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  • WWE Honolulu, HI: Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens; Ambrose vs. Styles vs. Jericho vs. Rollins

    Submitted from Derek

    – Show opens with KA and Gallows video, bashing the Usos. 

    Curtis Axel vs Titus O Neil

    Axel bails from ring twice. Axel runs wild for a bit, Titus counters does his power spot. Titus wins via pop up power bomb. 

    Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler

    Crowd really into Ziggler. Corbin rolls out. After about 3 minutes of this, Ziggler attacks Corbin on the outside and rolls him in to get the match going. Corbin knees Ziggler for him to get the advantage for now. Ziggler counters Corbin does his comeback and neckbrealer into a 2 count. Ziggler tries for a clothesline and gets countered, Corbin for a 2 count. Ziggler hits famouser for a near fall. Corbin tries for End of Days, Ziggler hits super kick, crowd popped for that.  Ziggler goes to the top, Corbin hits the ropes and End of Days for the win. 

    Gallows & Karl Anderson vs The Usos 

    As expected heavy Polynesian crowd, so the Usos got a very big pop. Usos get on offense, clothesline both KA and Gallows outside. Gallows hits one of the Usos against the ring post, almost gets counted out. The other Uso gets the hot tag, runs wild on KA. Usos win via a splash on Anderson.

    NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Natalya

    Starting off with Nattie and Asuka doing Mat wrestling. Very shoots style match so far, crowd seems confused. Asuka does the hip thingy twice, Nattie gets on the outside does a Suplex on the floor. Nattie with the surfboard. Asuka hits a dropkick and they are both down. Nattie went for the sharpshooter, Asuka counters into Anklelock. Asuka hits her Asuka combination then gets Nattie into the Asuka lock for the win. After working a MMA hybrid match for the first few minutes, crowd got back into it when they went back into the wrestling,

    WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs The Vaudevillians

    Aiden English playing heel to start off. Woods cuts him off, hurricanrana for a near fall. English gets the tag in, Big E gets in as well. Big E does some dancing, crowd is into that. English gets a tag in beats down on woods. Big E gets the hit tag and starts belly to belly suplexing both guys. Vaudevillains hit the whirling dervish for a 2 count. Big E gets in and him and Xavier hit an assisted Big Ending for the win.

    WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs Charlotte

    Crowd kinda split to start off, or that they like to woo… Starting off slow. Charlotte does the flair bump over the ropes and takes a powder to the outside. Charlotte kicks on the inside to take control. Charlotte in control for a while, Becky nits a electric chair counter into the turnbuckle. Becky firing back up, T bone Suplex for a near fall. Becky tries the Disarmer, Charlotte counters with the armbar power bomb spot. Charlotte misses a moonsault, Becky gets the Disarmer Charlotte has the rope break. Charlotte gets the figure 8 for the win.

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kevin Owens

    Owens beats down Nakamura right from the beginning. About half the crowd knows who Nakamura is. Owens mocks Nakamura’s corner stomp thingy. Crowd starts doing dueling Nakamura/Kevin Owens chants. Owens going to chinlock city. Owens taking the majority of the match until Shinsuke hits a counter wheel kick. Nakamura gets his corner kick in followed by the top of the rope knees. Owens hits a super kick for the near fall. Owens does a superplex from the top rope and crowd finally wakes up. Owens tries for a Senton, Shinsuke gets his knees up and hits a counter Knee for a near fall. Owens tries for the powerbomb, Shinsuke hits the Tiger Suplex and Kinshasa for the win. 

    WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho vs Seth Rollins

    Jericho cuts promo on the crowd. Crowd calls Jericho a mahu, he thinks it’s great. Rollins gets a nice pop, Ambrose got a great pop. Crowd wants Jericho to take scarf off, but he refuses. Crowd chants Mahu at him. AJ and Ambrose start off the match, AJ takes a powder, Jericho comes in. Kinda standard 4 way layout. Everyone starts ganging up on Ambrose.  Jericho tried to steal pin, Ambrose goes out. Other 3 are fighting, then Rollins and Styles take out Jericho. AJ takes out Rollins and Jericho gets back in, tries for the walls of Jericho and missed. AJ cuts him off, AJ hits forearm to Jericho, Rollins hits suicide dive, Ambrose gets a top rope Elbow to all of them.

    They all go for the super-duper plex. Crowd starts chanting “this is awesome” Jericho misses codebreaker, Ambrose tries for the Nigel clothesline, Jericho connects with the Codebreaker for a nearfall. Rollins comes back in hits AJ for falcon arrow for a two count. AJ gets the calf crusher on Seth and Jericho gets walls onto Dean for a double submission spot. Rollins hits Pedigree on Jericho, Ambrose hits the Nigel clothesline on Seth and Ambrose does dirty deeds on AJ for the clean pin. 

  • WWE Money in the Bank: Picks & predictions for Reigns vs. Rollins, Cena vs. AJ

    It’s time once again for a briefcase to be put on a run as WWE’s Money in the Bank event is upon us!

    The big story over the last month? Well, six guys are having a ladder match, and the winner gets the briefcase. That’s essentially the story. Meanwhile, Stephanie and Shane McMahon are bickering over the upcoming brand split and have no real idea what they’re doing or what they are going to do when the time comes. But hey, John Cena and AJ Styles have had a hot start to their feud! After turning on Cena in a swerve, Styles looks to bring his A-game against Cena, who considers himself the measuring stick of WWE. Will Styles prevail in this first-ever encounter, or will Cena overcome the odds as usual?

    We also have a big main event as a returning Seth Rollins looks to take the title he never lost when he faces champion Roman Reigns. Rollins won’t go down without a fight, and neither will Regins. Will we see a decisive conclusion, or is this just the begining of a long program?

    Current Scoreboard

    • Kyle S. Johnson (Wrestling columnist) (27 points)
    • Steve Khan (WWE Smackdown reporter) (26 points)
    • Alan O’Brien (WWE RAW Hits & Misses columnist) (26 points)
    • Bryan Rose (New Japan Pro Wrestling reporter) (23 points)
    • James Cox (WWE Superstars reporter & WWE DVD reviewer) (22 points)
    • Gary Mehaffy (Interviewer/Columnist) (16 points)
    • Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show) (13 points)
    • Dan “Peach Machine” Velten (Astronaut Florist) (10 points)
    • Brian Hoops (Daily Pro Wrestling History) (9 points)
    • Jeremy Peeples (Lucha Underground reporter) (7 points)
    • Ryan Frederick (UFC reporter) (new to contest)

    Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

    Bryan Rose: Is there even one person out there who remotely cares about this match? The blow off should have been two months ago but we’re still getting matches. Why? What did we do to deserve this?

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Alan O’Brien: As Bryan says above, there is no rationale whatsoever for this match’s existence. None. One meaningless pre-show match is enough, thanks. Corbin to win by non-Roshambo means.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    James Cox: There is very little to be excited about here. Ziggler won last month at Extreme Rules, so 50/50 booking says Corbin goes over.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Jeremy Peeples: This is a feud over basically nothing and it refuses to end. Dolph got the better of Baron via a low-blow on Raw, so I’ll give Baron the win here since he should get revenge and he’s taller.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Peach Machine: Corbin by second round submission. Head and arm choke.

    Winner Corbin

    Steve Khan: I could see Ziggler winning since both Rusev and Miz could need opponents soon, but the last thing that happened with these two was Ziggler kicking Corbin in the nuts, so…

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Kyle S. Johnson: Hey, this match is happening! It really, really should not be happening, but it is. Corbin would probably have been better off to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, disappear back to NXT for a few months with the trophy, and then reemerge during the draft with some actual purpose. Instead, he’ll get another somehow-even-more meaningless win over Ziggler, and hopefully (HOPEFULLY) get shuffled off into another feud.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Ryan Frederick: I’m probably in the minority in liking Baron Corbin but this feud has done nothing for him. He should get the win in a blow off to the feud as Dolph’s role should be to put him over.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Brian Hoops: If they ever plan on doing anything with Corbin, he absolutely has to win and move on to another feud. He needs a clean and decisive win.

    Winner: Baron Corbin

    Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus

    Bryan Rose: Crews is another example of being called up because you have a good look, but beyond that creative has nothing for you. I think this should be fine, as Sheamus is a good worker and Crews has tons of potential as a worker, but who knows if they will even be given enough time to showcase that. Let’s give Crews the first win just because.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Alan O’Brien: Crews has schlepped around on the C-shows since Wrestlemania, spinning his smiley wheels against the flotsam and jetsam of the WWE roster. I seriously doubt that Vince will allow this guy, looking the way he does, to lose his first serious (-ish) match. Especially on the pre-show, where babyfaces usually go over.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    James Cox: Although Crews ought to win here and Sheamus in mid-card hell, I think they’ll go with Crews. But Crew needs to extend his move-set and they need to do something with him fast.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Jeremy Peeples: It’s another feud that hasn’t really been built up well. They’ve done a bit on Raw with Sheamus as a bully who is afraid of Crews, but haven’t made anything personal. Sheamus began the year as WWE Champion and now he’s in what feels like a pre-show feud – so he should win this to regain something resembling momentum, but Crews also shouldn’t be losing programs right now.

    Winner: Sheamus

    Peach Machine: I just recently watched the first four Rocky movies, and as I recall, Apollo Creed never lost a match and nothing bad ever happened to him, which makes this a no brainer.

    WInner: Apollo Crews

    Steve Khan: This could go the way of Ziggler/Corbin, with Sheamus getting the first win for no reason. Crews humiliated Sheamus last time they were on TV, but I’ll still go with Crews.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Kyle S. Johnson: The only reason for this feud seems to be realizing the idea that throwing these two together for a bit showcases Apollo on a PPV (or before it, anyway) with a guy who is pretty well established and gives him a win over a former world champion. I don’t really have much of an expectation for the quality of this match, but I expect Apollo to win clean and hope that this feud is more of a launching pad for Apollo and less the seemingly endless mid-card nothing crawl that Ziggler vs. Corbin has become.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Ryan Frederick: They’re finally doing something with Apollo Crews and Sheamus is a good place to start. Sheamus is in a place of going nowhere and Crews should be built up for something bigger. Here’s hoping they can have a solid match, and Crews shouldn’t be losing right now.

    Winner: Apollo Crews

    Brian Hoops: Sheamus’ best days are past and Crews is getting his first major feud on the main roster. It would be complete insanity to beat him now, which may happen, but shouldn’t.

    Winner Apollo Crews

    United States Championship: Rusev (c) vs. Titus O’Neil

    Bryan Rose: I like O’Neal as a talker, and he’s always doing good things in public which is nice. I’m really sure he is father of the year, for all I know. But in the ring, he’s not much, and that is putting it lightly. There might be some chemistry here I’m unaware of, but beyond that I’m not expecting much, and since Rusev has more upside as a wrestling talent, he should probably get the win here.  

    Winner: Rusev

    Alan O’Brien: This is just a title defence for Rusev. The build up has been so paint-by-numbers that it’s plainly obvious how little they care about Titus. That makes two of us.

    Winner: Rusev

    James Cox: Rusev to win in what is a very weak match for a ppv. If they really wanted to pull the trigger on Titus O’Neil they would have done it by now – he’s 39.

    Winner: Rusev

    Jeremy Peeples: It’s good to see Titus involved in a title program right after his suspension. However, he doesn’t have any momentum as a singles act and his limitations stand out more in one on one matches. This should be a short powerhouse vs. powerhouse match, and Rusev should go over clearly.

    Winner: Rusev

    Peach Machine: You don’t take the steam off of Rusev right now, and certainly not with the Real Deal Dad of the Year.

    Winner: Rusev

    Steve Khan: I really doubt O’Neil wins the title. I could see Rusev getting himself DQ’d and they do this again later.

    Winner: Titus O’Neil (Rusev retains)

    Kyle S. Johnson: Rusev is probably one of the three or four best things going on the main roster right now, and taking the belt off of him a month after winning it to put it on dead-in-the-water Titus O’Neil makes no sense — even if they think they’ll get some kind of pub for putting it on the Mega Dad of the Year. Of course, they could do it, if only because it’s been shown for the past several months that WWE really has no idea what to do with the U.S. Championship when it is around the waist of anyone not named John Cena. I’m just really going to hope that they do not, because with the brand split imminent, building Rusev up as a monster and having him rejuvenate that title sure sounds like a ball to run with.

    Winner: Rusev

    Ryan Frederick: Rusev is entertaining and should be hot for the brand split as he can be an effective top heel if creative plays their cards right. Nice to see Titus getting some TV and PPV time but he really shouldn’t have a title around his waist. Keep this short and put Rusev over strong.

    Winner: Rusev

    Brian Hoops: How cool of a story would it be to have the “father of the year” win the title on Father’s Day? For that reason, Rusev retains the title. WWE would never do that simple and awesome storyline, they have to be cute and creative.

    Winner: Rusev

    WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Bryan Rose: I dunno. They’re already teasing dissention between Brooke and Charlotte about a month into their partnership. I mean, yeah, this might be a case of bait and switch, but can you save that angle a few months down the road? I think this is all placeholder until they start the Banks stuff, but in the meantime I guess Natty and Lynch should get the win, and maybe build to a Lynch/Charlotte match at the July PPV? I dunno, wishful thinking.

    Winner: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Alan O’Brien: Very difficult to call. I think the likeliest outcome is a heel victory with Charlotte nipping in to take the pinfall from Dana. Hard to see the babyfaces go over, as neither is being heated up for a Summerslam tilt at the belt.

    Winner: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    James Cox: Honestly, I haven’t been following this one. They can beat Charlotte and it won’t matter because she’s in a tag match, but I think She and Dana aren’t breaking up, despite the tease on Monday.

    Winner: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    Jeremy Peeples: Three weeks into the partnership, they’re teasing issues between Dana and Charlotte – so I think the faces win here when Charlotte is either distracted or has plausible deniability for an injury and Dana drops the fall.

    Winners: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    Peach Machine: Charlotte has won a match in the last 11 PPV’s and they pointed that out last time. I think they want that to be Charlotte’s “16 time…”.

    Winner Char-dawg & Dana

    Steve Khan: I’m guessing this is leading to a 3-way at the next PPV, whatever that is, so the babyface team should win.

    Winner: Natalya & Becky Lynch

    Kyle S. Johnson: Why they are angling to build tension between Dana and Charlotte just a month into their alliance, one can only guess. (I would blame ineptitude, first and foremost.) If the plan is to slot in Becky as a holdover challenger until Summerslam (where one can only presume Sasha will be rolled out as the top contender), it would make sense for her to get the pin here over Charlotte after Dana makes some match-ending mistake. Still,

    Ryan Frederick: Unfortunately it seems like this match is to build up a split between Charlotte and Dana, and that is a wrong move to make if there ever was one. Dana doesn’t deserve the spot opposite Charlotte but it seems we are going that direction. I sense issues will be teased but they will end up getting the win.

    Winners: Charlotte and Dana Brooke

    Brian Hoops: Way too early to break up Charlotte and Dana Brooke and they just teased this same storyline with Styles and the Club. It would be perfect since to have the champion pinned in a tag match to build up a singles challenger. Probably why it won’t happen.

    Winners: Natalya and Becky Lynch

    WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillans

    Bryan Rose: I think New Day retains and breaks the tag team title record. They’ve been the most popular tag team in years here in the WWE so it only makes since. I don’t see Vaudevillans winning and while eventually Amore and Cass should get the titles, I don’t see it happening. They could put them on Anderson and Gallows, but I think that’s the next tag team title program for New Day anyway so it should last another month at least.

    Winner: New Day

    Alan O’Brien: Vaudevillains are not going over, and they’ll want to save Enzo and Cass’ big title win for a singles feud. I can easily see New Day retaining, but I think it’s more likely that The Club will succeed with their first shot at the gold.

    Winner: Anderson and Gallows

    James Cox: Feels like we should have a shake up here, but I still The New Day win here. A babyface win is important looking at this card.

    Winner: The New Day

    Jeremy Peeples: They’ve been pushing the near record-setting reign of the New Day on commentary, which is usually a bad sign. They have three teams in this that probably shouldn’t lose, and the Vaudevillains. The New Day should win just to keep things stable until the draft, but I could see The Club winning just to go them some momentum. If they make a second set of tag titles, they can just give The Club one of them – so I’ll go with New Day retaining here.

    Winners: The New Day

    Peach Machine: I think the New Day has long since jumped the shark. Get the belts off those clowns.

    Winner: The New Day, because that’s how they book.

    Steve Khan: New Day have had the titles so long, losing in a 4-way would be lame. Gallows & Anderson can certainly win to build momentum for the Club, but I see New Day getting the fall over the Vaudevillains.

    Winner: The New Day

    Kyle S. Johnson: A four-team match that includes an obvious fall team seems like a great opportunity to make a title switch. The New Day do not need the belts to stay over, and I can’t help but shake the feeling that Cass is going to wind up going to singles well before he and Enzo reach their shelf life as a tag team. Anderson and Gallows, on the other hand, could probably really use a dominant championship run to prove the mettle of The Club as a force to be reckoned with. I’ll go with Guns and Gallows getting the belts after stealing a pin away from one of the babyface teams.

    Winner: Anderson and Gallows

    Ryan Frederick: I would like to see them switch the belts and have New Day chase to freshen up the act just a little, give them something to fight for. The fact they’ve been pushing the length of the reign isn’t a good sign. The question is who to give it to if they are switching. Enzo & Cass is a great act and the titles could benefit them, but I think putting them around Anderson and Gallows would be the right move in getting them over with AJ as the top heel act. I expect a fun match.

    Winners: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows

    Brian Hoops: The New Day act has run its course. Lots of ways they could go here with a 4 way, but I look for Anderson & Gallows to win the belts with Vaudevillians getting pinned. Would freshen things up if Anderson and Gallows take the titles with programs with New Day and Usos, who can claim previous victories over the new champions.

    Winners: Anderson & Gallows

    AJ Styles vs. John Cena

    Bryan Rose: Hmm, very interesting. Cena shouldn’t win the first bout. I mean if we’re going to have the usual Cena feud, he should at least lose the first match and win the other two. As far as the match goes, Styles is one of the best in the planet and Cena works his butt off. Should be great.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Alan O’Brien: AJ’s self-inflicted banning of his buddies from ringside is a red herring. He needs a big win, and getting it on his own will make it all the more significant. Sure, Cena will win the next two, a la the Owens feud, but hey, I’ll take it.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    James Cox: This will be match of the night. Despite all the rhetoric about AJ Styles being a big deal in the company, he’s clearly only a big deal when it suits them, otherwise they wouldn’t have had him lose so much. Cena to win; they’re not in the habit of beating him on ppv.

    Winner: John Cena

    Jeremy Peeples: This has been the best-built program of the entire PPV. AJ has been cutting the best promos of his career and is seemingly getting out any bitterness he might have had over the years at the same time. Cena has been putting AJ over huge as well, and I can see AJ winning this one to set up a bigger match at Summerslam that Cena wins.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Peach Machine: Gotta be Cena. Vince isn’t gonna put his top guy under while his supposed top guy is floundering at best.

    Winner: Cena

    Steve Khan: The Club might not be there, but Styles can still cheat to win. I can see John Cena winning because he’s John Cena, but Styles badly needs a big win.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Kyle S. Johnson: AJ has lost three straight PPV matches, and with so much of the (excellent, excellent) build for this match being about him needing to get it done here, I cannot fathom an outcome that does not see him beating John Cena. Cena can get his win back down the line (probably even as soon as next month, given the way things tend to go), but AJ needs to win here to make him a credible main-event-caliber guy for one of the two shows moving forward. This should be a superb match, and I expect that AJ gets it done — whether it is cleanly, by nefarious means, or with the help of a former ally not named Doc or Karl.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Ryan Frederick: Anything other than a win by Styles here is the wrong move. Cena doesn’t need it and Styles is arguably the biggest star in the company at this moment. He is also arguably the best wrestler in the world. I am looking forward to this one as Styles always shows up and Cena is great with top workers. This could be a classic if given time and the crowd should be hot.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Brian Hoops: For the sake of AJ Styles career, he has to win over Cena here. He lost in the Rumble (Cena promo), got beat by Kevin Owens and lost last PPV matches to Jericho and Reigns twice. Another loss here makes him just like everyone else in the WWE. A loss for Cena wont hurt him and they can build the feud to culminate later this summer.

    Winner: AJ Styles

    Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto del Rio vs. Kevin Owens

    Bryan Rose: This could go to anyone. If I had to pick who would benefit more with the briefcase, probably Owens as he’s the guy with the most potential as a future WWE champion. Ambrose is also another possibility, anyone else I just don’t see it happening (Cesaro, Zayn) or sounds lame (Jericho, del Rio). Should be a great match regardless of who wins.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Alan O’Brien: Owens is the guy. The briefcase is a heel gimmick, and who better to attach it to than the best on the roster.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    James Cox: Everything says it ought to be Owens, but it really is a match anyone could win. I’m sticking my neck out, but ultimately it should go to heel and I think we might be about to see them re-launch Alberto Del Rio. Orton could return, take a seventh spot and win, but I don’t know if he’s ready.

    Winner: Alberto Del Rio

    Jeremy Peeples: Owens has been dropping a lot of falls, but would make a fantastic challenger for Roman Reigns – so I’ll go with him winning here.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Peach Machine: Owens. No doubt.

    Winner: Vin Owens

    Steve Khan: They could throw us a curveball like they have in ths most, but this match is far too important. It comes down to Ambrose and Owens, and given the way they’ve booked the past few weeks, Owens looks like the leading candidate. I’ll play it safe and go with Owens, who’s perfect for this gimmick.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Kyle S. Johnson: This is Owens’ match to win. Cesaro, Sami, or Dean would be reasonable dark horse picks, and putting the briefcase with Del Rio or Jericho would be a mistake. Owens will win and, one can only hope, be treated as one of the company’s top heels thereafter.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Ryan Frederick: Kevin Owens is ready to be the top heel in the company, and he should get the briefcase. I can only really see Jericho as the only other option as they’ve pushed him as the creator of the match but him having never won it. Owens has been losing too much lately and logic says that means he’s winning.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    Brian Hoops: Owens is the one that benefits the most from winning the briefcase and eventually cashing it in to win the world title. No one else makes sense, which makes the Owens pick shaky.

    Winner: Kevin Owens

    WWE Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins

    Bryan Rose: Reigns isn’t losing the title anytime soon, and I already feel a rematch is set for Battleground regardless of who wins. I think it’ll be a great match as Regions has improved tremendously, and Rollins should be aching to have a killer match. Fun stuff ahead!

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Alan O’Brien: What a disaster this has been. It’s unlikely that they will switch the title at this juncture, with Roman likely to be the figurehead of RAW. Rollins could win by DQ, but I imagine Reigns will pin him after some kind of schmoz finish.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    James Cox: I can’t see them about to play hot potato with the title this close to the brand split. The story ought to be Seth taking back what he never lost, but they chose Roman Reigns and they’re sticking with him.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Jeremy Peeples: This feud has been built up very strangely. In theory, Seth should be coming in as a really hot act. Instead, he had one great night and has been pretty cold since then. They’ve teased Dean winning in cashing in – so he’s probably doomed. Seth has no momentum and shouldn’t be winning with this character as it is now.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Peach Machine: Some schmoz. Disputed finish. Reigns retains.

    Winner: Reigns

    Steve Khan: I’m not sure what to expect. Reigns won’t lose the title yet, and Rollins can’t lose clean in his return. I also don’t see a cash-in, and they’ve built this too big for a screwy finish. So, I’ll go with Reigns barely squeaking out a win.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Kyle S. Johnson: This angle has been outclassed by the build for AJ and Cena at every turn, and while the match itself is probably going to be great, it feels very much like an afterthought on this show. I imagine that this is going to have some kind of inconclusive finish since I cannot see either guy taking a pinfall at this stage — perhaps even something as far-fetched as Lesnar showing up and wrecking both guys to stake his claim as the true champion. Either way, the title won’t change hands, and this feud will continue in some form or fashion.

    Winner: Roman Reigns

    Ryan Frederick: This feels like the first match of a program, and probably one with Dean Ambrose getting involved, possibly leading to the long-anticipated Shield three-way at Summerslam. That means a likely BS finish. I think Rollins gets the win but Reigns retains due to a DQ. The crowd reactions for this will be fun.

    Winner: Seth Rollins but Roman Reigns retains the championship

    Brian Hoops: Another feud they have totally botched. Rollins should be the returning babyface to challenge and reclaim the title he never lost. It was a perfect storyline they have completely pissed down their leg. Now, they have their hottest potential babyface turned back heel and no one wants to boo him and their champion babyface, no one cares about and wants to cheer. Beating Rollins clean would make any remaining fans disgruntled so that makes no sense. Taking the title off Reigns and putting it on the heel also makes no sense after shoving Reigns down everyone’s throats.

    Winner: Rollins by DQ

    Live coverage from Dave Meltzer begins later tonight with the pre-show!

  • WWE College Station, TX, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

    Submitted by Sara Tuitau from College Station, TX

    Enzo and Cass vs. The Dudleyz

    Enzo and Cass were so over with the crowd of course. A lot of comedic bits going in the match. The Dudleys were in charge most of the match until the hot tag to Cass. Then another hot tag to Enzo and eventually the finisher for the win.

    Fandango vs. Goldust

    There was some technical difficulties with the screen. Breeze came out to cause a distraction. Then, R-Truth came to Goldust’s aid which led to the pin on Fandango for the win. Then there’s a bit of dancing and rapping to close it out.

    U.S. Champion Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Titus O’Neil

    Pretty good match with a lot of “USA” chants but in the end, Rusev makes Tius tap out. Afterwards, Rusev keeps beating up on Titus when the Lucha Dragons come out for the save.

    The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan/Braun Strowman) vs. Big Show and Kane

    Pretty good pops for both Show and Kane. Kinda of a slow match but in the end, Kane pinned Rowan for the win. Then both Kane and Big Show do a double choke slam on Strowman.

    – Intermission

    Eva Marie, Lana, and Dana Brooke vs. Summer Rae, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks

    Lana did most of the work on her team and Becky took most of the shots. Sasha gets the hot tag, Bank Statement on Lana and she taps out.

    Viktor vs. Zack Ryder

    Pretty good match with some good spots. In the end, Zack hits his finisher and pins Viktor.

    Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dean Ambrose

    Good match as always with these three. Everyone gets their spots and hit their signature moves. Dean hits Kevin with Dirty Deeds for the pin.

  • WWE Tulsa, OK, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens

    Submtted by Ron Brooks

    – Dudleyz vs Enzo and Cass

    Bubba took a little boy’s sign and threatened to tear it up pre-match. Enzo saved the day and grabbed it, returning it. Fairly basic tag match. Enzo and Cass win with the big splash.

    – Viktor vs Jack Swagger

    Big pop for the hometown hero. Back and forth standard offensive the whole match. Pretty lengthy. Swagger wins with a Swagger Bomb.

    – Darren Young vs Apollo Crews

    Only big move Crews hit was the standing moonsault. Darren attempted a somersault pin which Apollo reversed to get the pin and win.

    – Video of Kevin Owens backstage trash talking Ambrose saying he’s going to beat him. He gets a call from his mother who says Ambrose will beat him. In a fury, KO says Ambrose doesn’t stand a chance.

    – The Wyatt Family vs Kane and Big Show

    Rowan and Braun dominated the whole match until they both tried to get involved. Kane tossed out Braun and Show KO Punched Rowan for the win.

    – Lana and Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch w/Summer Rae as special ref

    Glad to see the ladies getting time. The only thing that didn’t make much sense was Summer Rae as ref. Becky locked in the Disarm-her on Lana for the win while Sasha had Dana in the Bank Statement.

    – WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs The Vaudevillians

    Both sides got in good offense. The Vaudevillians hit the Whirling Dervish but New Day still pulled it off with Big E hitting the big ending with the assist from Xavier.

    – Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens

    Fun match. For a night where not a lot happened outside the ring, both went out a couple of times. KO teased Byron Saxton and even took his chair to use but  Dean hit Dirty Deeds for the win.

  • WWE Smackdown results: Rusev & Miz defend their titles; MITB qualifer

    The show opened with a recap of the Money in the Bank qualifying matches from RAW on Monday which saw Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose earn their spots in that match.

    After the opening credits, Michael Cole was in the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase and called out Dean Ambrose for an interview. Cole congratulated him for winning the first ever Asylum match at Extreme Rules and asked what he would do in order to earn the MITB contract. Before he could answer, Kevin Owens’ music hit and he interrupted from the ramp.

    He insulted Cole and warned him to leave the ring before he got there, which he did. He vowed to climb the ladder and become Mr Money in the Bank just like he should’ve done at WrestleM…. and Sami Zayn’s music hit. He finished the sentence. “Like you would’ve done at WrestleMania if it weren’t for me, who is the bane of your existence”. Ambrose made a joke about it and Zayn said “Hey Dean, this isn’t a joke”, which was a nice touch. He said that neither Owens nor Zayn would stop him. They were interrupted by Alberto Del Rio.

    He reminded them that he was a former winner and he is going to win again. Zayn announced that Del Rio has to beat Zack Ryder in order to qualify and before he could finish, he was jumped from behind by Owens. Ambrose almost DDT’s him as well but Zayn slipped out. 

    ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. ZACK RYDER (Money in the Bank qualifying match)

    Zack cut an inset promo harkening fans back to his WrestleMania win under similar circumstances. “I’m not supposed to be here but I deserve to be here”. Eden Stiles did the ring announcing in what I’m assuming was her final show for the company. Ryder took the offence early but Del Rio gained control pretty quickly. They went through a commercial break where Del Rio landed the double foot stomp outside the ring from the barriers at ringside onto Ryder. Ryder recovered and got more offence than you’d think, including landing the Broski boot, which Del Rio kicked out of. Del Rio missed the double foot stomp and Ryder hit the Rough Ryder but Del Rio rolled out before Ryder could pin him. Ryder rolled him back in and went for the cover but Del Rio applied the cross arm-breaker to get the win.

    WINNER: ALBERTO DEL RIO by submission. Del Rio makes it 6 in the Money in the Bank match with one more to come.

    Next up was a recap of Seth Rollins returning at Extreme Rules and the announcement from RAW of Rollins getting the next title shot vs Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank. Rollins will make his return to Smackdown later tonight.

    Enzo and Cass are out next.

    Enzo does his sing along speech on the ramp before the guys get in the ring. Before he could get any more words out, The Dudley Boyz interrupted things. Enzo had some smack talk for them and then Cass called them out. D-Von accepted the challenge and they made their way down the ramp. Bubba stopped before they got into the ring and said “Not tonight, we’re going to do this at Monday Night RAW”. Bubba then teased the “Get the Tables” spot but instead asked if they could “leave this stinkin’ town”. Cass called them S-A-W-F-T and that was that.

    Renee Young was backstage with Lana and Rusev. Lana instructed her that she needs to refer to Rusev as the “Greatest United States Heavyweight Champion of all time”. Rusev called Kalisto a baby and a mosquito and after he plucks the wings off the mosquito, he will never be able to fly again. Good promo. A recap of the 4 way IC title match at the PPV and the Miz-Cesaro qualifying match from RAW aired next.

    US CHAMPION RUSEV w/Lana vs. KALISTO

    Lana was in the ring with a mic and took over the ring announcing, asking the fans to put one hand over their heart and welcome the Greatest United States Champion of all time. Much better match than the PPV.  After a brief period of offence from Kalisto, Rusev took over and dominated him. Announcers told the story that Kalisto was coming into this at less than 100% and didn’t stand a chance and that’s pretty much how it played out. At one point Kalisto tried to bodyslam Rusev and of course his back gave out.

    A minute later, he actually hit the bodyslam but then sold his back even more. He did get a two count off a roll-up after Rusey missed a splash in the corner. He then hit the corkscrew off the ropes and a spike rana for a two. Kalisto hit a springboard moonsault on the outside and rolled Rusev back in but only got a two count. Rusev missed a diving headbutt and then Kalisto took forever to climb to the top rope. Kalisto hit a 450 off the top but Rusev got his knees up to block it. Rusev stomped him on the back and then put on the Accolade for the win.

    WINNER: RUSEV by submission

    Rusev was going for a beatdown on Kalisto after the match but Titus O’Neill came down to challenge him to a US title match RIGHT NOW. Fans were into this, chanting USA but Rusev backed off, which got some good heat. Nice little angle to set up the next US title program. Another recap from RAW aired next, this time of Charlotte ditching the Nature Boy. Mauro called it “an emotional night for the dirtiest family in the game”.

    DANA BROOKE VS NATALYA

    Charlotte joined the commentary team for this match. Lawler actually criticized Charlotte for what she did with Flair and Charlotte said that it was something coming from him who spent so much time away from home. Natalya put on the sharpshooter 30 seconds in and Charlotte broke it up for the DQ. 

    WINNER: NATALYA by DQ

    Natalya recovered and put Charlotte in the sharpshooter but Brooke broke it up and then they beat her down for a couple minutes. No one saved and Charlotte and Dana posed with the belt while Charlotte’s music played. We got a recap of AJ’s tough week where he lost to Reigns at the PPV, broke up with the Club and lost to Owens in his qualifying match. Renee Young interviewed him backstage and asked what’s next. AJ said he was “this close” to winning the title but he’s not sure what’s next, he’ll have to think of something. It was better than it reads.

    Golden Truth was out next with Goldust introducing them and then Truth doing an updated version of his song with new lyrics about the tag team. It will take some getting used to. 

    GOLDEN TRUTH (GOLDUST/R-TRUTH) VS BREEZANGO (TYLER BREEZE/FANDANGO)

    Short match with some miscommunication between Goldust and R-Truth leading to the Supermodel kick from Breeze on R-Truth and Fandango getting the pin off of it. Fans were more into this than they had any right to be but were killed off by the finish.

    WINNERS: BREEZANGO by pinfall

    Goldust and R-Truth were talking backstage. Goldust says that just because they lost two out of the chute doesn’t make them two-time losers. He claimed that no one will be able to stop them. Breezango stopped by to mock them. Tyler Breeze said “Looks like Goldylocks fell off the beanstalk and cracked his own eggs” and then “nailed it!” as he and Fandango walked away laughing. Goldust went back to his pep talk, egging on the crowd to cheer from them and they actually did. R-Truth said he’s with him and vowed to give it another shot. 

    Seth Rollins came to the ring for a promo.

    Mauro put over that Rollins and Charlotte cracked SI’s Fittest 50 list. I’m surprised that hasn’t gotten more play, to be honest. Despite his heeling on the crowd at RAW, Rollins got a good reception coming out and was smiling. When the music stopped, you could hear booing but what you could see were fans clapping and chanting WELCOME BACK. He played up to the crowd at first and then heeled on them again without really saying anything. Fans were still chanting THANK YOU SETH when he left.

    IC CHAMPION THE MIZ w/Maryse vs. CESARO

    Cesaro took control early heading into the break but Miz took control during the commercial. Miz worked over Cesaro’s left shoulder for most of the match. Miz got a two count off a backslide and then Cesaro started nailing uppercuts with his good arm. Miz kicked the left shoulder but Cesaro tossed Miz in the air and hit the uppercut for a two. Pretty vocal CE-SAR-O chant from the crowd. Miz hit a short-arm DDT for a two and then tried to undo the top turnbuckle pad. Ref stopped him but Maryse finished the job.

    They teased a spot into it which never paid off and then the ref spent about a minute hooking it back up. Cesaro got what would’ve been a three but the ref took too long to make the count. Miz hit an O’Connor roll for two. Cesaro turned that into a sharpshooter but Miz made the ropes to break it up. Miz tossed him out of the ring but Cesaro hit an uppercut from the outside and then went back in and tried to hit his swing but Miz escaped and bailed from the ring. He teased a walkout but Cesaro followed him out, hit the “Very European Uppercut” (called as such by Mauro) and then rolled him back into the ring. Cross body from the top by Cesaro got a two count.

    Somewhere amidst all of this, Maryse had removed the turnbuckle again and Miz tossed Cesaro into it shoulder first and then hit the Skull Crushing Finale. Really good match, one of the better TV matches of the year.

    WINNER: THE MIZ by pinfall 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • WWE Smackdown London spoilers: Shane McMahon mixes it up with Miz

    Notes from today’s Smackdown tapings in London:

    – They opened with Miz TV with A.J. Styles. They showed the clips of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson attacking Roman Reigns. Maryse came out and got heat by speaking in French. Miz brought up that Styles, Gallows and Anderson were all friends from Japan and told Styles to admit to the fact he set up the attack on Reigns. Styles denied it. Miz then asked why he did nothing to stop them if he didn’t set it up. Styles said that he was upset with them and doesn’t need their help to beat Reigns. Miz continued to push the idea that Styles thought he needed help against Reigns. Miz kept pushing Styles to tell the truth. Miz and Maryse got heat again by making out. Eventually, Styles attacked Miz.

    – Ryback beat U.S. Champion Kalisto in a non-title match after hitting the Shellshock.

    – Dolph Ziggler came out for a match and was attacked by Baron Corbin. He got laid out again with the End of Days.

    – A.J. Styles beat The Miz. Miz was taking the worst of it and tried to walk out. Anderson and Gallows came out and blocked him from leaving. Styles threw Miz back in the ring and pinned him after the Phenomenal Forearm.

    – Sami Zayn and Dean Ambrose were interviewed. They said Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose were the best in the world at sneaking up from behind.  Zayn & Ambrose then tried to do a comedy bit where they’d come up with a name for their new tag team.

    – The Miz did a promo and said what happened earlier was proof Styles, Anderson, and Gallows were all working together. He demanded an investigation and refused to leave the ring until it was done. Shane McMahon then came out. Miz yelled at Shane and put his finger in his chest repeatedly until Shane laid in some punches and a flying back elbow before clotheslining Miz to the outside. This may have been just for the live crowd to give them something since Undertaker wasn’t there as advertised. 

    Here’s a video of the segment for as long as it stays up:

    – Anderson & Gallows did an interview.  They were asked if they are aligned with Styles and they said they weren’t.  They also said they would be wrestling on Raw Monday night against the Usos.

    – Paige & Natalya beat Naomi & Tamina with a double submission win.

    – R-Truth pinned Fandango with Goldust as referee.  R-Truth and Goldust danced after the match.

    – Enzo and Cass came out. The crowd was big time into them. The Vaudevillains then did a promo making fun of Enzo. Good segment building up their match on Raw next week to determine the top contenders for the tag titles.

    – Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho beat Sami Zayn & Dean Ambrose. Ambrose was on the top rope and Jericho shoved him off. Ambrose sold it like he had injured his knee and Owens pinned him, which was retribution for Ambrose pinning Owens on Raw.

  • WWE Main Event results: Kevin Owens gives us a heel masterclass

    Kalisto def. Heath Slater w/ Social Outcasts by pinfall

    The obligatory terrible pre-match promo centres around Bo calling Kalisto “sugar face”. Yeah, I have no earthly idea why that’s supposed to be funny either.

    Rich Brennan mentions that Kalisto was “banged up” on RAW, but apparently it’s feasible to recover from “minor whiplash” in 24 hours. The match was about what you’d expect from these two; exciting when Kalisto was on offence and stultifyingly dull during the heat.

    Kalisto hit his usual comeback sequence, before finishing a needlessly long 11 minute match with a Salida Del Sol. The US Champion used an interfering Curtis Axel for leverage in a repeat of the finish from his match against Bo Dallas on last week’s Superstars. Way to go, creative.

    – We return from the second commercial break with the defeated Outcasts still in the ring, squabbling amongst themselves. Bo breaks it up by recommending that they take their frustration out on the next man that walks to the ring. That man is Apollo Crews.

    Apollo Crews def. Bo Dallas by pinfall

    Crews enters to one of CFO$’ better recent entrance theme efforts, a tune that seems to fit his buoyant personality perfectly. I was tempted to say it fits his character perfectly, but he doesn’t really have one; hence the nickname ‘Smiley Black Man’ that he enjoys in this household, which helpfully marks out his only three defining characteristics.

    Crews, like Kalisto, is another athletic babyface that is doomed to cycle through the Social Outcasts at the minute. He adds to his recent victories over Axel and Adam Rose by putting away Bo Dallas in a three minute squash here, finishing him with the spinning sitout powerbomb deal.

    Kevin Owens def. Dolph Ziggler by pinfall

    Well now, this was something to behold; unquestionably the best match that this show has produced since I started covering it last year. Owens put on a heel clinic here, with the majority of the bout focused on burnishing his new self-gifted “headlock master” moniker.

    A string of Owens side headlocks kicked us off, with the former IC champion desperate to convince the referee that Dolph was conceding defeat: “He said yes, I heard him!”. Owens’ attention then turned to the old reliable reverse chinlock, with one application of the hold engaged after running the ropes to fool the fans into expecting action (Owens: “This is my new thing!”).

    Ziggler eventually fought up from one of these with a back suplex (Owens: “He broke my headlock!”), before commencing a hot comeback that the crowd very much went with. Owens cut him off with a boot to the chin, before hitting a massive frog splash from the top rope for two. The former Mr. Steen roared at Jerry Lawler to tell the ref that was three, to which The King shouted back: “I agree!”.

    Owens signaled for his finish, but Ziggler leaped over his shoulders instead and planted him with a superkick for an excellent nearfall that everybody (including me) bit on. This prompted the lesser-heard “This is awesome!” chant from the watching San Diego crowd.

    That led us into the finish, with Owens kicking out of a schoolboy before catching a frantic Ziggler on the rebound with the Pop-Up Powerbomb for the win.

    After the bell, the always insecure bully heel ran to the announce desk to shout the odds at Rich Brennan, before stealing his phone to teach him a lesson! Hilarious.

    Final Thoughts

    What an absolutely amazing heel performer this company possesses in Kevin Owens. The fact that they prefer to use their anointed top babyface as a tweener rather than feature the best natural bad guy at their disposal makes no sense to me. Every heel in the business should sit down and watch what this guy did with restholds for 16 minutes here. And the little nuances he adds to his character – like the need for praise from babyface announcers – are something that very few others can bring to the table either. Watch this match and skip the Social Outcasts tripe.

  • WWE Richmond, VA, live results: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens, Reigns & Ambrose team up

    Submitted by Andy Clark

    – AJ Styles defeated Tyler Breeze with the Phenomenal Forearm

    Good match, crowd was into AJ.

    – Hype Bros defeated The Ascension with the Hype Ryder.

    Mojo Rawley is from Virginia so he had lots of support, including what appeared to be a pretty large friends and family section.  Nice that he was able to work this show.

    – The Miz defeated Jack Swagger after an eyepoke and the Skull Crushing Finale

    Fun match, much better received as  a house show match than it likely would have been at a TV taping.  Miz called us all sweathogs and then did the Rick Rude gyrations to disrobe. Swagger responded with JYD mannerisms.  Fun stuff.  Saw rumors of a Miz injury but he didn’t appear hurt.  

    – Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks defeated Team B.A.D. with a stereo Banks Statement/Dis-Armer tapout

    All four women were pretty well over, I’d say Becky probably the most so.  Becky and Sasha spent a good amount of time with the fans at ringside afterward.

    – WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kington & Xavier Woods) defeated the Dudley Boyz and The Usos in a Triple Threat Match to retain

    Usos were the most over of the group, but New Day was pretty popular as well.  New Day pretty much played heel here, with a running gag of Xavier getting slapped in the back repeatedly for the first part of the match.  Finish came when Kofi stole the pin after an Uso hit the top rope splash on a Dudley (I believe D-Von).

    – WWE Divas Champion Charlotte defeated Natalya in a non-title match via rollup

    Finish was a little sloppy, Natalya slapped Ric Flair on the apron and Charlotte rolled her up for the win.  The crowd really liked Natalya and gave her a really nice response after the match.

    – Sami Zayn defeated I-C Champion Kevin Owens by DQ

    Best match of the night (surprise), even if it started a bit slow. Owens had Sami in the Tree of Woe and was DQed for not breaking on the five count while attacking him. Post-match Owens got on the mic and reminded everyone that he made his main roster debut in Richmond, and wanted to ruin Sami’s first Richmond appearance.  He went for the pop-up powerbomb but Sami hit a dropkick and the Helluva Kick.

    – Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose defeated Sheamus & King Barrett when Reigns speared Barrett

    Reigns was VERY over here,  I’d say the crowd was 90-10 in favor of him, if that bad.  Standard house show main event tag, but everyone got to hit their spots, and the crowd was happy to see Reigns & Ambrose win.  Both men spent plenty of time with fans and ringside on the way out, with Reigns being the last guy through the curtain. 

    Very fun house show overall, good atmosphere.   I feel like our show got a significantly better deal on star power than the show in Trenton.