prince Puma, Dragon Azteca Jr., and Rey Mysterio Jr.
Rey debuts new slick silver and red gear here while Striker runs down Rey’s history as a tag champion. Vamp says that the current champs are at a disadvantage in theory, but can use their long-term partnership to turn everyone else against each other. Fenix and Cisco miss dropkicks, and Rey and Ivie each get 2. It’s one person from each team in the ring at all times – so it’s going to be nuts. Superkick to the gut of Ivie and Cisco lands a powerslam and gets a “Cisco” chant. Striker says that he’s now becoming a fan favorite, and that people change.
PJ is in Joker-esque neon green and purple gear. Do-si-doi spot in the corner by Havoc and Puma. Havoc lands some forearms to Castro, but Cisco gets a blind tag. Vamp asks what happened to Bael and Striker says he has no idea – people come and go in the Temple all the time. Dragon misses a kick to Castro, but spins into one on Cisco. Joey grabs Ivie and takes her to the floor. Fenix hits a corkscrew dive onto Cisco. PJ with a dive, and Puma goes for one, but hoists Dragon up for a top rope corkscrew to the pile on the floor.
PJ uses Puma as a launching pad for a flip dive, and then Rey hits his missile dive onto the pile. Havoc hits a space flying tiger drop as well. This is essentially a crazy video game match with everyone doing a dive on the floor. Joey stops Ivie’s dive by trying to impress her with his crotch, but she kicks his chest in and then German suplexes him. Castro comes in and eats forearms Big brainbuster to her leads to Joey wanting the tag, Castro being distracted and being small packaged to eliminate them from the equation.
Jack, Puma, and Havoc go for a three-way tieup before a double dropkick sends Jack to the floor. Havoc hits a high kick and a double stomp followed by a standing moonsault for 2. Striker talks about the illuminati for a bit while Jack says that he is the baddest bitch in the building – not Ivie. Ivie chops him and boots his face off. Sunset powerbomb hits, but PJ superkicks her and Jack pins her – so it’s down to two teams and new champions will be crowned here. A Weapon X highlight reel airs during a break.
Dragon and Fenix square off, leading to Dragon going for a backwards roll and then eating a mushroom stomp to the back of the head for 2. Dragon lands a corkscrew DDT while Vamp asks Striker to give him another quarter to keep the video game going. Puma comes in and hits the Northern Lights into the brainbuster before landing the one-man alarm clock! PJ eats a 630, but Evans kicks him in the nuts. Jack comes in and hits a running double sledge. Jack has his partners hold Puma, but he goes for a wacky kick that kicks Fenix.
Rey sends PJ over the top with a headscissors and lands a springboard crossbody to Jack. Outside-in headscissors puts Jack into the 619 position. It hits and then Jack just kinda stands there while Puma and Azteca set up a double team corkscrew DDT.Rey hits a split-legged moonsault to beat him and win his first title in Lucha Underground. The faces celebrate and we go to Pentagon Jr’s lair.
Vampiro tells him to come, and we see Pentagon wheel himself in on a motorized wheelchair after Matanza broke his back. Vampiro tells him to get up – he doesn’t, so Vamp burns him with the wax of a black candle. Pentagon tries to rise, but falls to the floor. Vamp grabs him and says he’s weak before leaving him in a pool of blood and smoke. Well, this was different and weird. Excellent show overall – with only two matches, and each of them were very good. To see all the screenshots for the show, click here.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Dave Levin beat Orville Brown to capture the MWA World Heavyweight Title 1 fall to 0 (the match was halted due to the Midnight curfew however, Brown refused to give up his belt since the bout was scheduled 2 out of 3 falls. Future promoter Gus Karras was the referee and awarded the match to Levin) – Lee Wyckoff beat Bill Kuusisto 2 falls to 1
1963
St. Paul, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne defeated Hercules Cortes in a 2 out of 3 falls match – AWA Tag Team Champions Ivan Kalmikoff & Karol Kalmikoff beat Doug Gilbert & Joe Scarpello 2 out of 3 alls – Crusher beat Butch Levy – Women’s Champion Kay Noble beat Jessica Rogers – Rocky Hamilton beat Bob Boyer – Eddie Sharkey beat Bill Green
1972
Kansas City, Kansas: – Black Angus defeated Danny Little Bear in three falls to win the Central States Heavyweight Title – Ronnie Etchison defeated Blackjack Black – Billy Howard defeated Benny Ramirez – Terry Martin fought Omar Atlas to a draw (15:00) – The Stomper & Rufus R. Jones defeated Chati Yokouchi & Yasu Fuji in three falls – Victor the Wrestling Bear defeated Harley Race via countout
1975
Green Bay, Wisconsin: – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens defeated Superstar Billy Graham & Dusty Rhodes in a 2 out of 3 falls match
1976
Omaha, Nebraska: – Cage match: Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Bobby Duncum & Bobby Heenan – Larry Hennig beat Baron Von Raschke – Chris Taylor beat Kim Duk – Mad Dog Vachon beat Dick Blood (Ricky Steamboat) – Russ Francis drew Blackjack Lanza
1981
Augusta, Georgia: – Tommy Rich defeated Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Title
1987
Memphis, Tennessee: – Austin Idol defeated Jerry Lawler to win the Southern Heavyweight Title in a hair vs. title steel cage match
1992
Atlanta, Georgia: – Barry Windham defeated Steve Austin for the WCW Television Title
Memphis, Tennessee: – Brian Christopher defeated Tom Pritchard in a match for the held up USWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1997
Memphis, Tennessee: – Jerry Lawler defeated King Reginald (Reggie B. Fine) for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title
2000
San Diego, California: – The Prototype (John Cena) defeated Smelly to win the Ultimate Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title
2003
WWE Backlash: Worchester, Massachusettes: – Scott Steiner defeated Rico – Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship – Sean O’Haire (with Roddy Piper) defeated Rikishi – Rob Van Dam and Kane defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) to retain the World Tag Team Championship – Jazz (with Theodore Long) defeated Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women’s Championship – Big Show defeated Rey Mysterio – Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena to retain the WWE Championship – Triple H, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Booker T – Goldberg defeated The Rock
2007
Memphis Wrestling: Memphis, Tennessee: – Moondog Cujo with “Big Cheese” Sal Corrente beat The Barbarian – Greg Valentine beat Mr. Hughes – Jazz beat Christie Ricci & Miss Passion in a triple threat Ladies Match – Abdullah The Butcher vs Big Al Greene was No Contest – Bill Dundee/Dutch Mantell with Jimmy Valiant beat Koko Ware/Bobby Eaton with Slick – Brutus Beefcake/Bubba The Love Sponge beat The New Assassins with “Big Cheese” Sal Corrente – Brian Christopher beat Buff Bagwell – Southern Tag Team Title Match: Ricky Morton/Kid Kash beat “Too Cool 2” to win the titles – Hulk Hogan beat Paul Wight
2008
WWE Backlash: Baltimore, Maryland: – Triple H won the WWE Title defeating John Cena, JBL and Randy Orton – John Morrison and The Miz defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore – Matt Hardy defeated Montel Vontavious Porter to win the WWE United States Championship – Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero to retain the ECW Championship – Big Show defeated The Great Khali – Shawn Michaels defeated Batista – Beth Phoenix, Melina, Layla, Jillian Hall, Victoria, and Natalya defeated Mickie James, Maria, Ashley, Michelle McCool, Cherry, and Kelly Kelly – The Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
Juice Robinson and Jay White vs. Captain New Japan and David Finlay
Pretty short. Had internet problems during this bout, so didn’t see much of it. Really just saw the finish where Robinson submitted CNJ with what looked like a version of the camel clutch. On Twitter, he mentions he calls this the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Clutch. No, really!
Yoshi-Hashi and Roppongi Vice vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi
Pretty solid match. Heels controlled most of the match, faces made a comeback. Nakanishi and Yoshi-Hashi brawled into the crowd. Tiger Mask avoided Romero but he grabbed his mask and rolled him up for the win.
Romero cut a promo for his team, saying they’ll be retaining the titles at Dontaku against Sydal and Ricochet.
Yoshitatsu and Great Bash Heel vs. Guerrillas of Destiny and Yujiro Takahashi
Bullet Club came out wearing white camo. Largely a solid match, nothing all that interesting. Crowd woke up when Makabe was tagged in and ran wild on Tanga Loa. Loa made a comeback, but eventually with the rest of the team’s help Makabe got the win with the king kong knee drop.
Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger vs. Katsuyori Shibata and Kushida
Lots of brawling. They brawled inside, outside, just about everywhere. A lof of the match was Shibata beating up Nagata and vice versa. Liger had Kushida in a figure four for a good while At one point Kushida had escaped from it, but Liger put it back in. The Jushin Liger of 2016 has some really good mat work and it’ll probably play a part in their upcoming match. There were good aspects of this match, but it felt really, really longer than it needed to be. Nagata and Shibata went at it for a long time until tagging in their partners. Liger tried working on Kushida’s bum legs and worked in an arm wringer but Kushida grabbed Ligers arm and snagged him in a modified roll up for the win.
Tetsuya Naito, Evil, Bushi and Sanada vs. Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo
New Japan eight man tag matches usually follow a formula, and this one followed it to a tee: everyone works against their rival, then something happens and they all wind up on the outside and brawl. Here, it was Sanada using his submission finisher the Skull End on Okada. Goto and Evil were in there and had really good chemistry with one another. Evil is one of those guys that is going to do very well as far as doing that hard hitting stiff style. Everyone came in towards the end and laid out one another, with Ishii laying out Naito. Bushi came in, ate a lariat and a brainbuster and that was it. Pretty good match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
Fale, as you’d expect, used big guy power spots to start. Wasn’t particularly interesting. Fale dominated, Tanahashi made a comeback, including the high fly flow to the floor. Fale made a comeback, got a near fall after a grenade. Tanahashi countered the Bad Luck Fall, hit the slingblade and pinned Bad Luck Fale with the high fly flow. It was a very patterned match, but it was fine. Tanahashi is excellent as a ring general as he knows how to work with a guy like Fale.
Intercontinental Title: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin
Omega was all alone for this title defense, but had plenty of weapons anyway, including a ladder for some reason. He tried to use them all as Elgin stomped on him but Elgin kicked them all away. Elgin used the ladder to shove Omega into the barricade but Omega came back with it. They set up a table on the outside. Some really good back and forth in the ring. Omega used to be good, but now he’s like really good, not just in terms of athleticism but also just being the overall package. He has a ton of confidence. At one point Omega went for a hurricanrana, Elgin blocked it and powerbombed him through the table in a crazy spot.
Elgin hit the buckle bomb and was going to the Elgin bomb but Omega spiked him with a reverse hurricanrana as he was going up, then another one after Elgin blocked the One Winged Angel. Elgin went for another buckle bomb but Omega came back with two knee strikes and hit the One Winged Angel to retain the title. Great main event.
Tanahashi came out after the match and challenged Omega. Omega said he’d think about it. He proceeded to think about it for approximately two seconds by low blowing Tanahashi, saying his answer was no. He took the ladder and put it on top of the fallen Tanahashi. He climbed to the top of the ladder and basically said he never wanted to face Tanahashi again, and that is real. He left, streamers flying as the show closed. Obviously this is the next program, so I guess eventually Omega’s going to change his mind. Or maybe not, who knows!
That main event blew the rest of this card out of the water, so if there’s one match you need to see it’s that one.
While it may not be as major an event as Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II was made out to be, UFC 200 got its marquee fight after all as Daniel Cormier will face rival Jon Jones in a light heavyweight championship unification bout.
The fight was announced on the Wednesday edition of Good Morning America.
Jones won the interim version of the belt by defeating Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision last Saturday at UFC 197 on a night he was originally supposed to face Cormier. Cormier injured his knee and had to be removed from the event, but after meeting with his doctors Monday, he’ll be cleared to fight on the July 9th event.
The two first fought in January 2015 with Jones successfully defending his title via unanimous decision. That was Jones’ last fight until this past Saturday due to various legal and personal issues.
The show will also feature Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar in an interim featherweight title bout, and women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes.
Last week on Impact, Jeff Hardy hit a death defying Swanton Bomb from the rafters of the Impact Zone onto his brother, Matt Hardy. The show ended with Matt being taken out of the arena on a strecher in a neck brace. Earlier, Decay “abducted” Gail Kim in order to force Beer Money into a title match tonight.
Tonight on Impact:
Tonight is a special edition of Impact Wrestling, TNA Sacrifice. The show will feature a loaded line up with the stars of TNA. Drew Galloway will defend the TNA World title against number one contender, Tyrus. Additionally, Ethan Carter III will go one on one with Mike Bennett in “No Disqualification Match”.
Show Recap:
-Tyrus and Rockstar Spud are already in the ring to kickoff Impact. Tyrus calls World Champion Drew Galloway out for their title match. Drew makes his way to the ring and Josh points out that his ribs are heavily taped.
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs. Tyrus w/Rockstar Spud
Tyrus works over the ribs throughout the match including pulling the tape off. He missed a Vader Bomb allowing Drew to make a fiery comeback. Spud tried to interfere, but Drew took him out with a belly-to-belly suplex. Drew then executed an impressive superplex on Tyrus for a near fall. Drew retained his title after hitting the Future Shock DDT in a really good match.
-Backstage, Maria is talking to herself in the mirror. She tells herself that her reign atop the Knockouts Division begins tonight and nobody can stop her, not even Gail Kim.
-Back from commercial, Roode and Storm are getting ready for tonight’s “Valley of Shadows Match.” Storm points out that they didn’t need to abduct Gail to get a title shot.
-Maria comes out to the ring looking stunning. She says that there doesn’t need to be a women’s revolution and that she doesn’t need to change but everyone else does need to change. Gail comes out also looking stunning and says it’s a sad day because Maria is in charge of the Knockouts. She believes that Maria was behind Decays “kidnapping” and “torturing” of her, but Maria denies any involvement. Maria decides to make a match between Gail and Rosemary to divert attention.
Gail Kim vs. Rosemary w/Crazy Steve
Gail attacks Rosemary to start the match. Maria is at ringside and distracts Gail long enough for Rosemary to get the advantage. If Freddie and Jason Voorhees’ mom had a baby, it would be Rosemary. Steve pulled Gail out of the ring and Gail slapped him. The slap was weak so she gave him a second slap to see if it would really sting. Maria distracted the referee and Rosemary sprayed the mist into Gail’s eyes. Rosemary picks up the win.
-Backstage, Josh is surprised to see Jeff limping and noted he wasn’t expected to appear tonight.
Facts of Life with Eli Drake featuring The BroMans (Robbie E & Jesse Godderz)
Eli is a wearing a shirt, tie and vest but the sleeves are cut off to expose his arms. He’s standing behind a podium that has a big red button. Every time he says dummy he presses the button and a little graphic pops up of Eli saying, “Dummy. Yeah” This happens a lot and it gets pretty annoying after awhile. Eli talks about all the dummies in TNA including Jeff Hardy and Drew Galloway. He brought out his guests The BroMans, which he called “dummies”. The BroMans came out wearing glasses with no lenses. Jesse asked Robbie what kind of person has a “Dummy Button”. Robbie responds with “douchebag.” I’m not sure who is the true “douchebag” in this segment. A brawl breaks out with The BroMans standing tall.
-Decay cuts a terrifying promo backstage and promises to win the tag titles later.
-Backstage, EC3 reminds us that he’s never been pinned or submitted. EC3 says that it’s time to go to church, and in church EC3 never loses. His promos are often a highlight of the show.
Valley of Shadows Match: TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode) vs. Decay (Crazy Steve & Abyss) w/ Rosemary
Tables and trashcans filled with various weapons are set up at ringside. The lights in the Impact Zone are dimmed for the match as well. Abyss tries to use a cheese grater on Roode, but Roode fights him off. Decay dominates the action using kendo sticks and steel chairs. Beer Money made a comeback by Roode hitting a spin buster on Abyss.
Back from commercial, Rosemary comes out from underneath the ring with a barbwire board. Beer Money gives Steve a double suplex on the barbwire board. Rosemary hands Abyss thumbtacks, which he spreads on the mat. She tries to spray the mist into Roode’s eyes, but misses and gets Abyss instead. Storm sprays the mist into Rosemary’s eyes and breaks a beer bottle over Abyss’ head for a near fall. Storm climbs to the top but Steve shoves him off into a table on the floor. Abyss gives Roode a choke slam onto the thumbtacks for the pin to win the tag title. This looked legit painful for Roode who had several thumbtacks sticking to his back. However, Decay are the new TNA World Tag team champions.
-We get a recap of Eric Young attacking Bram and cutting his beard. In the back, Bram is upset and promises to end EY tonight. Not sure why Bram’s so upset, his beard looks great.
-Bennett cuts a passionate promo. He points out that EC3 has lost his friends and title. The only thing EC3 has left is never being pinned or submitted. Bennett notes that he also has yet to be pinned or submitted.
TNA King of The Mountain Champion Eric Young vs. Bram
EY used a trash can lid on Bram and set up a table at ringside. Pope mentions on commentary that EY quit last week and promised to take the KOTM title with him. EY went for the pile driver off the apron, but Bram counters with the Brighter Side of Suffering though the table to pick up the win. Bram is the new King of the Mountain Champion.
-Backstage, World Champion Drew calls out Bobby Lashley for next week. Drew was once again great at selling his injured ribs. Drew is a constant highlight of Impact each and every week.
-In the back, the interviewer guy asks Bram how he feels after winning the KOTM title. Bram promises that anyone who wants a shot at his title can have it, but he’ll send them packing just like he did with Eric Young. That seems to be the only mention that EY is officially done with TNA.
-Jeff Hardy limps his way down to the ring. He recaps the “I Quit” match from last week and the Swanton Bomb spot that resulted in Matt leaving on a stretcher. Jeff hopes that he Swantoned some sense into Matt. Reby and Spud made their way to the ring to confront Jeff. She repeatedly told Jeff that she hates him, testing out their in-law rivalry. She told Jeff that her husband made him a star. This got an audible laugh from the crowd. She adds that Matt isn’t the same after last week; he’s cold, distant and doesn’t even talk to her. Reby slapped Jeff several times and Spud attacked him. Jeff made his own comeback and knocked out Spud with a Twist of Fate.
No DQ Match: Ethan Carter III vs. “Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis
It’s main event time. We’re reminded that it’s no DQ and no count out. There must be a winner by pin fall or submission. EC3 dominates the action on the outside and rolls Bennett back in the ring. EC3 hits the broken arrow for a near fall. Bennett sends EC3 into the ring post and continues to work over the shoulder. Maria hands Bennett a chair and he destroys EC3 with it. EC3 hits the One Percenter but Maria breaks up the pin fall. EC3 takes the chair and beats Bennett with it. EC3 locks on his submsisson but Bennett kicks off the corner and pins EC3 like Bret Hart and Piper at Wrestlemania 8 or Balor and Joe at Takeover: Dallas. They put this over huge because Bennett is the first person to pin EC3. The show ends with Bennett and Maria celebrating while EC3 looks on stunned.
Next Time on Impact:
Next week on Impact, World Champion Drew Galloway promises to call out “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley for a face-to-face confrontation.
By Chris Silva from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH
Main Event —
– Titus O’Neil defeated Tyler Breeze. Huge pop for Titus, and almost no offense by Tyler.
– Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson beat Zack Ryder & Fandango
– Dolph Ziggler beat Viktor of the Ascension.
– Kevin Owens beat Jack Swagger
Smackdown —
– The show opens with a Roman Reigns promo. He punched AJ Styles on Monday and will do it again Sunday. He doesn’t believe that AJ is not in cahoots with Anderson and Gallows. He calls out Styles, but Miz and Maryse come out. Miz runs down Styles and tries to go for a handshake but is punched by Reigns and thrown out of the ring. Boos but not brutal.
Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kalisto beat Sheamus, Del Rio, and Rusev by countout
Cesaro, Zayn and Kalisto were mystery opponents. The LON were arguing amongst themselves during the match, shoving each other, and then Del Rio bailed. Rusev bailed a few minutes later. Sheamus took some abuse for a few minutes alone before also bailing, resulting in the countout.
– Backstage, the arguing continues. They all shoved and wrestled around with each other.
Baron Corbin beat Damien Sandow
Big pop for Sandow. No offense though and he got beat in a quick squash.
– AJ Styles backstage interview with Renee. He will be at ringside tonight for Roman vs. Miz.
– Anti smoking ad with Dolph and Titus.
Ambrose Asylum
Natalya out first, and says the odds will be even at Payback because she will have Bret Hart in her corner. Charlotte and Flair come out. Flair says he beat Bret in WWE and WCW, and if Vince sent them to the moon, he would have beat them there too. Natalya corrects him, says Bret beat Ric for the title just like she will beat Charlotte for the title.
Enzo & Cass beat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas
New Day came out to do commentary. They made Byron Saxton sit on the floor. Vaudevillains came out to watch from the ramp. Quick squash. Cass runs down the Vaudevillains, an says they’re s-a-w-f-t.
Apollo Crews beat Stardust
“Cody” chants for Stardust, so I guess that’s back.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat I-C Champion Miz
Reigns won after hitting a spear. AJ was on commentary. Post match, Gallows and Anderson came to beat down Reigns. AJ didn’t stop them. Usos come to save Reigns. Both sides fight. Reigns clotheslines AJ over the top rope to end the show.
Monday night was bad news ratings-wise for WWE as not only did RAW decline six percent from last week’s seasonal modern record low, but the 3.12 million viewers the company garnered for the 4/25 edition of the show were marginally better overall than two fall episodes that suffered due to NFL programming.
The drop showed that it was the pattern that is the key issue and not because last week’s show was taped. Daylight Savings Time also isn’t an excuse as it was the first hour that was the most viewed with a decline throughout the show’s final two hours. (The really bad number, based on patterns, was hour two.)
Even so, it was a bad night for cable as Raw was the only show to top 3 million viewers (that includes two NBA playoff games on TNT). The game going against RAW did 2.54 million viewers and the late game that started at 10:46 p.m. did 2.97 million viewers.
ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, featuring UFC’s Paige VanZant, did 11.75 million viewers — the most watched show on television.
St. Louis, Missouri: – Richard “Dick” Shikat beat Everette Marshall to earn a match with World Champion Jim Londos – Orville Brown and Gino Garibaldi drew (30:00) – Jugat Singh beat Jimmy Parker
1951
Kansas City, Kansas: – Dennis Clary defeated Tarzan Kowalski to win the Central States Title
1962
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – Lumberjack match: AWA Champion Mr. M beat Yukon Eric – Verne Gagne & Doug Gilbert beat Bob Geigel & Stan Kowalski – Joe Scarpello beat Tiny Mills – Roy Collins beat Ricky Lopez
1973
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens defeated Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch by DQ in the 3rd fall of a 2 out of 3 falls match to retain the title
1975
Minneapolis, Minnesota: -Billy Robinson beat Nick Bockwinkel – Bobby Heenan beat Ivan Putski countout – Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell drew Horst Hoffman & Buddy Wolff – Dusty Rhodes beat Boris Breznikoff – Khosrow Vaziri beat Billy Howard – Geoff Portz beat Rock Riddle
1976
Madison Square Garden: – Stan Hansen defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino when the referee stopped the match due to excessive bleeding, Sammartino retained the title
1978
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Non Title: Rick Martel beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel – Pier 9 Brawl, Ten 2:00 rounds: Ed Francis beat Bobby Heenan dq – Indian Death Match: Billy Whitewolf beat Tor Kamata – Bill Francis & Russ Francis beat Steve Strong & Chris Markoff – George Wells beat John Anson to win Hawaiian title
1981
Green Bay, Wisconsin: – Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell defeated AWA Tag Team Champions the East-West Connection in a non title steel cage match
-Nick Bockwinkel beat Brad Rheingans dq
-Jerry Blackwell no contest Baron Von Raschke
-Ray Stevens beat Tito Santana
-Buck Zumhofe beat Ben Deleon
1984
Omiya, Japan: – AWA Champion Jumbo Tsuruta beat Jim Brunzell – Dory Funk Jr beat Stan Hansen dq – Bruiser Brody & Goro Tsurumi beat Genichiro Tenryu & Takahashi Ishikawa – Kerry Von Erich beat Bulldog Bob Brown – Greg Gagne beat Masa Fuchi – Ashura Hara & Mighty Inoue beat Jos Leduc & David Sammartino – Magic Dragon & Ultra Seven beat Rocky Hata & Hiromichi Fuyuki – Great Kojika beat Tarzan Goto – Motoshi Okuma beat Yoshi Momota – Mitsu Momoto beat Toshiaki Kawada
1988
Chatanooga, Tennessee:
– The Fantastics defeated The Midnight Express to win the NWA United States Tag Team championship
1992
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Johnny Hotbody defeated Jimmy Snuka to win the ECW (Eastern Championship Wrestling) Title
1994
Burlington, Vermont: – The Headshrinkers, Fatu & Samu, defeated The Quebecers in to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship
1999
WCW Monday Nitro: Fargo, North Dakota: – Sting won the WCW World Title from Dallas Page in the opening match, only to lose it back to Page in the final match of the show in a four way match – Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Psicosis to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Title – Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Erik Watts – WCW World Television Champion Booker T defeated Meng – Brian Knobs defeated Hardcore Hak (Sandman), Horace Hogan and Mikey Whipwreck in a four way Hardcore match
2009
WWE Backlash PPV: Providence, Rhode Island: – Christian defeated Jack Swagger to win the ECW Title – Randy Orton’s tag team of Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes defeated WWE Champion Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon(as a stipulation of the match, Randy Orton became new WWE Champion) – Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler – Chris Jericho defeated Ricky Steamboat – Kane defeated CM Punk – Jeff Hardy defeated Matt Hardy in an “I Quit” match – Edge defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
Despite practically being in the company’s backyard, tonight’s Raw will be the first one to originate from Hartford in nearly two years. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will debut against the Usos. Shane McMahon will likely make another appearance, though whether he “runs the show” tonight as acting GM remains to be seen.
The WWE website is also promoting Dean Ambrose trying to get revenge on Chris Jericho after the main event of last week’s show, where Jericho gave Ambrose a Codebreaker after his win over Kevin Owens. Also, the finals of the tag team tournament to determine the new #1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team titles between Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. The Vaudevillains, with the winners getting the New Day, most likely at Payback.
Our coverage beings at 8 ET. Please join us.
The Big Takeaway:
For the first time since WrestleMania, Stephanie McMahon appeared to announce to Shane McMahon that this Sunday, her father would decide between Shane or the Authority who would get to control Raw again. It was the only segment of the show with Stephanie. No HHH tonight. Once again, the program benefitted without the Authority’s ubiquitous presence. Very good build to the main event of Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles with the underlying theme of whether Styles was in cahoots with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. In fact, Anderson and Gallows were put over strong in their Raw debut, winning cleanly over the Usos. Plus, there was a package building up Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, which was one of the best pieces building up a WWE undercard program in ages.
Show Recap:
There was a graphic dedicating the show to Chyna. There was no ceremony where the entire roster came out for a 10-bell salute or anything of that nature.
Shane McMahon started the show again, but before long Stephanie McMahon walked out for the first time since WrestleMania. She wanted a hug, but Shane wasn’t willing. Stephanie said the fans were from Hartford and sick of the same politicians smiling fake smiles and telling them what they want to hear. Stephanie mentioned being born in Hartford so she was one of them. She talked about being on the phone with politicians who wanted to honor her, “Harford’s favorite daughter,” potentially honoring her with a statue.
Stephanie got down to business and said tonight was the last night where Shane would run Raw. This Sunday, at Payback, Vince McMahon would decide once and for all (or until the next ratings slide) who runs Raw. Shane asked the fans who they wanted to see run Raw, and naturally Shane got all the cheers. Stephanie said Vince was smart enough to never put the decison making in the fans’ hands. Wasn’t she just complimenting them earlier? Very nicely, Shane asked Stephanie to leave the ring. Stephanie grasped on to the ropes, so Shane said since she wouldn’t leave, he brought down security. Three guards came out to “Yes” chants and Shane told Stephanie to “leave our ring.” Shane motioned to the fans. Stephanie left, getting in Shane’s face before doing so.
It was hilarious watching Stephanie leave. Guards acted like they were trying to escort Brock Lesnar out, right down to Stephanie telling one of the guards not to touch her. When one of them did, Stephanie slapped him and actually kicked him down. He had to sell it like he had been punched by Jon Jones. Two other guards hauled Stephanie off.
Shane turned his attention to tonight’s show and introduced A.J. Styles, who got easily his softest Raw reaction since debuting.
A.J. Styles defeated Sheamus (14:23)
Physical match. One thing Styles does very well is wrestle to the strengths of his opponent to make them look good, as well as himself. Sheamus dodged a quebrada and threw Styles into the ring steps. Sheamus clamped on the Irish Cloverleaf, but Styles made the ropes. Sheamus missed a Brogue Kick against the ropes, and Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, wearing matching white robes, came out to applaud Styles postmatch. Styles looked confused. For some reason, with that look, Gallows and Anderson reminded me of WCW jobber tag team extraordinaires Disorderly Conduct.
Roman Reigns watched this backstage and got his usual standing boo ovation from the fans. The Usos joined him, and they were all unanimous in thinking Styles, Anderson and Gallows were working together. The Usos told Reigns they had his back. Evidently, this wasn’t miced up very well in the building because the fans chanted “We can’t hear you.”
The New Day came out and put over the tag team tournament, sponsored by Booty-Os. Xavier Woods said the tag team that wins the tournament would party like it’s “1999” in a Prince tribute.
The Vaudevillains came out and said they would win the tournament. Aiden English sang “WWE World Tag Team Championships” like he was trying out for a barbershop quartet. English said they would party like it’s 1869. Simon Gotch said they would defeat Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, who came out to a huge reaction. Amore said he wanted to run down a beach into his own arms, but that’s impossible. Cass looked at him weird after that, then did his “Sawft” catchphrase.
Big E. got the fans to chant “New Day rocks” while Enzo and Cass and the Vaudevillains glared at each other.
Anderson and Gallows were shown leaving Styles dressing room as more supposed evidence that he was working for A.J.
John Cena’s tweets about returning to Raw on Memorial Day weekend were shown.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated the Usos (12:50)
Anderson pinned Jimmy Uso after a Magic Killer. Match was designed to get Gallows and Anderson over as strong heels because they were on offense most of the way in a longer match. The Reigns backlash is starting to rub off on the Usos, who got an “Usos suck” chant from a minority of the crowd. Anderson used the Divorce Court on Jey Uso’s injured left shoulder. Later, Gallows pushed Jey off the top rope into the barricade shoulder first. Jimmy Uso got the hot tag shortly after a commercial and caught Gallows with a tope.
Anderson and Gallows continued to beat on the Usos until Reigns came out. At least there were a few audible cheers which were quickly drowned out by the boobirds. Reigns cleaned house in short order to save his cousins, including an awesome clothesline on Anderson.
Styles did an interview with Renee Young that was interrupted by Anderson and Gallows. Styles wanted to know why Anderson and Gallows couldn’t stay out of trouble. Anderson said they knew Styles could win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by himself, but they always had his back. Gallows said their friendship would be forever. They shook hands.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens program continues with a video package that was very good. Owens said they met at a wrestling show, they traveled together. There were photographs of them posing together as teenage friends at various landmarks. Zayn said they attended each other’s weddings and he was at the hospital when Owens’ son was born. They showed the angle from NXT when Zayn won the NXT Championship, but Owens laid him out. Owens said it hurt him to achieve his goal first. Zayn said Owens told them they were like brothers, but shouldn’t Owens be happy for him if they were like brothers? Owens talked about beating up Cena on his first night in the company, winning the Intercontinental Championship and winning at WrestleMania. Zayn said when he was out with an injured shoulder, he felt like Owens took his spot on Raw, which stung. Zayn said he enjoyed throwing Owens out at the Royal Rumble. Owens said Zayn was the one making the issue between them personal. This was a tremendous hype piece detailing the history of the two men. In particular, Owens did these Bret Hart-style subtle heel statements, such as proclaiming himself the victim.
Sami Zayn defeated Rusev (11:56)
Rusev hit Zayn with a nice superkick and teased the Accolade, but Zayn kicked Rusev to the ropes and pinned him after a schoolboy cradle. That’s the best they could do to put over Zayn? Lana, who was back accompanying Rusev, screamed at Zayn and threw her shoes at him. That was weird. Shouldn’t she have attacked him with the shoes? Whole match was odd considering Rusev is yesterday’s news as a single, Zayn is the one in a program, yet Rusev controlled most of the way.
Owens ran out and hit Zayn from behind in the postmatch for the heel heat, which was the best reaction of the match. Crowd has been dead tonight.
Apollo Crews did an interview with Young. Stardust walked in. Apollo talked about how great it was to work with Stardust’s father, Dusty Rhodes. Stardust did an impression of Dusty, who said not even Dusty could make Crews a star. Crews needs to watch Connor McGregor interviews as a lesson on how to draw money, because this current track is going to leave him on a one-way path to Superstars.
Apollo Crews defeated Stardust (3:07)
Crews won with the Screwdriver Power Bomb. He did a standing moonsault, but there’s something lacking with Crews.
Ambrose came out to run down Jericho and said he didn’t want to host an edition of the Ambrose Asylum because he was not in the mood for fun and games. Ambrose cut a good promo about how he punches people in the face and gets punched beccause what he does for a living isn’t pretty. He called out Jericho, who came out with his magic scarf.
Jericho called Ambrose a disrespectful, stupid idiot and did some old school heel stuff. He reiterated that he was the best in the world at what he does, he wins matches, he makes history, he commands respect from every man he steps in the ring with. Jericho ordered Ambrose to kiss his $1500 boots. Apparently, Jericho went to the same cobbler as Tully Blanchard in 1985. Then he demanded that Ambrose apologize to him for taking the Highlight Reel away from him or else he would be sorry.
Ambrose said he was sorry that he paid so much money for those ugly ass shoes. He was sorry Jericho was walking around with a scarf with a Bon Jovi haircut and was sorry he would have to beat Jericho at Payback. But he wasn’t sorry for this and he jumped Jericho. Ambrose threw Jericho out of the ring and started clearing the announce table. Then Jericho tripped Ambrose on the table. Ambrose fell face first. Jericho then put Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho on the announcer’s table. This reminded me of Paige putting various women in the PTO on the table during her brief heel run last fall. Jericho is one talented man. These fans were ready to cheer him, but he got some heat from a lethargic crowd after a simple angle.
Natalya defeated Emma via submission (2:12)
Natalya won via sharpshooter. Charlotte and Ric Flair were at ringside. Emma does a 2:00 submission job as she’s in the starting blocks as a heel? Aren’t there a half dozen other women who could have been flown in for this match?
There was a video package paying tribute to Chyna. It featured tweets from Trish Stratus, Lita, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Steve Austin, Charlotte, Natalya, Shane, and the Rock. Highlights included her victory over Jeff Jarrett to win the Intercontinental Championship in the six-figure payoff match, as well as her entering the 1999 Royal Rumble, where she actually threw out Mark Henry. And a month later, Henry was in bed with Mae Young. Sweet Christ, did this company try to get Henry to quit. The Monday Night Wars led to the most unique careers in the history of this business. Goldberg is probably tops on that list. Debut in 1997, world champion nine months later, 15 months undefeated, out of the business by 2005. Chyna is the female equivalent. There are few who fell victim to the harsh reality that invades pro wrestling’s fantasy world harder than her, as well.
Damien Sandow vs. Baron Corbin never got going as Dolph Ziggler attacked Corbin during his ring entrance. It looked like Ziggler wanted to give Corbin a famouseron the floor, but Corbin avoided it and simply ran off. Crowd seemed happy to see Sandow again, although he only got a cameo. He didn’t get a ring entrance, however.
Another vignette from the Colons. This week they picked up women from a Puerto Rican nightclub and enjoyed fine drinks. Heat magnets.
The Miz and Maryse came out. Miz ran down fans who thought he would lose to Cesaro this Sunday at Payback. He kissed Maryse and said the Intercontinental Championship was more than a title, it was legendary. The greatest competitors have held this championship and Cesaro never has. He called fans who held up “Cesaro Section” signs as mindless wonderers who tried to empower themselves by talking with other internet trolls. He pointed to Maryse and said this is what the Miz section looks like.
Cesaro came out with his James Bond entrance again and said fans were too educated to start cheering for the Miz. This led to Miz to do his Travis Bickle impression from Taxi Driver. He said “You talkin to me?” Cesaro said the only movie the Miz belonged in was “Jackass.” Wonder if that was some shade thrown at Shane since he was the one who brought in Johnny Knoxville and Shane O. for an ill-fated Raw angle in 2007 which was supposed to lead up to SummerSlam. Knoxville and Steve laughed while getting pounded by Umaga, which led to the entire idea being scrapped. The two men exchanged Clint Eastwood catchphrases before Miz decided to leave instead of squaring off. Then Miz tried to jump Cesaro, who caught him with a hoisting uppercut. Michael Cole, clearly brushed up on his Eastwood knowledge, called that “Sudden Impact,” the movie which spawned the line “Go ahead, make my day.” Maryse covered up Miz from any further damage. Good segment.
Reigns and Styles had a staredown backstage. Styles turned his cap backwards and said he was going to take his title. Reigns muttered something about Anderson and Gallows to Styles.
Roman Reigns (C) defeated Alberto Del Rio in a nontitle match (12:58)
The whole idea of the League of Nations appears to have been dropped as it was never mentioned when Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus or Rusev were in action tonight. Instead of an angle to split them up, they’ve just quietly disbanded. Until they get back together again out of nowhere. Sort of like the Filet o’ Fish. You think it’s gone for good from the McDonald’s menu, then it randomly pops up again. It’s the Sarah Palin of food.
Anyway, Del Rio went for the armbar, triggering a Reigns comeback. Reigns actually got some “Let’s go Roman” chants. This may have been his best Raw reception of the year, and it still sounded like he was booed by 70% of the fans. He hit a Drive-By kick that sent Del Rio into the post. Del Rio came back with a superkick while Reigns’ was kneeling. Del Rio missed the Tree of Woe kick when Roman laid down, and Reigns hit the Superman’s Punch. Then Disorderly Conduct, er, Anderson and Gallows came out. A distracted Reigns almost got pinned with a schoolboy cradle by Del Rio, but Reigns kicked out, hit the spear and pinned Del Rio.
Anderson and Gallows immediately jumped Reigns. Styles ran down and ordered them to back off. Anderson and Gallows left, but Reigns hit Styles with a Superman’s punch. Reigns hit Gallows with a Superman’s Punch, but Styles hit Reigns with a Phenomenal Forearm. Anderson and Gallows smiled like Styles were in collusion, but Styles and Regins sold the punches they laid on each other. Pretty good pop for Styles nailing Reigns.
SUMMARY:
Another in a line of shows that have been very good. The storyline with Styles, Reigns, Anderson and Gallows have made sense and have built very well. All the matches on this show were solid, aside from the squashes. Above all, most of the shows since WrestleMania have been fun, particularly this one. The build for Owens-Zayn was excellent tonight, and Jericho’s angle with Ambrose was very good, to boot.
