offical wwe thread

[Arcademan]

ALL IN PPV results: 9-1-18 (part 1)

All In was the real fucking deal, very exciting ordering a non-WWE PPV for the first time in 2 decades.

And on that note...

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Pageot's complete report).

ZERO HOUR

(1) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE BRISCOES (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) vs. SOCAL UNCENSORED (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) – NON-TITLE MATCH

ROH official Paul Turner was the referee. The Briscoes dominated the opening minutes. Quick tags in and out as they worked over Sky at the 5:30 mark. Kaz made the hot tag and went to town. He hit a bridging northern lights suplex on both men for a two-count. Sky with a belly to belly that sent Mark over the ropes to the floor and Kaz followed by leaping over into a hurricanrana. Sky followed with a leaping splash over the ropes onto both brothers. Stereo dragon sleepers from SCU to the Briscoes. Jay crawled over to rake Kaz’s eyes for the break. The Briscoes took control again on Kaz while Sky was down on the floor. Redneck Boogie for a two-count on Kaz. Sky returned to toss Jay into the guardrail and a leaping hurricanrana that took Mark off the top rope. Tornado DDT from Kaz to Jay. Assisted lungblower to Mark but he kicked out at two. Jay Driller to Kaz + froggy-bow from Mark but Sky broke up the pin! The Briscoes set up a Doomsday Device but Kaz caught Mark and turned it into a powerslam off of Jay’s shoulders to the mats. Sky dropkicked Jay out of the ring and Kaz covered Mark for the pin.

WINNER: SCU in 12:32.

Solid opening contest and a great taste of the Ring Of Honor tag division. At Death Before Dishonor on Sep.28 it’s Kaz and Christopher Daniels challenging The Briscoes for their titles so expect that one to be even better. Production-wise, things look good. The arena’s nice and big, Riccaboni’s directing traffic on commentary, and the crowd is hot. Love that they didn’t go to commercial during the match but waited until it was over.

(2) THE OVER BUDGET BATTLE ROYAL – WINNER EARNS AN ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH LATER IN THE SHOW

Entrants: Beretta, Colt Cabana, Cage, Cheeseburger, El Hijo De Chico, Brandon Cutler, Jordynne Grace, Austin Gunn, Billy Gunn, Hurricane Helms, Jimmy Jacobs, Punishment Martinez, Moose, Ethan Page, Bully Ray, Rocky Romero, Marko Stunt, Chuckie T

Bully Ray put Chico’s son through a table at ringside and whipped Chuck Taylor into the guardrail. Beretta took out Ray with a suicide dive. Grace took out Beretta with a dive too, then Page with a big boot to Grace, and Cabana with an Asai moonsault onto everyone. Billy Gunn and Dreamer teased dives of their own but instead just jumped off the apron. Everyone returned to the ring and Moose went to town with right hands. Everyone else teamed up against him. Marko Stunt dropkicked Moose off the apron for the elimination.

Martinez kicked Stunt through the ropes to the floor. Page tried to suplex Taylor to the floor but Best Friends teamed up on him. Helms tried to dump Ray but couldn’t lift him. Stunt returned and jumped onto Cutler’s back. Sidewalk slam from Cutler. Ray slapped Stunt off the apron but he went through the ropes. Cutler was eliminated by someone.

Best Friends double-teamed Page. Page came back but Romero appeared to save them. Best Friends hugged mid-ring only for Martinez to toss them both at the same time.

Romero with a springboard hurricanrana to Martinez. Romero hit a clothesline train on a series of men before getting waylaid by Cage and eliminated.

Burger jumped off the ropes but was caught by Cage. Shotei to Cage and some others. Cage tossed Burger.

Martinez and Cage faced off and brawled. They traded punches and kicks. Cage avoided the South Of Heaven chokeslam but Martinez took a Hurrichokeslam, as did Cage courtesy of Helms. Dreamer dumped Page to the apron. Helms wound up on the apron too. They traded punches and Page kicked Helms off.

Flying Apple from Cabana eliminated Page.

Dreamer threw a garbage can and baking sheets into the ring. He unloaded on people. Dreamer and Martinez squared off. Dreamer with the Bionic Elbow and death valley driver but Ray tossed his old friend.

Stunt chopped away at Ray who didn’t even register the attack. Billy Gunn saved Stunt from Ray and Austin Gunn took down Ray. Jacobs worked over Austin and hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Billy saved his son. Jacobs kissed him. Billy threw out Jacobs.

Martinez took out Billy but turned around into a clotheslines from Austin, eliminating Martinez.

Ray with a garbage can lid to Austin’s back and tossed him.

Fameasser from Billy to Ray. Gunn and Cage squared off. Cage gorilla pressed him for the elimination.

Stunt with a lungblower to Cage but Ray picked him up and threw him out.

Cabana, Cage, Grace, and Ray were your final four. Grace hoisted up Cage in a firewoman’s carry but he escaped. Buckle bomb to Grace. Running power bomb to Cage and Grace clotheslined him out.

Ray spun Grace around and she got in her face. Ray set Grace on the top rope. She pushed him off and Cabana grabbed Ray in Whassup? position. Grace hit the headbutt but Ray threw her out a moment later.

Cabana and Ray were your final two. Ray missed a top rope senton. Cabana grabbed a steel chair and hit Ray with it. Ray came back and tossed Cabana seemingly for the win.

As Ray celebrated Chico El Luchador’s son suddenly reappeared. He was never eliminated. El Hijo De Chico tossed Ray over the top rope and then unmasked to reveal Flip Gordon.

WINNER: Flip Gordon in 16:56 to earn a shot at the ROH World Championship.

Well, that was probably the most boring way to cap off the whole “book Flip” story. He comes in cheaply through the back door and eliminates one person to earn a world title match. The lack of televised introductions for everyone also made everything feel less than important. The match was half over before I even realized Cheeseburger was in the ring. Ray got the highest profile, continuing his bully story with Marko Stunt and furthering his ROH feuds with Cabana and Flip. Cage also looked good but most of the others only got a moment or two at most.

 

[Arcademan]

ALL IN PPV results: 9-1-18 (part 2)

ALL IN

(3) MATT CROSS vs. MJF

ROH senior official Todd Sinclair was the referee. Cross hit a big flip over the ropes onto MJF early on. MJF used Sinclair as a shield and ran Cross into the ring post. MJF with a gut-wrench powerbomb for two. Cross with a top rope hurricanrana that left both men down on the mat. Springboard crossbody for a two on MJF. Package shoulderbreaker from MJF for two. Cross with some right hands but MJF spit in his face. Eye poke. MJF flipped off the fans. Cross with a roll-through into a double stomp. Armbar from MJF. Cross rolled him up for two. MJF yanked the sore arm across the ropes and hit a pendulum piledriver for two. Cross with a back flip into a cutter and his patented shooting star press.

WINNER: Matt Cross in 10:07.

The crowd was fairly quiet for the opening contest on the main card but that could likely be attributed to the fact that this match and Cross were both unadvertised. Opening the show with an unadvertised match is a questionable decision in itself. MJF and Cross did their best, though, and showed off their strengths.

(4) “ALMIGHTY” CHRISTOPHER DANIELS (w/Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. STEPHEN AMELL (w/Josh Segarra)

Jerry Lynn was your special guest referee. Amell chopped away at Daniels and hit a take-down before walking across Daniels’ back. Amell leapt from the second rope, rolled through, popped up, and hit a dropkick. Amell through Daniels into the guardrail and pulled a table out from under the ring. Riccaboni reminded us that SCU and Flip Gordon put him through a table at ROH Survival Of The Fittest back in November. Daniels intervened and they returned to the ring with the table still set up on the floor. Overhead back suplex from Daniels. “Fallen angel” chant from the crowd. Daniels worked over Amell. Daniels with a shoulder to the gut. Arabian moonsault but he chose to play to the fans rather than make the cover. The feed cut out. When we came back Amell hit a falcon arrow for two. He went up top for a coast to coast and hit it for a two-count. Daniels avoided an enziguiri and went for the Best Moonsault Ever. Daniels completely missed Amell but they sold it like he hit. Daniels looked to suplex Amell from the top rope through the table on the floor but Amell fought back. Daniels fell to the apron, rolled off, staggered over, and lay down on the table. Amell went for a top rope elbow drop but Daniels was playing possum. He rolled out of the way and Amell crashed and burned.

Lynn started to count out both men but decided he didn’t want the match to end this way so he rolled both men into the ring instead. Daniels threw a fit. Lynn took off his referee shirt and shoved Daniels into a schoolboy from Amell for two. Daniels punched away at Amell. Lynn continued to call the match without his referee shirt on. Amell gave Daniels two middle fingers. Amell reversed Angel’s Wings into a bridging pin for another two-count. Best Moonsault Ever connected this time for the win.

WINNER: Christopher Daniels in 11:44.

-Daniels and Amell followed the code of honor and Amell raised Daniels’ arm.

Amell definitely held his own and didn’t look out of place in the least. I’m very glad that the Lynn shenanigans didn’t play into the finish. Amell for the next ROH Top Prospect Tournament?

(5) IMPACT KNOCKOUTS CHAMPION TESSA BLANCHARD (w/Tully Blanchard & Magnum T.A.) vs. “THE HOT MESS” CHELSEA GREEN vs. MADISON RAYNE vs. DR. BRITT BAKER D.M.D. – NON-TITLE MATCH

ROH official Paul Turner was the referee. Green sold having a split personality and fighting with herself. Rayne and Blanchard fought on the floor with Rayne going into the guardrail. Baker and Green exchanged roll-ups and arm drags. Blanchard speared Green and clotheslined her to the floor. Blanchard took out Baker but Rayne caught her with a roll-up for two. Blanchard with a gorilla press that sent Rayne onto Green and Baker on the floor. Green with a pump-kick to Baker in the ring and a suicide dive to Baker and Blanchard. Blanchard awkwardly ran and threw herself over the top rope onto Baker and Green. The three women stood together to wait for Rayne to crossbody them. Faint “All In” chant from the crowd. Rayne rolled Baker into the ring. Baker hit a series of slingblades on all three women. Ripcord cutter from Rayne to Baker. Blanchard with a delayed vertical suplex to Baker. Green hit her boyfriend’s Broski Boot. Green with a missile dropkick to Blanchard. Rayne sat Baker on the top rope and hit a top rope cutter. Baker kicked out at two. Green hit the Unprettier, Blanchard hit the Magnum, but Baker hit a kick and tried to steal the pin. Kick out. Crucifix bomb from Rayne to Blanchard but Baker broke up the pin. Fisherwoman’s neckbreaker from Baker to Rayne but Green broke it up. First “this is awesome” chant of the night. Unprettier from Green to Baker but Baker got her foot on the rope. Green with a Canadian Destroyer to Blanchard but Blanchard kicked out. The crowd came alive and gave a standing ovation. Loud “All In” chant. Blanchard with a hammerlock DDT to Green. Baker lunged to break up the pin but she was half a second too late.

WINNER: Tessa Blanchard in 12:46.

-Group hug after the bell.

Great showing from Baker and the Impact Wrestling women. The opening minutes were WWE formula with two people fighting in the ring and the other two lying on the floor dead for ages after taking one move but things definitely picked up. They worked hard to earn the first “this is awesome” chant of the night. Five matches in and the wrestling quality has been solid.

(6) “THE NATIONAL TREASURE” NICK ALDIS (w/crew) vs. “THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE” CODY (w/Brandi Rhodes & The Nightmare Family) – NWA WORLD’S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Earl Hebner was the referee. The crowd was electric. Back and forth in the early minutes. Cody sent Aldis to ringside with a dropkick and followed with a suicide dive. Aldis suplexed Cody on the floor and ran his back into the ring post. Aldis worked away on Cody’s back. Double lariat left both men down. Aldis avoided CrossRhodes. Double crossbody put both men back down. Springboard splash attempt from Cody but Aldis caught him with a forearm on the way down. Aldis rolled into the ring as Hebner checked on Cody. Hebner put up the X with his arms. DDP ran back out to check on Cody. Daivari also returned. He shoved DDP out of the way and told Hebner to call for the bell. Hebner wouldn’t so Daivari shoved him. Page dropped Daivari with a Diamond Cutter.

Cody bladed off-camera and came up bleeding down his face. Excalibur tried to claim it came from the forearm earlier. Aldis rolled Cody back in. Cody came back to life and hit a powerslam. Cody missed a top rope moonsault. Aldis lay him across the top and hit a knee strike. Fallaway slam from the second rope. Aldis with a top rope splash for two. Cody with a figure four. Aldis rolled it over and Cody made the rope break. Aldis with a running powerslam on the floor. Aldis rolled in. Brandi tried to power her husband up. Cody looked for an Alabama slam but he didn’t have the strength. He tried again and nailed it for a two-count. Aldis ducked a Beautiful Disaster kick and hit a powerbomb into the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf. Cody crawled for the ropes but Aldis pulled him back to the center of the ring. Aldis sat down to wrench it in as Cody faded. Cody powered back up and grabbed the bottom rope to a roaring ovation. Brandi spoke words of encouragement to him.

Aldis with a gut-wrench piledriver. Aldis looked to go up top but Brandi slid into the ring and begged him to stop the match. She threw herself onto Cody’s body so Aldis came down with an elbow drop onto both Brandi and Cody. It wasn’t clear whether or not Aldis saw she was there before he leapt. At first he appeared shocked but he quickly made the cover. Cody kicked out thanks to Brandi taking the brunt of the impact. Beautiful Disaster kick. CrossRhodes but Aldis kicked out! Cody wiped the blood from his face. They traded blows. Aldis avoided Din’s Fire and hit a sunset flip. Cody dropped down and hooked the legs.

WINNER: Cody in 22:01 to capture the NWA world title.

-Cody’s music didn’t play, rather the arena stayed silent while Hebner handed a kneeling Cody the title. Cody was bawling as he looked around the arena. Brandi pounded on the mat and hugged him. Cody’s music finally hit. DDP and the rest of Cody’s team returned to celebrate and hug him. Brandi and Dreamer helped fix the belt around Cody’s waist. Riccaboni said Cody is now the 94th NWA Champion.

A perfect end to the months-long build and this will have to end up being the emotional peak on the show. Strange that it happened so early in the card but we’ll see how the rest plays out. This was a classic NWA-style title match and they clearly aimed for it to feel like an old school Dusty match. Will this lead to more NWA involvement on ROH television? That could be a fun partnership. Where Cody goes from here as champion will be very interesting.

(7) “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE vs. “BAD BOY” JOEY JANELA (w/Penelope Ford) – CHICAGO STREET FIGHT

Todd Sinclair was the referee. Page wore wrestling boots. Page hit a top rope moonsault to the floor at 1:30. Fallaway slam sent Janela flying into an opened chair. Page pulled a sheet off something at ringside which was revealed to be a literal Cracker Barrel barrel. Janela threw Page into the barrel. Janela set up a chair and ran, leaping from the chair to the barrel into a cannonball that took out Page among the fans. Janela rolled the barrel at Page. Page made a Super Mario leap over the barrel. Buckshot lariat over the guardrail to Janela. Page pulled a table out from under the ring and set it up on the floor. Janela with a death valley driver into the turnbuckles. Janela and Ford found a ladder and lay it across the ring apron and the barrel. Janela laid Page across the ladder and went up top. Page sprang to life and met him up top. Burning hammer from Page to Janela off the apron onto the ladder. Page brought in a garbage bag. Riccaboni thought he might try to suffocate Janela. “It’s a Chciago street fight. He can murder whoever he wants!” Callis exclaimed.

Ford jumped onto Page’s back. He shoved her off. She slapped him. Page looked to hit her but she backflipped away from his strikes and hit Page with a stunner. Ford with a high crossbody from the top rope to Page at ringside. She punched Page onto the table and Janela followed with a top rope elbow. Janela dragged Page up the ramp to the stage. He ran the length of the stage and hit Page with a clothesline. Janela found another folding table. Ford helped him set it up in the entrance ramp. And a second, side by side. Page met him on the stage with a kick. Page threw Janela ten feet through the air and off the stage. Janela plummeted through the first table and hit the ground hard. “Joey killer” chant from the crowd.

Page dragged Janela back to the ring. Rite Of Passage but Ford broke up the pinfall at two and a half. She had a second garbage bag in her hand. Page grabbed it from her and shook out the bloodstained cowboy boots that he’d previously thrown away. Page went white but regrouped to superkick Ford. He picked up one of the boots and turned into a superkick of Janela’s own. Page kicked out. Janela brought the ladder into the ring and set it up. Janela set up a fourth folding table. He laid Page across the table and climbed the ladder. “Safety first” chant from the crowd. Janela had cuts and welts up his legs and back. Page went into the first garbage bag and pulled out a telephone like the one Joey Ryan was supposedly murdered with. Page bludgeoned Janela with the phone, wrapped the cord around his neck, and hit a Rite Of Passage off the ladder and through the table.

WINNER: Adam Page in 20:09.

-Post-match the lights went out. A video played of a bloodied Joey Ryan lying in his death bed. His penis slowly became erect in his sweatpants. Funeral music played and a group of Undertaker-esque monks walked out in giant penis suits. Joey Ryan’s music hit and lit up the videotron. Ryan danced out on stage with lollipop in mouth. Page was agape in the ring. Page posed on the apron and played to the fans as the penis brigade collected at the foot of the ramp. Ryan lathered up with baby oil. Page was still frozen, mouth open like he was seeing a ghost. Page finally confronted him and said “I know you’re not real!” Page grabbed Ryan’s crotch and Ryan powered up to hit the dick flip. He put his lollipop in Page’s mouth and superkicked him. Ryan rolled Page’s body into the arms of the penis disciples at ringside. They carried him off to the back as Ryan played to the fans.

The match was exactly what you’d hope for. Dangerous, memorable, and fun. Janela took a couple crazy bumps, Page looked vicious, and Ford looked badass. BTE is going to have a bit of work to explain why Ryan isn’t dead. Is this leading to a penis-shaped casket match between Ryan and Page at some point in the future?

 

[Arcademan]

ALL IN PPV results: 9-1-18 (part 3)

(8) “BLACK MACHISMO” JAY LETHAL (w/Lanny Poffo) vs. FLIP GORDON (w/Brandi Rhodes) – ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Todd Sinclair was the referee. Machismo thought Brandi was Miss Elizabeth so he grabbed her by the wrist and marched her from Gordon’s corner over to his own corner. Machismo tossed Gordon but Gordon skinned the cat. He was immediately clotheslined back to the floor. Brandi got in the way so Machismo chased her back around the ring. They ended up in the ring and he lifted her up onto his shoulders just like Savage and Elizabeth. She slapped him, which transformed him back into Jay Lethal. Gordon returned. He and Lethal tussled. Gordon with two suicide dives and a corkscrew flip. Twisting frog-splash for a two-count. Pinfalls exchanged. Kinder surprise caught Lethal on the top rope. Lethal avoided a 450. Lethal Combination. Gordon with a falcon arrow for two. “Nobody kicks out of the falcon arrow!” Callis exclaimed, though I’m fairly certain that’s not even a little true. Lethal with a torture rack. Poffo climbed on the apron and did the Macho Man finger twirl. Lethal seemed confused so Poffo slapped him on the shoulder.

Lethal transformed back into Black Machismo. Body slam. Machismo went up top. Hail To The King. He went up top again. He hit a second flying elbow drop but he wasn’t done. He hit a third but Gordon kicked out and Hulked up. Oh brother. Machismo hit some punches but Gordon no-sold. They traded punches. Gordon with a big boot as Machismo came off the ropes. Pelé kick. Star-Spangled Slingblade. Samoan pop. Running shooting star press. Twisting corkscrew. Machismo kicked out at two. Faint “Flip” chant from the crowd. Gordon tried for a top rope hurricanrana but Machismo blocked. Top rope cutter. Lethal Injection.

WINNER: Jay Lethal in 14:22 to retain the ROH world title.

-Code of honor after the match and a hug from Gordon. Bully Ray ran down to the ring and clotheslined both men. He whipped Gordon with his steel chain. Poffo jumped into the ring and put his dukes up. Ray kicked him between the legs. Ray looked under the ring for yet another folding table and set it up in the ring. Cabana hit the ring and speared Ray. Cabana, Gordon, and Lethal surrounded Ray. Lethal and Gordon lifted Ray onto Cabana’s shoulders for a triple power bomb through the table.

This match would have been more fun with Colt Cabana in lieu of Gordon but I guess they wanted to give Flip a match since this show is mostly about showcasing and putting over younger talent. A lot of this show has felt largely like an ROH event which is and isn’t surprising. Let’s just say it’s kind of curious how straight-forward things have gone outside of Joey Ryan’s return and the Machismo stuff.

(9) IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION KENNY OMEGA vs. LUCHA UNDERGROUND CHAMPION PENTA EL ZERO – NON-TITLE MATCH

Paul Turner was the referee. Penta hit the first kick of the match at 1:08. Lungblower sent Omega to the floor. Omega leapt into a hurricanrana. Slingblade from Penta. Leaping flip over the top rope onto Omega. Penta whipped Omega into a chair at ringside. Powerslam to Omega on the floor. Omega with a second rope moonsault but Penta got his knees up. Tornado DDT to Penta. Springboard crossbody to Penta on the floor. Missile dropkick from Omega. Penta avoided the v-trigger with a kick. Discus elbow from Omega. Dragon Rush. Penta avoided the One-Winged Angel into a lungblower. Death valley driver from Omega. V-trigger in the corner. Double stomp from Penta on Omega hung up in the corner. Omega avoided Fear Factor. Another v-trigger. A third. A fourth. Penta grabbed the bottom rope to break the count. Penta avoided One-Winged Angel, Omega avoided Fear Factor. Penta with the Pentagon Driver for a two-count. They fought on the apron. Penta kicked him between the legs and hit Fear Factor on the apron! Penta went up top for Lanza. Omega kicked out at two and a half. Omega hit a package piledriver of his own. A fifth v-trigger. Penta fought out of One-Winged Angel again. Penta hit his Sacrifice arm breaker. Fear Factor again but Omega kicked out! Excalibur blamed Penta for not hooking the leg. The crowd was riotous. A sixth v-trigger. Poisonrana. A seventh v-trigger. One-Winged Angel!

WINNER: Kenny Omega in 17:47.

-The lights went out. They eventually came back on with nothing having happened. Penta leapt to his feet and unloaded on Omega with offense, concluding with a codebreaker. The mask was pulled off to reveal… Chris Jericho! Jericho stripped off the Penta gear and hit a second codebreaker while dressed in a black tank top, black pants, and the Pentagón face paint. Jericho took a mic to say he’d see Omega on the Jericho cruise.

-Callis bragged about Winnipeg, Manitoba (the hometown of himself, Jericho, and Omega) being the talk of wrestling again. Jericho walked past the commentary table at that moment and took a swipe at Callis that knocked him out of his seat.

Terrific match as we all expected. Cody will take home the title of most emotional match but Omega and Pentagón will likely win Best Singles Match. Jericho appearing was a big surprise. Is the Jericho cruise being set up as the next “international waters” event with wrestlers from different promotions meeting outside of an ROH, NJPW, or Impact ring?

(10) “THE RAINMAKER” KAZUCHIKA OKADA vs. “THE VILLAIN” MARTY SCURLL

Tiger Hattori was the surprise special guest referee. Okada towered over Scurll. Dueling “Let’s go Marty”/”Okada” chants. Scurll with a shoulder block at 2:45 that had no effect. Scurll encouraged Okada to try and Okada knocked him down. Scurll with some chops in the corner. Okada with a suplex. Uppercuts sent Okada to the floor. Superkick from the apron. Suicide dive. Okada took over again. DDT to Scurll on the floor at 8:15. Straitjacket lungblower to Okada at 11:20. Swinging DDT for a two-count. Okada avoided The Graduation and hit a back elbow. DDT for two. Scurll with a brainbuster at 14:40. Air Raid Crash from Okada. They fought on the second rope in the corner. Scurll hit a superplex. Pinfall roll-ups exchanged. Scurll with a power bomb but Okada kicked out. Okada blocked Graduation again and hit a shotgun dropkick. A second top rope shotgun dropkick but Scurll rolled his shoulder up at two. DDT from Scurll. Tombstone piledriver to Scurll. Okada set up for The Rainmaker and mocked Scurll with a 205 hand gesture. Scurll grabbed his hand and snapped his fingers. Dropkick from Okada. Scurll countered the Rainmaker into a chicken-wing attempt. Okada fought it. Scurll played possum and then locked it in. Okada rolled through into a pin for two. Scurll shoved Okada and Hattori went down.

Scurll grabbed his umbrella. He swung, Okada ducked, and Scurll clocked him across the head on a second attempt. Scurll hit his own Rainmaker and Hattori recovered to count two before Okada kicked out. Scurll called for the chicken-wing again but Okada hit a Rainmaker that left them both lying. “This is awesome” chant. Scurll ate some blows from Okada but refused to stay down. Scurll spit in Okada’s face and slapped him. Okada with another Rainmaker and a third.

WINNER: Kazuchika Okada in 26:04.

Surprisingly long. I don’t think anyone would have expected this to be the longest match of the night. After the opening minutes they largely dropped the heavyweight vs. junior heavyweight story, which is fine by me. It seemed like a weird story to fixate on going into this match. I’ve watched Scurll wrestle guys like Punishment Martinez, Shane Taylor, and Jay Lethal in ROH and never once thought of him as being small or junior. I know the weight division is a big thing in Japan, though. Scurll held his own against one of the greatest NJPW champions, which seemed to be the intended takeaway here.

(11) THE GOLDEN ELITE (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, & Kota Ibushi) vs. REY MYSTERIO, FÉNIX, & BANDIDO

Rick Knox was the referee. Matt and Bandido started things off. There’s no way I’m calling this one move for move so let’s try to stick to the big spots. Tag to Nick. Double dropkick to Bandido. Fénix and Nick squared off. Jumping cutter from Fénix for an early two-count. Ibushi and Mysterio tagged in to a deafening ovation and a “holy shit” chant. They ran circles around each other. Mysterio with a hurricanrana. Ibushi with a kick but Mysterio avoided a standing moonsault. Tag to Matt. Tag to Fénix. Facebuster from Matt. Tags to Ibushi and Bandido. Bandido missed a standing shooting press and Ibushi caught him with a standing moonsault. Ibushi with double Pelé kicks to Fénix and Bandido. Tag to Nick. He and Ibushi hit stereo flips onto Bandido and Fénix on the floor. Mysterio with a springboard moonsault onto all three opponents. Fénix with a twisting corkscrew and Bandido with one of his own. “All In” chant. Nick and Bandido fought in the aisle. Matt ran off the stage with a cannonball that took out Bandido and Fénix.

Matt and Bandido wound up as legal men in the ring. Double-team offense from the Bucks. Tag to Ibushi and a German suplex for two. Bandido avoided a triple superkick and hit a triple hurricanrana. Mysterio in. Hurricanrana sent Matt knocking Nick off the apron. Matt caught Mysterio on a 619 attempt. Mysterio set up for a Meltzer Driver but Bandido and Fénix saved him. Matt back into 619 position. Fénix with a Canadian Destroyer. Bandido with a poisonrana. Fénix and Bandido with suicide dives to take out Nick and Ibushi. Springboard frog-splash from Mysterio to Matt but he kicked out!

Bandido hit a top rope powerslam to Matt but Nick broke up the pin. Superkicks from the Bucks to all three opponents. More Bang For Your Buck to Bandido capped off with a 450 by Nick. Fénix sort of broke up the pin. Meltzer Driver to Bandido with Matt covering for the win.

WINNERS: The Golden Elite in 11:45.

Another really fun match as expected. Fast-paced from the start with them racing the clock. We’ll likely never know how long they’d intended for this one to go but it was obvious they had ran long in other areas. I’m genuinely surprised to see the Golden Elite win as I would not have pegged Matt and Nick to have themselves win in the main event of their own show. It didn’t come off as self-aggrandizing, though. They’ve been clearly established in ROH, NJPW, and PWG as being the best tag team on the planet and their opponents had never teamed together before so, in retrospect, their win should have been obvious. Scurll ended up being the only Bullet Club member to take a loss tonight.

All things said and done it was a good show full of quality wrestling. For the most part it didn’t feel all that different from an ROH/NJPW co-presentation with some Impact knockouts and a few other guest stars mixed in. I was personally expecting more Being The Elite-type videos and for it to feel like more of a culmination of something. There were a couple short videos and the extended Joey Ryan sequence but that was mostly it. Also kind of weird for people like Atout and Mooney to be advertised and flown into Chicago for just one brief backstage segment. People who expected huge surprises like Pac wrestling or C.M. Punk appearing are undoubtedly complaining all over social media right now about how the show sucked. It didn’t. We got eleven quality wrestling matches showcasing some of the best names in independent wrestling. Yes, it didn’t break any new ground or do anything particularly innovative within the confines of a traditional wrestling pay-per-view but to a certain extent those kinds of expectations can never be met. There will be a lot of discussion in the following days about what the show did or didn’t do and what it means for the larger wrestling landscape going forward. That this show even managed to exist at all is possibly the most important thread from that story. The fact that we got five hours of great wrestling on top of that? That’s just the cherries in the cola.

 

[Splitt442]

I'm eagerly awaiting for ALL IN to show up on NJPW World...I think it's supposed to go up before the week's out...?

It’s up now from what I’ve read.

 

[famicommander]

RevPro just announced a UK TV deal on FreeSports, whole Defiant (formerly known as WCPW) announced the return of its weekly Youtube show, Loaded.

That news plus NXT UK and the return of World of Sport means there's a lot going on right now so n the UK scene.

There is hope that the RevPro deal will help serve as a back door to get NJPW and ROH on UK TV.

 

[famicommander]

I posted about this when it was announced, then it just fell off the radar. But as you may remember, LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss landed a deal with AXS TV and started her own wrestling promotion, called Women of Wrestling. Their show will begin airing in early 2019.

It's relevant now because today they signed Tessa Blanchard, who is also signed to Impact and just recently appeared at All In. Impact and WOW worked it out so Tessa can appear on television for both promotions (probably MLW and Lucha Underground too, if all were interested).

 

[famicommander]

All In did "easily" over 1 million dollars on Fite TV alone, according to Jim Ross. That's at least 25,000 buys, and it's the most successful event Fite has ever put on. With traditional PPV, Honor Club PPV, Honor Club VIP streams, and NJPW World streams there's no telling how many viewers or how much money this thing did. Not to mention the ticket sales and the corporate sponsorships.

And Pro Wrestling Tees did sell over $500,000 worth of t-shirts over the weekend, also per JR.

This is precisely why I think Bullet Club is going to re-sign with ROH. They get paid there, they get paid by NJPW, they still get to promote their own shows and sell their own merch, they essentially get to do whatever they want creatively, and they don't have to travel as much or work nearly as many dates as they would in WWE.

These dudes are the modern day NWO, except they're not junkies, drunks, bigots, or raving egomaniacs. And they can actually wrestle.

 

[Syn]

Especially in today's market, they are the greatest group/ faction ever.

Not that Cody did it all but it reminds of when Rasheed Wallace joined the Pistons and won it all.

 

[Renmauzo]

I watched the show on NJPW World, and it was a lot of fun. Pretty impressive for a first outing!

 

[famicommander]

Final Battle is at Hammerstein again this year.

They've really outgrown the venue. After selling out MSG for next April you have to think this might be the last time a major ROH PPV is in a venue that small.

But it's a great venue and usually a great crowd shows up, so it should be fine.

 

[famicommander]

Another indie is coming to TV next Saturday. Some promotion I have never heard of called Ring Warriors will debut on WGN America at 8:00 AM ET on 9/15.

Sounds like this will be closer to a Championship Wrestling From Hollywood or a Paragon than something more legit like MLW, but I will at least give them a watch.

Some shit ass local promotion booked by Vince Russo has local TV here. It's as bad as that sounds.

 

[JoeAwesome]

Another indie is coming to TV next Saturday. Some promotion I have never heard of called Ring Warriors will debut on WGN America at 8:00 AM ET on 9/15.

Sounds like this will be closer to a Championship Wrestling From Hollywood or a Paragon than something more legit like MLW, but I will at least give them a watch.

Some shit ass local promotion booked by Vince Russo has local TV here. It's as bad as that sounds.

There's some local promotions that get air time on local stations around Texas (I've seen them where I lived or visited). It's really hard to watch them. Most look out of shape, or don't have a moveset beyond hip tosses, body slams and the occasional axe hammer if they get off the floor. I guess everyone has to start somewhere, though.

 

[norton9478]

Most look out of shape, or don't have a moveset beyond hip tosses, body slams and the occasional axe hammer if they get off the floor.

So basically, it is like late 80's AWA.

 

[JoeAwesome]

So basically, it is like late 80's AWA.

Pretty much. I even got a bait & switch "card subject to change" happen.

 

[famicommander]

The CMLL 85th Anniversary Show will air live and free for Honor Club members this Friday night.

I speak almost zero Spanish so I rarely know what the hell is happening story wise, but CMLL puts on some good matches.

This is their equivalent of WrestleMania, Final Battle, or Wrestle Kingdom.

Card:
-La Jarochita, Marcela and Princesa Sujey vs. Dalys la Caribeña, La Maligna and Reyna Isis
-Ángel de Oro, Audaz and Niebla Roja vs. La Peste Negra (Negro Casas, El Felino) and Mephisto
-Atlantis, Místico and El Soberano vs. La Sangre Dinamita (El Cuatrero, Forastero and Sansón)
-Los Guerreros Lagunero (Gran Guerrero, Euforia and Último Guerrero) vs. Klan Kaoz (Ciber the Main Man, The Chris and Sharlie Rockstar for the CMLL World Trios Championship
-Carístico, El Hijo de L.A. Park and L.A. Park vs. Diamante Azul and Los Lucha Bros (King Phoenix and Penta el 0M)
-Matt Taven and Volador Jr. vs Rush and Bárbaro Cavernario, hair vs hair, 2/3 falls

 

[famicommander]

 

[famicommander]

Impact has sold out Bound for Glory.

The venue they're running seats 1,200 but it's unclear if they set up for the full amount or just the 800 non-bleacher seats.

Either way, it's a big turnaround from last year when they literally had to pay fans to attend Bound For Glory and still barely drew 600.

 

[jro]

I turned on Impact last night for few minutes during the main event. Does it always look like they only have 50 people in attendance?

Aries is still a heck of a worker.

 

[famicommander]

I turned on Impact last night for few minutes during the main event. Does it always look like they only have 50 people in attendance?

Aries is still a heck of a worker.

Depends where they tape. The attendance for that show was reported at around 350. The night prior they sold the same venue out for Slammiversary, so it seems they just had trouble getting the crowd back out the next day. ROH was having that problem a few years sgo -- drawing 1,600 for a big show and then 600 for TV the next day.

 

[GohanX]

Impact has sold out Bound for Glory.

The venue they're running seats 1,200 but it's unclear if they set up for the full amount or just the 800 non-bleacher seats.

Either way, it's a big turnaround from last year when they literally had to pay fans to attend Bound For Glory and still barely drew 600.

I'm pretty sure my high school rendition of "The Three Musketeers" filled more seats than that.

 

[famicommander]

I'm pretty sure my high school rendition of "The Three Musketeers" filled more seats than that.

It's hard to draw fans to a wrassllin' show. Even WWE only averages like 5,500 per show when you look at every one they put on.

You have to sell them the 50 dollar seat, then parking, then gross concessions, then a bunch of stupid merch, then a monthly streaming subscription or a PPV, plus get a fat TV deal to make money in the long haul.

 

[JoeAwesome]

I'm pretty sure my high school rendition of "The Three Musketeers" filled more seats than that.

And the acting was probably better to boot.

 

[famicommander]

So I watched Ring Warriors, that indie that aired their first TV show on WGN America today.

Thoughts:
-Running out of Sam's Town, same venue ROH used to use there. Also Paragon and Future Stars of Wrestling.
-There are a few names and faces I recognized. Jeff Cobb, Marty "the Moth" Martinez, Santana Garrett, Wes Briscoe, Alex Chamberlain, Alexander Hammerstone, and the big one was Austin Aries, who is (at least in storyline) a co-owner and claims he will defend the Impact World Championship next week on Ring Warriors
-Production was actually pretty good as far as sound and video quality
-One noticeable ref botch and another noticeable ring announcer botch, but nothing major
-Match quality wasn't bad

Much, much better than I thought. Better than CWFH or Paragon ever were, at least.

They're paying for airtime so something tells me this won't last long. You can't bring in names like Aries and Cobb and Martinez while paying for airtime and charging 10 bucks a seat and still make money.

But I'll at least watch next week to see how it is.

 

[norton9478]

And the production was probably better to boot.

FIFY

 

[Arcademan]

WWE Hell In A Cell PPV Results: 9-16-18

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's real-time report).

PRE-SHOW...

(A) THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Big E w/Xavier Woods) vs. RUSEV DAY (Rusev & Aiden English w/Lana)

Late in the match Big E launched Kofi over the top rope toward Rusev, but Rusev caught him with the Machka Kick. English then slammed Big E face-first on the ring apron. Rusev threw Kofi back into the ring. Fans chanted “Rusev Day!” English tagged himself in. Rusev didn’t seem to on board, but went for a diving headbutt. Kofi moved, so then English landed a top rope splash for a two count. Graves said when dealing with a team as elite as New Day, a miscommunication can be deadly. Seconds later, English went to tag Rusev, Rusev was down on the floor and out of reach. English then put Kofi in the Accolade mid-ring. Big E went to break it up, but Rusev cut him off. Kofi, though, fought out of the move. Rusev called for the tag for some reason. Kingston fended off Rusev as he charged into the ring illegally, then landed a Trouble in Paradise on English for the win.

WINNERS: The New Day in 9:00 to retain the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

MAIN SHOW...

(1) RANDY ORTON vs. JEFF HARDY – Hell in a Cell match

Graves talked about Hardy not being able to focus on his match tonight in recent days as he and his family have been dealing with the affects of the hurricane. Hardy charged at Orton at the start, but Orton took over right away with forearms and kicks. Early in the match, Hardy slid a table into the ring. Then a ladder and a chair. Orton dropped Hardy on the bridged ladder at ringside, reversing Hardy’s set-up. Orton then bashed Hardy with some chair shots to the back. He ripped off his mesh shirt before bashing his back several more times. Orton then too Hardy’s studded belt and whipped him with it. Hardy tried to yank off the rest of his shirt to get his arm mobility back. Orton continued the attack. Fans chanted “Let’s Go Hardy.” Orton looked at them with disdain and caught his breath about 12 minutes into the match. Orton put Hardy inside a ladder in the ring as Graves said Orton was dismantling Hardy. He said Orton is at his most vicious. He put Hardy’s head through a rung and bent his head up, then stomped down on the ladder several times methodically. Orton pulled him to the canvas and scored a two count. Graves said the ref should perhaps consider stopping the match. There was no pushback by Saxton or Phillips other than Saxton saying this is the match Hardy wanted.

Orton went into his obligatory mid-match chin lock. Hardy fought out of it and showed some fire. He took Orton down with an inverted atomic drop and then a leg drop to the crotch followed by a basement dropkick for a two count. Both were slow to get up. Orton rolled to the floor and pulled out a toolbox. The crowd gasped. Orton looked through screwdrivers as Graves wondered, “What in the hell is Randy Orton going to do with a screwdriver?” He called it “weapon.” Orton then put the screwdriver in his mouth and yanked on Hardy’s ear. Then he put the screwdriver into the hole in Hardy’s wear and pulled more on it and then began twisting it as Hardy sold it. He did two full turns as Orton looked sadistic. Hardy stood up and mule-kicked his way out of the hold.

Hardy picked up his belt and whipped Orton with it, then hit him with a chair across his back several times. He scored a two count at 18:00. When Hardy went to the top rope, Orton knocked him off balance and Hardy dropped crotch-first over the top turnbuckle. Orton’s back was marked up and bleeding from the belt shots with at least 11 streams of blood longer than an inch and a bunch of other spots bleeding a little less than an inch. Quite the visual. Orton hit a DDT, but was slow to get up. He stood and signaled for the RKO. Hardy escaped the RKO attempt and landed a sudden Twist of Fate. Graves wondered if Hardy could “finish the job.” Hardy put a chair on Orton’s chest and then landed a Swanton for a near fall. Fans began a “This is Awesome” chant. The camera zoomed in on Orton’s leg having a puncture wound and bleeding with what appeared to have a “dangling chad” coming out of the wound.

Hardy put Orton on a table and then climbed to the top of a tall ladder. He hung from the roof and maneuvered over above Orton. Orton moved and Hardy crashed hard through the table. The ref signaled for help once he determined Hardy wasn’t moving. “Holy sh–!” chanted the crowd. The ref tried to get Orton to back away, but Orton made the cover anyway and them the ref counted to three. Hardy was strapped to a backboard and put on a gurney and wheeled away.

WINNER: Orton in 25:00. (***3/4)

There was enough violence and drama to get this near four stars on a HIAC scale, although the Hell in a Cell structure itself ended up being just a prop surrounding them until the end. That’s probably no big deal with two HIAC matches on one show. I’m not crazy about a finish that sells the idea that someone is paralyzed, although once Orton made the cover it was pretty obvious Hardy was actually “fine.” Storyline-wise, I really like the idea of the match not stopping just because someone seems injured since – storyline-wise – the whole point of HIAC is to injure your opponents until you can pin them, so why would the ref stop the match just because the wrestler appeared to be “too hurt”? The match played believably into Orton’s and Hardy’s characters and how they’d act and wrestle in a match like this.

(2) CHARLOTTE vs. BECKY LYNCH – WWE Smackdown Women’s Title match

Audible cheers for Lynch when her music played and she came out onto the stage. No sense of any boos in the crowd. Graves said it’s a friendship in rubble and Lynch will find out tonight if it was all worth it. She looked serious and focused but not smug or heelish. Graves noted Charlotte is 18-2 in career singles championship matches on PPV. Graves said this is different for Charlotte because she’s not used to fighting someone who knows her as well as she does. Charlotte still did her unbecoming gymnastics as she entered the ring which seems more fitting of a heel wrestler showing off arrogantly, someone cheering on fighters in a cheerleading squad, or a teenage girl trying to score points in a gymnastics competition. During formal ring intros, more boos than cheers for Charlotte, but nothing too intense either way.

Graves said Charlotte might be the greatest athlete in all of WWE. I’m all for building up wrestlers, especially reigning champions, but that’s preposterous to say. They were all off on their timing on leapfrog into a Figure-Eight attempt into an armor by Becky series seconds later, sort of undercutting Graves’s statement about Charlotte. It just looked robotic and clumsy at once. When Becky rallied a few minutes in, the crowd booed the kickoff at two by Charlotte. The crowd otherwise was sort of muted early on. They chanted “Becky” at one point. Charlotte came back with chops and the crowd “wooo’d” along with her. Charlotte went for the moonsault, but Becky moved and then applied an armbar. Charlotte lifted and slammed Becky to escape and then score a leverage two count. Graves called it a ridiculous show of strength by Charlotte. Graves called it “super-human power” for Charlotte. They stood and exchanged blows. Becky delivered an inverted DDT/hammerlock combo for a two count.

Becky climbed to the top rope, but Charlotte avoided a missile dropkick and then immediate applied a Boston crab. Becky crawled to the bottom rope to force a submission. Charlotte rolled up Becky seconds later. Becky escaped and immediately applied a Disarmher. Charlotte rolled out of the ring and Becky held it until the fourth count by the ref. Charlotte back-elbowed Becky as she charged, but then Becky rolled through a Charlotte spear and hooked the leg and scored a pin. A pretty big pop from the crowd for the win.

WINNER: Lynch in 14:00. (***1/4)

-Charlotte leaned against the bottom rope and soaked up the loss. She was teared up as she looked at Becky celebrating. Charlotte finally stood up as Becky’s music faded. A “Becky!” chant started and fans cheered when she held up her belt. Charlotte offered to raise Becky’s arm. Becky told Charlotte that she won’t let her steal another moment from her. She turned and left the ring. Scattered boos as she headed to the back. Her music played again.

Good match that felt like something was at stake and two top women were battling for it. It wasn’t electric as fans just felt like they were fighting against the story they were being fed for the match. Charlotte is a victim along with Becky in this ill-conceived direction their feud has taken. Good finish with a decisive win by Becky. If you’re telling the story of her being a heel, her refusal to share the moment with Charlotte makes sense. That said, I have a feeling most fans agreed and nodded along with Becky letting Charlotte know that this wasn’t her moment to show how gracious she could be; it was her time to roll out of the ring and let Becky celebrate the moment. It’s not as if they were great friends going into this anyway.

(3) DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS vs. DREW MCINTYRE & DOLPH ZIGGLER – WWE Raw Tag Team Title match

They built to Dean getting a hot-tag deep into the match. Lots of nice spots throughout, but it felt from the start to be paced for a long “epic” match. Late in the match Drew tagged in Ziggler. Drew lifted Dean onto his shoulders. Dean knocked Ziggler off balance and fought his way off of Drew’s shoulders. Dean went for Dirty Deeds. Drew avoided it and then speared Dean to the floor. Seth gave Ziggler a superplex and rolled through, but as he set up the pin, Drew gave him a Claymore Kick for the win. The announcers marveled at the match. Graves said it could redefine tag team wrestling in WWE.

WINNERS: Ziggler & McIntyre in 23:00 to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles.

(4) A.J. STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE

Joe came out first. The announcers talked about Joe’s mind games and called them despicable. During ring intros, Styles and Joe jawed at each other the whole time. Graves said Joe is definitely in Style’s head. The bell rang and Styles charged at Joe and took it to him with forearms and punches at the start. No collar and elbow hookup this time. Joe ended up fighting back with some of his signature jabs. Styles dropkicked Joe to stop his comeback. Joe regrouped at ringside. Styles threw Joe head-first into the announce table. He slidekicked him next. Graves said Styles is fighting for his family, but questioned whether he could sustain his intensity and emotional state. Styles went for an early Phenomenal Forearm, but Joe rolled to the floor. The ref told Styles to keep it in the ring. That brief delay gave Joe time to recover, as he kicked Styles when Styles went for a slingshot dive onto Joe. Styles clutched his knee. Joe kicked Styles and threw him into the ringside steps. Styles flip-bumped to the floor.

Back in the ring Joe took over, knocking Styles down with a hard chop to the chest. Joe face washed Styles and then delivered a running boot to the Styles as he was lying in a corner of the ring. Graves said Styles appears to have run out of gas, a callback to his concern earlier that Styles was going to run out of steam at the early pace he set. With Styles at ringside, Joe flew at Styles with a serious-business elbow to the side of his head. Styles bumped hard into the announce table and then didn’t move. Joe picked him up and threw him back into the ring and made a cover for a two count. Joe settled into a head twist mid-ring.

Styles eventually fought back and hit a charging Joe with an elbow and then landed an inverted DDT for a near fall. Styles went for a springboard moonsault off the second rope, but Joe lifted his knees. Phillips mindlessly said “nobody home on the moonsault,” even though that’s when the opponent moves, not when they lift their knees. Joe put Styles in a Crossface mid-ring. Styles crawled over to the bottom rope to force a break. Styles avoided a charging Joe, then turned and hit a hard chop and round kick. Then he lifted Joe onto his shoulders and put him in a torture rack and then spun out into a powerbomb for a near fall. Graves marveled at his power.

Styles landed a springboard 450 for a near fall. Graves said the fact that Styles had that in his reserve athletically at this point in the match was mind-blowing. Styles set up a Styles Clash. Joe dropped out of it and immediately catapulted Styles into the corner. Then he hit a vicious clothesline for a two count. Both were slow to get up. Graves said Joe reached from the depths of his soul and hit that lariat, but still couldn’t get the three on Styles. Styles took a great bump there. Styles came up bleeding from his mouth. Phillips said Styles was a mess. Joe set up a Muscle Buster off the top, but Styles slipped out into a sunset flip and then went for a Styles Clash immediately, but Joe kicked his way free from an upside down position. Styles hinted at Calk Crusher, but Joe landed a round kick to the head. Joe took a few breaths, rolled Styles onto his back, and then scored a two count.

Styles set up a Phenomenal Forearm with a quick forearm, but Joe avoided the springboard forearm and applied the Coquina Clutch. Joe ripped Styles away from the ropes and dropped back. Styles bridged Joe’s shoulders down and the ref counted to three. Joe was irate afterward, standing over Styles and protesting the call. He tried to tell the ref Styles actually tapped out. Joe went to ringside and Graves hesitantly said he thinks he saw a tapout.

Joe returned to the ring as Styles’s music played. As Styles reached for his belt, Joe snatched it and held it up. Styles then gave Joe a leaping round kick to the back of his head. Joe rolled to the floor. A bloodied Styles held up the belt, then dropped to his knees and fall back onto the mat, selling the war he just fought in the ring.

They replayed the finish from a fresh angle and Styles did indeed indisputably tapout before the ref counted to three. Graves declared Joe the WWE Champion, then said Joe at least has a legitimate gripe.

WINNER: Styles in 19:00 to retain the WWE Title. (****1/4)

Really really good start to finish. I liked the finish as Joe hardly looked like a loser at the end and has as good of a case as anyone can make for deserving a rematch. These are two top-level pros who knew how to tell a story in the ring that totally fit the build.