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Tag: AJ Styles

  • WWE Extreme Rules 2016 live results: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles rematch

    Just three weeks after Payback, we’re right back into the big event mix for WWE with Extreme Rules, their annual WWE Network show where nearly every match has a stipulation or twist added onto it. This year’s show emanates from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — the second time the event has been hosted in the Garden State.

    This is the eighth Extreme Rules show in company history as they began back in 2009, headlined by Edge vs. Jeff Hardy in a ladder match. Last year’s show featured then-WWE Champion Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton in a steel cage match.

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    **********

    There was an angle where Big Cass laid out both Dudleys in the ring. He gave Devon the East River Crossing.

    DOLPH ZIGGLER VS. BARON CORBIN — NO DQ

    A basic match with Ziggler getting a series of near falls until Corbin did a blatant low blow (legal in a no DQ match) and got the pin with the End of Days. Not as good as their match last month.

    DOC GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON VS. USOS IN A TORNADO MATCH

    Fast paced match, fairly short.  It was all four in the ring at the same time and no DQ. The crowd was totally behind Gallows & Anderson and booed the Usos.  Gallows & Anderson got the clean win.  Gallows brought in the ring bell, but Jimmy superkicked him.  Jimmy went to the top rope and Gallows moved, so Jimmy landed on the ring bell.  Gallows & Anderson then used the Magic Killer on Jimmy for the pin and win.

    US CHAMPION KALISTO VS. RUSEV

    Good match. Rusev won the title after slamming him off the top rope onto the apron. They sold it like Kalisto reinjured his back from Raw on Monday and they were checking on him. Rusev then jumped in and put the Accolade on for the submission. Kalisto had gone to the top rope after delivering a moonsault to the floor.  They were pushing like Kalisto was injured at the end, and was coming into the match injured. The EMTs came out after the match.

    WWE TAG CHAMPIONS THE NEW DAY (Big E & Xavier Woods) VS. VAUDEVILLAINS

    Another short match: 6:00.  Match was okay for the time it had. The Vaudevillains used the Whirling Dervish on Woods but he kicked out. For the finish, Big E tackled English to the floor. Kofi Kingston hit Gotch with an enzuigiri which led to Woods pinning Gotch with the shining wizard.

    – A.J. Styles interview vowed to walk out as champion.

    I-C CHAMPION THE MIZ VS. CESARO VS. SAMI ZAYN VS. KEVIN OWENS

    This was a super match with tons of near falls and saves. Cesaro and Zayn, in particular, were great. Michael Cole called it a match of the year candidate, a previously banned Vince McMahon term. The finish saw Zayn hit Cesaro with the Helleva Kick, but Owens pulled Zayn out of the ring when he went for the pin. Zayn threw Miz into the barricade, and then Miz crawled into the ring and pinned Cesaro.They did everything in their arsenals including Cesaro doing a 16-rep swing on Miz. Cesaro had Miz in the Sharpshooter and he tapped but ref Dan Engler was distracted by Maryse. Owens did cannonballs on everyone. Cesaro did running uppercuts on everyone three times on each guy alternating.   

    DEAN AMBROSE VS. CHRIS JERICHO — ASYLUM CAGE MATCH

    The short matches earlier led to this match running more than 26:00 in the cage. It was a weird match that didn’t have much heat for a long time as they traded climbing up and getting the different weapons. They were also hurt following a great match. It was just too long with too many weapons although they did pick it up at the end with Ambrose pulled down a bucket that had thumbtacks. They wrestled for along time after with Jericho using a codebreaker for a near fall. Ambrose came off the top of the cage with an elbow for a near fall. 

    Jericho used the Walls of Jericho but Ambrose used a kendo stick to break it. They also used a leather strap, fire extinguisher, and then saved a barbed wire board until late with Jericho using it. The match ended Jericho going for a Codebeaker, Ambrose blocking it and slamming Jericho into the thumbtacks, then giving him the Dirty Deeds into the tacks.  Jericho’s body had thumb tacks sticking to him everywhere and he was selling it tremendously, bleeding from his triceps.

    WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPION CHARLOTTE VS. NATALYA — SUBMISSIONS MATCH

    Dana Brooke came out dressed as Ric Flair (wig, robe) and distracted Natalya when she had Charlotte in the sharpshooter. This allowed Charlotte to get Natalya from behind and put her in the figure eight for the submission. During the match, they traded submissions but were just getting the crowd just as the match was ending.  Match wasn’t as good as last month. The crowd has never recovered since the four-way which tore down the house.  Ric Flair, Brooke and Charlotte celebrated together at the end. So, the story of this match was to elevate Brooke into the top mix. It’s clear they are putting Charlotte and Brooke into a duo to eventually set them up as rivals.

    WWE CHAMPION ROMAN REIGNS VS. A.J. STYLES IN AN EXTREME RULES MATCH

    The big spot at the end was after Reigns won, Seth Rollins jumped in and hit the Pedigree. The crowd went totally nuts for him as a babyface and chanted “Thank you Seth.”  He posed with the belt so Reigns vs. Rollins is the probable Money in the Bank main event. 

    The match ended with Styles going for the phenomenal forearm but Reigns nailed him with the spear for the pin. Styles had a death wish, taking some crazy (and I mean crazy) bumps including a high backdrop through a table where he landed on his tailbone. Anderson & Gallows interfered first and laid out Reigns but he still kicked out of the pin.  The Usos came out and laid out Styles with superkicks and a splash off the top but he kicked out.

    Reigns hit Anderson and Gallows with Superman punches. Reigns kicked out of a Styles clash, and Styles used a Styles Clash on a chair but Jey Uso pulled Styles off him. Styles got a chair and destroyed Reigns and the Usos with more than a dozen chair shots before going for the spingboard forearm. Another super match. 

  • WWE Reading, PA, live results: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens; Dean Ambrose vs. Rusev

    Submitted by Danny West (Thanks to Joe Collins as well)

    – WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day over Vaudevillians

    New Day warmed up the crowd well. Also, the sky is blue. This was the epitome of face/heel work. People loved New Day, hated Vaudevillians. Was a fun start to the show.

    – Apollo Crews over Curtis Axel

    Crews got a lot more love here than he’s been getting on TV, but still a little lukewarm for someone of his ability. Axel worked the crowd very well as a cowardly heel. Amazing how much better he is when he isn’t surrounded by the rest of the Outcasts.

    – Jack Swagger over Viktor

    Reading is a working class bunch, so they get onboard with an American even if he’s pretty irrelevant in the big picture these days. Short, predictable, but functional

    – Goldust over Tyler Breeze

    Fandango interfered at one point, but Goldust still prevailed. Decent contest. After the match, Fandango and Breeze beat on Golddust. R-Truth (of course) came to the rescue. Crowd chanted “Golden Truth.”

    – Big Show/Kane over Rowan/Strowman

    Big Show got the 2nd biggest pop of the night. Kane got the 3rd biggest. This was a very playful affair with lots of Big Show goofiness. Crowd was obviously appreciative of his tenure in the business. The older guys were super super over. It was a nice change of pace from the “Please retire” chants they sometimes get.

    AJ Styles over Kevin Owens

    KO was messing with kids, ruining signs, etc. Styles did his usual amazing stuff, You would never know his ankle isn’t 100%. Phenomenal Forearm won it after a long and strong bout. AJ brought a previously heckled KO kid from the aisle into the ring to introduce him. Kid had a Roman Reigns shirt, but AJ Styles gloves. He told AJ on the mic that he liked both of them. AJ said, “That’s alright with me.” Great moment.

    Intermission

    – Becky Lynch over Summer Rae

    Yay for Becky winning something. Armbar tap out. She got a great crowd reaction.

    – US Champion Kalisto over Alberto Del Rio and Cesaro

    Crowd was into all three of these guys. Lots of antics out of Cesaro. Lots of Kalisto’s usual “whoa” moments. Finish was especially good. Kalisto’s finish happened after he used his feet to rebound Cesaro out of the ring and over Del Rio’s head. Great match.

    – Dean Ambrose over Rusev (w/Lana)

    Lana introduced Rusev and did some promo for Extreme Rules. Dean’s pop was huge — by far the biggest of the night. Rusev didn’t get a ton of heat until he berated America. “USA” chants were straight out of 1991. Rebound lariat, Dirty Deeds, pin. Lana was ejected from ringside for being a nuisance.

  • AJ Styles ready for PPV, works Utica house show

    A.J. Styles did work the WWE house show last night in Utica so the original reports he was going to rest up until the PPV ended up being inaccurate.

    He worked against Roman Reigns in a preview for Sunday’s show.  The house show match ended with Reigns winning via DQ due to outside interference of The Club, leading to the Usos making the save.

    Styles is advertised for Reading, PA tonight before the PPV in Newark, NJ on Sunday.

    Reigns is advertised to headline in Albany tonight so they’ll be facing different opponents.

    Styles hadn’t done a match since injuring his ankle on May 9 but he was physically active on Raw and Smackdown, in shooting angles for tomorrow Extreme rules PPV main event.

    Results:  

    Dolph Ziggler beat Bo Dallas with a super kick, Dallas was with Heath Slater and got the crowd heated early cause he kept rolling out of the ring and running around with Slater. 

    The Shining Stars came out and cut a promo on Utica, they beat the bizarre pairing of Titus O’Neil and Sin Cara. Titus took the pin. Shining stars used Kronus and Ssaturn’s total elimination as the finisher. 

    Big Cass beat Devon with Bubba Ray ringside. Bubba tried to get involved but Cass got the clean pin 

    Usos beat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a snoozer.

    Charlotte over Becky Lynch in a women’s title match. Charlotte won with feet on the ropes. Match of the night. 

    Sami Zayn beat Kevin Owens.  Owens worked the crowd to perfection. Even getting out of the ring and cutting a promo mid match and then starting down a guy in the front row for the entire match, yelling at him. 

    Roman Reigns and A.J. styles ended in a DQ when The Club interfered. The Usos out for the save. Again. Making the club look week but whatever. 

    Overall good show, Shining Stars match was the worst. They did not get over and the team of Titus and Sin Cara made no sense. The match was sloppy too

    Cass is a budding star. Crowd loves him. He has the look and size 

    Reigns was booed massively.

    Owens was the star, the women stole the show.   Sounds like a routine house show cause it was. 

  • Wrestling Weekly: WWE roster continues to deepen; Mr. Wrestling I & II updates

    With the WWE roster close to being as strong as it’s been in a while thanks to the imminent returns of John Cena, Seth Rollins and more, how will the main event scene shake out? That’s just one of the topics of discussion on Wrestling Weekly today for Vic and Les!

    – The show begins by talking about the late Mac York (Ricky Morton’s uncle) and a bit of a health update on Johnny Walker, better known as Mr. Wrestling II.

    – That leads us into some talk on the careers of Mr. Wrestling 1 (Tim Woods) and 2, as well as some of the deepest rosters in the territory days (15:45) and why that was not uncommon back in the day.

    – From there, we discuss what the main event scene in WWE could look like (30:01) with all those returning from injury to go alongside AJ Styles, Roman Reigns and the guys featured currently on TV. 

    – We close by opening the mailbag (45:49) to answer your questions about whether or not the art of wrestling has been lost, recruiting mainstream sports stars into wrestling (49:03)and how much longer are the McMahons going to dominate the main storylines in WWE (51:47)? 

    Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

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  • WWE Sioux Falls, SD, live results: Reigns vs. Sheamus, AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

    Submitted by James Girouard from the Denny Sanford Premier Center

    – Dolph Ziggler b. Baron Corbin with a superkick and zig zag

    Surprisingly good match. From a mechanical perspective, Corbin is much improved from where he was even a year ago.

    – Titus O’Neil b. Fandango with a powerbomb

    Fandango attacked Titus before the bell. Match itself probably went about a minute. Not much to it.

    – WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte b. Natayla with a rollup after putting her feet on the ropes

    Other than one or two mistimed spots early, the work was very good. However, the ring announcer (Eden Stiles) did ask the crowd before the match if they “wanted to see some beautiful women in the ring” so apparently old stereotypes die hard.

    – Sami Zayn b. Stardust with the Blue Thunder bomb

    Stardust stalled for most of the match and got quite a bit of heat. Zayn had a loyal, vocal minority really into him but Stardust was more over as a heel than Zayn was as a face. Match was fine, nothing special.

    – AJ Styles b. Kevin Owens with the Phenomenal Forearm

    Very good match, best of the night. Owens got a lot of heel heat early but was so great that as the match wore on he was getting as many cheers as boos. AJ’s in-ring timing is even more amazing live than it is on TV.

    – Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows b. Darren Young & Mark Henry with the Magic Killer

    Not much to the match, although it was weird to see Mark Henry as the babyface in peril. For not having been on TV very long Anderson & Gallows did get a decent reaction.

    – Big Cass b. Primo with his East River Crossing sidewalk slam

    Primo jumped Cass as he was cutting a promo before the match, but Cass ended up wiping him out quickly. Crowd was really into the singalong.

    – IC Champion Miz (w/Maryse) b. Cesaro after throwing him into an exposed turnbuckle

    Miz got tremendous heel heat from the second he walked out from the curtain until the match was over. Match was all sorts of overbooked with run-ins and interference from Maryse. 

    – WWE Champion Roman Reigns b. Sheamus with the spear

    Hard hitting but the two have had much better matches. Both men were heavily booed at the start, but as the match wore on the reactions to Roman were probably 50-50. It is interesting because the last time Reigns was in Sioux Falls against Bray Wyatt he was pretty much universally cheered.

    All in all, one of the better house shows I’ve seen from WWE since they started coming back to Sioux Falls regularly about 15 years ago.  None of the matches were bad and the stuff that wasn’t as good was kept short.  A lively crowd that was into the talent helped.

  • WWE Bismarck, ND live results: Fans love Roman Reigns, AJ and Kevin Owens

    Submitted by Nicholas Gronos from the Civic Center

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin

    Dolph wins via pinfall after a superkick. Dolph gets crowd into it right away.

    – Gallows & Anderson def. Mark Henry & Darren Young

    Heels win via pinfall after hitting the Magic Killer.

    – Titus O’Neil def. Fandango

    The crowd got quieter as the match went on. Titus was dominant, and got a big pop coming out.

    – Sami Zayn def. Stardust

    There were lots of “Cody” chants, and many Olé chants. Stardust kicks out of Blue Thunder Bomb, but Sami won via pinfall. Zayn hit the Exploder Suplex to set up the Helluva Kick.

    – Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Maryse) def. Cesaro

    Miz and Maryse cut a promo to start. Cesaro uppercuts Miz into barricade, and big swings Miz. He puts him in the Sharpshooter, but Maryse distracts the ref while Miz taps out. Miz wins via pinfall after hitting the Skull Crushing Finale. After the match, Miz attempts to hit Cesaro with his belt. Cesaro ducks and puts him into the swing again, then hits the Neutralizer.

    – Women’s Champion Charlotte def. Natalya 

    Charlotte won via roll-up with her feet on the ropes. Earlier in the match, Charlotte puts Nattie in the Figure 8, and Nattie put Charlotte in the Sharpshooter. Charlotte attempts back flip on Nattie, but Nattie rallies and power bombs Charlotte.

    – Big Cass def. Diego

    Big Cass wins via pinfall after hitting the East River Crossing. Pre-match Cass cuts promo dissing Diego and threatened to give him a “Bismarck beatdown”. Lots of “How you doin” chants throughout the match.

    – WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles

    All three got a huge reaction, and more cheers for Reigns than I expected. Reigns and Styles go after KO to start  Roman attempts to suplex AJ off the top rope, KO runs up underneath and powerbombs them both. Lots of near falls. AJ does the Phenomenal Forearm to Roman, KO pulls the ref out of the ring, Roman kicks out of a frog splash from Owens. Roman hits the Superman Punch to knock AJ out of the ring, spears KO to win via pin.

  • Wrestling Weekly: A Casual Fan’s Thoughts on Payback, Ryback, Roman/AJ

    A fun mix of classic and current talk on the show this week!  Les gives us the latest on his friend and great wrestler back in the day Billy Wicks to start us off.  From there, we’ll tackle a question sent to us regarding a match from the Memphis territory (9:31) featuring two very inexperienced guys and the way it was laid out.  We’ll segue into a little talk about WWE Payback (16:05) with some thoughts Vic shares that come from a very new, pretty casual wrestling fan who has the kind of background that gives her views a unique perspective.  Of course, the missive that Ryback fired off this week (33:12) gets a going over, as does the comments Yoshi Tatsu recently made (55:48) about WWE in a Japanese magazine.  We’ll close the show looking at the powerbomb AJ Styles took to end Raw and whether or not AJ should have a gripe with Roman Reigns (72:10) for the way he was tossed onto the announcer’s table on Monday night.  Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!


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  • WWE Smackdown results: AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Roman Reigns and The Usos

    – Air Date: May 5, 2016 
    – Location: Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO 

    – The Big News:

    Roman Reigns and the Usos got some revenge over AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Also, The Vaudevillains vs. The New Day was made official for Extreme Rules. 

    – Show Recap: 

    Chris Jericho came out for the Highlight Reel. He said Dean Ambrose thought he could be funny and zany when tangling with him, but it got serious when Jericho smashed the 20-pound pot over Ambrose. Jericho claimed that Ambrose spent the night in a St. Louis hospital with contusions, whiplash and bulging discs. 

    Jericho said Ambrose wasn’t here tonight, wasn’t going to run out to make a surprise appearance, and he should stay home for good. Jericho said it is a new era in WWE – his era. The crowd chanted “You suck” at Jericho, who introduced his guest Sami Zayn. 

    Jericho said his good friend Kevin Owens beat Zayn fair and square but Zayn continues to attack him, which makes him a sore loser. He also called Zayn a thief for posing with The Miz’s Intercontinental title. Jericho asked Zayn what kind of human being he is, and Zayn responded, “Actually, I think I’m a pretty good human being, honestly.” Zayn thought people would agree, just like they would agree that Jericho’s scarf makes him look stupid. 

    Zayn said he didn’t have a problem with Owens beating him, he had a problem with Owens slapping him in the face after the match and tossing him out of the ring like garbage. He also wasn’t trying to steal the IC Title. Miz interrupted. 

    Miz said he’s the only one who’s earned the right to hold the IC title belt and called Zayn a serial coattail rider. Miz warned Zayn not to lay a finger on the title again, so Zayn repeatedly touched the title with his finger, which was funny. The crowd chanted for Zayn. Jericho said if someone laid a hand on his $15,000 jacket, he would do something about it, and told Miz he should do something about it. 

    Zayn couldn’t believe Jericho spent $15,000 on his jacket. Jericho started raging, tossed his stools down and left. Zayn called them jackasses. Miz said Zayn has no respect and called himself the biggest, baddest shark in WWE. Zayn touched the title again and challenged Miz to a fight, but Maryse got in his face. Zayn challenged him to a fight again but Miz bailed. 

    This segment was good enough. The biggest positive was that Sami Zayn, surprise surprise, came off very likable. 

    Non-title: Sami Zayn beat IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) via DQ 

    Miz tried tossing Zayn into the barricade, but Zayn leapt onto the barricade and nailed a moonsault. The highlight of that spot was the reaction of a girl in the front row. Kevin Owens came out (to his music) and joined commentary after a break. 

    Mauro Ranallo asked Owens what brought him to ringside and Jerry Lawler responded, “Obviously his legs brought him down here Mauro, don’t be an idiot!” Owens enjoyed that. Owens then mocked Miz for hitting an axe-handle off the top, calling him a great “athlete.” Zayn hit a dive to Miz on the outside, then got in Owens’ face. 

    Zayn went back after Miz, but Owens jumped Zayn from behind for the DQ. Miz and Owens double teamed him but Cesaro made the save (he stripped off his suit as he ran to the ring). Cesaro did the uppercut parade to both Miz and Owens, while still wearing sunglasses. Cesaro also caught Zayn with one by accident, which knocked him out of the ring. Cesaro tried to swing Miz but both Maryse and Owens got in the way and all the heels bailed. Cesaro posed with the title. 

    They showed a replay of the main event angle from Raw. Backstage, AJ Styles asked Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson if they were ready for round two. Anderson said Styles would have broken the chair over Roman Reigns if this was back in the day. Styles said it wasn’t, and reminded them he beat Reigns twice at Payback before Reigns beat him. 

    Styles said he would become champion, but would do it his way. Gallows and Anderson said Reigns may not see it that way after he put Styles through a table. Styles decided to go have a chat with Reigns. Anderson and Gallows were happy to hear it. 

    Promo for Primo and Epico. They also replayed the footage of Enzo Amore being knocked out, and announced The Vaudevillains vs. The New Day at Extreme Rules for the Tag-Team titles. 

    The Vaudevillains beat Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas via pinfall 

    The Vaudevillains did an inset promo, calling the New Day clowns and called themselves real men. They won in under two minutes with the Whirling Dervish. 

    Afterwards, Big Cass came out to tell the Vaudevillains they look like they came off the set of Sherlock Holmes. He said he was going to give them a whooping and called them soft. He knocked both guys out of the ring, when Axel jumped in and called them soft too. He tried to buddy up to Cass, but Cass hit him with the swinging side slam. Axel was pretty amusing here. 

    Natalya & Becky Lynch beat Emma & Women’s Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) via submission 

    They worked over Natalya until she made the hot tag to Lynch, who ran wild on Emma until she was pulled out of the ring by Charlotte. They double teamed Lynch to gain control and worked her over until she made the hot tag to Natalya, who hit Charlotte with clotheslines, a low dropkick, and discus clothesline. 

    Natalya applied the Sharpshooter but Charlotte crawled to her corner and Emma tagged in. Emma knocked down Natalya and hit a running crossbody. Lynch broke up the cover and knocked Charlotte off the ring. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter to Emma who tapped. Average match that went about 10 minutes. Emma didn’t need to be in this match. 

    Backstage, Reigns and the Usos were chatting when they were interrupted by AJ Styles. Reigns told Styles he had guts coming in there. Styles told Reigns he had him dead to rights on Raw. He took the high road, but he won’t next time. Styles asked if Reigns was going to be in the Usos’ corner in the main event. Reigns called himself the champ, called the Usos family, and he would be wherever he wanted to be. Styles said he would see them out there. 

    There was a really bizarre vignette with Darren Young. Young spoke about searching for a life coach. He said the answer was right in front of him, when the screen split and Bob Backlund appeared. Young asked Backlund if he would be his life coach. 

    Backlund said yes, he would be his “wrestling coach.” Young was glad, but he wanted a life coach, not a wrestling coach. Backlund screamed that the first lesson was “wrestling is life.” The segment ended with the words “Make Darren Young Great Again” on the screen. No idea what to make of this. 

    Rusev (w/Lana) beat Zack Ryder via submission 

    Ryder didn’t get an entrance. Also, Charles Robinson was the referee. Ranallo said Rusev claimed he would eat Kalisto’s big heart, and Rusev beat Ryder in just over a minute with the Accolade. The only thing to note was Rusev developed a hematoma after being sent face-first into the steel post. Lana wasn’t happy about that. 

    Afterwards, Kalisto ran in and attacked Rusev for basically no reason. They claimed it was because Lana was mocking the Lucha chants. He hit Rusev with a few kicks, springboard corkscrew crossbody, and then he left to pose with his title on the stage. Rusev vs. Kalisto should be pretty great. 

    The announcers plugged Camp WWE by reading the same script the announcers did on Raw. 

    Backstage, Fandango taught Goldust some new dance moves. After some “comedy,” Fandango challenged Truth and Tyler Breeze to a tag match next week. This is so dumb. 

    Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (w/AJ Styles) beat The Usos (w/Roman Reigns) via DQ 

    As Gallows and Anderson made their entrance, Ranallo put them over as one of the best teams in Japan and Lawler responded, “Who cares about Japanese wrestling?” After Jey Uso was sent outside a couple minutes into the match, Reigns went to check on him, at which point Anderson used his boot to face-wash Reigns. Reigns jumped in the ring and attacked Anderson for the DQ, which led to a big brawl. 

    A bunch of officials ran down to break it up. Styles grabbed a mic and said, “I thought this was a new era – or his that just for Raw? This is Smackdown, and we’re going to finish what we started, now!” Normally these setups to turn a singles match into a tag match (or a tag match into a six-man in this case) feels really phony, but this was done well and the crowd was into it. It was chaotic and the fans just wanted to see them fight. 

    WWE Champion Roman Reigns & The Usos beat AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson via pinfall 

    Reigns and Styles started as they did on Raw, and there were dueling chants from the crowd. Reigns seemed to be getting the better of it until Styles backed him into the corner for Anderson to make a tag. Reigns and the Usos triple-teamed Anderson but he eventually backed Jey Uso into the corner for Gallows to make a tag. The Usos double teamed him, but Gallows gained control with a big boot on Jimmy Uso. 

    Reigns made a hot tag and hit Anderson with a jumping clothesline and clotheslines in the corner. He knocked Styles off the apron with a right hand as well. Reigns superman punched Gallows off the apron. He tried to hit Styles with one as well, but Styles hung him over the top rope, and Anderson followed with a school boy for a near fall. 

    An Uso hit Gallows with a suicide dive and Reigns hit Anderson with a superman punch. Reigns went for a spear but Styles cut him off with forearm. An Uso dragged Styles out of the ring and Anderson made a cover on Reigns for a close near fall. Anderson followed with a spinebuster for another near fall, but Reigns popped back with a spear for the pinfall win. 

    Styles tried to make the save before the pinfall, but was held back by an Uso. As soon as Reigns got the 3 count, he and Styles stared at each other, perhaps acknowledging how close this was. After they showed a replay of the finish, Styles and Reigns were still in a staredown. Styles pointed at the title saying “That’s mine” and Reigns held it up to end the show. 

    – Final Thoughts: 

    This was a mostly mundane show again until the main event stuff, which I thought was really good. Not a fan of Gallows/Anderson losing already, but at least it was to the champ. 

  • WWE Payback live results: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles; Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

    WWE’s first big event since Wrestlemania plays out Sunday night with Payback where an Internet fan favorite battles an Internet scourge for what was once the biggest prize in the business in the main event. Five titles will be on the line tonight at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, outside Chicago. This is the fourth Payback event in company history, and Reigns has been in the main event for the last three.

    Pre-Show:

    DOLPH ZIGGLER VS. BARON CORBIN

    Corbin took most of the match, had Ziggler up for a power bomb but flipped him backwards instead into the post.  Corbin then started stalling and celebrating and they were totally teasing the idea that Corbin was taking it for granted.  Corbin got in the ring and Ziggler pinned him with a schoolboy.  It was fine for a preshow match.   

    U.S. CHAMPION KALISTO VS. RYBACK

    They went really fast and did a lot of near falls ending with Ryback missing a splash off the top rope and Kalisto pinned him with Salida del Sol.  A few botched spots but it was okay.  Kalisto did a tope and some spinning moves. 

    New Day did an interview saying they were going to be at ringside for the tag team tournament final later tonight.

    Main Card:

    WWE TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT FINALS: ENZO & CASS VS. VAUDEVILLAINS

    There was a legit injury a few minutes into the match. Simon Gotch threw Enzo Amore out of the ring.  Amore’s left arm caught the middle rope as he was sliding and his head hit the middle rope and then the back of Enzo’s head hit the apron and he fell to the floor.  Ref Dan Engler immediately put up an “X” and they stopped the match.  It was legit as the cameras quickly went to the announcers while medical personnel were working on Enzo and he was carried out.  No announcement was made and JBL and Byron Saxton looked pretty concerned.

    They said that Enzo can move his extremities and is talking and was rushed to the hospital.

    SAMI ZAYN VS. KEVIN OWENS

    Excellent match.  Owens, who a bloody nose, won clean with a superkick and the pop up power bomb.  Owens stepped on him after the match.  Owens slapped him in he face and threw him out of the ring when it was over.   They worked this more like a Japanese match than a WWE match with the pacing and Zayn popping up from moves as opposed to long term selling.  The crowd was going pretty nuts in spots, particularly the usual Zayn dive from the floor into and out of the ring with the DDT on the floor.  Owens did a cool frog splash.

    Owens wanted Byron  Saxton to come in the ring.  Owens teased opening the ropes for him but then didn’t.  Saxton asked if the rivalry was over.  Owens said he beat Zayn.  Owens said he finally put to rest the question after 14 years, he’s the better man.  Now he wants the IC title back.  Saxton noted the match was next.  Owens said he didn’t know the match was next but he’s staying to do commentary in the match. 

    I-C CHAMPION THE MIZ VS. CESARO

    The match was good.  It was a set up for a four-way program for the title with Owens and Zayn.  Zayn ran down to ringside during the match.  Zayn attacked Owens.  They were fighting.  In the ring Cesaro used a giant swing and had the crossface on.  Miz was tapping but ref John Cone was distracted by breaking up Zayn and Owens.  Cesaro let go of the move and knocked both Zayn and Owens off the apron and Miz schoolboyed him for the pin to keep the title.

    After the match, Cesaro laid out Miz with the neutralizer.  Owens superkicked Cesaro.  Owens also power bombed Zayn again and went to power bomb Miz, but Maryse pulled Miz out of the ring to safety.  Owens grabbed the belt.

    They announced Enzo was in the hospital and able to communicate with the medical staff and move his arms and legs.  He was knocked out at one point before waking up backstage before they rushed him to the hospital.

    CHRIS JERICHO VS. DEAN AMBROSE

    Another excellent match.  Ambrose did a tope and may have hit Jericho head first because he came up bleeding from the nose.  Jericho also hit the back of his head on the German table.  Ambrose won clean with Dirty Deeds after Jericho went for the quebrada but Ambrose got his knees up and threw a seris of knees to set up the finish.  This was more Americanzied than Zayn vs. Owens.  There were several spots coming off the  Walls of Jericho used.

    Mauro Ranallo interviewed A.J. Styles, and he asked about Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.  He said it’s one-on-one tonight.

    They showed Shane McMahon talking to Sasha Banks. 

    WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPION CHARLOTTE (WITH RIC FLAIR) VS. NATALYA (WITH BRET HART)

    The match was going well when they redid the 1997 Survivoir Series finish.  Charlotte put Natalya in the sharpshooter and ref Charles Robinson called for the bell even though Natalya didn’t submit  After the match, Bret Hart knocked down Ric Flair, Charles Robinson ran off, Natalya put Charlotte in the sharpshooter and Flair and Charlotte both tapped.  Natalya was doing a great job of selling the knee most of the way refusing to submit to the figure four.  The match was designed to build a rematch more than be a great match building to a conclusion.  Not sure if there weren’t better ways to get where they were going but that’s the way they know.

    Vince McMahon called out Stephanie and Shane.  Will update later as we had technical issues on the site but the end result was Vince chose that both would have to get along and run Raw together and it starts a new era.  Obviously they needed a shock and change to Raw with the ratings the way they were, but more McMahons isn’t new but the same thing they’ve been doing for two decades.  Stephanie did a big speech about all she accomplished.  Shane had newspaper clippings claiming he was doing a great job and Vince said he didn’t care what the media thought or anyone thought.

    – Enzo had a concussion but all other tests have come back negative. He is believed to be out of the hospital right now.

    WWE CHAMPION ROMAN REIGNS VS. A.J. STYLES

    The match was designed to get over Stephanie and Shane.  Fans hated Reigns of course with “Roman sucks” chants.  After Reigns got to the ropes after the calf crusher, he was out of the ring.  Styles did the springboard forearm to the floor and they all went through one of the announcers tables.  It was an amazing spot, particularly in slow motion. Styles barely got up, tried to get Reigns in the ring but Styles couldn’t get him in, jumped in himself and won via count out. 

    Shane came out and restarted the match as a no count out match. They went about two minutes and Styles came off the top rope into a punch by Reigns which was low.  The ref DQ’d Reigns so again Styles won but didn’t win the title. Of course, Stephanie came out and restarted the match.

    The third match had some cool stuff.  Styles kicked out of a Superman punch.  Reigns hit a second Superman punch and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson ran in and pulled Styles out of the ring.  They double teamed and laid out Reigns with the boot of doom since this was a no DQ match.  Then they left.  Styles hit the springboard forearm but Reigns got his foot on the ropes.  The Usos came out to fight Anderson and Gallows.  Styles went to the top rope but Reigns shoved him off and Styles flew to the floor but landed on everyone.  Reigns then did a running dive over the top.  The match continued and Styles hit a springboard 450 but  Reigns kicked out.  Styles went for the Styles Clash, but Reigns backdropped him over the top rope.  Reigns went for a  Superman punch but Styles snapped his neck on the top rope.  Reigns then speared Styles and pinned him.  The announcers put over how Reigns earned the win.

    It felt more like a TNA main event with all the overbooked stuff at the end.  Styles was excellent in his timing.  When it was over, the stars were the McMahons who were all together and Vince said the match was great, asked Stephanie & Shane if Styles deserved a rematch, they both said he did, and it’s an Extreme Rules match in three weeks on the Extreme Rules PPV. 

  • WWE Smackdown results: Roman Reigns and AJ Styles confrontation, League of Nations dissension

    – Air Date: April 28, 2016 (Apr 27 in Canada) 
    – Location: Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH 

    – The Big News: 

    There was another interesting confrontation between AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. Also, the League of Nations appear to be done. 

    – Show Recap: 

    Roman Reigns came out to heavy booing (and some cheers). Jerry Lawler even mentioned it, saying it’s fun to boo Reigns and he doesn’t mind it. Reigns said he superman-punched Styles in the mouth, and would do it again at Payback. He did it because he doesn’t believe Styles’ claim that he isn’t behind the attacks of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.  

    Reigns wanted the truth directly from Styles, but he got The Miz and Maryse instead. Miz introduced Reigns to Maryse and people clapped for her. They kissed. Miz said he warned us about Styles, Gallows and Anderson. He made a convoluted analogy to Shawshank Redemption, called Reigns the warden, and concluded that Styles would walk out as WWE Champion. 

    Miz said he deserved some recognition for this and he kissed Maryse again. Reigns punched him in the face. Miz fell to the outside and Maryse checked on him. Reigns handed the Intercontinental title to Maryse, said “nice to meet you,” and held up his WWE title belt. 

    This was fine for what it was. I must point out that Reigns did not use his new catchphrase here or at any point during the show, thankfully. They announced Reigns vs. Miz, and that Miz is the one who requested the match. They didn’t mention who he asked, because nobody is in charge of Smackdown. 

    Backstage, Renee Young interviewed the League of Nations. Sheamus said no three men could beat them, and they proved it at WrestleMania when they beat New Day. Alberto Del Rio said they got rid of the weak link in Wade Barrett, and Rusev said you might as well call them the united nations. Goofy. 

    Kalisto, Sami Zayn & Cesaro beat League of Nations via countout 

    They announced earlier that this was basically an open challenge issued by the League. LON weren’t getting along right off the bat, as they kept blind-tagging themselves in. They got the heat on Zayn, but as Del Rio sized up a superkick, Rusev made a blind tag. 

    They argued in the ring, so Sheamus jumped in to break it up. They shoved each other for a bit until Del Rio walked out, which got a mixed reaction. Rusev held Zayn and tagged in Sheamus, who came off the top with a double axe handle, but Zayn moved and Sheamus nailed Rusev. Sheamus and Rusev then shoved for a bit until Rusev walked out, leaving Sheamus alone.  

    Zayn made a hot tag to Kalisto who hit a hurricanrana and springboard crossbody. Cesaro then tagged in and hit an uppercut and diving crossbody. Sheamus actually kicked out, so Cesaro hit a million uppercuts and dropkick. Cesaro went for the swing but Sheamus bailed and walked out. 

    Instead of going after Sheamus, they all just stood there and watched as the referee counted him out. They played Zayn’s music as the good guys posed. I have no idea why they couldn’t just pin Sheamus. 

    After a break, the League argued backstage. Rusev pushed Del Rio, then Sheamus shoved them both into a door. He yelled that the League was done and walked off. Rusev yelled, “Forget your league!” That’s one way to do a breakup, I guess. 

    They aired the Owens-Zayn video package from Raw. 

    Baron Corbin beat Damien Sandow via pinfall 

    After Dolph Ziggler attacked him on Raw, Corbin watched his back as he walked down the aisle tonight. Sandow didn’t get an entrance, if you were wondering. Some people chanted “Let’s go Sandow” as Corbin beat the crap out of him outside the ring. Corbin won in 2 minutes with End of Days. 

    Backstage, Renee caught up to AJ Styles. Styles said he doesn’t care what Reigns thinks. He’s going to take the title away and Reigns won’t be calling him a liar, he’ll be calling him champion. Styles doesn’t answer to Reigns and will step on his cape when he wants to. Styles added that he’ll be at ringside for Reigns’ match tonight. 

    Ambrose Asylum with Natalya and Women’s Champion Charlotte 

    This was the top of the hour segment. They showed a replay of Chris Jericho getting the best of Dean Ambrose on Raw. Ambrose remained outside the ring by the announce table and said he would get to his part-time position in a moment, but he wanted to talk about his full-time position first. 

    He said Jericho made a mistake by letting him go (from the Walls), because Ambrose doesn’t let go, and he was going to plant Jericho in the middle of the ring and beat him at Payback. Ambrose said he would turn Bon Jovi (Jericho) into Meatloaf. 

    It was time for Ambrose’s part-time position, so he jumped in the ring, called himself a multifaceted entertainer, popped a Tic Tac, and introduced us to the Ambrose Asylum. He brought out Natalya, who said his set reminded her of the dentist’s office. 

    Ambrose showed a clip of Charlotte tapping to Natalya but being saved by Ric Flair, and asked how things were going to be different on Sunday. Natalya said she would have Bret Hart in her corner. That brought out Charlotte and her dad (Ric Flair). 

    Charlotte called it disturbing that Natalya was parading Bret around after everything he’s been through. Natalya said Charlotte should look in the mirror and see who was standing behind her. 

    Charlotte said the difference was that Flair is legendary, but also her coach. Natalya called Flair a creepy old man who knows Charlotte isn’t good enough to win on her own. Bret would be there on Sunday to stop Flair from interfering and Charlotte will tap again. 

    “Stop me?!” said Flair, who claimed he owned Bret Hart in WWE and WCW. Flair said he would’ve beaten Bret on the moon if Vince flew them there. (This is where they cut out Flair telling Natalya to kill herself from the live taping.) Natalya told him to settle down and told Charlotte it’s time the fans get a champion they deserve. People cheered. They faced off and that was pretty much it. 

    Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady beat Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (w/Heath Slater) via pinfall 

    New Day came out, kicked out all three announcers and took over on commentary. Enzo and Cass won quickly with the rocket launcher. The highlight of New Day on commentary was Byron Saxton being forced to sit on the floor. The Vaudevillains had come out on the stage to watch the match, and Big Cass called them soft afterwards. Again, the fans really liked Enzo and Cass. 

    Backstage, Goldust told R-Truth it felt good when they danced last week. Before he could finish, Truth said Goldust looked happy in a team with Fandango, so he got himself a different partner in Tyler Breeze, who showed up. Truth deemed them “Gorgeous Truth,” and they left. Fandango showed up to console Goldust. Breeze didn’t say or do anything. Truth used a small tree branch as a selfie stick. 

    They aired a promo for Primo and Epico who discussed Puerto Rico’s crippling economy. (Not really.) 

    Apollo Crews beat Stardust via pinfall 

    Crews won quickly with the spin-out powerbomb. 

    They aired a replay of the Shane and Stephanie stuff from Raw. Ranallo said everyone has been raving about the job Shane has done, and Lawler scoffed. 

    Non-title Champion vs. Champion Match: WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) via pinfall  

    Styles came out before the match to sit at ringside. Reigns hit Miz with the drive-by and faced off with Styles, who tossed his chair aside. As they mouthed off, Miz attacked Reigns from behind, tossing him head first into the announce table and steel post to gain control. 

    There were some brief dueling chants for Reigns, and Styles couldn’t help but look around at the crowd. Reigns came back with a Samoan drop, fists, clotheslines and more clotheslines. Reigns sized up the superman punch but Maryse pulled Miz out of the ring. 

    Reigns went after him, but Miz dropkicked the steps into Reigns. Miz followed with a DDT in the ring for a two count. Miz went for the skull crushing finale, but Reigns fought out with elbows and followed with a spear for the win. Average match at best, about 12 minutes. 

    Styles jumped in the ring afterwards to face off with Reigns. Gallows and Anderson made their way down and Reigns went after them, as an annoyed Styles looked on. Gallows and Anderson got the better of Reigns and Styles wasn’t stopping them. 

    The Usos ran out to make the save. After Jimmy Uso superkicked Anderson, Styles got in his face, perhaps to settle things down. However, Jimmy dropped Styles with a punch and superkicked Gallows. Styles came right back with a jumping kick on Jimmy, and Gallows knocked Jimmy out of the ring. 

    Styles got in Gallows’ face, but Gallows nudged him aside and ate a spear from Reigns. Styles tried a Styles Clash but Reigns back body dropped him out of the ring. Reigns posed with his title as Styles yelled at him from ringside. This was really good. 

    – Final Thoughts: 

    This was a very bland show until the very end. The angle with Styles and Reigns wasn’t historically good or anything, but it’s so refreshing seeing two top guys feud over the title in an intriguing storyline that doesn’t involve company management in any way. 

    Also, unless I missed it (and I don’t think I did), they did not air the Chyna tribute video.